lou's library

How are we halfway through 2025 already???I feel like the year only began a few weeks ago, and yet here we are at the end of June, ready for another edition of the Mid-Year Book Freakout tag. I feel like my reading has been all over the place these past six months, so it should be interesting to check in and also to look ahead at the next six months.

Best Book You’ve Read So Far This Year

I had to go through the list of books I’ve read so far, because there really isn’t an obvious answer for me. Sadly, there hasn’t been a book in 2025 yet that I loved, although I did read a lot of great books. Just none with new-favourite potential, you know? Also, I’ve reread quite a lot of books, and those don’t really count for this, in my opinion. One book I did absolutely adore though was Rural by Rebecca Smith. It’s a nonfictional account of rural working-class life in Britain. A bit niche, I know, but I find anything about British society fascinating and Rural is written with so much love and empathy for the people it is about. Rebecca Smith looks at what has changed over the decades for the rural working-class, what has happened to places she remembers from her childhood and she also looks at the bigger picture and the structural problems of the system. I learned so much while reading Rural and would recommend it to anyone trying to understand Britain (as I will never cease to do).

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far This Year

Okay, hear me out on this one. Last year, I wanted an audiobook without having to wait for it for weeks on my library app. Assistant To The Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer was available, so I gave it a go. I’m not gonna lie, I considered turning it off after an hour, but stuck with it and by the end felt like I had been entertained quite nicely. So, a few months later I listened to the sequel, Apprentice To The Villain. And I loved it a bit too much. The series is a bit silly really, and what I would call cosy fantasy (not that there’s anything wrong with this genre!). As the title suggests, our protagonist suddenly finds herself as the assistant to a villain, except it turns out he’s actually a really nice guy (this is no spoiler, you can see this coming from the moment you’re being introduced to him). So, I’d call this light entertainment, but I listened to it when that was exactly what I needed. Am I counting the days until part three is being released? Maybe.

A New Release You Haven’t Read But Want To

John Green is among those authors who can make me buy anything they publish. So when I heard about Everything Is Tuberculosis, I didn’t exactly run to the book shop, but knew I would eventually read it. That moment hasn’t come yet, as I have quite the mountain of books to get through, but I’m sure once I will read it, I’ll enjoy it. John Green’s writing is so entertaining and the topic is an important one, even though I admit I probably wouldn’t read a book about it if it wasn’t by him.

Your Most Anticipated Book For The Rest Of 2025

I absoultely devoured the Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series by Holly Jackson on audiobook. Her first novel for adults, Not Quite Dead Yet, will be released this year and I shall be getting my hands on it pronto. I don’t often read crime fiction, but Holly Jackson’s books are the perfect amount of tense for me. I’m excited to see how her first foray into adult fiction will differ from her young adult books. As I’m an easily scared chicken, I do hope it won’t be too much for me.

Biggest Disappointment So Far

At the time of writing, I still have 40 pages of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie left, but it is safe to say I did not enjoy a single page of it. I know lots of people love this book, and I would be eternally grateful if someone could explain to me why. Or actually, if someone could explain the book in general to me, that would be great. I swear I spent every minute reading this deeply confused, and believe me, I tried to understand it and wanted to like it. Alas, The Satanic Verses is not for me, it seems. That being said, I do have 40 pages left and in that book, anything can happen, so perhaps something will make me suddenly love it? I’m grasping at straws here, in case you couldn’t tell.

Biggest Surprise So Far

I truly thought my Hunger Games era was over. But then Suzanne Collins started publishing the sequels and what can I say? I can’t get enough of them. I bought Sunrise On The Reaping while on a trip to London, and let’s just say I started reading it immediately and couldn’t put it down anymore, to the point where I stopped sight seeing and sat down by the Thames to read. And while I did think I was going to enjoy it, I did not expect it to throw me fully back into my Hunger Games obsession. You best believe me that when that movies comes out, I will be seated in the front row. Suzanne Collins can do no wrong and I hope she will continue writing those prequels (or sequels, I’ll take anything!!).

New Favourite Author

I read I’m The King Of The Castle by Susan Hill last year and I adored it so much it became one of my favourite books of the year. This spring, I read In The Springtime Of The Year by her and my god, was it devastating and beautiful. I must read everything this woman has ever read (which is quite a lot, I believe). Now that I’ve read two books by Susan Hill, I feel like I can start considering her as a new favourite author, but I hope I will continue reading more of her this year.

New Favourite Character

This is easy. Mark Watney, the protagonist in The Martian by Andy Weir, is one of the funniest characters I have ever come across. He’s an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars (happens to the best of us) and has to try to survive long enough to figure out how to get back to Earth and then actually successfully do it. I’m not big into science fiction, but The Martian is just so good that I’m glad I made an exception for it. And in my opinion, the book wouldn’t be what it is without its main character. Mark Watney is hilarious, clever, life-affirming and just a really cool guy. I was sad to say goodbye to him as the book ended, and would gladly have read another 500 or so pages about him.

New Favourite Ship

Mika and Jamie from The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna!! What can I say? I’m a sucker for a broody guy slowly opening up to a funny and ingenius witch. I loved how self-assured and kind Mika is, and how Jamie is good at heart but doesn’t like to admit it. Neither of them is perfect, but that’s okay and they help each other face their challenges. Also, I loved their dynamic and not just theirs, but that between the characters in general. Everyone in Nowhere House is rooting for Mika and Jamie to finally get a move on, and I was right there with them.

A Book That Made You Cry

Leave it to Maggie O’Farrell to bring me to tears every time I pick up a book of hers. And I don’t cry easily. I really should see it coming by now. The Distance Between Us is the fifth novel by Maggie O’Farrell I have read, and although it’s not one of my favourites, it sure made me emotional. I don’t want to spoil anything so won’t get into the specifics, but Maggie O’Farrell writes characters like nobody else and she’s just so damn good at breaking my heart.

A Book That Made You Happy

Shakespeare – The Man Who Pays The Rent by Dame Judi Dench made me laugh out loud several times. That woman has an impeccable sense of humour. This book is a non-fictional account of all the Shakespearean characters she has played in her long career and if you like Shakespeare, this is a must read!! It’s witty but also so insightful and approachable. It’s written as a conversation with Brendan O’Hea, who asked her lots of fascinating questions. Sometimes they disagree, sometimes they don’t, but their love for Shakespeare is always evident and reading about it was simply a delight.

Most Beautiful Book You Have Bought This Year

There’s something about the cover of The Outrun by Amy Liptrot that I find stunning. It’s simple but encapsulates the vibe of the book perfectly. When I bought this, I took care not to get an edition with the movie cover (as much as I adore Saoirse Ronan), because I prefer the original cover so much.

Books You Want To Read By The End Of The Year

So many!! Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel has been on my to read list for ages, so that’s a must. I also want to reread The Host By Stephenie Meyer and finally get around to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Oh, and I bought a beautiful edition of George Orwell’s Essays that I should really get to sooner rather than later.

There you have it, another edition of this tag! What’s on your reading list for the rest of 2025? ❤