My 2022 Mid-year Book Tag

It’s the end of June and that means we are half way through 2022! That means its time to do the mid-year book tag and assess all the lovely books we have read so far this year!

Looking back I have read some AMAZING books so far this year this year, with lots of 5 star books and books I can’t wait to re-read.

THE STATS

Number of Books so far: 75

No of pages: 24,001

THE RATINGS:

5 Stars: 34
4.5 Stars: 3
4 Stars: 20
3.5 Stars: 4
3 Stars: 13
2.5 Stars: –
2 Stars: 1
1 Star: –

I will say the majority of the 5 stars are classed as mini reviews – these are books I have not rated using my ESCAPE scoring system as they are usually novellas, short stories, re-reads, Agatha Christie/Terry Pratchett books or books from 5 star series where I know I am going to love it going in, as its just more of what I love. Most of the 5 stars are actually Jodi Taylor Short stories from the Chronicles of St Mary’s universe.

THE QUESTIONS

WHAT IS THE BEST BOOK THAT YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2022?

There are Two books that have been rated and ESCAPE Score of 57, the highest ESCAPE score I have ever given a book.

Other Notable books (lots of 5 stars this year that I want to shout about):

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE SEQUEL OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR?

Most of them are already recorded above but if force pick I think I have to opt for:

The Catalogue of Catastrophe
Jodi Taylor

Chronicles of St Mary’s #12
ARC Copy/Blog Tour

My Review

This sequel was the balm I needed after book 12 put me through the ringer (more on that later). It set up a whole new story arc for the characters and kept me excited for the future of St Mary’s!

IS THERE A NEW RELEASE THAT YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT YOU’RE REALLY EXCITED TO?

Under Fortunate Stars
Ren Hutchings

Physical ARC

I have started to read this book but had to put it down due to blog tour commitments and then a reading slump or two. I was loving it and I really want to finish it. I intend to add it to my July TBR.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR?

The Book Eaters
Sunyi Dean

eARC
Release Date: 18/6/2022

About the book:

Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book’s content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries.
Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devon—like all other book eater women—is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairytales and cautionary stories.
But real life doesn’t always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger—not for books, but for human minds.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT SO FAR?

Dread Wood
Jennifer Killick

My Review

This book was entertaining to begin with and I was really enjoying it. Then it unfortunately employed one of my least favourite tropes which was just really dissappointing and slightly infuriating as this could have been so much better in my eyes.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SURPRISE SO FAR?

Battle of the Linguist Mages
Scotto Moore

My Review

About the book:

I don’t think I quite knew what was in store for me when I dived into this as an ARC but I am so glad I got to read this one. It was crazy in the best possible way. It was very surreal but moving. To quote the book itself it is just “Dazzling WTFness” and I really loved it.

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?

Another time, Another Place
Jodi Taylor

Chronicles of St Mary’s #12

My Review

Honestly words need to be had with Mz Taylor about the emotional wringer she put me through with this one. I ran the whole gamut of emotions forwards and backwards it was just so emotional and impactful and I sobbed both happy and sad tears!

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY?

Tales From The Norse’s Mouth
Sandi Toksvig

My Review

About the book:

I want to go back and re-read/or read for the first time myself books that started my love of reading. I have had many stops and starts to my journey as a reader and there are always books that pull me back in. I started my Into Reading series with Tales from the Norse’s Mouth and the nostalgia was just so much fun, it left me smiling and happy and I loved returning to it after such a long time.

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU WANT TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR?

Here are just a few:

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Well that is my mid year freak out. There is still a lot of time to read the rest of the year.

How has your 2022 reading year going so far? What has been your favourite read so far?

I would love to chat all things bookish with you! You can comment down below or find me on Twitter or Goodreads!

Happy Reading!