I was not tagged in this, but I saw Sara do it on her blog (check out her post here) and really wanted to get around to it while we were still in the month of June (since that’s mid-year). I’m just gonna jump right in!
BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2019?
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has without a doubt been my favorite read so far this year.
BEST SEQUEL OF 2019 SO FAR?
I am still currently reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but it’s turning out to be my favorite sequel so far this year!
NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET, BUT WANT TO?
I am dying to read Red, White & Royal Blue ASAP, but I haven’t gotten my hands on it just yet. However, I’ve heard nothing but good things about it and am anticipating loving it.
MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF THE SECOND HALF OF 2019?
I don’t generally keep up well with release dates, but when the author who wrote one of my all-time favorite books is set to release something new and creepy, I’m gonna keep my eye on it. If you haven’t heard before now… Stephen Chbosky is releasing a new adult horror book called Imaginary Friend and I’d suggest putting it on your TBR right this moment.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT?
I thankfully have had a pretty good reading year overall and have not experienced many big disappointments. The War Blog was one of the few books that were gigantic letdowns. I was not disappointed in this because I had anticipated its release and was really looking forward to it… no, I was disappointed in it because it is marketed as a book about a teen girl’s fight against rape culture but was an offensive, slut-shaming, poorly structured mess.
BIGGEST SURPRISE?
Will negatively surprised suffice? As a usual lover of classical literature, I expected to love Emma, but… ugh it was not for me. It wasn’t a completely terrible read (I rated it 3 stars) but I definitely thought that I would like it more. I was honestly very surprised with how much it bored me.
FAVORITE NEW (TO ME) AUTHOR?
Taylor Jenkins Reid has become a new favorite author of mine this year. She has somehow made me love books from a genre that I hate, and for that I feel that she truly deserves credit. She’s a fabulous writer, if you are somehow unfamiliar with her.
NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH?
When I watched the movies, I just had a crush on the actress, Emma Watson, but now I have a crush on the actual fictional character of Hermione from the Harry Potter series as well. Really though, I should’ve expected that.
BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?
Daisy Jones & The Six is not the type of book that I expected would make me cry. Most books can’t make me cry. But the ending of this came at me out of no where and I was not at all prepared for it and… well, I just couldn’t help it. I cried.
BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY?
Saint Anything was one of the few Dessen books that I hadn’t already read when I decided to start rereading her stuff this year. It is now one of my favorites from her, and even though there is a lot of sadness and deeper stuff going on, the whole read overall made me happy.
FAVORITE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION YOU’VE SEEN THIS YEAR?
I know, I know. I’m lame. But it’s funny, right….? Anyways, I haven’t watched any movie adaptions this year! At least not that I can think of.
FAVORITE REVIEW YOU’VE WRITTEN THIS YEAR?
I think that my favorite review to write this year was for Daisy Jones & The Six. I know I’ve already talked about the book on this list, but this is different because it’s about my review on the book… right? Anyways, I really loved that book, which made talking about it seem like the easiest thing in the world. Sometimes book reviews are hard to write, and sometimes you know exactly what you want to say. With this one, I knew exactly what I wanted to say.
MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU BOUGHT OR RECEIVED SO FAR THIS YEAR?
I refuse to stop talking about how obsessed I am with this beautiful cover for Wild and Crooked. I mean, look at it!! It’s so pretty.
WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR?
It would take less time for me to tell you the books that I don’t need to read by the end of the year.
Ah, what a fun post! I love doing these. I’m going to tag a few people, but don’t feel pressured to participate! If you’ve already done this one, I apologize for the double tag!
I like how you have “Biggest Surprise” — good category!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I know most people love that book but I was just not into it 😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
i completely agree with your answer to the last question! the limit really does not exist. so sorry you were disappointed by The War Blog! it sounds really harmful from how you described it :(( also, im so happy that there’s someone else in the world who hasn’t read rw&rb yet! I’m hoping my copy ships soon so that i can read and see what all the hype is about 🤞🤞
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I saw that question I immediately thought of the Mean Girls quote, haha! The War Blog was definitely harmful, and it was even more upsetting because I saw that the author made a blog post after receiving negative reviews and pretty much said that he didn’t think it was fair for people to not like the book just because a man wrote it. The problem there is that most reviewers didn’t care about the author being a male- they cared about the story was written. For instance, the author KEPT claiming that r*pe victims were doomed to become addicted to drugs. It was an overall upsetting read. And ahhh, I feel like you and I are the only people left on the planet who havent read rw&rb! I keep hearing about it everywhere! I hope you enjoy it!!♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
I need to read some Taylor Jenkins Reid asap! I’ve heard amazing things about Evelyn Hugo, so I’d really like to cross it off my TBR this year. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would definitely recommend her! I want to check out her other books as well, but so far the two I’ve bought have been fantastic! I hope you love Evelyn Hugo when you get to it! ♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for tagging me Brittany!☺️ I can’t wait to read seven husbands I just haven’t managed to find a copy at my library yet, probably gonna have to buy it which I’m not complaining about because everyone says that it’s really good! and I completely agree with having a crush on both Hermione and just Emma Watson!😂 Can’t wait to do this tag!💞
LikeLiked by 1 person
I waited for my library to pick it up as well but they never did ): I bought a physical copy but I have to admit that I mostly listened to the audio. Both are good, but the audio really makes for a great experience. If you have a Scribd, membership, it is on there! ♥ Both Hermione and Emma Watson are queens and I love them so much. Can’t wait to read your answers!♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never heard of The War Blog but it sounds like I’ll be avoiding that for sure. So sorry to hear that it was a huge disappointment. And yes, both Hermione and Emma Watson were my biggest crushes and role models in the Harry Potter world and Emma in general ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
The War Blog was… not good. Definitely avoid. Hermione is without a doubt my favorite in the HP books so far, though I am excited for Luna Lovegood to be introduced. I have total heart eyes for Emma Watson 😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Avoiding The War Blog for sure. Thanks for that advice. Yes! You have to let me know what you think about getting introduced to Luna in the novels.
LikeLike
Wild and Crooked is not only a beautiful book outside but it’s sooo freaking good. I love it so much. Also, I mean Evelyn Hugo is like perfection always.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wild and Crooked was GREAT and I’m kind of upset that I haven’t heard that many people talking about it!?! It’s so good.
LikeLike
I swear almost everyone’s post has Taylor Jenkins Reid, Evelyn Hugo, or Daisy Jones on it! I WANT TO READ BUT AM SCARED OF THE HYPE.
Also hahaha the limit definitely doesn’t exist….
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am honestly not usually one to jump on hyped up books like this, because I usually do think that the hype ruins the book, but I really enjoyed both of those reads! I can tell why they might not be for everyone -especially Daisy Jones- but I really liked them. I don’t blame you for being nervous about reading them, though! They’ve been talked up so much that it’s hard not to have high expectations. To be completely honest, I went into both of them thinking that there was no way I’d like them, but I really like her writing style!
LikeLike