Mid Year Book Freakout Tag 2023

I found this meme on Read with Stefani's page. What a great idea. Here is the original tag. This is my third year of participating.

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2023
Brooks, Geraldine "People of the Book" - 2008

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023
Ruiz Zafón, Carlos "The City of Mist" (E: La Ciudad de Vapor - El cementerio de los libros olvidados #5) - 2020

3. New release you haven't read yet but want to
Frazier, Charles "The Trackers" - 2023 (Goodreads)

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
I usually wait for new releases in paperback but it is hard to find which ones will come out this year, so I have listed a few books by authors I like who will release a new book this year, however, it might take a while until the paperback version is available:
Follett, Ken "The Armour of Light"
Krug, Nora "Diaries of War" (Goodreads)
Oates, Joyce Carol "48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister" (Goodreads)
Whitehead, Colson "Crook Manifesto" (Goodreads)

5. Biggest disappointment
Kazantzakis, Nikos "The Last Temptation of Christ" (GR: Ο τελευταίος πειρασμός, O telefteos pirasmos) - 1951

6. Biggest surprise
Ibrahimi, Anilda "Red Like a Bride" (IT: Rosso come una sposa/Rot wie eine Braut) - 2008

7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)
Dangarembga, Tsitisi "Nervous Conditions" - 1988

8. Newest fictional crush
Not my thing.

9. Newest favourite character
Defne from
Şafak, Elif "The Island of Missing Trees" - 2021
 
10. Book that made you cry
I don't really cry over books as I explained last year. Growing up among boys, I learned not to cry too easily. But if I did, it would probably be one of these:
Abulhawa, Susan "Against the Loveless World" - 2020
Keefe, Patrick Radden "Say Nothing. A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland" - 2018

11. Book that made you happy
I don't really read "happy" books. But funny ones make me happy:
Bythell, Shaun "Seven Kinds of People you Find in Bookshops" - 2020

12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
I think the most beautiful book cover I got this year is this one. And the content is beautiful, as well.
Hislop, Victoria "Maria's Island" - 2021

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I haven't even finished many of the ones I had on this list last year and therefore, will keep them here. But there are quite a few on my other various challenge lists.

Ackroyd, Peter "Dominion: The History of England from the Battle of Waterloo to Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Volume V" - 2018 (Goodreads)
Canetti, Elias "Die Blendung" (Auto-da-Fé) - 1935
Ernaux, Annie "Les années" (FR) (The Years) - 2008
Gaiman, Neil "Coraline" - 2002 English
Hawes, James "The Shortest History of Germany - A Retelling for Our Times" - 2017 (Goodreads)
Körner, Torsten "In der Männer-Republik. Wie Frauen die Politik eroberten" (GE) [In the men's republic: how women conquered politcs] - 2020 (Goodreads)
Pamuk, Orhan "Manzaradan Parçalar: Hayat, Sokaklar, Edebiyat" (TR) [To Look Out the Window/Pieces from the View: Life, Streets, Literature] (German translation: Der Blick aus meinem Fenster) - 2008 
Poe, Edgar Allan "The Murders in the Rue Morgue and other stories" - 1941-1945
Sadat, Jehan (جيهان السادات Dschihan as-Sadat) "A Woman of Egypt" - 1987 (Goodreads)
Wickert, Ulrich "Frankreich muss man lieben, um es zu verstehen" (GE) [You have to love France to understand it] - 2017

14. Favourite Book Community Member

I mentioned last year that this is just as impossible as to say which is your favourite child or which is your all-time favourite author or book. There are so many wonderful people in the blogging community.

Books read so far: 51

Mid Year Book Freakout Tag 2022
Mid Year Book Freakout Tag 2021

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I'm not going to tag anyone but I'm sure a few of you will want to do this. So, feel free to follow that idea but, please, let me know. And Stefani, I'm sure she'll like to know how many are picking up that idea.