Hello readers! It’s almost the halfway point of 2026, so that means it is time to do the Mid-Year Freak Out Tag. This is the fifth time I’ve done this tag.
At the time of writing this, I have read 5219 pages across 25 books. I think I’ve done pretty well. I have read at least one book every month this year except May.
This tag was created by Read Like Wildfire on Booktube!
Best Book You’ve Read in 2026
I’ve only given two books in 2026 5 stars. The one I believe was the best was this graphic novel I found at my local library. I picked it up because I saw food on the cover, and I love to read a foodie book.
Crumble follows a girl named Emily, whose family has a magical ability where they can heal people with their baked goods. When a wave of grief hits the family, Emily’s mother tells her that baking with negative emotions can drastically change their magic. But Emily does it anyway. And everything goes awry.
This was such a great story about grief. Because Emily’s mother was also grieving, she neglected her and her emotions. It was such a heartbreaking story with a little bit of food and magic mixed in. I really should pick up random books more often.
Best Sequel You’ve Read in 2026
Technically, this is not a sequel. It’s a prequel, but I’m counting it for this one.
The Mr. Lemoncello series follows different kids who enter different library-centered games. Mr. Lemoncello himself is both the owner of these kid-centered libraries and a board game company. He is basically a Willy Wonka-type character.
This one follows Luigi Lemoncello as a kid, where he gets his first job at a local carnival. He is also solving mysteries based on clues given on the radio to a treasure.
All of these books are heavily centered on games and puzzles. I love being able to solve the puzzles with the characters.
New Release You Have Yet To Read
There are so many that I’d like to get to, but the one I want to get to the most is The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances. I started this one a few months back and need to pick it back up.
This one is a sci-fi book following a Roomba. It’s very similar in vibe to the Brave Little Toaster, but darker.
I love books that follow robots and AI characters, so I think I’ll love this one when I pick it back up.
Most Anticipated Release From the 2nd Half of the Year
The one I’m most excited to get to later this year is Big Little Truths, which is the sequel to Big Little Lies.
This one follows the same 5 women as before, 10 years after the previous book. The kids are now teens in high school when their principal gets a severed finger in the mail. Each of the women is worried about this and their own personal issues going on.
I’m excited to get to this one as soon as I can. I really liked Big Little Lies when I read it a few years back, and I hope this one will be just as good.
Biggest Disappointment
Half His Age follows a teen girl who forms a relationship with her teacher. I fully expected a My Dark Vanessa type story, but that isn’t what this is. I have no idea what the purpose of this story is, and I’m worried about how it will age over time.
I don’t like the way this book was written. I really didn’t like how the sex scenes were written, as they came out of a romance book. This book made me so uncomfortable, but not in the ways that it should’ve.
Biggest Surprise
I have to say Crumble for this one as well. It was surprising because I randomly picked it up at the library. I only grabbed it because I saw the food aspect, which is something I usually love in books.
Seeing the story was about grief and had a little magic in there was a big surprise. Middle-grade graphic novels are something I have been reading a lot this year, and I will continue to do so.
Favorite New Author
Technically, I have read this author once before when he did a picture book with Brandon Sanderson. But I’m still going to count it, and that is Kazu Kibuishi.
I really love this story and his art style. This series has been so fun to read this year, and I’m almost done with it now. I’m going to be sad to see it go, but it has also made me want to read more from him and more fantasy graphic novel series.
As a matter of fact, almost half the books I’ve read this year have been middle-grade graphic novels.
New Favorite Character
Prince Trellis from Amulet has really grown on me through the series. He is the main villain in the first book of the series. Then we learn there is a bigger and badder villain. His character is very similar to Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is intentional.
A Book That Made You Cry
I don’t have a book for this one.
A Book That Made You Happy
I have to say Mr. Lemoncell’s Very First Game. I really love reading these books, and I finished off the series at the same time. I’ve owned this book for so long and hadn’t gotten around to reading it.
What Book/s Do You Need to Read By the End of 2026?
I’m not going to let myself leave 2026 without reading this book! I really need to get to The Priory of the Orange Tree. I’ve owned it now for about 6 years, and it’s time to get to it.
I also put this on my Read It Or Unhaul It post for 2026. It is the only book on that list I would genuinely be upset if I unhauled it before even trying the book.
Happy blogging and bookish adventures! 📚🦒✨
This post was created by Allison Wolfe for www.allithebookgiraffe.com and is not permitted to be posted anywhere else.
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