Mid-Year Check-In Book Tag

I found this book tag at Cathy's 746 Books (it originated with Eric Karl Anderson at Lonesome Reader on YouTube), and thought what fun it would be to do it to mark the midway through this turmoil year! 

How many books have you read so far this year?

I have finished 34 books, with 30 reviews already reviewed, 3 on the queue, and one DNF. I originally planned to read 45, but... things happened, as always... 

What’s your favourite book so far this year?

It's between The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, and Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. But after long consideration, I think Sweet Bean Paste is the most poignant of them.

What’s the most disappointing book you’ve read this year?

Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love. Actually John Irving's The Hotel New Hampshire was worse, but then I DNF-ed it, so it didn't count, did it?

What genre have you read most this year?

Literary Fiction, with Crime/Mystery closely following.

Name a new favourite author that you’ve discovered this year.

Rosamunde Pilcher - After The Shell Seekers, I am most definitely going to read more of her! What's your favorite from Pilcher?

What’s the most surprisingly good book you’ve read so far this year?

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa. From the title (not mentioning the cover), I have thought this was a bitter sweet story of life struggle, with a hint of romance, perhaps. But boy, how wrong I was! It's far deeper than that.

What are your favourite and most anticipated 2025 releases?

Since my taste has been switching to the 20th century lately, I haven't read many newly published books, so... my favorite's got to be The Venice Murders by Merryn Allingham, because that's the only one I've read so far that's been published this year. The most anticipated release? I don't follow new releases, but there's one book (it's been released very recently) that I can't wait to read: Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jessie Sutanto - it's the second in a cozy mystery series that I loved! Here's the first book, if you're curious. 

What’s your next big priority for your reading?

I'm still behind schedule of my reading plan, especially for A Century of Books - my project to read one book for each year in the century - which I have started last year. I've been through 49 at the end of 2024, and intended to read the rest this year. Right now I'm still about 6 books behind, and is hoping to catch up soon!

What’s been your bookish highlight of the year so far?

The 1952 Club back in April. The club is one of my most favorite events of the year, and now I can't wait for the upcoming #1925Club next October!

Summer Vibes Book Tag

I found this fun book tag somewhere (sorry, couldn't really remember which book blog), but it's originally created by Deanna @ The Comfy Reader.

The rules:

• Mention the creator and link back to the original post! (Deanna @ The Comfy Reader)
• Thank the blogger who tagged you (I tagged myself, LOL!)
• Answer all the prompts below however you see fit.
• Tag some friends!
• Feel free to use the graphics.

You can click the link on the titles to read my reviews. Now let's play!

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Song of the Lark by Willa Cather

The Stone of Chastity by Margery Sharp

James by Percival Everett

Dear Paris: The Paris Letters Collection by Janice MacLeod

Paris is always my guilty pleasure!

Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley

A weird friendship of a horse, a dog, a raven, and a human child - but it's what a true friendship is supposed to be!

Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain

What an adventure it was to time-travel to the Paris of 1954!

Murder on the Menu by Alex Coombs 

The Fair Miss Fortune by D.E. Stevenson 

The Weather at Tregulla by Stella Gibbons

The most annoying character here is Terrence Willows, a selfish, moody painter lives in Bohemian lifestyle with his sister (very opposite him in personality).

Interested in doing the tag? Then consider yourself tagged! ;)

Book Tag: I'll Get Around to It Later

I saw this book tag @ Golden Age of Detective Fiction the other day, and decided to do it for fun. The creator has posted this in 2022, but it's still relevant any time, so, why not?

The rules

• Link back to the original post–this one right here!–so the creator can read your answers and support you.
• Link back to the post of the person who tagged you and thank them.
• You may use the included graphic anywhere in your post, but you don’t have to.
• Fill all seven categories.
• You can either leave this tag open so anyone can do it or tag up to seven people.

 
The categories

📚 A classic book that you have been meaning to read forever but haven’t yet
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - There's many of these, actually, all is waiting for me to take on. Be patient dear books, I'm just waiting a good reason to pick you next. Maybe next Classics Spin will do?

📚 A book on your shelf that you haven’t read yet
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt - I almost forgot I own this. Must get to it sometime next year! And I need to sort my TBR out, who knows what gems I might find there!

📚 A book that you got recently that you haven’t read
The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag - I featured this book in Blogger-Inspired Wishlist Ep. 6, and have actually bought a copy instantly, but then a sad thing came my way, and I didn't think I'd have the energy to read a sad book, no matter how inspiring or hopeful it is. So, for now, I really need to keep it back on the TBR pile.

📚 A book that you’ve had forever but haven’t read
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming - I think I might have saved this one for too long, and now I'm just not interested anymore. Shame on me, I know! 

📚 A book a friend recommended that you haven’t read
Middlemarch by George Eliot - more than one friend recommended this actually, but it's just not the right time (is there ever a right time? I don't know.. I just don't think I'd be able to tackle that mammoth task of reading it at present).

📚 A book you’re procrastinating on
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman - I have bought the book, and I've been excited to read this second book of the series after enjoying the first so much, so why do I keep procrastinating? Can I use that excuse of "not the right time" once more?...

📚 The next book on your TBR
Mrs. Harris Goes to Moscow by Paul Galico - I've just "found" this book among my e-book shelf the other day, thanks to Shelf Control meme, and this time I MUST get to read it!


Want to play along? Just consider yourself tagged!
 

Book Title Challenge

Woman Writing by Hendrik Jacobus Scholten

I saw this fun bookish tag in Golden Age of Detective Fiction blog, who had also seen it in another blog. I thought it would be a fun way to bring back some favorite books I have read and reviewed here years ago. So, let's play!

A Book with A Number In The Title

Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas

You might be more familiar with Dumas' Three Musketeers, but my favorite from this series is actually the direct sequel: Twenty Years After. It is, as the title hinted, twenty years after the four friends' last action in The Three Musketeers. We saw them in this book as more matured men. They struggled with more personal or family issues, and it all changed their views. But one thing stays rather the same: their friendship. It was even more deepening toward the end. A very compelling, heartwarming book, still with some swashbuckling scenes to entertain you.

A Book with A Name In The Title

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

One of my favorite books that deal about conscience and free will. "If God does not exist, then everything is permitted" always provides you ample ground of argument.

A Book with A Setting In The Title

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

This book remains one of my favorites from Christie. It's a straightforward case, inside a family, and set in a peaceful English countryside. It is also Christie's first book. And having been listening about the writing process in her autobiography very recently, only added the book's charm in my memory. Christie even named her first house 'Styles'!

A Book with An Animal In The Title

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

A wonderful book that deals on the two sides of human being: the good and the evil.

Book with a Colour In The Title

The Black Tulips by Alexandre Dumas

A lesser known work of Dumas, though with the same intricately woven plot. Combining historical events and passionate agricultural personages, the result is highly entertaining story.

A Book with One Word In The Title

Beloved by Toni Morrison

A very powerful read that will blow your mind. If you have to read only one from Toni Morrison, this one would the perfect choice. It's a beautiful albeit bitter story about slavery in the South of America around the end of Civil War, or in the Reconstruction era.


Feel like doing this yourself? Then consider yourself tagged!

 

The In and Out Book Tag

Young Woman Reading a Book, Aleksandr Deineka, 1934

I first saw this bookish tag at @Brona's Book (This Reading Life) some time ago, and thought it fun to do. So, here it is..

Reading the Last Page First: OUT

Though I sometimes browsed Wikipedia to know how a story or a character would end, I never read the last page before getting at the end.

Enemies to Lovers: IN

It's a cliche, I know, but I still love it!😁

Dream Sequences: OUT

It often confuses me whether a scene is really happening or just in a dream.

Love Triangles: IN

It adds the complication, isn't it?

Cracked Spines: OUT

It would be hard to hold the book conveniently.

Back to My Small Town: IN

I have no complaint as long as it's necessary for the story.

No Paragraph Breaks: OUT!

A big no-no.

Multi-generational Sagas: IN

My favorite is Steinbeck's East of Eden.

Monsters Are Regular People: OUT

I'm no fan of fantasy.

Re-Reading: IN

I love re-visiting old favorites!

Artificial Intelligence: OUT

Nothing artificial, please! 

Drop Caps: IN

It looks beautiful, so why not?

Happy Endings: IN

If not real happiness, at least a hopeful one!

Plot Points That Only Converge at the End: IN

Isn't that the point of a novel?

Detailed Magic Systems: OUT

Again, no big fans of fantasy

Classic Fantasy Races: OUT

For same reason as above.

Unreliable Narrators: IN

We have a chance to figure the story out ourselves, or perhaps when the writer wants to emphasize a point.

Evil Protagonists: OUT

I would hate the story as well.

The Chosen One: IN

I love Harry Potter, at least 😉

When the Protagonist Dies: OUT

I love happy ending!

Really Long Chapters: IN

The sentences are more crucial.

French Flaps: IN

They are often charming, and I just need to put it down while reading.

Deckled Edges: IN

They look vintage.

Signed Copies by the Author: IN

Though reading mostly classics make it impossible...

Dog-Earing Pages: IN

I do it all the time!

Chapter Titles Instead of Numbers: IN

I rarely read them anyway 😋

That's it. If you wish to do it too, consider yourself tagged!

 

My Life in Books - the 2020 version

I have planned to write a kind of wrap up post of this year's reading, but then I found this book tag by Annabookbel, and I thought it would be much fun (and easier!) way to do it. Here we go...

In high school I was... The Accomplice (Theodore Boone series by John Grisham) - not reviewed

People might be surprised by... Whose Body?

I will never be... The Vicar of Wakefield

My life in lockdown was like... This Side of Paradise (staying at home is a bless-in-disguise for an introvert!)

My fantasy job is... The Deerslayer

At the end of a long day I need... One Hundred Years of Solitude

I hate being... Murder(ed) on the Orient Express

Wish I had... The Fortune of the Rougons

My family reunions are... Hard Times

At a party, you'd find me with... The Belly of Paris (food is my sole entertainment at parties! 🤣)

I've never been to... Dublin(ers)

A happy day include... The Song of the Lark

Motto I live by... Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (or: when you're not sure, asking is better than assuming)

On my bucket list is... Three Act Tragedy (I've never seen live performance ☹)

In my next life, I want to be... The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

It’s So Classic

I got tagged by Joseph from The Once Lost Wanderer last year to post this, have prepared the draft, but then forgot it in the year-end frenzy at work. I have found the draft again when rummaging my notes. It's too nice not to post, so here it is:

What is one classic that hasn't been made into a movie yet, but really needs to?

Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas. We have seen several adaptations of The Three Musketeers, but none of its sequel - though it's a much better story than Musketeers!

What draws you to classics?

Its relevance with our struggles in life today, for one. The way it opens our eyes to things (humanity, social, cultures, religions, etc) which would otherwise been only a vague theory for us. Classics have layers of stuffs that we can keep digging in every read (and reread), and it tends to mature together with the readers. And most importantly classics shape us to be better persons.

What is an underrated classic?

Karl May's Winnetou

What is one classic that you didn't expect to love, but ended up loving anyway?

Austen's Persuasion

What is your most favorite and least favorite classic?

Most favorite: Zola's Germinal

Least favorite: can’t decide between Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind or Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

What is your favorite character from a classic?

Helen Graham from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Who is your favorite classic author?

That's easy: Émile Zola

Relating to newer books, what attributes does a book need to have in order to be worthy of the title "classic"?

Same as my answer for no. 2: the relevance with our struggles of life today, and the layers to dig deeper from.

Thank you, Joseph, for the tag! And for you who haven't done this thing and feel inclined to, you are welcomed to tag yourself.