Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

I have been seeing this tag pop up all over the place lately and while I wasn't tagged, I did want to participate.  I believe the original was created by ReadLikeWildfire on Youtube, but feel free to correct me if I am wrong.  Obviously I am updating it to be current to this year. So on with my freak out  . . . 

Best Book You've Read So Far in 2017

I always have a tough time with these questions because I have read nearly 200 books already this year and how do you pick just one top book? I have to go with A Man Called Ove though because it just hit so many things just right.  

Best Sequel You've Read So Far in 2017

I know I am late to this game but I absolutely loved this book, far more than I ever expected. I really disliked the Throne of Glass series (and actually gave up on it) so was hesitant to pick this series up but once I started I was so glad I did.  While I did enjoy the first book, this second one was fantastic! Now the third was a little bit of a disappointment but I won't go into that here.

New Release You Haven't Read, But Want To

For this one I have two answers, first I purchased Dawn Study when it first came out in January, the conclusion to one of my favorite series but I still haven't picked it up.  Second I was interested in Eliza and Her Monsters which just came out but after hearing so many awesome reviews I purchased it and now want to read it soon.

 

Most Anticipated Release of the Second Half of the Year

Again this was really hard, at first I was so excited that Kristin Cashore was coming out with a new book (Jane Unlimited), but the more I hear about it the less excited I am. I am still really anticipating it and will read it but it isn't as high on my priority list anymore.  One that is very high is Monstress Vol. 2 which comes out on July 11th.  I am also very excited for The Speaker by Traci Chee (the second book in The Sea of Ink and Gold series) is being released in November. I loved The Reader so much that I am going to the Boston Teen Author BookFestival just to meet her!

 

Biggest Disappointment

Again another hard choice, I have read a lot of disappointing books this year (I'm looking at you Harry Potter) but I think the biggest disappointment for me was The Book Thief, not that it was a bad book I just had expected to absolutely love it like everyone else but it wasn't a good fit for me at the time.

Biggest Surprise

I have had a few surprises this year, the ACOTAR series for one and then The Winner's Curse series but I think the biggest surprise for me was Heartstone by Elle Katharine White. It was a Pride and Prejudice retelling with a fantasy twist, now I really dislike Jane Austen so did not have any hope for this book but because it had dragons I gave it a try and I ended up really enjoying it!

Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You)

This is an easy one, now I have read a lot of new to me authors and a few debut but only one author that I went out and read every book she has released and requested upcoming releases on Netgalley, and that is Katie Ruggle

  

Newest Fictional Crush

Oh boy, here we go! I have so many new crushes, Archer from The Reader, Rhys from ACOTAR series and George Holloway from Gone Too Deep are the tops so far this year.

Newest Favorite Character

Again this is so hard, obviously all the leading men mentioned above but also Parvaneh, the cat and Ove from A Man Called Ove, Rory from Fan the Flames, Arin & Kestral from Winner's Curse series, Grady from More Than Peaches and Lord Blackheart from Nimona are among the top favorites!

Book that Made You Cry

Two books stand out to me this year that made me cry, A Man Called Ove was one but it was already mentioned a few times.  The other one was a debut called From Ant to Eagle by Alex Lyttle and it is guaranteed to make you cry!

Book that Made You Happy

I know this is going to see rather odd, but I think I have to go with Pancho Bandito and the Amarillo Armadillo for this one.  I have a real special place in my heart for tall tales and this one, while a new release, definitely has the feel of a classic Tall Tale and it has an armadillo!!

Favorite Book to Film Adaptation You Saw This Year

I don't see many movies and I haven't seen any book to film adaptations yet. But the favorite new to me movies I have seen so far this year are Moana and the new Beauty and the Beast.  I am going to finally watch the Harry Potter movies, Fantastic Beasts and Wonder Woman soon.

Favorite Review You've Written This Year

I always hate evaluating my own work, it is never quite to the level that I imagine it was, but I think my favorite review post was of The Reader by Traci Chee because I took a little more time to think about it and develop my opinion on it.

Most Beautiful Book You Bought (or received) This Year

I was going to say Norse Mythology for this one but I just received Finding Wonders in the mail yesterday and it is beautiful!

What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of This Year

You really don't want me to list all of the books I plan to read in the remainder of the year, but I will be continuing my Trilogy Challenge with the Grisha Trilogy, Code Name Verity Trilogy, The Black Jewels Trilogy , The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy, Finding Wonders, Eliza and Her Monsters.  I also plan to read several of the books by the authors coming to the Boston Teen Author Book Festival in September that I will be attending (if anyone else is going and want to meet up please email me).  I will also be attending the Fall In Love With New England Conference in October and hope to read books by several of the authors attending this one too.  And here are a few more books I want to read this year . . .

  

 

So are you freaking out yet because half the year is already gone?! If you also post this tag please let me know so I can come check out your answers!

Audio Book Review of The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

Read for: Audio Book Challenge & I am a big Star Wars Fan

Synopsis: "The Princess Diarist is Carrie Fisher’s intimate, hilarious and revealing recollection of what happened behind the scenes on one of the most famous film sets of all time, the first Star Wars movie.

When Carrie Fisher recently discovered the journals she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars movie, she was astonished to see what they had preserved—plaintive love poems, unbridled musings with youthful naiveté, and a vulnerability that she barely recognized. Today, her fame as an author, actress, and pop-culture icon is indisputable, but in 1977, Carrie Fisher was just a (sort-of) regular teenager.

With these excerpts from her handwritten notebooks, The Princess Diarist is Fisher’s intimate and revealing recollection of what happened on one of the most famous film sets of all time—and what developed behind the scenes. And today, as she reprises her most iconic role for the latest Star Wars trilogy, Fisher also ponders the joys and insanity of celebrity, and the absurdity of a life spawned by Hollywood royalty, only to be surpassed by her own outer-space royalty. Laugh-out-loud hilarious and endlessly quotable, The Princess Diarist brims with the candor and introspection of a diary while offering shrewd insight into the type of stardom that few will ever experience."


My Review: I had been wanting to read this one for a while and finally picked it up in audio book format. It was a lot shorter than I expected it to be and there were less from her actual journals than I expected and more of her and Harrison than I expected. So needless to say it was different than I really expected but it was a pleasure to listen to her narrate her own book and talk about the shock that was becoming Princess Leia and forevermore being Princess Leia. I really enjoyed her sense of humor, sarcastic, realistic and completely entertaining. With all that said I was hoping to fill a little bit of my longing for more Star Wars but it wasn't as much of an insight to the character and making of the movie as I had hoped. I did enjoy it and will be picking up more of her books.

My Rating: While this one was not exactly what I was expecting in most aspects it was still a very enjoyable read and I loved having it narrated by Carrie herself.  I much prefer books, especially comedy, be read by the author to get the proper inflection intended.  I give this one a rating of Three Paws.

Monday Reading List

Its Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Share what books you have finished in the last week, are currently reading and what might be coming up next!

Reviews Posted Last Week:

Links will take you to my review

Sword & Verse by Kathy MacMillan
Pete the Cat and the Surprise Teacher by James Dean (Early Reader)
The Beastly Pirates by John Kelly (Bedtime Story - but don't read at bedtime)
Over the Garden Wall by Jim Campbell, Pat McHale & Amalia Levari (Graphic Novel)

 Books Finished Last Week:

Reviews will be posted at a later date

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
Angel Catbird
Last Day Blues
A Court of Wings and Ruin
Catch Crusher

Currently Reading:

The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert - Audio - 53%
Waking Land by Callie Bates - Kindle - 18%






 Books to be Read Soon:

Pages Read/ Time Listened
117:20 Hours Listened (none listened this week)
29,082 Pages Read (1,619 this week)

Books Added to Shelves This Month
Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by JK Rowling
Samurai Rising by Pamela Turner
Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan
The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Seduced by the Billionaire by Carly Carson
The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert


Books Read From My Shelves
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows




Interesting Tidbits on the Web:



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I finally finished Harry Potter!! I do have the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them but that should be a quick read and at least will feature different characters.  I will be working up a full series review on this and tell you my thoughts (and I do have quite a few thoughts but most will be unfavorable). With that said as soon as I finished that book I dived right into ACOWAR and didn't come up for air until it was done 3 days later. So that is the reason for the gap in posts last week but I don't regret it. I will also be posting a review of the series by Sarah J. Maas, again a lot going on with this one but not much I can discuss without spoilers so I will be debating how to post that review.

Friday night Hubby and I celebrated our 10th anniversary, we actually got a sitter and went out for dinner. It was wonderful to have time together but had to call it a night early because Hubby had to leave for work the next morning at 5:00am.  Saturday Munchkin had his award ceremony and fun day for Tball, he has one game left on Tuesday and that will wrap up his first sport season! Father's Day was a bit of a whirl wind, unfortunately poor Hubby had to do some house work to finish painting the basement wall so we can mount cabinets next weekend. But it will be made up for when we get to put his new grill together and he can BBQ to his heart's content.

I have gone on a little bit of a book buying binge and am waiting for several orders to come in but more on that soon!

Hope you all have a great week!