Mid-Year Freakout Tag

A reflection on my reading life in the first half of 2025

The links to the books below are not affiliate links, and I am not paid to mention any of these titles.

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Hi, friends! Like you, I can’t believe we’re halfway through the year, and yet 2025 has already felt a million years long with all *this*, so it’s a weird time. I’m writing this post from my yearly “Introvert-Brittany-Hates-Summer-Solo-Weekend-Away,” and I’ve been able to get a lot of reading, podcast listening, audiobook listening, and book shopping in, so my introvert tank is full. I hope you can find a pocket of introvert or extrovert joy wherever you are this week. 💛

BookTube has a popular tag this time of year called the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag, where creators will go through a series of prompts to recap their reading life in the first half of the year and what they’re looking forward to reading in the second half. I thought I’d join in, and I’d love to hear your answers too.

Best Book You’ve Read So Far:

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
I was nervous to pick this one up, because I loved the first one so much and wasn’t sure that it could live up to my expectations. But I shouldn’t have been worried! It’s important to know going in that this is a slow-burn mystery in a fantasy setting. It’s really meant to be a book that you allow yourself to sink into. I finished this book earlier this month and I can’t stop thinking about the world.

Best Sequel You’ve Read:

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
I’ve been waiting for another book in Horowitz’s Susan Ryeland series to be released, and this did not disappoint. This is a very British, book-within-a-book format that pays serious homage to Agatha Christie.

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet:

A Letter from the Lonesome Shore by Sylvie Cathrall
I read the first book in this duology on a beach trip last summer, and that was a perfect reading experience. This is also a slow burn mystery revolving around a couple set in a fantasy world, including an underwater house. Y’all. The author actually refers to it as a romantic fantasy series, so it’s obviously a mix of genres (and fantastically done). Also, the covers for these books are some of my favorites of all time.

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year:

Of course, the newest Thursday Murder Club book, but who isn’t anticipating that one? A lesser known but equally as exciting new release for this reader is The Late Night Witches by Auralee Wallace.
This releases on my birthday, and is a new standalone by the author of a cozy paranormal mystery series that I adored.

Biggest Surprise:

White Silence by Jodi Taylor
I first heard about this book from a side discussion about books with ghosts in Jessica Howard’s online book club. The surprising aspect of this book was that I, a total scaredy-cat, could handle it! The cover and synopsis does not make it seem like I could. I wouldn’t necessarily read it right before bedtime, but I was totally fine. No anxiety spikes over here!

Favorite New (to You) Author:

Beth Brower, specifically her Emma M. Lion series
These are perfect comfort reads, set in Victorian England with a spunky main character and a cast of characters you become attached to.

Books You Want to Read by the End of the Year:

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

The Killer Question and A Box Full of Murders by Janice Hallett

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Finish the Emma M. Lion series¹

How has your reading life been so far in the first half of the year? Let me know in the comments!

1. Please don’t hold this mood reader to these pledges.