According to the online blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy, the day I am writing this (July 19th) is the 200th day of the year.  For readers we are past the half-way point and if you spend any time on any online reading blogs or on the corner of YouTube known as BookTube, you know that this is important. 

 

The mid-year book freak out on YouTube consists of around a dozen questions that members just love to answer.  The questions consist of what your favorite book was, your favorite sequel, the biggest surprise, the biggest disappointment, fictional crush, most anticipated book in the rest of the year.  The answers are as varied as the booktubers, but fun to watch.  And if you are stuck at the doctor’s office, a great way to kill time. 

 

The Modern Mrs. Darcy blog is a great place to start since Anne Bogel not only provides numerous reading lists, but she also does a regular podcast with a guest of what to read next. 

 

As a heavy reader, I try not to set goals and I have found that making lists of books I want to read just gets overwhelming.  I made a goal a few years ago to read more diversely and this meant to me to read more varieties of books and get out of the rut of reading historical fiction and fantasies.  I enjoyed that and discovered loads of authors such as Karin Tanabe, Charles Todd, and Isabel Allende, but this summer the stack of books that are calling to me all seem to be historical fiction or hefty fantasies, and so I have decided enough with diversity, back to my old favorites.  Top of my list is “She Who Became the Sun” by Shelley Parker-Chan which combines fantasy and historical fiction in an epic read about the founding of an Imperial Chinese dynasty.  It releases on day 201, July 20th. 

 

So, readers, please don’t get so caught up in your goals that you make reading a chore.  The book possibilities are endless and this year the selections are truly worthy.  Just grab a glass of iced tea, select a book, and settle into a good read.