Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag
Dear Readers,
I'm starting to see folks post their mid-year book freakout videos on booktube. Along with the end of year videos, I love watching these, adding more titles to my ever growing tbr and seeing what folks have to say about titles I've read. While looking into who began the tag, I learned that it was created by a pair of book bloggers back in 2014. I'll attach a link to their original post at the end of this entry, but I was equal parts surprised and delighted to see that one of the bloggers said that Rick Yancey was their favourite author that year. Tragically they seem to have read The 5th Wave and not his other series that rocked middle school me's world and continues to be a rock no matter how much time passes. (A separate post on The Monstrumologist series is to come someday, that is a promise!) Anyway, I digress. It was fun going through their blog, it's emblematic of internet prior to the proliferation of advertisements and AI everywhere. While the bloggers don't appear to be active anymore on that site, it's pretty neat to see how their little tag game ballooned into such a staple in online book spaces. I'm using some questions from the original tag, as well as a couple of questions other creators have added on over the years.
What is the best book that you’ve read so far in 2026?
On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield! Scholfield had initially published this work independently, but it got picked up by Simon and Schuster and republished back in January. I'd had my eye on the title for quite some time - my library system had the initial version only as an ebook, and I find ebooks more challenging to read. I devoured the first 100 pages or so of this book the day I picked it up from the library, then I forced myself to slow down because I never wanted it to end. We follow Jude Rice, a woman who escapes her abusive mother's house and comes to live in an abandoned house. The way Jude left her mother left a crater in both her life, and the lives of her aunts, and we follow them through the fallout of her escape. Reading this reminded me how I felt reading Carmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House for the first time. Just immensely rich prose and a high level of technical skill on display, a title I pray will become a cult classic. What really struck me with equal parts terror and hope was the age at which Jude left her mother - I'm familiar with stories of children and teenagers leaving abusive families and finding better lives for themselves, but Jude leaves her mother much later down her life. Some part of me was comforted to read about someone who had lost so many years of her life to vile abuse still have time left to live a life on her own terms. Another thing I really appreciated was the respect in the portrayal of the abuse - as flawed as Jude's ma'am was and boy was she flawed, I see what drove her to this, I see how her aunts were hesitant to speak up, to stop the cycle of abuse. At its core this is a southern gothic that contends with the festering rot left long after the abolition of slavery.
What Has Been Your Favourite Sequel of The First Half of The Year?
In terms of novels, I haven't read much in the way of sequels. With manga, it's a little harder to keep track of sequels.
Is There a New Release That You Haven’t Read Yet, but You’re Really Excited To?
Unlike previous years, I'm not keeping the closest eye out for new releases. I have an extensive backlist to work through and should a newer release find me, I'll let it find me on its own time.
What Is Your Most Anticipated Release for The Second Half of The Year?
Again, I'm not keeping the closest eye on new releases. Even for authors I've enjoyed, I tend to find out they've put out a new work when I see a copy at a library or bookstore.
What Is Your Biggest Disappointment So Far?
I've expressed my disappointment in a different post, but Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke was quite the letdown. It's been some time since I've read it, and while I was initially ambivalent about the ending, I find myself disliking the whole book the more I think about it. I found a review on Goodreads that goes more into what I loathed about the execution of the story - I'm unsure of how to link individual reviews without making an account, but the user is domsbookden. I also read a Vogue article by the author where she spoke a bit about her research for the book and you know what? With such a superficial level of "internet lurking" and interviewing a couple of women involved in these circles, I can hardly be surprised at the novel's poor execution. The entire thing just feels too immature and meanspirited - similar to R.F Kuang's Yellowface in that respect. The author seems to know on some level that capitalism and white supremacy play a part in why some women are drawn to the tradwife lifestyle, but she's afraid to make a real statement. It was always going to be a polarizing book, so I wish she just gave it more time and did some more research.
What Is Your Biggest Surprise So Far?
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This was a surprise on many fronts, the biggest one being learning what an absolute delight Holmes is. I'm aware that there's often a game of broken telephone with classics especially when certain adaptations cement themselves in the popular imagination, but the gulf between the imagined Holmes in my head and who he actually is - I was so surprised! I'm most honoured to finally make his acquaintance. Another thing that surprised me was the total shift in scenery we get with the second half of the book. I won't lie, being separated from Holmes and Watson for that long did sting a little - how could I have met these fellows only to be separated from them so soon? A huge thank you to Alec for being my guide through the world of Sherlock Holmes. I don't know that I would've started these anytime soon had it not been for your enthusiasm.
Who is your favourite new author?
I have two wildly different answers for this. The objective answer is Yah Yah Scholfield - how could it not be? This is high praise and I don't give it out so lightly, but I genuinely felt that her writing evoked the spirit of Toni Morrison. Now my other answer is a little cheekier - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Having finished A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four, I won't pretend that I'm floored by Doyle's writing. I love the characters he's created, but I cannot say he is at the top of the list for any type of technical skill. However, I've been learning about the life he led and I'm just so tickled by every new bit of information I learn. Truly a living and breathing example of how truth is stranger than fiction!
A Book That Made You Cry?
I listened to Maggie Helwig's Encampment in January and it hit a little too close to home. Helwig is a Canadian activist and priest, and she oversaw a church that housed a sizeable encampment of homeless people. The City of Toronto tried several times, and was ultimately successful in clearing out the encampment back in 2025. Helwig's book detailed not just what she experienced, but also what folks who called the encampment their home experienced. Though the context is specific to Toronto, these stories can be found in any city, and Helwig manages to highlight the individuality of these people while stressing the systemic circumstances that create crises of homelessness. I think what really got to me is how she manages to keep faith and remain steadfast in being there for her community in spite of it all.
A Book That Made You Happy?
A Study in Scarlet! Reading Holmes and Watson's first encounter put such a big smile on my face that I reread that portion three times.
Who is your new fictional crush?
Sherlock Holmes. He's just too cool!
Who is your favourite new character?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it is Sherlock Holmes. When he's ready to whip that scoundrel Windibank - I would've supported him wholeheartedly in that endeavour. On a more serious note, I thought his moral dilemma was done really well in The Boscombe Valley Mystery.
What is the most beautiful book you bought this year?
This isn't an objectively beautiful book, but I recently brought a boxed set of The Monstrumologist series. I had unsuccessfully been trying to thrift the paperbacks for quite some time, and finally decided to bite the bullet and use an Amazon gift certificate that I had sitting around. I already own very loved mass market paperbacks of the series (and frankly I like the designs of them better), but I wanted copies with more structural integrity. They're still in their plastic wrapping, but I still smile at the sight of them. I can't wait to reread them at a more comfortable text size (and without all my scribbles in the margins - I like revisiting them, but I also want to see what new thoughts come to mind)!
What Books Do You Want to Read by The End of The Year?
I'm not holding my feet to the fire on any of these, but I really want to get to The Hound of the Baskervilles this October. Actually it's strange, I've a couple of other books I want to read before the year is up and many of them I'm saving for the fall. Among those titles are Frankenstein, The Haunting of Hill House, and a reread of The Monstrumologist series (or at the very least, the first book).
Until next time, take care ~
-memoria
You can see the original creator's mid-year book freakout tag here: https://abooksofathomless.blogspot.com/2014/07/mid-year-book-freakout.html
You can read the Caro Claire Burke's interview with Vogue here: http://www.vogue.com/article/yesteryear-caro-claire-burke-interview