My 2025 Mid-Year Check-In/Freak-Out Book Tag!
Find the video here: https://youtu.be/0n4pXT_XHrc
Best Book: THE LATECOMER by Jean Hanff Korelitz: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7450695463
Best Sequel: HEIR by Sabaa Tahir: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7361011349
Best Short Story Collection: COWBOYS AND EAST INDIANS by Nina McConigley: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3926671845
Most-Read Genre: Jewish Fiction New Releases I Want to Read:
--THE ANATOMY OF EXILE by Zeeva Bukai: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212232567-the-anatomy-of-exile
--THE THINKING HEART: ESSAYS ON ISRAEL AND PALESTINE by David Grossman: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214100227-the-thinking-heart
--SUNRISE ON THE REAPING by Suzanne Collins: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214331246-sunrise-on-the-reaping
Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of the Year:
--WHILE THE DARK REMAINS by Joanna Ruth Meyer (7/29): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222208035-while-the-dark-remains
--HAPPY NEW YEAR'S by Maya Arad (8/5): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214678652-happy-new-years
--THE BELLES by Lacey Dunham (9/9): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224003653-the-belles
--AS A JEW by Sara Hurwitz (9/9): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222658326-as-a-jew
--AMONG THE BURNING FLOWERS by Samantha Shannon (9/16): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222376983-among-the-burning-flowers
--THE SOVEREIGN by C.L. Clark (9/30): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62563726-the-sovereign
--THE WAR BEYOND by Andrea Stewart (11/4): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228466301-the-war-beyond
Biggest Disappointment: THE MOTHER OF ALL THINGS by Alexis Landau: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6456945535
Biggest Surprise: THE HUNTER by Tana French: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7337318948
Favorite New Author: Elif Shefak, after reading THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7437373810) and in 2020 10 MINUTES, 38 SECONDS IN THIS STRANGE, NEW WORLD: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3552655131. On my physical TBR shelves: THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56587382-the-island-of-missing-trees
Newest Fictional Crush, Adapted to Favorite Relationship in a Book/Series: the Oppenheimer triplets in THE LATECOMER Isabel, Professor Connelly and the Wilder English department, MY LAST INNOCENT YEAR by Daisy Alpert Florin: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7563150973
Newest Favorite Character: Quill and Aiz in HEIR, Damien in OUR DEADLY DESIGNS by Kalyn Josephson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7243178172
Book That Made Me Cry: THE SAFEKEEP by Yael van der Wouden: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7497798347
Book That Made Me Happy: HAPPINESS by Aminatta Forna: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4864347569
Favorite Review/BookTube Video: 2025 Gaithersburg Book Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0WapomdXMs&t=1s
Favorite Book Adaptation I Watched This Year: Pachinko Season Two: https://chavalah.wordpress.com/2025/03/31/pachinko-season-two-you-cant-erase-the-past-plus-march-25-tv-shows/
Most Beautiful Cover I Bought/Received This Year: OLIVE DAYS by Jessica Elisheva Emmerson: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205673372-olive-days
Next Big Priority In My Reading: Hoping to make a significant dent in my TBR on an upcoming cruise in July, gulp!
My Bookish Highlight: Incorporating the Buzzwordathon Challenge from Books and Lala as a way to get through my 2024 Jewish Book Council "Raid the Shelves" TBR! See my Page 112 Tag videos for 2025 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNWZaEobSKhvJZ4Y4ppNv7EterSGEHMj5
What Books Do I Need To Read By the End of the Year:
--Top O' the Goodreads: HARDLY CHILDREN: STORIES by Laura Adamczyk: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37941816-hardly-children
--Top O' the GoodReads:THE ARCHIVE OF ALTERNATE ENDINGS by Lindsey Drager: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42770439-the-archive-of-alternate-endings
--Top O' the GoodReads: A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Michael Cunningham: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2137.A_Home_at_the_End_of_the_World
--Top O' the GoodReads: SPECIMEN DAYS by Michael Cunningham: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2136.Specimen_Days
--Women in Translation Pick: AQUARIUM by Yaara Sheroni: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693573-aquarium
--Victober Pick: COSELLA WAYNE, OR WILL AND DESTINY by Cora Wilburn: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46168436-cosella-wayne
--Novella November: IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH/YOM KIPPUR IN A GYM by Nora Gold: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/178811877-in-sickness-and-in-health-yom-kippur-in-a-gym