2024 Mid-Year Book Tag & Reflections 💕

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Yes, I do want you to list 135 more books 🙏

[@ToriMorrow]

“Do you want me to list 135 books? Probably not” you underestimate me, Kayla 😭

[@chloemercer1907]

i'm so with you on waiting until the end of june for this trend. i see people post it right as june starts and i'm like thats only five months!!

[@KatieColson]

Veronica Speedwell getting a 4.5⭐️ is my favorite bookish memory of 2024 😂

[@kelssweetie]

OMG Thanks so much for the shoutout Kayla! I finally hit 1k subscribers because of you 🧡 I've been having a great reading year so far actually! "The Women Could Fly" by Megan Giddings, "Little Rot" by Akwaeke Emezi, and "Sorrowland" by Rivers Solomon have been my favs so far this year

[@christinegreen3974]

I'm doing the 52 Book Challenge and have read 28 books. This is HUGE for me. I used to be such a voracious reader but my PhD broke ny brain. I haven't finished more than a couple books a year for years...and I'm a literacy professor! I missdd reading and decided to put the books i was reading on my door at work to show students reading is important when you're a teacher. I'm not sure which book has been my favorite. Because of the challange, I have several books outside of my comfort zone. The Homefront Kitchen by Jennifer Ryan was excellent and she is now a favorite author. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek , The Maid, and The House by the Cerrulian Sea were excellent.

[@Katt_Dubbs]

I understand how you feel! It took me three years after obtaining my PhD to start reading for fun again.

[@kaseyashton7715]

It took me two years after finishing my doctorate 😆. Audiobooks were what finally helped get me back to reading for fun

[@AliDoisRead]

KAYLAAAA!!! Omg I am honored 🥹 Also lol I still haven't finished The Woods All Black but hearing that it goes in a smutty direction has me wanting to pick it back up asap 🤣

[@heatherbocks]

I read that on my break at work and was like 😳

[@AliDoisRead]

@@heatherbocks 😂

[@inkylabyrinth]

@@heatherbocks I woulda been screaming in the break room omg 😭

[@ToriMorrow]

Aw thank you so much for the shout out!! 🥰 I hope you have a great 2nd half of ‘24 ❤️❤️

[@sassysarahreads]

I wasn’t loving books this year, so I’ve been reading more manga and that’s been a treat. I have absolutely LOVED I Who Have Never Known Men and it was such a favorite and intrinsically moving book that I felt myself change and shift while reading. Those are the books that hit and I’m glad I found it based off of your recommendation.

[@_jo-jo_]

I've had a good reading year, so far. I've read 74 books and 30, 156 pages. I really enjoyed The Will of the Many and Butterflies in November and The AngelofIndianLake. I've read a lot more non- fiction and realised I really enjoy books about trees and books/bookshops, both fiction and non-fiction, which was something of a surprise. Also, as part of my cognitive behavioural therapy, I walk down to my library each week and i actually look forward to it now, I've got friendly with my librarian and she says I'm a bad influence as I keep on having to order books in and her tbr pile is increasing. So I feel quite proud of myself from that point.

[@kyestrella]

i have The Will of the Many on my shelf, staring at me!! i need to pick that one up. any recommendations for book trees? i’ve also discovered this year my love for nature focused books! i recommend to you Greenwood by Michael Christie!

[@abbybeck3370]

I just picked up The Blue Book of Nebo from the library and my library accepted my request for The Haunting of Velkwood so I'm excited to try them out soon!

[@jaziybabe]

I’m having the best reading year I’ve had in a long time! I’ve discovered the joy of listening to audiobooks as you’re following along with the physical book. As someone with dyslexia that is a pretty slow reader, this has been a game changer and it’s been so fun to finally feel like I’m able to chug through my outrageous TBH. Feels good 🤠

[@kartik3719]

My most anticipated release for the second half of the year has to be There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak 💞

[@KristinKravesBooks]

Ah yes!!! Ali is the best! The Honey Witch will be my answer to my most disappointing book of the year (still need to film my video 😂), which makes me sad because in theory I should have loved it.

[@ashton_s.]

I’ve read more this year than any year and I don’t think I’ll ever reach the same amount of books read again. I started my nonfiction journey this year and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy it. Least favourite would have to be Jaws. I wish I never read it. My stand out favourites this year have been The Seven Year Slip and The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston.

[@jessika5297]

19:21 i love your themed videos so much!! it's so fun to draw the connections and seeing u pull from different genres!

[@copascribe7472]

Favorites: Malas, How to Solve Your Own Murder, Listen for the Lie, and The Museum of Failures Worst: Starling House, The Measure, and Woman Last Seen TBR: The Haunting of Velkwood and How to Become a Dark Lord... Thanks, Kayla!

[@moonyreadsbystarlight]

I feel you on having lots of answers to each question, I'm the same way. I've had a pretty good reading year! I set my goal intentionally low (50) bc I just need to finish what I start -- including the big books. So I've the numbers goal. A lot of what I've read has been quite good! A couple of my favorites were Imagination: A Manifesto by Ruha Benjamin and The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag.

[@Zer0.th0ughts]

I've had a great reading year so far. Lots of five stars and way more books than usual. My favorites are our wives under the sea, chlorine, the salt grows heavy and lapvona. Least favorite is the secret history. A genre I started reading last year and am reading way more of this year is horror. It's my second most read genre now. I'm also reading more weird lit fic.

[@readwithrhys]

2024 has been my best reading year ever. I’ve read 221 books so far, 60229 pages (compared to 2023, I read 237 and 56670 pages) which is mind boggling that I’ve read so much 😂 but I’m loving almost everything I read (72 5 star reads lol), mainly fantasy but also new genre is nonfiction in general (my goal was to read at least 40 nonfiction this year and I’ve already read 71!). Some favs this year are Dragonfall by LR Lam, To Cage a God by Elizabeth May, What’s the T? by Juno Dawson, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson, and A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott!

[@ThorTwinkle]

0:55 lmao I'm absolutely with you about this. I had started to think it was a "me" thing since so many of the people I follow did this recap at the end of the month. Overall my reading year has been such a rollercoaster so far. A month I'll be having all 4, or up, stars and another where my most successful read will be a 3 and a half star. It's quite frustrating 😅 I don't know if my reading is evolving but I'm discovering that I really enjoy legal thrillers/courtroom dramas (if anyone has recommendations, please they're more than welcome). I had already started to think this last year after loving _Love, Betrayal, Murder_ by Adam Mitzner but this year I've definitely cemented this idea after reading _Presumed Innocent_ and _Innocent_ by Scott Turow. He's an author I want to read more from. Another thriller/horror author I want to go through his backlist is David Martin. I know his _Tap, Tap_ is already going to be in my top 10 list of my favorite of the year so I can't wait to read more of his works! Changing genres, I know I'll pick up more from Aster Glenn Gray (her romances seem to be tailored-made for my tastes!) after reading her novel _Honeytrap_ and more from Naike Ror (she's an Italian author but I hope her works will be translated because I think she's really good at characterization) after reading her _Always Be My Baby_ Other two random favorites (because I can't just choose one, it's too difficult!) are _The Charm Offensive_ by Alison Cochrun_ (this is going in my top5 of my all time favorite romances, it's so good and it made me crave more reality/game shows romances) and _The Darkness Outside Us_ by Eliot Schrefer ( a book so good it made me believe in LOVE! I can't wait for the sequel). My least favorite book was _Frisk_ by Dennis Copper. It was too disgusting and after reading it I was just left wondering what was the point of it. Also, this doesn't have anything to do with any of the categories but, I plan to listen more to whatever books Richard Armitage has narrated. I thought _The Curfew_ by T. M. Logan was nothing special but Armitage gave such an Oscar worthy performance that made the story 100 times more enjoyable. I also bought Armitage's own novel Geneva and I'm really curious to read it!

[@joylynn0620]

I’ve read 78 books and 35,134 pages. Average rating is 3.73 ⭐️. I’ve had seven 5 star books which is an improvement over last year. This has been the year of romance for me. Which is surprising because my favorite genre is epic fantasy. I’ve also been reading more books outside my genre (horror, thrillers and historical fiction). I believe it’s why my reading year has been so much better than last year. I’m hoping the second half of the year is even better! I think my favorite books so far are Blood Over Bright Haven and The Husbands.

[@elisereadsandwrites]

My reading is largely similar to last year, but I’ve read more YA this year because I find its usually a bit of a faster read and I’m in grad school and need any extra time I can get

[@AgoraphobookNerd]

I read The Haunting of Velkwood because of your high praises... and it's in my top 5 horror novels of the year thus far... along with Incidents Around The House by Josh Malerman, We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, A Child Alone With Strangers by Philip Fracassi and lastly a CRIMINALLY underrated, fairly unknown novel called The Corroding by Ty Tracey. ✌🏻📚🫀😈 (Honorable mentions - Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson, This Skin Was Once Mine by Eric LaRocca, and American Rapture (October 15) by CJ Leede.)

[@SavidgeReads]

Loved this catch up with you and how your year is going so far reading wise. I Who Have Never Known Men is one of my favourite books of the year. Mine is going *fine*. Not awful but not great. I wanna spend the second half of the year whimishly making it amazing. Lol. No pressure. Loved how you had all the books behind you, and the occasional delightful chaos they brought, inspiration for next year 😉 Ps. I almost cried (laughing) at you talking about the glasses in Dino Island.

[@aubreysmith71112]

My reading year has been terrible just because I haven't read much this year between being pregnant and having a tornado toddler, I haven't had very good focus haha. But I have been reading a lot of self help books 😅 Emily Wilde's Map of the Other lands was my favorite cover and my favorite book so far was You're gonna die alone and other excellent news.

[@zachzackzak]

Been doing a lot of rereading this year, it's been nice to revisit favorites from years past and to see how I've changed and how I haven't, both as a reader and as a person.

[@momariereads]

Ive gotten into thrillers and horror for the first time!! And its my first year reading again habitually. I was strictly a cheesy smutty Rom reader, and now I literally just can't lolll. I read "Alone with you in the Ether" and it rocked my world and started this journey into literary fiction and I've always loved some self help nonfiction. But horror or like crimey thrillers have been really fun. I am super busy having a 2yr old on my own, and working and going to nursing school... so Im trying to read as much as possible this summer before classes and clinical start back up. But this year I've really given myself a space to not feel guilty for DNFing. I used to neverrrrr do it, unless I hated it. But now if Im just not feeling a book and don't think it'll be a 3 or more I DNF. I might go back to them, but right now Im in a place of only reading books Im like enthralled with because my time is so limited! Im so glad I found your channel. I'm currently reading Tinfoil butterfly after your rec and I'm loving it!! And I just finished "Im thinking of ending things" and I like the unreliable narrator and mental mess of sorts, where its a little trippy and you have to figure out the reality yourself. Iffff you have any more books like those, please let me know! Come Closer was another one I put in my TBR because of your rec.

[@theanswerisbooks]

That's so funny, I just recommended The Woods All Black to anyone who likes monster romance 😂 I loved that book, even though I kind of don't love monster romance. But the vibes are eerily similar.

[@midnightscrawls]

i’ve read 95 books this year and considering i read 82 in total last year i would say that is a win! i started really well in jan-feb with a lot of 4 stars, with a more mixed bag from march-june. some favs include giovanni’s room, these burning stars, and meet me at the surface!

[@Inez-2002]

My reading year so far has been a lot of fun! I found 3 new favorites (Albatross - Terry Fallis,)( Kitchen - Banana Yoshimoto)(84, charing cross road - Helene Hanff). This year I have tried to buy all my books second hand or borrow them from the library. Luckily the second hand bookstores in my area are pretty stacked so I have found a lot. I hope you find a lot more 5 stars in the second half of the year! (I would recommend all the books I mentioned above, they are amazing and left me crying with laughter and tears.)

[@MichaelaWagner]

I'm having the best reading year maybe ever! In 6 months, i've read the amount i usually read in one year! and by increasing volume of books, i've found more favourites and five stars! also have found some complete doozys but i'm having FUN

[@MilenaReads]

It was so much fun to read some of your favourite books. Still thinking about The Writing Retreat.

[@saradjaroud971]

The color pink looks so good on you, you're tan, the hair is on point 😍😍 beautiful

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

Don’t fear the reaper and the angel of indian lake were also my fave sequels of the year so far!

[@KappaBooks]

Ive been loving sci-fi much more recently. Usually my top genre of the year is fantasy, but then i read my worst book of the year which was a fantasy romance which killed a lot of my drive to read fantasy

[@iicydiamonds]

Ooooh I want to play! Favourite read of the year: Talk to Canadians, by Rick Mercer. And I listened to the audiobook, which is read by Rick Mercer. It's perfect, it's wonderful. Overall, I've had a pretty good reading year! I'm already almost to my goal for books read for the year, which thrills me, but also the quality of books has overall been pretty high and I'm happy. However, I do have a most hated! I DNF'ed it because I was hating it so much, and that is: Books Promiscuously Read: Reading as a Way of Life. It reads like a grad school English essay, instead of like a love letter to reading, which is how the blurb pitches it. I argued with the author in the margins, and then just decided life is too short for this and dumped it! No regrets for putting it aside!

[@SammiKittie]

I’m so glad you loved The Husbands. I was obsessed.

[@nicolecaron1892]

My reading slowed down in the summer but I'm looking forward to getting back to it in the fall.

[@WarKitten]

Just popping in to say I read Haunting Of Velkwood on your rec and also may be my favorite book of the year. What a gem.

[@BooksandLala]

Ahhh yay this makes me so happy!! 💛 So glad you enjoyed it!!

[@Bookishhaunt]

A Dangerous Collaboration is my faaaaavorite!!

[@Risa-sv2ds]

Love this video! I only got back into books as an adult last year, and I didn’t really know what I enjoyed reading then, so there were quite a few flops. I've read 15 books in 2024 so far, which was my reading goal for the whole year! I've adored most of what I've read and have been having a great time!

[@SlimeAndSlashers]

Awesome tag! Thank you for Tagging the creators as I'm about to do this and couldn't find who created it!!!! I'll be sure to tag them now! Your book stack avalanche is so relatable - great mid year check in. Excited for your shark vlog - I just read quite a few shark books in June, and it was fun!🎉

[@allgirlreview433]

Surprisingly I'm at 83 books for the year. Considering I'm only reading for pleasure about 5% of the time these days I'm astounded. Hoping to bounce back on vacation in August.

[@jessika5297]

ive been loving nonfiction recently. essays, memoirs, and even just like history stuff. i'll go to the library and check out like 10 random books that seem interesting because there's no pressure and then read and read and read haha also rereading dune right now and enjoying it so much. considering how much i did NOT understand the first time around, this second read is so nice haha

[@trishab490]

Don’t ever just have one answer!! Every time I watch I end up with at least 3 or 4 recommendations - my bookshop thanks you. 😂 Reading way more horror and then at the other end of the scale, literary fiction. Average rating this year for me is 4.01 so far! 🎉

[@lapraslapis]

it’s been a weird reading year for me. i seem to hate or love every book i’m reading and haven’t rated many books in the middle. at least i’ve found a few new favourites. just finished jennette mccurdy’s book before scrolling on youtube. loved it, listened to the audiobook and that was definitely the way to go

[@Leigh_orange]

My reading year has been meh. What is frustrating is I haven’t even read anything really bad. Just a lot of really mediocre stuff, and nothing that I have really loved. I recently decided to just forgo a TBR and start mood reading. I’m currently reading Alone with You in the Either and really enjoying it. Here’s to a better second half of my reading year. I love your content! Keep up the wonderful videos 💞💞

[@CherreePanda]

Historical mystery with a couple with a tension you could cut with a knife? Sounds like Cleopatra Fox Mysteries. I highly recommend!

[@missstarbuck]

I have had a good reading year so far. I already have some 5 stars and even my rare 6 stars!, for books which are just amazing!. And give me a special good feeling. But i had some downs as well of course. The 4 books i gave 6 stars were: - The midnight library by Matt Haig. - The house in the Cerulean sea by T.J.Klune - Nine perfect strangers by Liane Moriarty. - And a mr.Monk novel, Mr.Monk goes to Hawaii by Lee Goldberg. Which is from the tv-series ;) Complete new stories. I've read 33 books so far btw. I think the book i enjoyed the least was the kiterunner by khaled hosseini

[@gabbyreads]

Reading year has been going pretty well 🤩 I’ve been getting really into weird literary fiction ever since loving Big Swiss as much as I did haha

[@VeraFran]

I am in my busy and exhausted as hell era, couldn't read a thing during the week but I'm back reading Funny Story that I started during Lalathon. Luckily, I'm having fun with it.

[@Phillybookfairy]

I love Sara Gran’s writing! That was really good but my fav of hers is still Come Closer! I have another book of hers that’s on my tbr for this year!

[@kenzienoelle124]

Favorite read so far this year is The Reformatory! I can’t see anything topping it the rest of the year.

[@camc1838]

Please do an updated favorite books such as your favorite 15 or 20

[@carolinesch.]

Reading year was like the last ones but for some reason this year remembering what I read is way harder

[@andrezacristina7873]

it has been a good reading year so far! i've read 41 books, had more five stars, one new favourite, and genre wise i began reading fantasies (lot of them! probably my 1st or 2nd most read genre) and thriller and horrors.

[@arobinreads]

Favorite: All that's left in the world by Erik J. Brown. Least favorite (and actually hate with a passion, so problematic): The last house on Needless street. My reading year has been okay. Have been trying to embrace my chaotic reader. I haven't gotten much luck with 5 star reads unfortunately, hope to have more of those. Just hard to find the right books for some reason these days

[@mekiiiiiiiiii]

2024 is my best reading year so far!! I had a few books I didn’t enjoy but also soooo many 5 star reads! Books I wanted to read all over again right after I finished them 🥹 „Carrie Soto is Back“ by TJR and „Earth“ by John Boyne. I can’t wait to read all of The Elements Quartett by John Boyne 😭🙏🏻

[@InfinitexLibrary]

My reading year is going SO well - I'm already past 100 books and have found some great new books and series. I am however really slacking on my goal of focusing on getting through my physical tbr... I've been trying to read more sci-fi this year and just generally more diversely and that's actually happening even if it's mostly because I've been reading from last year's Goodreads Awards.

[@AKookieForYou]

My reading year has been a rollercoaster, and not necessarily the fun kind lmao. I started a little book club on goodreads, and 5 out of the 6 books have been absolute flops for (I even gave up entirely on one and DNFd 😭😭), my irl friend hasn't liked too many of them either, so at least it's not just me 😅. I guess the biggest disappointment would have to be Caraval by Stephanie Garber (...also a book club pick, sadly). I loved her Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy, and thought her other series would be just as great, but I was so utterly disappointed (it was a 2). My worst book happened to be a highly anticipated manga, Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa, which nearly put me in a reading slump, it was that bad. I have had some 5 stars though, which is a bit of a rarity for me. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries absolutely killed me, I actually cried and everything! And Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross hit pretty hard. My biggest surprise was definitely A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas. I mostly disliked the first book in the ACOTAR series, but the ending was just intriguing enough, that I decided to continue, and two years later, I ended up having a pretty good time. It's not a new favorite or anything, but it did get a 4.5, which was pretty exciting. I've also been reading more manga in general, some of it quite bad, and some of it amazing. Usually I only read one or maybe two series a year, but I've been flying through, probably because they're shorter and bit sized. My favorite so far being Skip Beat! by Yoshiki Nakamura. I'm only on Vol 16, but most of them have been 5 stars. I just love the premise and cast SO much. Here's to hoping the second half of the year will be better for us all 😂😂💗

[@BetweenLinesAndLife]

Definitely a good reading year - a lot more books than usual, most of them really solid reads, but not toooo many groundbreaking ones!

[@jorichner6678]

I have just accepted i am in a sci fi/ fantasy mood. I kept having reading slumps in the beginning of the year but I've done 104 books so far so not too bad.

[@kate-ne]

OMG YOU FOUND THE SGJ SHARK BOOK!!!! I can't wait for the backstory on getting your hands on that one! 🦈♥️

[@robyn8221]

Love this video! I read my first Riley Sager last year because of you. (The Only One Left) My book club is reading The Middle of The Nighy for July. Also, I saw him in Harrisburg at a book talk/signing. ❤

[@jesict3763]

I'm still keeping up with a book per day, mainly because I neeeeeeeeeedddd to get through my dang TBR. Knocking them out left and right!

[@SpinesAndSpoilers]

Graveyard Shift and I Was a Teenage Slasher sound so good and I'm really excited for them to come out

[@cloudslikethis]

My reading year has been weird. I’m on track to read by far the least amount of books I’ve read since I started tracking my reading in 2010 but I feel okay about it. Every book I have read has been a 4 or above so I’m only spending time on books I love. Not counting my reread of Dune, my favorite book of the year was Out by Natsuo Kirino.

[@alvarosager9206]

I'm gonna be so bold to use this opportunity to do some reflecting on my own. Sorry for the wall of text. How is your reading going? - Objectively it's going well. I'm ahead of my reading goal, and my average rating is good. But somehow something is not clicking. I know I've read some really great books but when I look back it's almost like I'm not remembering them... Best book you’ve read so far in 2024. - Probably rhythm of war, 4th book in the stormlight archive. I just love that series so much - so excited about book 5 coming out in december! Genre you've been loving/reading the most. - I've been reading more sci-fi and general fiction than usual, and less fantasy. Sci-fi hasn't been so succesful for me, but general fiction has! Best sequel you've read so far in 2024. - Besides rhythm of war I'd say emily wilde's map of the otherlands - I liked it more than the first book! Favourite re-read. - I read an annotated version of anne of green gables, which is one of my favorite books ever, so that was lovely. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year. - Obviously stormlight 5!! Biggest disappointment. - Either the passengers by john marrs or yellowface - I thought both would be so much more fun than they were. Biggest surprise. - I, robot! I thought it would be dry and kind of boring, but I did not find it so at all. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you) - I have to say per anders fogelström - very famous swedish author known for historical fiction set in Stockholm. Book that made you cry. - The one that comes to mind is still alice, that is a horifically sad book. Book that made you happy. - Tress of the emerald sea made me so happy, that was such a delight. What books do you need to read by the end of the year? - The last book in the expanse, the rest of the fogelström books, and the two last cosmere books that I haven't read yet.

[@AnotherTurning]

I feel like I haven't been loving reading much this year. I've read a lot of things I think are objectively good and I would recommend, but very few books I've loved! Even rereading some old faves have felt less amazing than I would like. One big win though that I loved and could shout the praises of from the rooftops was I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane.

[@renee_3364]

It's probably a bit much to list the link to my version of the tag as an answer to your questions, so here are my top answers. How's the year been: one of my best reading years in recent history. Favourite books: Private Rites by Julia Armfield (really recommend it!), Death Valley by Melissa Broder and Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill. A book you recommended which I now must read: The Haar. Literally waited for your opinion to decide if I wanted to check it out or not, but I'm now convinved!

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Obsessed with the cover of island witch

[@nightswim96]

Great video! I love the stats-based tags like this a lot! I’ve read 41 books so far and I think it’s been a good year (4.07 rating) compared to the second half of last year when I was in a slump. However, I don’t feel as if I’m having as much fun despite the good quality of the books. My favorites have been Just Above My Head by James Baldwin (fiction) and The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins (nonfiction). My only 5 stars this year so far! It’s been a fantasy heavy year for me with lots of sequels to be read.

[@HopeMariah03]

My reading year is going well in terms of good books, (I'm a very generous reviewer 😂) but it's a little rocky in terms of staying on top of my reading goal because I've been so busy with college and now my summer job so I haven't had as much time to read😭 But, my summer job is as a journalist for my local newspaper so I'm getting lots of ARCs which I never had access to before!

[@nicoleglasson8615]

So excited to see Haunt Sweet Home on your most anticipated! Sarah Pinsker is my favourite short story/novelette author but I haven't read a full length novel or novella from her yet. Her stories have such a specific feel to them and people calling HSH quiet and empathetic makes total sense for her vibe.

[@sueture]

Not having good luck this year! But I am finally reading one that's fun and palate cleansing, Suburban Hell, lol...I'm itching to get my hands on Bloom, Black River Orchard, In the Lonely Hours, and especially Lost Man's Lane! It's out now and has great reviews, so I'm surprised no one is mentioning it...Oh, and I did just buy Incidents Around the House, which will be my next read............Great video, as always!

[@carringtonbrignac3076]

2024 has been a good reading year so far!!! I feel like i’m finally at a good balance between life and books !! PLUS i’ve read some all time faves this year !! YAY

[@bryblio]

I’ve only read two books this year but I just had my first baby in April so I’ll take it as a win 🤍 hoping for book #3 in the second half of the year

[@inkylabyrinth]

My reading year has been going VERY well, especially lately because (inspired by LaLaThon) I said, what if I just let myself read all my most anticipated/5 star predictions? And it's working! This month alone I gave out two 5 stars (Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg and I Who Have Never Known Men) and two very-close-to-5 stars (Bear by Marian Engel and Bunny by Mona Awad, which I am still reeling over, oh my god?!) The books that made me cry the most were Fire Exist by Morgan Talty and somehow Bunny, which made me sob at the very end. My biggest surprise was River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure, which I only read because of the Women's Prize (it also made me cry lol) and my biggest disappointment was Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro which makes me more mad the more I think about it. I NEED to buy The Blue Book of Nebo and reread it. The insert of the clip of you crying while reading it made me LOL.

[@HannahBearclaw]

Your hair looks SO GOOD!!

[@shannon7608]

Has she posted her 'Reading because of me" Playlist? I really want to watch those! I am always on the lookout for more creators to follow ❤

[@ZPrince]

my favorite for the year so far is The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles!! i decided to read the audiobook on a whim and ever since then i have reread it again through audio, am currently rereading it with a physical copy to take notes, and have gotten into the historical romance genre!! specifically queer historical romance and i'm having a blast!!

[@catherinebugden]

It’s my first year monitoring and branching out to newer genres. It’s been so much fun!

[@nickj2600]

I have really got back into reading this month and have read ten books this month which is a first for me!!

[@elizalovestoread]

i feel you on the reading more romance but not necessarily liking much of it vibe. i like the fun of most smutty romances but never end up rating them very highly LOLLLL

[@TheeKookyWildflower]

Well, I have had 5 5-stars and the rest a jumble of stars out of 94 books. My average so far is 3.15, so yeah, I'm experiencing more 2s and 3s than I care to do. Still hoping for more 4s to even the year out.

[@yas4346]

love the combo of pink and red hair

[@barbaralemon4170]

Two favorites: House of Doors by Tan Twon Eng and anything by Murakami . Best new one in a series is Stranger in the Library by Eva Gates. Also loved Horrostor by Grady Hendrix.

[@julieslifeandjoys1543]

Hey Kayla, my favorite I've read so far is THE FIRE BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW BY BRITTAINY C CHERRY ( book 2 of elements series). I cried at parts of this book. I got the feels of emotion with this one. I loved it, 5 stars gave. My reading is going steady. I look forward to reading rest of Brittany Cherry books. Many others. 😊

[@timelord1040]

How is your reading going? I think it's been good rating wise for books, but so much has been happening in my life this year that my motivation hasn't always been great. I definitely thought I would I have finished more books my now. Best book you’ve read so far in 2023.: Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday is my favorite book I've read so far. It was full of hilarious shenanigans, and I loved the friendship between the three main male characters. Best sequel you've read so far in 2023.: I'm rereading the entire Anne of Green Gables series, and I think Anne of Windy Poplars has been my favorite sequel which is surprising because I didn't like it that much when I read it the first time. Favourite re-read.: Once again enjoying my reread of all of the Anne of Green Gables books I've gotten to so far this year, but I also have reread Clockwork Angel and enjoyed it. Favorite once again though is probably Anne of Windy Poplars. Genre you've been loving/reading the most.: I'm reading a lot of the usual for me which is YA, romance, fantasy, but I've also been reading more celebrity memoirs this year, poetry and short stories, so that's been cool. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.: I still haven't read Funny Story by Emily Henry, but I really need to because Happy Place was my favorite read of 2023. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.: I have several next volumes of mangas that are coming out that I'm looking forward too, and I'm looking forward Vilest Things by Chloe Gong. Biggest disappointment.: Biggest surprise.: Anne of Windy Poplars keeps showing up on this list, but I didn't expect to love my reread so much this time around. But also Earls trip was a big surprise; I knew I'd love it because I love romance, but I didn't expect it to be my favorite book of the year so far. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you): Heather Fawcett is definitely a new favorite for me. I read Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries for the first time this year finally, and I loved it. I immediately wanted to search up Heather's backlist. Newest favourite character.: Wendell from Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries has been my favorite new character I've read. Book that made you cry.: I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jenette McCurdy made me cry. Book that made you happy.: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood pulled me out of a deep reading slump that I was in because of my depression. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received): Probably my custom sprayed edition of The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?: A lot lol. I want to read Funny Story, Love Theoretically, Not in Love, Bride, Check and Mate, Vilest Things, Anne's House of Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside and I'm sure there are more. Favourite video or post you've done so far this year.: My favorite posts have been all the ones I've been doing lately building up to the start of my readathon on July 1. It is the Tortured Readers Departement readathon with my book club/bookstagram. (@onceuponalibrarianspw). Favourite book community members: I've been watching a lot of Sara Carroli, Destiny Sidwell, Haley Pham and BooksandLala of course.

[@runreaderrun]

Horror has been my most read genre this year, which is so different for me. Fantasy is normally my number 1 by far, but I am STRUGGLING with fantasy books 😅 my brain is mush

[@elizabethbarnes3617]

Having a good reading year as far as feeling motivated to read and getting to a lot of highly anticipated things! But I have only had one 5 star so far and that is killing me a little inside.

[@hotla7]

I’ve been fighting a massive slump this year but have read some fun books, mostly romance or romantasy. I did pick up throne of the fallen on your recommendation and had a lot of fun with it!

[@courtsavage]

I have been having a really strange reading year where I have been in a massive slump and have barely read anything, which has been hard because I definitely wish I was reading more, but I have also appreciated the times where I have been able to read. My favorite read so far this year is probably 'The Writing Retreat'. It was a wild ride and I had a good time.

[@jesskiaunismusic]

I was shocked you didn’t mention the honey witch at first for your most disappointing! Then you mentioned it later and I was like “I knew it!!” Lol

[@katherinearrington107]

Oooo you should still read The Last Murder at the End of the World!! I really liked it!

[@meganbookish_adventurer]

I feel like I've read some good books this year, but I had an accidental month completely of rereads and each month I've been reading fewer and fewer books 😅 January was definitely my best month with the most reads and 5 star reads, but I've also found some recently that are 5 star so hopefully the rest of the year is looking up!!

[@avsambart]

I've read a lot of short stories this year and I haven't had a 5 stars yet. I changed my job this year so I haven't felt comfy enough to read some books I'm really excited to read yet 😂

[@majonnaise]

I really want to read the two books that have been your favs so far this year, have had them on my radar since the vlogs they appeared in and I’m so excited to pick them up soon!! personally my reading year was alright, I found two all time favourites I think and a series I really enjoyed but for the most part many books have felt like a 3.8 rating to be aggressively specific (i.e. a rounded up 4 stars that didn’t leave as strong of a lasting impression as I wish it would’ve)

[@Rainbopagn]

I’ve read about 60 books thus far. I’m really enjoying both non fiction and fantasy. I have discovered that YA is often not for me and that I’m VERY picky about romance and lit fic. I too have two favorites this far: I Who Have Never Known Men and Chain Gang All Stars. I’m also still angry about the ending of Chain Gang All Stars 😂. The worst book of the year that wasn’t a DNF is probably the one time I tried Mirakami. NOPE! I also really need to sit down and finish many books that I’ve started 😂😂. That’s the goal for July 😅