End of the Year Book Tag

It's time for another book tag! The end of the year is upon us so all these questions tackle what little time is left in the year and moving forward into 2020.

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
No. By this point, if I haven't finished it I've probably DNF'd it. The only books that I actually DNF'd this year were Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez, and The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. Both of those are books that if you had asked me earlier in the year I would have predicted to be four or five star books.

Anne just walked by and reminded me of another book I DNF'd, but this one I plan on returning to. So I guess I'm changing my answer. A book I need to finish is Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb. I found the book quite interesting but I just couldn't stay focused. I was listening to the audio version so maybe I was just too distracted, but I do know I want to give it another chance. Also I stopped in the middle of a Harry Potter reread because I just wasn't feeling it. So I guess that counts too.

Maybe one day I'll give The Three-Body Problem another chance but I'll never give Gil's All Fright Diner even a single moment of my time.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

Not really. I always want to read themed books around their specific time of year but I have never quite done that save for reading a Christmas book leading up to Christmas. I'm not sure if that would count as autumnal, but it is the end of the year.

So lets talk about Christmas, shall we? This year I want to pull out my old copy of The Polar Express that came complete with a tape of actor William Hurt reading it. Step one. Find a tape player. Step two, get a fire going and sit in front of it and read along just like I did when I was a kid. But this time with my wife by my side.

Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

A release from this year? No. Not at all. A release in general? Plenty. I want Jim Butcher to finish Peace Talks, the next book in The Dresden Files series as well as the next book in the Cinder Spires series. I'd also like the third book in Rebecca Roanhorse's Sixth World series. Other than that there's really nothing I really want.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

I don't really have any. At the end of November I finished the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge and have been in sort of a slump ever since. I can read whatever I want without having to keep reading prompts in mind. So I'm lost.

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

I just started reading Skyward by Brandon Sanderson and I know I'm going to like it. I've never disliked anything by him. But I've read such great books that I'd be surprised if this one would break into the top five of the year. It could still be great. But can it be greater than some of the books that really touched me this year? Maybe, Maybe not.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2020?

Yes and no. Anne and I decided that we're not doing the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge next year. We liked a lot of the prompts, but the allure of not having to worry about prompts, mixed with coming up with some of our own.

I know, it's true that I can always read whatever I want, but when you're doing a reading challenge it is important to keep prompts in mind. There were a few times this year where I wanted to pick up a certain book but realized it wasn't going to work for anything, so I switched.