{ Mid Year Book Freakout Tag }

I have seen this tag going around and I decided to do it here on the blog, to mainly put in one place the books that I have read so far this year, or rather, not to list them all but just the ones that stood out to me for one reason or another.

 

As I have said many times before, this year has been one where I've reconnected with reading and am loving the time I spend between the pages of books.  I've loved reading since I was a child, but I do go through phases where I don't pick up a single book, sometimes a whole year will go by without me reading a line.  

 

So, which books have stood out the first half of the year?  Let's take a look. 

 

 

1. Best book you've read so far? 

Without a doubt, it has to be A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers.  That is a book that marked me for life and I will never forget it.  It encouraged me to be a better Christian, to seek out God more and to never drift from my beliefs, no matter the circumstance. 

 

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far? 

An Echo in the Darkness, the second book after A Voice in the Wind.  The character growth, the spiritual journey and the change from a man who didn't believe in God, to being fully a believer, is like no other.

 

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

The Bachelor Spy by Pepper Basham.  

 

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

The Soul of the Revolution by Megan Soja.  I read the first three books in the series, the beginning of the year, and now can't wait for the fourth which is releasing in November of this year. 

 

5. Biggest disappointment? 

I picked up a trilogy from Paperbackswap, thinking I would enjoy it.  I believed it was a series set in the western frontier, but it turned out to be about Joseph Smith which is something I am not particularly interested in. 

 

6. Biggest surprise? 

All the biblical fiction from Connilynn Cossette.  She's become my favorite Christian fiction author this year. 

 

7. Favorite new author (new or debut)? 

There's a few that have surprised me but without a doubt Connilynn Cossette along with Rachel Fordham. 

 

8. Newest favorite character? 

Hadassah from A voice in the wind.  What a beautiful woman inside and out, her strength, her faith, her love for God shining through horrible situations, made me want to be a stronger Christian. 

 

9. Book that made you cry? 

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers.  I know I keep saying the same book, but it was that good and that moving for me. 

 

10. Book that made you happy? 

Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar.  The story is about the woman in the Bible who bled for twelve years.  It was such a good story, such a good fictional twist on the story that it made me smile. 

 

11. Most beautiful book you’ve bought this year or received? 

There have been a few, but I have loved the Carrie Cotten Medieval Christian fantasy books.  All the covers are simple but yet so stunning. 

 

12. What books do you want to read by the end of the year? 

I still have a stack that are possibilities.  I am a mood reader so I stopped making to be read piles because I never stuck with them.

 

But off the top of my head:

The Songbird by Carrie Cotten - the last in the series

The Soul of the Revolution by Megan Soja

The Anne of Avonlea series