Wow, I completely forgot about this thing. Google says the midpoint of the year was July 2, so we’re a bit late and I have no idea what brought this back to top-of-mind, but better late than never, I guess. (Wait, lol, yes I do. It was PeruseProject. As always.) To be honest I could use a mind-cleansing tag right now because I have spent the last week in a welter of agony over a job I really want but it’s starting to feel like I’m not going to get it, though I do so hope I am wrong. It’s barely even been a week. People are busy. Hope springs eternal, and I don’t give up until I’ve been ghosted for at least a month because I’m stubborn as hell.
PUBLICATION DAY UPDATE: I was wrong. I got the job. I’m starting Monday. Today was my last day at my old job. This is why patience pays off. :’D
Best book you’ve read so far in 2025
NOT me immediately running to my own reading list to see what I’ve read this year. It’s making me feel just slightly better, because it is physical proof that I have been reading and I’ve actually been very industrious with this blog, despite my current months-long reading slump. In terms of the best of 2025, it’s between Last Violent Call (Chloe Gong) and Sunrise on the Reaping (Suzanne Collins). I suppose it’s not quiiiiiiiite a fair comparison when their respective genres are so different, but Sunrise gets the edge on prose because Collins is a far better writer than Gong, or at least is better with her verbs. But on the other hand, I just love Chloe Gong so much and I am sure she will get better. Last Violent Call is everything I ever wanted in terms of a resolution for the Violent Delights duology, and I am so glad I finally read it.
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2025
Last Violent Call (Chloe Gong) wins it again in terms of sheer satisfaction and Finally Getting Answers. Honorary mention goes to The Bullet That Missed (Richard Osman), which, while not technically a sequel, is still getting counted by virtue of being part of a series, and also I just adore Henrik. I hope they’re planning on one movie for every book. I want my soft-hearted wannabe-psychopath Viking. I want him yesterday.
New release you haven’t read yet, but want to
Ughhhhhhhh I still need to read Water Moon (Samantha Sotto Yambao)!!! Lori has read it, Regan has read it, everybody but me has read it. I still haven’t watched Regan’s vlog specifically because I haven’t read the damn book and do not wish to be spoiled. I don’t know why I always rush to preorder things when I know fucking well I won’t get to the book for at least a year, unless it’s a continuation of a series (Summers End [Juneau Black] and Sunrise on the Reaping [Suzanne Collins] come to mind, both of them excellent installments of their respective series). Anyway, Lori straight up told me Water Moon would be the result if Miyazaki had written Neverwhere instead of Gaiman and she was only about 1/3 of the way through the book at that time, and if that’s not a roaring endorsement I don’t know what is.
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
I honestly have no idea what is being released over the next few months…………..is what I would say if I hadn’t just checked goodreads and realized how many books I’m waiting on. September alone has The Impossible Fortune (Richard Osman) and The Poisoned King (Katherine Rundell), the next installments of the Thursday Murder Club and Impossible Creatures; and I’m also interested in Nikita Gill’s Hekate. I’ve read her poetry, so I’m excited to see what she does with this new release. Then in October comes Mockingbird Court (Juneau Black) aND IF YOU THINK I AM GOING TO SIT HERE AND READ A MILLION SHADY HOLLOW BOOKS YOU ARE SO RIGHT pull up a chair and I’ll tell you all about it.
NOW: I would say Mockingbird Court is my most-anticipated, and for the most part that is true. I can’t get enough of Shady Hollow, and I have not been shy about that fact. I have a whole series of reviews where I regularly pray for at least twenty Shady Hollow books, though frankly I might have to up that number to fifty. But I also made the mistake of checking the November releases, and I have to say I am really really REALLY looking forward to Brigands & Breadknives (Travis Baldree), the next episode in the absolutely superb Legends & Lattes series. (Realized I didn’t have a blog category for this series when I went looking for a link……..mmkay, pay no attention to the blogkeeping behind the scene…….)
Jeez, I had a lot more to say about this than I thought I would. Anyway, Mockingbird Court is just sliiiiiiiiightly above Brigands & Breadknives, but they’re pretty much even in terms of anticipation. I read Goblins & Greatcoats last year and it made me scream-laugh, and I am so pleased to learn that its spoon-pinching chaos-goblin protagonist will feature heavily in the next book. It’ll be great.
Biggest disappointment
The Wild Robot (Peter Brown) was very disappointing, especially when I really thought I would fall head over heels in love with it. I feel kinda shitty saying it suffers in comparison to the movie, but I’m only human. It just wasn’t for me. Still planning to read the other two books, literally only because I paid money for them.
Biggest surprise
Does actually being able to follow the plot of Mirror Mirror (Gregory Maguire) count? No? Then I guess biggest surprise goes to The Treasure in the Royal Tower (Carolyn Keene), which caught me off guard with how obnoxiously nosy Nancy is. I do not feel the need to catch up with this series. I will be just fine without it.
Favorite new author (debut or new to you)
I don’t know that I have one this year. Last year it was Chloe Gong (naturally), but this year has been mostly rereads and series closeouts, and, of the non-reread books I’ve read, I can’t say any of the authors really stand out to me. That sounds way harsh, so I want to make it clear that I have liked these new authors and I’ve liked reading their books, but not with the creepy slavish devotion that, say, Margaret Atwood and Juneau Black and Chloe Gong tend to inspire. (Speaking of Chloe, I’m on the fence about her new cyberpunk series I just learned about because to be perfectly frank it sounds just like all her other stuff, but with computers. But I won’t rule out eventually reading it.)
Newest fictional crush
N/A.
Newest favorite character
I’m going to have to cheat a bit here and give it to Iktan Winged Serpent (Between Earth and Sky [Rebecca Roanhorse]), who is not new to me but still has a firm grasp on my heart. I loved xir at the end of Fevered Star. I loved xir EVEN MOAR at the end of Mirrored Heavens. I would reread the entire trilogy from Iktan’s point of view.
Book that made you cry
Sunrise on the Reaping (Suzanne Collins) oh god T_T
Book that made you happy
I had a wonderful time rereading Foul Lady Fortune (Chloe Gong), even if it did take me the better part of a month to get through it. I love Rosalind. I love her like all-fire. I suspect she and Iktan could be murder buddies. I want this badly.
Favorite book-to-movie adaptation this year
I’ll go ahead and give it preemptively to The Thursday Murder Club, which is coming out at the end of August. Obviously I haven’t seen it yet, but the trailer’s out and it looks good. Mostly I want to see David Tennant as Ian Ventham, because I have NO trouble imagining that. Literally IS THIS NOT THE MOST IAN VENTHAM-LOOKING MAN YOU HAVE EVER SEEN.
Favorite review you’ve written this year
Damn, Mirror Mirror (Gregory Maguire) wins this one because I pulled it to pieces and I’m not sorry. I am also pleased with my review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling), though Merlin knows it is long.
Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
Water Moon (Samantha Sotto Yambao) is just so damn pretty, and apparently the dust jacket can be cut up and folded into an origami boat. I won’t actually be doing that, but it’s a neat idea.
What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I’m currently working on James (Percival Everett), whose review is currently due in September (pushed back from July and then pushed back again from August), and I also want to finish off the Foul Lady series before the end of the year, so I really need to buckle down on Foul Heart Huntsman (Chloe Gong). I would’ve included the Harry Potter series in this question, but I’m wavering on that and will probably need to push it back to next year. I cannot overstate how much I am not looking forward to Order of the Phoenix.
