#anyway most of these are adult sff so i doubt anyone cares

[celiabowens]

mid year book tag

I was tagged by @tartts (thank youuu), so here we go.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2020:

I’d probably go with A Memory Called Empire. I’ve read some other great books, but it’s the one that keeps sticking with me the most. Anyway, it’s a space opera following the ambassador of a tiny planet who finds herself caught up in political intrigue. I’ve ranted about it plenty here. 

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020: 

In which I’m shocked by the fact that I haven’t...read sequels so far? Didn’t expect this at all. I think the only book I could use is more of a companion novel and it’s River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay, which is sort of an alternate history (based on Chinese history) with very little fantasy elements.

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to:

I’ve read most of the new releases I was interested in from January-June, but I have one: The Empire of Gold, which is the last book in the Daevabad Trilogy! It’s a cool political/historical fantasy trilogy inspired by Middle Eastern mythology.

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year:

Honestly there’s a lot (why is everything coming out in October?!), but listing my top five:

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue 

Black Sun (this is probably the most anticipated one, if I don’t like it I’m gonna cry shclhv, it’s an epic fantasy set in Pre-Columbian Americas featuring crow mythology, I’m hype)

The Once and Future Witches

The Burning God (just prayers for Kitay)

Unconquerable Sun

Favorite new author (debut or new to you):

I’d say Arkady Martine (author of A Memory Called Empire), but in order not to repeat myself, I’ll go with Nghi Vo, the author of The Empress of Salt and Fortune. (Very hype for Vo’s 2021 release, a retelling of the Great Gatsby featuring a lgbt cast and Vietnamese magic.)

Biggest disappointment:

It’s between Autonomous (rant here), A Ruin of Kings and The City in the Middle of the Night? I read the latter in order to read all the Hugo awards nominees for best novel and it didn’t go well lmao. 

Biggest surprise:

A Cathedral of Myth and Bone by Kat Howard (a collection of short stories focusing on women reclaiming their agency with some clever reuse of myth and hagiography) or This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.

Book that made you happy:

Pretty much any book I loved? But also my rereads of The Night Circus and The Golem and the Jinni.

Newest fictional crush/newest favorite character:

I’m not sure I have one? Unless Hades from Lore of Olympus counts, then Hades. 

Book that made you cry:

I sobbed throughout the last two chapters of The Lions of Al-Rassan lol. It’s also the only time I’ve cried for a book this year so there’s no other option.

Favorite book to film adaptation you saw this year:

I haven’t seen any, I think. I rarely watch movies at all (besides animated ones) so there’s a good chance I won’t see any this year.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought or received this year so far:

Cursed one, it’s probably the hardcover of The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock, but the book turned out so bad that it started an inside joke with a friend (in which a “dead mermaid signal” book is a scam). I haven’t bought many physical copies of books this year and I generally go for cheap over beauty so.

Book you need to read by the end of the year:

Pretty much all the new releases I’ve already listed above (and others), but among the books I already own I’d say The Empire of Gold, Provenance by Ann Leckie and The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel.

I don’t really know who to tag so if you reached the end of the post consider yourself tagged! (but I’d be curious to see @willowyhanyu and @awesomousse do this one 👀)