Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I know I was meant to be posting a review of My Friends, by Fredrik Backman, but right now that's the last thing I want to post. 

And I'd rather write a long post about something I'm genuinely interested in, instead of trying to invoke enthusiasm into something I'm not. 

I have the whole night to do this, so let's get stuck in! 

~The Best Book You've Read So Far in 2025~

A number of books were contendors for this, including: The Wake Up Call, Sunrise on the Reaping, and Friday Black, but I think Rachel's Holiday edges those just a bit. 

Rachel's Holiday is the second novel in The Walsh Family series, centering around the three Walsh sisters as they navigate their hyper-active lives, working through issues and generally stumbling through life. I've heard each novel in this series is pungent, honest and empowering, and even though they're all as big as this, I'm determined to get to all of them. 

Rachel is the middle Walsh child, and this novel follows her to an addiction centre, though she's convinced her drug taking is exactly the same as everyone else's- normal. Over 600 pages or so, we see her in denial, convinced that this rehabilitation centre is just a holiday. Then she's chasing a guy, but over time we see her broken down by the people closest too, and then to the end of her stay, out into the bright world. 

Altogether this was such an amazing read, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the rest of Marian Keyes' other novels. 

~Best Sequel You've Read in 2025~ 

Haven't actually read many sequels this year, given a lot of my chosen books have been re-reads so far this year, but I'm going to elect The Troublemakers, by Tamzin Merchant for this. 

The Troublemakers is the epic finale for the Cordelia Hatmaker trilogy, where her seabound father and Cordelia finally make their journey out to sea, after being reunited at last. After the first two books wrapped up everything that was going on; the maker families all working in harmony again, and magic about to be restored, I was curious as to what was left, but honestly, there was so much more to come. 

A whole new cast of characters, as well as some favourites from the first two books, and a quest to clear Cordelia's name after she makes a catastrophic mistake that gets her banished from her home. I'm eagerly awaiting Merchant's next novel, about the origins of Making. 

~New Release You Haven't Read Yet, But Want To~

THIS. 

Strangers in Time was my first choice in Whitby, but unfortunately the bookshop didn't stock it. But, I am determined to read this before the end of the year. If I get desperate enough, I have my anniversary voucher that I can obtain it from. 

Strangers in Time is basically about a bookstore owner, Ignatus, and two teenager, fighting to get through the horrors of the Blitz the only way they know how- by relying on eachother. If you want more in-depth details about this book, you can look on my Anticipated Releases post for April-June. 

This is David Baldacci's first historical fiction novel, and I am eager to see what I think of it. 

~Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year~

It's a book about a pensioner-that's also a murderer. Although she doesn't do that anymore. 

Until now. 

That's really all I think I need to say to be honest. 

~Biggest Disappointment~

I bet some of you are surprised by this choice, especially as I picked The Troublemakers as best sequel. But the minute I found out that Cordelia wouldn't be setting out to sea to search for her father, my progress dwindled significantly with this book. 

It all worked out in the end, her place to be was right there in London with her family, but I was expecting her to stowoway in a mystery boat with her friend Goose, and when that didn't happen, I was slightly disappointed. 

~Biggest Surprise~

Tbe Pieces of Ourselves surprised me so much. 

As soon as I got a little ways in, I could not put this book down. 

It tells the story of Flora, who after an 'incident' and a surprise bipolar diagnosis, has had to put her life on hold. Her only reason for getting up in the morning is her job at the hotel she works at. 

Until a mysterious guest arrives, and requests her help at discovering his grandmother's past- which has something to do with the hotel. 

As Flora and Hal start to uncover the secrets to his heritage, Flora is in a battle with herself- figuring herself out, finding out what her new 'normal' is- and in doing so, finding herself a little closer to Hal. 

I knew I would like this, especially after loving Theatrical so much, but I never expected to be clawing through every page, anxious to find out what was going to happen next. 

Maggie Harcourt is an author to watch, guys. 

~Favourite New Author (to you)~

Ursula K. Le Guin- Author of the Earthsea novels. 

Which I finish this very afternoon (The Earthsea Quartet I mean, so the first four books). 

Her writing is up there with Tolkein, to be honest. 

Her stories are full of adventures, dramatic fighting and escapes, great triumphs and devastating deaths. 

Such a wonderful storyteller- And I've only just started reading her work. 

~Newest Fictional Crush~ 

Only one that springs to mind is from a tv show, from the 90s. 

John Carter, from ER. Yes I'm aware that George Clooney was also in this show. But I'm seen this character grow from a clueless student, taking charge in a meltdown, and aspiring to be the best doctor he can be. I'm currently in Season 5/15 and I never want to slow down. 

~Newest Favourite Character~

Does tribute Haymitch count as a new character if I've technically met them before?

Well, I've never met him at this age, so I'm counting it. 

And Maysilee. And Wyatt. And young Wiress, Beetee, Mags and Effie. 

~Book That Made You Cry~

Easy. Tear-jerker every time. It may seem heartless, but I read this when I was something quick that I know I'll enjoy reading. Because the thing is, this isn't a book about a teenage girl dying of cancer. It's a book about living each day like it's your last. It's about taking what you want with both hands and not letting go until you have no choice. 

I will always cry during my re-read of this book, because it's a sad book. But it's also a powerful book.

Basically, Tessa has a list. Ten things, the first being sex. And she's not going to die until all ten are done. But the thing is, getting what you want doesn't always get you what you need. And sometimes the most unexpected things become important. 

I came across this book over a decade ago, in my secondary school library. It was a favourite from day one, and I think I've shed more tears over this book than all my other favourite tear-jerkers combined. 

~Book That Made You Happy~

This could be considered a happy book, but also a sad book. The reason this books makes me happy is because I know that there aren't many things that are a constant in life, but good friends, if they're the right ones for you, can last a lifetime. Everybody needs someone to be weird with, to feel they can tell them anything, and your friends are it. 

Friends are the centre of this book, so I can't think of a worthier candidate for this category. 

~Most Beautiful Book You've Bought (Or Received)~

Technically I received this last September, but it's still in the space of a year, so I'm going with it. 

Just look at it. Absolutely stunning cover, there was no way I was going to pick anything else. 

Yes, I still need to read it, but it's going on the priority list for the rest of the year (along with a couple of other classics). 

~What Books Do You Want To Read By the End of the Year~

Off the top of my head, all my gifted books:

1. All of my Neil Gaiman books

2. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickins

3. Nicholas Nickleby

4. The Scarlet Letter

5. The House of Fortune, by Jessie Burton (which also includes a re-read of The Miniaturist)

~Favourite Book to Movie Adaptation You've Read Seen This Year~

I'm actually currently re-watching Heartstopper, just finished Series One, so I'm going to slightly change the question and select Heartstopper. I haven't seen Series Three yet, which is why I'm re-watching, but truly, the phrase 'absence makes the heart grow stronger' really is accurate in this case. 

It really is wonderful to be able to watch the Charlie and Nick story right from the start- and I know I'm going to just love Series Three. 

Okay! That is the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag! *Phew*! Finally finished. 

I hope you guys like reading this tag, because that literally took me hours. 

Anyway, as always, I'm opting out of tagging, because I'm everyone who has a blog has done this tag, but of course, it's basically a tradition on here now. 

Feel free to comment your answers down below, and I'll see you all soon for my July Wrap Up (another long one, I've finished 9 books so far). 

Okay, I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxxx

 

July TBR (2025)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

Welcome to the first TBR for the second half of the year- and for once it doesn't feel like the time has gotten away- it feels like, because of the heat, it feels like July weather. 

I'm treating July as a catching up month. I want to finish all of the ongoing series' that I'm currently in the middle of, and start afresh in August. I'll be happy if I manage that. 

So without further ado, here's my July TBR. 

1. Global, by Eoin Colfer

I was originally going to have the Clementine graphic novel trilogy in place here, but since we're already a week into July, I've already finished them. 

I didn't even own Global a week ago, but I received it as an anniversary present in Lincoln on Saturday, and right now, I'm two books behind on my Goodreads Reading Challenge. So I'm calling in the big guns. 

Global is a survival graphic novel, following two children in a climate crisis, who are just trying to find a stroke of luck- and survive at the same time. Produced from the award-winning team that created Illegal, comes another moving graphic novel about climate change- and what it takes to change your luck- for the better. 

2. The Earthsea Quartet: The First Four Books, by Ursula K. Le Guin

I'm currently one story into this novel, and the plan for this is to read a story between the Series of Unfortunate Events novels'. As we all know, due to the screw up this book was for me back in June, this might not go to plan. Which is fine because, I'll be taking this book at my own pace, and taking all of it in. 

I thought that the four stories within this novel was the be-all-and-end-all The Earthsea Quartet, but it turns out there's two more books after this. This changes nothing. 

I know I'm going to love this award-winning, absolute legend of a series. 

3. The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events #11), by Lemony Snicket

4. The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events #12), by Lemony Snicket 

5. The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events #13), by Lemony Snicket 

I really need to finish this series. End of. 

I'm convinced that The Grim Grotto is what's stopping me. 

Once I get past that, it's just a big wrap up to the end- we find out about the sugar bowl, the potentially-alive adult, the last safe place, and what's going to happen in the end. It's high time I followed the Baudelaire orphans to the end of their rope, and their story as a whole. 

And then I'll be re-watching the series again. 

If I somehow manage to read all of those, and have some time left, I'm going to pick three books at random (that aren't brand new) and just pick the book I want to read the most. 

That's highly unlikely though. 

Okay1 Those are all the books I want to read this month. I really hope I manage to finish all of these, because I desperately need a clean slate in August. 

Okay! I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon, with my review My Friends, by Fredrik Backman! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

June Wrap Up (2025)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And June went... 

terribly. 

Fucking terribly. 

I read 3 books. 

And that's it. 

And everybody knows them. 

So, as well as talking about these books, I'm going to write about the other thinks I'm working through (TV shows, videogames etc.)

I hope you enjoy, 

(You can click off this post if you want to.) 

BOOKS READ IN JUNE
1. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1), by Suzanne Collins

2. Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2), by Suzanne Collins

3. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3), by Suzanne Colins

This is literally all I read. I read them all inside a couple of weeks (might even have been quicker than that) and was all ready to have an amazing read month. Cue trying a couple of different books that I didn't get as invested in as much as I wanted, and boom! Stuck in a reading slump. 

I think I'm slowly coming out of it with my current read, but I still have a long way to go until I catch up on my Goodreads goal (currently 4 books behind). 

But outside of that, I definitely think it was the right decision to start this series. Despite the fact that I have three books left of A Series of Unfortunate Events, and I'm currently one story into the Earthsea Quartet, I was ready to engulf all of Katniss Everdeen's story with absolutely everything. Now I feel like I'm ready to watch the SOTR film (and no, it's not too soon. Only 506 days to go!)

BOOKS/SERIES IN PROGRESS

1. A Series of Unfortunate Events series- Next read is The Grim Grotto (Book 11). 

I've been reading this series since February. Four books that first month, then three for the rest. I have the last three books that need to be read, so the series can be wrapped up. I'm hoping I'll get to these next month, but it's not my main priority, as much as I hate to admit it. 

As you can see from the cover, the Baudelaire orphans take to the sea in The Grim Grotto, which means a submarine of some kind. 

Not willing to divulge more than that, because other than remembering that some more characters are introduced, and one of them is put in immediate danger, I can't remember any more. 

2. Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle 1-4#), by Ursula K. Le Guin 

Even if this pulls me further behind in my Goodreads goal, I don't care. The Earthsea Quartet is too good a piece of writing to ignore. The font is small, it's difficult to keep reading for long periods of time, but everytime I pick it up, I'm invested. 

Earthsea follows one wizard, not telling you his name, on his journeys over the course of his life. He starts as a young boy, realising his worth as a wizard at the academy for wizards in training, and follows his highs and lows into adulthood and beyond. I don't want to look into what comes next, because that might spoil it, but you can certainly find out on it's Goodreads page. 

I've currently finished book 1, and am about 160 pages into it. It contains 700+ pages, so it's going to be a big time commitment on my part, but I'm willing. 

CURRENT READ

I have about 170 pages left of this, and although I doubt I'll finish this tomorrow, I'm hopinh it won't take me much longer to finish than that. 

Now, I didn't specifically pick this book, it was more chosen for me. You see, when I was in Whitby bookshop, I approached the sales assistant, and asked her:

"Do you have either Strangers in Time, by David Baldacci, or any book by Fredrik Backman?" 

I only saw this because it was piled high, on top of the many bookshelves in the room. 

Seems I'm not alone in wanting to read from him. 

You guys, although art might not be everyone's cup of tea, I can assure you that this book most likely is. 

I'm ashamed at how long it's taken me to get this far into it. 

I finally had some free time to get through some of it, and honestly, it's been such a great read so far. Will definitely be reviewing this later. 

WHAT ELSE I'VE DONE THIS MONTH.

1. PB'd at the 10K- Carnival 10K, officially my most hated race, due to bad luck on my last three attempts. PB: 48:31.

Never doing that race again. I'm done.

2. WHITBY HOLIDAY- I can't believe I've been back a week already. 

I drank gin everyday. I ran/walked up the 199 steps- multiple times. Went to the Gin Distillery tour. Saw sunrise on the Abbey. Had such a lovely time that we're going back again next year. 

3. Bought a tent. Had cats in it. 

4. Got Jonah on Dead By Daylight. Can't wait to play more of him. 

Okay! That is everything I read and got up to in the month of June! 

As always, comment what it was that you got up to this month, and we can chat about it! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx