The Quarter Year Crisis Book Tag

“From the moment I accepted the invitation, I was nervous about returning to Germany.”

First line in A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

Sooooo today is actually my blogiverasary. It’s been exactly four years since I decided other people needed to hear my nonsense and I started this blog. I’m doing The Quarter Year Crisis Book Tag created by Roisin’s Reading today which might seem totally unrelated to a blog’s four-year birthday but a quarter is also written as 1⁄4 (see that 4?) so it’s actually very appropriate. I’m definitely not doing this because I didn’t have other ideas. Let’s just get to the questions!

How many books have you read so far?

25 which puts me 8 books ahead of my Goodreads goal so I’m not complaining.

Have you already found a book you think might be a 2023 favorite?

Well, I’ve only given 5 stars to one book so far this year and that was A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne, so it’s very likely to appear in my top ten by the end of the year. Will it be my number one? It’s possible but as much as I loved it, it wouldn’t be outrageous for another book to beat it.

If not what was your favorite book you read that wasn’t quite five star?

I’ve given 4.5 stars to two books so far: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Gleanings by Neal Shusterman. The latter is still very fresh in my mind and I probably liked that one a little bit more. However, at the rate I’m finding 5-star books, it wouldn’t surprise me if both made an appearance in my top ten at the end of the year.

Any 1 star books / least favorite book of the year?

I have two 1-star books already, unfortunately. The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons was such a disappointing sequel to The Ruin of Kings that I quit the series despite really loving one of the main characters. And then I read The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake which has got to take the spot as the worst book of the year. Like, I don’t think I would manage to stay sane if I had to read something worse than that.

Most read genre so far?

After I wrote my stats post for 2022, I was shocked to learn how little fantasy I’d read last year and I think that did something to me. Out of the first ten books I read in 2023, nine were fantasy books. So it’s safe to say that it’s still my most-read genre with 15 out of the 25 books I’ve read so far being fantasy.

A book that surprised you?

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara. I only gave it 3.5 stars but considering I’d previously decided I wouldn’t read it at all, I was pleasantly surprised by it. The synopsis really didn’t sound like something I would enjoy and people generally seemed to like the book a lot less than Yanagihara’s other books. I’m so glad I changed my mind though because I found the main character so incredibly interesting and I liked how the book was written like a mystery all about figuring him out.

Book that’s come out in 2023 already that you want to read but haven’t yet?

Solomon’s Crown by Natasha Siegel. It’s alternate history that has medieval and queer European royals falling in love. Please be good.

One goal you made that you’re succeeding at

One of my goals for the year was to explore high/epic fantasy some more and make them a priority to figure out whether it’s a subgenre I still enjoy. I’ve read at least one of these very long books each month so far this year so I would call that a goal I’m succeeding at. Am I liking the books? Well, no but that also wasn’t a requirement for the goal to be a success. I still have loads more series to try so I’m not giving up hope.

One goal you made you need to focus on

Well, I think I’m doing alright with all my goals at the moment. One of my goals is to read less YA or at least be more strict about which ones I do pick up. This one had a rough start because in January and February, I primarily read YA (oops). I then corrected and read ten adult books in a row so I feel on the right track again with that one.

New to you Booktubers/bookstagrammer/booktokers for 2023 you recommend?

I assume I’m allowed to mention book blogs too because I don’t watch a whole lot of BookTube anymore and I’ve never been active on the other platforms. Not that I’ve found all that many new book blogs to follow either, so I’m cheating a little and also recommending blogs I found in 2022.

• Me & Ink – Sophie writes a wide variety of posts and the effort she puts in shines through in all of them so I’m always excited to see what she writes next. I also really enjoy how it’s not always about books because she also includes music, TV shows and movies.
• Wildwood Reads – I haven’t followed this blog for very long but I just love looking at all the pretty photos of the books they talk about. I also really enjoy the way they do wrap ups each month because they give their thoughts very briefly in just a few lines. That’s all I need.
• Biblio Nebula – Okay, so Nefeli isn’t new exactly, but she just came back after a very long break from blogging and she deserves all the love. Our reading tastes don’t overlap all that much but I simply adore her writing so I will read anything she posts. And she loves football so she’s the best.

I’ve seen this tag make its rounds in the community so I’m not tagging anyone but feel free to do it if you want to. What has been your favorite book so far this year?