I saw this tag @Dinipandareads, and I had to do it!

So, if you want to partake in this bookish tag feel tagged!

I can’t believe it is the middle of the year already. The time really flies by, and it feels like January was just yesterday. This said, I hope you all are doing well, have some wonderful reads and are taking care of yourselves. Without further ado, here we go:

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2026?

One cannot simply choose only 1 book! Hence, I will take Dini’s idea and do my top 3 books so far this year, the links will take you to my reviews, in case I have not written one yet, to the respective Goodreads page. So in no particular order:

• Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov: In short I loved this one, it made me cry, and it made me so nostalgic
• Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (actually count in the whole series!): I can’t wait for the next book to come out I just fell in love with the story and these characters!
• Wilding by Isabella Tree: A non-fcition book, I was contemplating between this one and Ocean by David Attenborough, and I think it deserves to be mentioned as well. These books are eye-opening and I think everyone should read them.

2. Best sequel so far of 2026?

You probably know already which one I will pick:

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah N. Maehrer! I don’t really read many series, but as mentioned, I love this one.

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

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett: I need to get to it already. I keep hearing only good things about this book. Due to this, I am also trying to have low expectations so I don’t get disappointed just in case.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2026?

I know I am repeating myself at this point, but here I go:

Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer!

5. Biggest disappointment?

Oh, I have just the book for this question, and I am still mad about it. Unfortunately, the Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws was awful for me if you liked it I am happy for you, really. It just was not my cup of tea…

6. Biggest surprise?

For this one I would like to include 2 books because when I read it they pop in my head:

• The Summer of Lost and Found by Toni Blake: I saw this book was avaibale on NetGalley and deciced to give it a go and I am so glad I did!
• Mamnik by Vasil Popov: I kept hearing about this book all over the place but when I saw it is labled as horror I backed down and forgot about it. Until a couple of friends recommended it to me and told me I will like it. No regrets reading it!

7. Favourite new author (Debut or new to you)?

Definitely, it will be Heather Schneider for me, and I loved her Society of Magical Botanists Series. It is a YA fantasy series that is lovely.

8. Newest fictional crush?

9. Newest favourite character?

I don’t think I have one… I don’t think the Villian counts? hahah

10. Book that made you cry?

One book comes to mind and this is The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros. I sitll think I like her romance work better than the fantasy one. And this book hit me really hard.

11. Book that made you happy?

For this one I am choosing Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery. When I think of this book my imagination goes to those places and it makes me happy and longing for another era!

12. Favourite book to movie/TV adaptation that you saw this year?

I don’t really watch TV or movies anymore, however, this year, I did watch Project Hail Mary because I loved the book. And I must say that I very much enjoyed the movie adaptation. The production was great, and they really managed to capture Rocky and the humour of Grace. Here I will leave the trailer and if you have seen it let me know how you liked it:

13. Favourite review you’ve written this year?

1. Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov
2. The White Book by Han Kang
3. The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill
4. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
5. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco Buddy Read

14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)?

Honestly I have just spent a good 15 minutes looking through the books I bought this year and I can’t decide. I will leave this one unanswered because there are too many!

15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

There are way too many books to name them all. But, I will just mention a few I haven’t so far:

1. The Ginghams by T.C. Kemper: This book is coming out this July, and I am part of the book tour and reading the ARC. I love the premise, I hope to enjoy it
2. The Last Laugh Club by Kate Galley: I really want to read this one it will be like anything I’ve read before
3. 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak: this one has been on my TBR for quite some time and I hope to get to it by the end of the year
4. Emma by Jane Austen (or any other book by her): due to my participation in the Classics Club I am trying to tackle down my list and Austen won me with Pride and Prejudice so I am in the vein of reading more of her works

Let me know if you have read any of these books, and please ping me if you decide to do this tag so I can read your responses!