Favorite Reads of 2019, So Far

We are days away from being halfway through 2019. Which means we're six months away from 2020. Which feels a bit surreal and terrifying because 2020 sounds very futuristic. Also, this year has flown by in a blink. Or is that just me?

My point is, I'm ready to do some mid-year stock-taking, of the bookish sort. Fortunately for me, a tag exists for that. It's called the "Mid-Year Book Freak-Out Tag." It seemed like a melodramatic title, until I realized that I do feel a bit freaked out by half the year being gone already.

The questions and my short answers are listed below. For more of my thoughts on these books, see the video version here.  

1) Best book(s) you've read this year

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin and If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

2) Best sequel(s) you've read this year

Kingdom of Copper by S. K. Chakraborty

3) New release(s) you haven't read yet but want to

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

4) Most anticipated release(s) for second half of 2019

Tyrant's Tomb (Trials of Apollo #4) by Rick Riordan

5) Biggest disappointments

The Real Life of the Parthenon by Patricia Vigderman and Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

6) Biggest surprise

Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo

7) Favorite debut or new-to-you author(s)

N. K. Jemisin and S. K. Chakraborty

8) New fictional crush

Nah

9) Newest favorite character

Ophelia from A Winter's Promise

10) Book(s) that made you cry

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier

11) Books(s) that made you happy

Barry B. Powell's translation of The Odyssey by Homer

12) Most beautiful book you've purchased or been gifted this year

The Penguin Deluxe Edition of Dante's The Divine Comedy, translated by Robin Kirkpatrick

13) Book(s) you need to read by the end of the year

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

What have your best reads of 2019 been so far?


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