Hello fellow readers! Once again we find ourselves half way through 2026, which means it is time for the yearly Mid Year Freakout book tag. This fun tag was created by fellow book creators where you respond to a series of questions related to what you read so far in the year and what you hope to still get to in the future.

So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

1. How many books you’ve read so far. 35

2. Best book you’ve read so far this year. I’m happy to say that I really had to think on this one. I’ve already so many great stories this year! At the moment, the book hanging on to that spot is Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino. This one was way too good not to have it at the top of the list. Other notable contenders at the moment are The Radium Girls by Kate Moore, The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali, and It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica.

3. New release you haven’t read yet but want to. There have a been a TON of new and exciting releases this year but I think the one I’m most excited to dive into is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.

4. Biggest disappointment. This one really pains me to say but it has to be Hot Wax by M. L. Rio. After how much I loved If We Were Villains and Graveyard Shift this one really let me down. I applaud Ms. Rio for doing something different but I’m hoping her next release will be better. Writing is still gorgeous though.

5. Biggest surprise. An easy one! On the advice of my mom I reluctantly picked up The Women by Kristin Hannah. If you have followed me for awhile you know I haven’t mixed well with her books and I was pretty much ready to give up on Ms. Hannah’s books. But The Women really surprised me. It had a great story, read very quickly, and taught me something new about women who served in Vietnam.

6. Favorite new author (debut or new to you).  Marjan Kamali! She wrote one of my favorite books of the year, The Lion Women of Tehran. Such a fantastic book and I’m hoping to read more of Ms. Kamali’s work in the future.

7. Newest fictional crush. I mentioned last year that this one is typically pretty hard for me since I like to have a visual. But, I will say, I did really enjoy The Guardian in Shield of Sparrows. 

8. Newest favorite character. Frankie from The Women. Considering everything she endured, it was amazing Frankie was able to preserve and do good with her military service.

9. Book that made you cry. Like fictional crush, I don’t often cry when reading books. That being said, the closest I got was reading The Radium Girls by Kate Moore. I don’t see how anyone can read this story and not be moved by these women’s bravery.

10. Book that made you happy. You know it wouldn’t be a reading year if I didn’t mention Finlay Donovan. Book four, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, felt like a return to form for the series and it genuinely made me so happy after book three was a bit of a disappointment.

11. Favorite book to film adaptation that you’ve seen this year. Unfortunately I DNF’ed Hamnet and I’m Thinking of Ending Things. The only other book I read that is being adapted in the near future is The Whisper Man but that film isn’t coming out until August.

12. Most beautiful book you have acquired this year. I’m going to cheat a bit here but listing three but only because they came in a box set. Puffin Books collaborated with Rifle Paper Co. to create GORGEOUS covers for three Jane Austen books; Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility. I had to grab them and they are a beautiful addition to my classics collection.

13. Best sequel you’ve read so far. Since I don’t read too many series, this question is always answered with whatever Finlay Donovan book I read back in the spring. While Finlay retains the crown this year, I’m thinking next year might be different (looking at Rites of the Starling, sequel to Shield of Sparrows).

14. What books do you need to read before the end of the year? As always, far too many to count! However, as I previously mentioned, I will be prioritizing Yesteryear in addition to The Unknown by Riley Sager (coming out in August!), The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer, and, of course, more historical fiction!