We’re halfway through the year, and that means it’s time for the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag!

I don’t need another reason to freak out and talk about books, but it’s always welcome haha.

This tag is a good way to take account of the books we’ve read so far and share some highlights. There are multiple versions of this tag at this point. I’m just going to do one that I found and liked.

Anyway, onto the tag!

[1] How much have you read?

As I’m writing this post, I’ve completed 78 out of 100 books. My initial goal was 150 books but I reduced back in March as I realized my reading cut down a lot due to life things.

But now I read about 3 books a week so if I continue at this pace, I should be able to hit my original goal. I will wait until hitting the current goal before raising to 150, though.

P. S. I recently made a spreadsheet of all the books I read this year along with fun details like author tags (POC, own voices, debut etc.) and book tags (diverse, LGBTQ, POC, mental illness etc.). I started making it only a few days back so it might be a little incomplete but its a good source to find a summary of my opinions in one place!

P. P. S. I am on Storygraph as well (my imports finally finished yesterday and I’m having fun exploring the new site!) I highly recommend it as a Goodreads alternative because it has cool new features and its still only in beta. So I’m sure if there are any issues, they’ll be taken care of soon. But the site is showing a lot of potential. Be my friend on Storygraph!

[2] What have you been reading?

I’ve been reading a ton of romance books, mostly short and easy to read ones. But romance books are also a comfort zone for me because they usually manage to make me happy. But I have tried harder to pick up other books, especially non-fiction and old ones from my TBR.

All the details can be seen in the spreadsheet. I am going to make pie charts for most of the columns (mostly so I can geek over stats and share them at the end of the year) so that should be fun haha.

[3] Best Book of 2020

It’s so hard to pick one! And that is why I’m going to pick 2.

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. I read this only recently even though it had been on my TBR for a while. The book talks about topics in an informative fashion. There are tons of references and examples for every scenario spoken about. It was really good. Definitely recommend it.

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A conversation can spur off into multiple conversations. The same way, a discussion on a topic can turn into multiple discussions. They could be of the same or different topics. ~ This book was like a starting point for me. Not only because it talks about racism and breaks it down into multiple categories, which together form the societal expectations, systemic racism, and subtle discrimination that is today. It also recounts history by talking about popular and unpopular movements and events, quoting citations and other published works that can be looked up. Every time the author says something, she breaks it down into why, how it manifests, includes her own experiences, and talks about the backlash received when that specific racist action is called out. ~ I am not used to reading non-fiction books that state facts and recount history. I'm barely used to non-fiction as it is and my last non-fiction reads were autobiographies. Hence when I first started this book, there was a small adjustment period. But it got over quickly and I realized that I LIKE this kind of non-fiction. Where facts are laid out with proof and citations. Where nothing is glossed over. ~ As I got through the book, I started highlighting more and more. At times I wanted to highlight the entire section and sometimes I was unsure of what exactly to highlight because the point is spread over three pages where each sentence adds value. ~ If I read more non-fiction (probably more accounts of history, discussions of topics etc.) this year, it will solely be because of this book. And I haven't even finished this one yet, but I will soon. ~ Do you read non-fiction regularly? ____________________________________ #bookreview #bookblogger #booksofinstagram #bloggersofig #blogstagram #readersofig #readersofinstagram #booktalk #booknook #bibliophile #bookcorner #nonfictionbooks #discussions #reading #booksbyblackauthors #booksaboutracism #booksbooksbooks #bookstagramindia #bookishbengaluru #readingcommunity

A post shared by Sumedha (@thewordyhabitat) on Jun 7, 2020 at 12:05am PDT

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender is another book that I read only recently. I listened to it as an audiobook actually and it was SO DARN GOOD. I wrote a full review on it but long story short: it’s amazing and you should read it too.

[4] Best sequel you’ve read in 2020

This year, I mostly read standalone books. I picked up only a couple sequels and they weren’t that good either. So I’m going to say none for this question.

[5] New release that you haven’t read yet but want to

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon which I’ve heard quite some praise for. It sounds right up my alley as well so I’m looking forward to read it.

Here’s a very convincing review of this book:

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𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. . WHAT A BEAUTY OF A BOOK! The characters were phenomenal, especially the friendship of women! @farrahrochon stole the entire show with this first installment in a new series! #whisperingchaptersreview . Samiah's character is surely one to admire. Being a woman of color in the tech industry hasn't been easy. The perseverance and patience this woman has puts my nonexistent one to shame. She has been the victim of people stealing her ideas. Because of this, she has kept a project of hers a secret. . 𝐇𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. . Now let's talk about the hotshot tech! I kind of melted a lot with Daniel throughout the entire novel. There's just something about him that had me swooning at every second. And yes, I just swooned right now thinking about him! . I understood why Daniel did what he did and why he kept it a secret. I give him props for truly trying to stay away from Samiah. I loved how genuine their friendship and then relationship was. It made me root for them so much! THEY ACTUALLY HAD GENUINE CONVERSATIONS! This spoke volumes for me. The author did a fantastic job with this relationship! . Now let's talk about the female friendships! Taylor, London and Samiah couldn't be more different, but they just fit so well together! These ladies are true #SquadGoals despite of how they met. I admired how these ladies supported each others' endeavors no matter what. They truly believed in each other! . This is a wonderful romance filled with outstanding friendship, a strong, fierce & independent heroine, an oh-so-sweet & delicious hero, & it also features talks on racism in the tech industry as well as for women of color. I truly enjoyed that the author had those talks in the book because it added to the depth-level of the story and the characters. Also, that ending has me so freaking excited for the next book! . 4.5/5 ⭐ . . #booksofinstagram #bibliofeature #bookbloggersofinstagram #bookstagramcommunity #bookreview #theboyfriendproject #blackauthors #poccharacters

A post shared by Genesis | Whispering Chapters (@whisperingchapters) on Jun 9, 2020 at 9:22am PDT

[6] Most anticipated release for second half

Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram. The first book Darius the Great is Not Okay was highly praised by a friend of mine so I picked it up and LOVED IT. I’m glad that I don’t have to wait too long for the sequel.

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Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram #bookreview I added this book to my TBR after seeing @zanyanomaly praised it somewhere (IG? Twitter? idk) and it fit a Popsugar 2020 Reading Challenge prompt so I read it soon after. (Prompt—A book that won an award in 2019) The one thing that really kept me reading the book was the writing and the vibe. The story is great, the characters are awesome, and I loved the new culture rhat I was being introduced to. But the writing was so nice. As soon as I started reading it, I was transported to the story and into Darius's life. And that's one of the most important things about a book—how it grabs you and holds you in. That being said, reasons why you should read this book: ~ 🌟 Darius. I was really interested in reading about his life and I'm sure you would be as well. Also, his passion is tea (#relatable). ~ 🌟Iranian culture. Darius's family is from Iran and during this book they go on a trip to Iran and hence we are introduced to Persian culture and traditions. The food descriptions made my mouth water which was NOT good because we're in lockdown and I eat only rice items everyday!! 😦 ~ 🌟Family. If you're into complex family relationships, you will really like this book. I absolutely teared up about Darius and his dad, not gonna lie. And his relationship with his younger sister is the CUTEST. ~ 🌟Friendship. Hands down, one of the best friendships I've seen portrayed in YA books. ~ 🌟Mental health rep. This is the first book that I've ever read where the main character has depression genetically. Nothing happened to him to trigger it. It was interesting to see this being portrayed and how it is received by Darius's extended family in Iran. ~ 🌟And of course, the writing. #bookstagramindia #youngadultbooks #mentalhealth #booksbooksbooks #bookstoread #bookblogger #bibliophile #yabooks #diversereads #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #bloggersofig #bookreviews #yabookreview #reasonswhy #bookstagramtogether #bookishbengaluru

A post shared by Sumedha (@thewordyhabitat) on May 30, 2020 at 7:41am PDT

[7] Biggest disappointment

I HAVE TWO.

Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi which was my most anticipated book of 2020. It’s the last book of the series (for real this time) and I had expectations. But it was.. a hot mess. And I hated the epilogue.

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a really hyped romance book. Since it received a lot of love, I was intrigued and picked it up. But it just.. fell flat for me. Check out my review for detailed opinions.

[8] Biggest surprise

I HAVE TWO AGAIN.

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee was on my TBR for over a year. I added it because Aditi @ a thousand words a million books highly praised it but I was never in the mood to pick it up. Thankfully the 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge got me to pick it up and it BLEW ME AWAY. Highly recommend it.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon was a “maybe” book for me. My Secret Santa from last Christmas gifted it to me and I’m SO GLAD because I don’t know if I would have picked it up otherwise. It was too good. Click here to read my review.

[9] Favourite new author

Madeline Miller!

I read her book Circe, which my book club gifted to me for my birthday. I was completely enthralled by the story, and I can’t wait to read A Song of Achilles which has received even more praise. Check out my review of Circe here.

[10] Newest fictional crush

Okay so I’ve actually kind of moved on from crushes? I don’t think about that anymore when I read books haha. And I feel weird even thinking about crushing on characters who are younger than me (considering YA books) so… yeah.

But if I had to pick, I’d say Zach Davis from That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert. He is fun and a total sweetheart.

[11] Newest favourite characters

This, I have!

Darius from Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. I absolutely loved him and his journey throughout the book. It’s why the sequel is my most anticipated now because I really want to see more of him.

[12] Book that made you cry

Frankly in Love by David Yoon. I teared up more than once when reading this book. The relationships just broke me. Especially the family dynamics and one of the friendships.

I had a lot of feelings.

[13] Book that made you happy

I HAVE TWO LOVELY BOOKS.

Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali which I “read” as an audiobook. It was on my TBR for a long time and I didn’t even consider reading it soon. But I saw that it was available as an audiobook and thought why not. And it was SO NICE. It made me happy slowly throughout the book because it was very wholesome. Here’s my review on it.

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Simmons is another book that really made me happy. It’s not of a happy topic but the ending just.. made me happy and gave me hope. It was inspiring and lovely. I wrote all about it in my review.

[14] Favourite book-to-movie adaptation seen this year

I watched only one adaptation this year which was Becoming but it was really good, so yeah.

[15] Favourite review that you’ve written in 2020 yet

My review of Frankly in Love was really fun to write. I also had a ton of thoughts to share. Because the book was so good, I put in extra effort in the review and that’s why I like it.

[16] Most beautiful book you bought/received

On January first, my friends gifted me the Six of Crows collectors edition for my birthday (which was a couple days prior). It was the best way to start the year, and it is the most beautiful book on my shelf.

[17] Book you need to read by end of the year

I have many but one that I’m really targeting is Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi. I’ve had it for several months and I should really get to it.

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What was your favourite book of 2020? What was the biggest disappointment? Tell me in the comments!