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The 2023 Mid-Year Check-In Tag

Dini @ dinipandareads35 Comments

Hello, friends! It’s a little past the mid-year mark but I thought why not jump aboard the mid-year check-in train anyway? I’ve been seeing lots of these posts recently and well, compared to previous years, mine is probably not going to be very exciting but I still love this tag so here I am doing it anyway! 😂

As I’ve mentioned a time or three since I started blogging again last week, I’m still trying to find my reading groove after so much disruption this year, especially this past month. Hopefully, coming back to the community and surrounding myself with fellow book lovers will motivate me again. Plus, I’ve missed you all a lot! 💜 On that note, let’s get to The Mid-Year Check-In!

When this year started, I didn’t expect to be reading so little or for life to be so much. Taking a look at my Goodreads Reading Challenge you can see I’m woefully behind on my goal having read 62/150 books. To be fair though, I haven’t updated my Goodreads or Storygraph in close to two months and I have been reading, I just haven’t been marking, rating or reviewing them. I think the more accurate figure would be somewhere around 78-80 books.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2023?

This is a toughie! I’ve read some great books that had me feeling all the feels this year but none that have really shone as a top-hitter, if that makes sense? Here are five that really stood out to me:

Seven Percent of Ro Devereux, The Six Deaths of the Saint, Untethered Sky, The Dead Romantics, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake

Best sequel so far of 2023?

Without a doubt, this goes to The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang. This book!!! This SERIES!!! Tore me right up in the best worst way.

New release you haven’t read yet but want to?

There’s no dearth of options for me to choose from. I’ve not read very many new 2023 releases yet! Here are a few that came to mind:

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating A Demon, Godkiller, The Jade Setter of Janloon, The Foxglove King, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

Most anticipated release for the second half of 2023?

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree, Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo, System Collapse by Martha Wells, The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab, A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Biggest disappointment?

I actually have two books for this one but I’m going with the most recent one: Grim and Bear It by Juliette Cross. I discovered this series earlier this year and devoured all five books and was hotly anticipating the final book (this one) for months. Sadly, the magic and spark of the previous books were nowhere to be found here (for me anyway).

Biggest surprise?

Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta was super popular last year but I randomly picked it up this year after feeling myself slipping into a reading funk. This monster romance was outside my comfort zone but I was so pleasantly surprised by how sweet, romantic, and funny this was! I really enjoyed it.

Favourite new author (Debut or new to you)?

This honour goes to Mazey Eddings! I finally read my first book by Eddings and fell hard in love with it. 😍 Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake was incredible and had me so deep in my feelings

Newest fictional crush?

I loved the couples in these romances so much!

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, The Dead Romantics, First Meet Foul, A Marvellous Light

Newest favourite character?

Ugh, this is an unfair question cos it’s so hard to pick! 😭

  • Rin & Kitay (The Poppy War)
  • Lizzie (Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake)
  • Reba (Don’t Go Baking My Heart)
  • Ro (Seven Percent of Ro Devereux)
  • Benji Andor (The Dead Romantics)

Book that made you cry?

Okay, but I have so many to choose from cos so many books made me cry this year? I’m an emotional reader, what can I say? 😂

Seven Percent of Ro Devereux, The Six Deaths of the Saint, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, The Dead Romantics, Untethered Sky, The Poppy War Trilogy

Book that made you happy?

Many to choose from again but I’ll choose Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute because Talia Hibbert never fails to put me up in a joyful mood! 😍

Favourite book to movie/tv adaptation that you saw this year?

Had to really think for a minute but I’m quite sure that the answer is that I’ve watched nothing! 😂

Favourite review you’ve written this year?

I haven’t written a whole lot of reviews after the first few months of this year but I enjoyed writing these:

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)?

I don’t have pictures but it’s gotta be all the Illumicrate editions that I’ve received in the book boxes this year plus the new Brandon Sanderson books—they’re all absolutely stunning! 😍

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

How about all of the books? 😬💀 I’m behind on so many ARCs and just books in general. HELP. To name a few…

Something More by Jackie Khalilieh, If Only You by Chloe Liese, The Garden of Empire by J.T. Greathouse, The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton, Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim

And that’s it! We’ve come to the end of the 2023 Mid-Year Check-In! It was a little repetitive cos I haven’t read many books that really “wowed” me but I’m holding out hope for the second half of this year! How has your year of reading been so far? Have you read any of these?

35 thoughts on “The 2023 Mid-Year Check-In Tag”

  1. Never too late, right? 😀 Also, definitely recommending you grab A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon because I think you specifically will enjoy it a lot. I feel like I’m taking a gamble saying that in case I steer you wrong lol but based on other similar books you’ve reviewed and said you enjoyed? I think that’ll be up there.

    Plus if you do like it then we can read the second book together 😀

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    • Haha, based on what I normally read, I do think there’s a good chance I will love it so it’s not a big gamble in saying that 😂 But I’ve been really finicky with my reads lately and what I think I’ll love, I don’t end up really vibing with but only cos my mood has been so bleh. Hopefully, I’ll get around to it soon. And OOH, is there a second book? When’s that coming out? Definitely down for a buddy read of that when it’s out!

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  3. I loved so many of your favorites – Ro, Lissie, and Dead Romantics are all highly rated by me as well. I liked Lizzie a lot, but I adored Rake. You are doing great! Hopefully you will be able to read all your “must” books.

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  4. I read The Dead Romantics after I did this tag but it would definitely be up there! I loved it too! Great picks. I’m going to have to check out The Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon. That sounds interesting. 😅 Great picks!

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    • It is SO good but wow, brutal AF! 😂 I’m so glad that you loved Ro Devereux—I feel like that’s such an underrated YA contemporary! It always makes me happy to see others discovering it. I hope you love Highly Suspicious! Happy reading 😍

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  7. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly cute showed up so much on this tag! Agh I need to read it asap. Part of me is saving this book for the colder months purely because the characters are wearing coats. Hope I love it as much as you!

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    • I’m a huge Hibbert fan and I love the cheekiness, sass and humour in her writing and characters. The romance was super cute/sweet and I’m so glad that her YA had all of what I love in her adult romances, too. 😍 I hope you love it as well whenever you get to it, Elli!

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  11. Great mid-year check-in, Dini! This tag always helps me to refocus for the rest of the year. Highly Suspicious is one I can’t wait to read. And Something More was so so very good. I was very impressed with that one. Happy Reading!

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    • Ooh, glad to hear that you were so impressed by it, Dedra! I’ve been waffling on picking it up because my mood has been so moody and I think it could be one that I really enjoy if I’m in the right mood for it… But let’s see! Maybe I just need to start reading it and hope it works out for the best 😂 I hope you enjoy Highly Suspicious!

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  12. Lizzie Blake is a favourite of mine as well and I will read more by Mazey Eddings because of it. I also have Dead Romantics on my TBR, but haven’t gotten to it yet. Life sometimes gets in the way of our best laid plans. You are getting back into your reading groove a bit and hopefully the rest will come, Dini.

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    • Same here, Carla! I can’t wait to read more by Eddings and I hope we both continue to enjoy her books. 🥰 I hope you enjoy Dead Romantics—it’s a lot less fluffy than I think the cover leads you to believe and it got me so good in my feels! Happy reading 💜

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  17. So many of these are on my TBR (not your biggest disappointment fortunately 😅)! So, I read The Poppy War and Godkiller and loved them both. I think you’re going to enjoy Godkiller. I also read A Marvellous Light and really enjoyed it. Happy reading, Dini! 😄

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