Mid-Year Freakout Book Tag 2022

Hello spooky friends! It’s time for the mid-year freakout book tag!

This is the time when I check in and look over my reading for the year. My goal for this year is 80 books and I’m happy to see I’m on track! So far, I’ve read 17,025 pages over 53 books. The genres I’ve read are mostly horror, thriller, mystery, and crime, with a slight dose of sci-fi and fantasy.

The mid-year freakout tag was originally created by ReadLikeWildFire and Earl Grey Books but I’ve modified it a little for my own take. Let’s get to the books!

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Best Books I’ve Read So Far

I’ve read a lot of great books this year but these three left a huge impression on me! Devil House is a horror-true crime metafiction about the power of stories, The Artist Vanishes is a captivating mystery set in the world of art, and Bath Haus is a dark thriller about a collapsing relationship that keeps you guessing.

Best Sequel I’ve Read So Far

I didn’t read many sequels but I finally completed the Millennium trilogy this year and had a blast. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest is the perfect conclusion to the series.

New Releases I Haven’t Read But Want To

I’m dying to read Hidden Pictures, Hide and And There He Kept Her. All of them have received rave reviews and they all sound right up my alley!

Most Anticipated Releases for The Second Half of the Year

Super excited for new books from John Connolly (The Furies, the latest installment in the Charlie Parker series), Adam Nevill (The Vessel), and Iain Reid (We Spread).

Biggest Surprise

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Heights, a twisty thriller that deftly explores a mother’s grief, and Lamella, a psychological horror with a touch of weirdness.

Biggest Disappointment

Both The Maid and Under The Whispering Door were disappointing for me. The former is a flimsy mystery with an unreliable narrator, and the latter is a paranormal fantasy that portrays death in a saccharine and capitalistic way.

Newest Favourite Characters

Lena from Bloodsucker City is a fantastic protagonist who made me root for her the whole time! I also really liked Sal from The Distant Dead, a resilient and smart boy facing difficulties in his life.

Books That Made Me Happy

Not sure what it says about me that I didn’t read a lot of books that made me happy! But I had fun reading The Appeal, a clever mystery told in an epistolary format.

Books That Made Me Cry

Not many books made me cry but I was affected by The Memory Librarian, a powerful collection of short stories set in a totalitarian world.

Favourite Posts I’ve Done This Year

I put together a few reading lists – most anticipated horror books, thrillers by Black authors, and LGBTQ+ thrillers and mysteries. I also took part in a blog tour for a charity anthology, Giving The Devil His Due, benefiting anti-violence against women programs.

Most Beautiful Book I’ve Bought This Year

I found a thrift copy of Classic Tales of Horror and immediately got it based on the cover! Hopefully the stories inside are just as fantastic as well.

Books I Need To Read By The End of the Year

Too many to choose from! But I hope to read Black Mouth, The Family Remains, and Aurora by the end of the year.

That’s my 2022 mid-year freakout tag! Have you done this yet? Let me know your thoughts!

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