The Firsts of 2023 Book Tag

 I saw Dini do this tag a few days ago and it looked like fun. 
And it's been ages since I've done a tag.
This book tag was originally created by Tanya @girlxoxo.

Let's get started... 😎

FIRST BOOK READ THIS YEAR

The first book I completed this year was Dark Room Etiquette (although, technically, I started it the last day or two of December). Having read Roe's A List of Cages, I knew it would be emotional, but it delivered even more of a gut punch than I expected.

FIRST BOOK REVIEWED

I believe the first review I wrote this year was for Drake, the fifth entry in the Pittsburgh Titans series. And coincidentally, I'm about to dive into book number eight.

FIRST BOOK BY A DEBUT AUTHOR

No reads by a debut author so far this year.

FIRST BOOK BY A NEW-TO-ME AUTHOR

The first new-to-me author I read this year was Abby Jimenez. I read Part of Your World in January.

FIRST BOOK THAT SLAYED ME

That honor goes to Heart Recaptured. It delivered all the feels and then some.

FIRST BOOK THAT I WISH I COULD GET THE TIME BACK THAT I SPENT READING IT 

It pains me to say it, but this one goes to Right Man, Right Time. It took me over two weeks to get through it and my dislike for the heroine grew as I read. After 2+ weeks, I was so ready to be done with her.

Have you read any of these books?

What was one of your firsts this year?

The Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag | 2022

  

This is my 7th year doing this tag and it's always a fun one. I like pausing mid-year to take a look back at what I've read in the last six months. Which books have been real stand-outs, which authors have knocked my socks off, and what books I'm looking forward to in the coming months. So let me pull up my Goodreads shelves for reference and we'll get started.

I don't get too wrapped up in my Goodreads challenge  - I set a reasonable-for-me number and then don't think much about it - but here's where I stand halfway through the year. (Well, halfway plus a couple weeks.)

When I was reading Sam's Mid-Year post, she shared her percentage of 5-star reads for the first half of the year and that got me curious. I am super stingy with my 5-star ratings. I save that for those most rare books, the ones that become instant all-time favorites or made an indelible impression on me. I typically have 2-3 of those a year, so naturally I wasn't surprised to learn that the percentage of books that I gave 5-stars is just 1%. 😄 That being said, there have been five books that I gave 4.5 stars, so it's not like there hasn't been plenty of good reading happening!

1. BEST BOOK YOU'VE READ SO FAR IN 2022

My only five-star read of the year came pretty early this year. I read Most of All You in February and it slayed me. The close runners-up, the ones that got 4.5 stars, were all excellent, as well: Credence, Once We Were Starlight, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, Reminders of Him, Kulti.

2. BEST SEQUEL YOU'VE READ SO FAR IN 2022

  

I suppose these aren't sequels in the literal sense, more like companion novels, but I'm going with it. A Chance for Us was an excellent finale to the Willow Creek Valley series, Fallen Jester was one of my favorites from the Tin Gypsy/Clifton Forge series, and Hidden Waters was an amazingly emotional entry to the Tattered & Torn series. 

3. A NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN'T READ YET BUT WANT TO

This question might as well be called Reader Hall of Shame. Because let's be real - those new releases keep cranking out every single Tuesday and maybe some of you speedy readers can keep up but I can't! I was beyond excited for Help Me Remember, Reason to Believe, and The Unknown Beloved, but have not read them yet. Too many books and too little time... it's the story of my life.

4. MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF 2022

There are a lot (obviously) but topping the list are It Starts With Us, Before I Let Go, and Shattered Sea.

5. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

 

Disappointment is a bit harsh, but I guess it kind of fits. Corinne Michaels is a favorite of mine so when I decided to do a deep dive into her backlist earlier this year, I expected good things. Beloved and Beholden were her first two books and they did not do it for me. I love Corinne's emotional stories, but these went way past emotional and into overblown angst and melodrama. Lesson learned: stick to her newer releases, which I love.

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE

I'd been meaning to start the Psy-Changeling series for years, and I was pretty sure I would enjoy it. Even so, when I read Slave to Sensation, I was surprised at how quickly I was pulled into the world and was totally invested.

7. FAVORITE DEBUT OR NEW-TO-ME AUTHOR

     

This one was easy because there have been two new-to-me authors that have made a big impression on me this year: Catherine Cowles and Mariana Zapata. Both are authors that I had been meaning to try for quite a while and now, of course, I'm kicking myself for waiting so long. Cowles writes the kind of small town, emotional romance (with just a hint of suspense) that I love. That stuff is my catnip. She reminds me a lot of Devney Perry, in the very best way. And Zapata... I finally experienced the Queen of Slow-Burn Romance for myself and I ate it up with a spoon and asked for more. 😍 Both are authors that I have since read multiple books from.

8. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH

      

Gabriel (Most of All You) was the sweetest cinnamon roll ever. And then there's Kulti. No need to say more, just... Kulti. 💕

9. NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER

      

So many new favorites, but these made an impression. Marie from Running Wild impressed me with her resilience. And Stone's journey through grief, guilt, and the breakdown of his family really touched me. 

10. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

 

Have you met me? I cry in half the books I read. But these were the top offenders. 😉 

Tattered Stars, A Chance for Us, Most of All You, Reminders of Him, Between Hello & Goodbye, Falling Embers, Goodbye Paradise, and Hidden Waters.

11. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

Heartstopper Volume 4 brought all the Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson goodness. While this one delved into some pretty serious issues with Charlie, I was still smiling ear to ear. These two boys are like a hug to my heart.  

12. FAVORITE BOOK-TO-MOVIE ADAPTATION

So, I usually just rehash the same answer year after year and say Love, Simon, but I actually have a legit answer this year (gasp!). Heartstopper! Yes, it's a tv series, not a movie, but whatever. The girl who never watches TV actually got Netflix just so she could watch Heartstopper. And it's perfection. 💗

13. FAVORITE POST YOU'VE DONE THIS YEAR

This is always such a tough question. But after browsing six months of posts *yawn* I do remember how much I enjoyed putting together my review of the Tin Gypsy/Clifton Forge series by Devney Perry. 

14. MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU'VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR

This special edition of Help Me Remember gives me heart eyes every time I see it on my shelf. 😍

15. BOOKS YOU WANT TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR

How much time do we have? Obviously, I want to read All The Books, but for the sake of brevity, I'll leave it at these: A Court of Silver Flames, Wolfsong, and No Tomorrow.

What's the best book you've read so far in 2022?

10 Year Challenge #BookTag

 

I was tagged by Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse to do the 10 Year Challenge Book Tag. The tag originally created by Rincey Reads. 

This tag sounded a bit daunting at first, but I've been on Goodreads since 2007, several years beyond the ten year mark, plus I've kept my own spreadsheet of what I've read for at least that long, so I had a couple good tools to help me along. :)

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK IN 2011?

I'm assuming this means my favorite book I read in 2011, not necessarily one that was published in 2011. That would be Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (published in 2010).

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK OF 2021 (SO FAR)?

The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

My first five star book of the year is still my favorite book of the year.

WHAT WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE BOOK IN 2011?

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

I remember nothing about this one, but my Goodreads review states in no uncertain terms that I was not a fan.

WHAT WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE BOOK IN 2021?

This is an easy one because my first book of the year was such a total dud. I'd been pretty excited for Until the Last Breath by Shanora Williams but there was almost nothing about it that I liked.

WHAT IS A BOOK PUBLISHED IN 2011 THAT YOU STILL WANT TO READ?

According to Goodreads, The Taker by Alma Katsu was published in 2011 and it's still on my Want to Read shelf. I'm still mildly interested but it's unlikely I'll get to it.

WHAT BOOK PUBLISHED (OR IS TO BE PUBLISHED) IN 2021 DO YOU WANT TO READ BEFORE 2022?

So many! But I'd say the one I'm most excited for right now (and will very likely be my next read) is Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

WHAT IS A GENRE YOU USED TO READ A LOT BUT DON'T ANYMORE?

YA Contemporary. (Ex. from 2011: Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donavan)

There are a few rare exceptions, but I have less and less interest in reading about characters 30+ years younger than me.

WHAT IS A NEW GENRE YOU'VE DISCOVERED SINCE 2011?

I'm guessing this means a genre new-to-me genre and that would be urban fantasy. Not that I've read a lot of it, but some of what I've read became new favorites. In particular, The Others series by Anne Bishop. Absolutely love this series!

WHAT IS A READING/BOOK HABIT YOU HOPE TO LEAVE BEHIND THIS DECADE?

One habit I did ditch over the last decade or so was reading hyped books that I had little interest in. It took a while but I finally realized that rarely worked out for me. I know my own reading tastes, and it doesn't matter how hyped a book is, or how many of my bookish friends love it, if I'm not genuinely interested there is no point in reading it. I'm only going to be disappointed. 

WHAT IS A NEW READING HABIT/GOAL YOU WANT TO START IN THE UPCOMING DECADE?

I'm drawing a blank on this one. I guess I'd like to get back in the habit of reviewing books very soon after reading them, instead of waiting weeks (or months) and by then I've lost details and cannot capture how it made me feel. But will this actually happen... *shrugs*

If you want to participate in the 10 Year Challenge, consider yourself tagged! :)