 I have rhubarb. I love rhubarb. Don't eat that. The raw rhubarb is not very tasty. I also have sunscreen, because it's hot out there. You brought it with you? Sunscreen is important. Not sponsored. P.S. not sponsored. P.S.A. where sunscreen is hot out there. Hey fellow reading warriors and welcome to today's video. It is the mid-year book freakout tag and I am super excited to do it. It was created by Earl Grey Reads and Chan. So let's get into it. This book you read this year and that is a tough one because I've read so many good books for so many different reasons and of different genres. But the one I decided to go with for this is Clap and You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. It was the first book I read in verse and everything was amazing about it. The characters were amazing. The emotion, the writing, the format. It is a pretty recent read so of course it's still in my mind. But I've read so many other books since then that for it to really stick out in my mind as much as it did, it's probably the best book I've read this year, Five Stars Hands Down. And then the second one is the Best Sequel and I went back and forth between two of them but I think Bruja Born by Zoreda Cordova is probably the best sequel I've read this year. It is the second book in the Brooklyn Brujas trilogy by her and I love the first book. I love the second book. I finally started reading the third book. I love it so much. Each one follows a different sister and the adventure that they go on. And each sister is so strong and unique in their own way. Like they're just amazing characters and you see that in every book. But it's just so fun and so exciting to finally read a book from each sister's perspective and you just see the family bonds and I love it so much. So the first one is called Labyrinth Lost just in case you're interested in starting the trilogy for your own. The third question is a new release you have yet to read. Obviously there are many so I'm only going to name a few. First off being Dial A for Anties and then there's also the Spanish Love Deception and Sweet and Bitter Magic. Those are three that I've been constantly thinking about and I definitely need to get them. The fourth one is Most Anticipated Release for the next half of the year and I believe the one I'm choosing for this is coming out quite soon. It is Six Crimes and Cranes by Elizabeth Lynn. I love Elizabeth Lynn's writing and her characters and I've just I've heard so much about this book. So many good things and I'm so excited to read it. So definitely as soon as I can get my hands on it and it comes out, it's fine. It's going to be here. Along with Six Crimes and Cranes by Elizabeth Lynn. There is another book that is about to be released literally like a week or two after this video will go up. I was very fortunate in that I was allowed to get an advanced readers copy so I can actually show it to you. But that is Wear the Briar Sleep by Emma Bevan and this is like a horror thriller novel. Oh my word, it will be perfect for Halloween which is great that it's coming out July 17 because then it's you know, it's right on time to get into the fall spooky season. And so this is a Victorian kind of gothic book about a girl who lives with her sister and there's something with this creaky. Wardrobe door and she is being haunted by something and it will just scare the socks off of you every word you read. So this is another big anticipated release that I have enjoyed and thought it should be mentioned here. Number five is the biggest disappointment and the book I've chosen for this is the biggest disappointment but it's not a bad book. It's still a good three star book. It's still one I would suggest. It just didn't quite do as much for me as I hoped it would. And then it's the Stormrunner by J.C. Cervantes. This was presented by Rick Riordan and really the disappointing thing about this book was that it just was another Percy Jackson. It's not in a oh it's a kid who finds out he's like half god, half not. It's not the premise. There were characters, scenes, moments that just seemed like that came straight out of Percy Jackson. I just hoped that it was a little more unique of a book. I wish it was a little more independent, a little more interesting and really played off of its own mythology and traditions rather than trying to fit it to this previously published book. So it's still a great book, still recommend it, just disappointed me a little. And then the next one is the biggest surprise and again this is interesting because I'm choosing the Gilded Ones by Namina Forna and this was the biggest surprise just because there was so much in it that I didn't expect. Like I kept hearing people get really excited for it and then everyone was like oh it's so dark. So I went into this book knowing that it was going to be dark so it very much surprised me at yes how dark it was but also not really. Like now that I was expecting it it just didn't seem that dark and there were just so many things in here that surprised me. I loved the feminist aspect of it. I loved where it ended up. There was so much to it that I just wasn't expecting and yet it all worked together really well. So it was definitely a happy surprise. And then the next one is your favorite author whether it's a debut novel or a new to you author and for this one it's definitely a new to me author and that is Tatsuya Endo. This is the second volume in the Spy X Family manga and it's definitely new to me because I have not really read any manga before but I am a fan of anime so it makes sense that I would like manga. But I just read the first volume and I know I'm the second volume and I am loving it so much. I'm definitely going to speed through these as quickly as possible which is not hard because they're not big and it's manga you can flip through that pretty quickly. So this is my favorite like new to me author. Question number eight is your newest fictional crush and I kind of have to go with Twilight from this book. So I should probably explain the main character here is a spy and he's put on a mission and in order to complete this mission he needs a child to enroll in a very prestigious academy. But in order for the child that he will eventually adopt but in order for her to get into the academy both parents have to be present. So then he needs to go and find himself a wife and oh my goodness I love Twilight so much. He has no idea how to take care of a child. He has no idea how to be a husband. He just knows how to be a great spy but he knows that he can't let his cover slip. And then unknowingly he adopts a child who is telepathic so she can read his mind so she knows he's a spy. But then he also unknowingly marries like a hit woman and the child who's sitting there telepathic just knows that her new mom is a hit woman. And they neither of them know she's telepathic because she's afraid that when they find that out they're going to give her up. She's going to go back to the orphanage and that's not been great for her. So oh my gosh Twilight is definitely my fictional crush. Then number nine is my newest favorite character and for this I'm going to choose Charlie Vega from Fat Chance Charlie Vega. I finished listening to the audiobook this morning and oh my gosh Charlie is just very much that character that I want to give her a hug. I want to give her a big big hug. She goes through such a journey in this book. She's relatable in many different ways for many different people. There are elements that I was relating to her for and elements that I could just see other people that I knew relating with her. So I'm like oh my gosh I want everyone to read this book. It was amazing. I just I loved Charlie's personality how strong she was but then also just how she grew. I just oh mm-hmm you get it. Let's move on now. Number ten is a book that made you cry and I really don't cry for books or movies all that often. So for me I chose the book that came closest to getting me to cry. Like I was very much on the verge but I didn't quite get there and I can definitely see other people crying. And that is the new release of Stars in Ebro by Peggy Wargo. This tells the story of a true story of a titanic survivor who is also a child. And she her parents were missionaries in India but her brother gets sick and so they have to go home to Michigan. And they end up boarding the Titanic hoping that that will take her, her family, her brother to the states to get him treatment. All without her father who stayed behind to watch the orphanage. And oh my goodness this ending. It's the Titanic so you know it's coming but you just can't help but bawl anyway. So this came definitely closest to getting me to cry and I very much believe it will get many other people to cry. So if you're looking for a good cry pick this up. And it's not too long so you can just like zip right through it and just feel all the emotions. Have a hangover for a day or two and then you'll be fine. And then for a book that made you happy I'm going to cheat a little bit and kind of do two books but they're written by the same author. So those are Rachel Hawkins books Her Royal Highness and Prince Charming. These books made me so happy. I love them. I read them essentially back to back and they just, they were romances that I loved strangely. And these have put a new faith in me that I actually do enjoy reading romance for so long I was denying it. I wouldn't let myself enjoy romance but these books just made me so happy that you know I just had to, I just had, these books made me happy. The next one is the most beautiful book that you have bought this year and I believe the book I have chosen is the most beautiful with and without the dust jacket. Because I have just started reading it I have taken the dust jacket off so I will just show you what it looks like. And the book I have chosen is With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedos. Obviously I read Clap and You Land and loved it as I talked about earlier in the video. So I'm really excited to really dive into this and I think come on this is beautiful. This is absolutely gorgeous. The last question is books you need to read before the end of the year. Obviously so many. Really just watch any of the readathon TBR videos that I filmed in the past half of the year and you'll see most of the books I need to read by the end of the year. I filmed so many TBRs with like the same books that I just haven't read yet so those are obviously the ones that I need to read. Like To Kill a Kingdom. We Hunt the Flame. Beach Read. Like there have been so many. Caravall. Like oh but I'm going to read them. I will, I will, I will. Thank you guys so much for watching the video. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did give it a thumbs up. Let me know if you enjoyed it. Comment down below any of the answers to any of these questions that you have. What was your favorite book of the year? Maybe your loose favorite book of the year so far. If you have any reading recommendations I always love to hear those. Click the subscribe button and click the bell to be notified when I upload which is every Thursday. But until then and I see you guys in the next video. I wish you a happy reading.