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2015 End of Year Book Survey


This is my first time participating in the End of Year Book Survey, which was created six years ago by Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner.  I excited to see the results of my survey!


Number of Books You Read: 202 books - just made my Goodreads goal of 200!
Number of Rereads: I didn't really keep track...although I know there were a handful of short stories and classics that I had to feast my eyes on again.
Genre You Read The Most From: Young Adult, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi - No surprise there!


1. Best Book You Read In 2015?







Favorites included A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, Zero World by Jason M. Hough, City of Savages by Lee Kelly, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Half My Facebook Friends Are Ferrets by J.A. Buckle, The Martian by Andy Weir, Stand-Off by Andrew Smith, Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson, Timebound by Rysa Walker, The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle, Gideon by Alex Gordon, and The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn't?


Weighing Shadows by Lisa Goldstein - The summary sounded so amazing, but it just fell flat for me.

3. Most Surprising (In A Good Way Or A Bad Way) That You Read?


The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle - Easily one of the best surprises of the year that I totally wasn't expecting.

4. Book You Pushed The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

Probably a toss up between Zero World by Jason M. Hough and City of Savages by Lee Kelly.

5. Best Series You Started In 2015? Sequel? Ender?


Starter: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir and Timebound by Rysa Walker


Sequel: World After by Susan Ee and The Rose Society by Marie Lu


Ender: Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

6. Favorite New Author You Discovered In 2015?

V.E. Schwab - hands down!

7. Best Book From A Genre You Don't Typically Read/ Was Out Of Your Comfort Zone?


The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - Historical Fiction
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli - Contemporary

8. Most Action-Packed/ Thrilling/ Unputdownable Book Of The Year?


Zero World by Jason M. Hough, The Martian by Andy Weir, and An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Reread In 2016?

I don't generally reread books, but I may pick up The Martian by Andy Weir again next year.

10. Favorite Cover Of A Book You Read In 2015?


A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

11. Most Memorable Character Of 2015?


Kell and Lila from A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab - I've included some awesome fan art above.

12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read In 2015?


The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book Of 2015?

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

14. Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2015 To Finally Read?


Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - It actually came out on October 21, 2014, but I didn't start reading it until June 19, 2015.  I didn't wait that long, but for the level of excitement surrounding it I don't know why I waited.

15. Favorite Passage/ Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?


My favorite bookish quote is from A Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters: "I love that books allow us to experience other lives without us ever having to change where we live or who we are."

16. Shortest And Longest Book You Read In 2015?


Shortest: The Winter Train by Susanna Isern - 24 pages


Longest: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson - 880 pages - I actually listened to the audiobook which was 25 discs.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most?


The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

18. OTP Of The Year (You Will Go Down With This Ship!)?

Simon and Blue from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year?


Ryan Dean and Sam Abernathy from Stand-Off by Andrew Smith

20. Favorite Book You Read In 2015 From An Author You've Read Previously?

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson - I loved Snow Crash and Diamond Age, too.

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 Based Solely On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/ Peer Pressure?


Night Song by Tricia Goyer - I probably wouldn't have picked this one up for myself, but a friend of mine read it an absolutely loved it and practically forced it into my hands.  Turns out it was a great five star read that blew me away.

22. Newest Fictional Crush From A Book You Read In 2015?

Kell from A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab - Also ranks as one of the coolest characters of the year!

23. Best 2015 Debut You Read?



It's a toss-up between The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle, City of Savages by Lee Kelly, Shutter by Courtney Alameda, and The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich.

24. Best Worldbuilding/ Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/ Was The Most Fun To Read?


Beastly Bones by William Ritter

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry In 2015?


Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee - Not in a good way.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?


Toss-up between Melophobia by James Morris, Half My Facebook Friends Are Ferrets by J.A. Buckle, and Gideon by Alex Gordon.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?


The Sinister Urge by Frances Newton - One of the only read for review books I couldn't bring myself to finish.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

I read quite a few really unique stories this year, but A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab definitely takes the cake.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (Doesn't Necessarily Mean You Didn't Like It)?


Black City by Elizabeth Richards - Definitely one the most irritating books I read all year - it started off so well, but I ended up being so disgusted that I just gave up.  Probably strained my eyes from all of the eye rolling I did while reading.


1. Best New Book Blog You Discovered In 2015?

Tsundoku - She's only been blogging since Christmas Day 2014, but her's is one of my new favorites!

2. Favorite Review You Wrote In 2015?


Hawkeye, Vol. 1 by Matt Fraction is one of my recent favorites.  I've also especially liked writing my reviews for Dodger by Terry Pratchett, The Albino's Treasure by Stuart Douglas, A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols, Pegasus by Danielle Steel, and Steeped in Evil by Laura Childs.

3. Best Discussion/ Non-Review Post You Wrote In 2015? 


In November, I began linking up with Emily @ Ink, Inc. and Ashley G. @ [insert title here] for their new monthly writing link up called Starting Sparks.  I've really gotten a kick out of it - here's my November entry and my December entry.  If you'd like to take part too, you can see the January 2016 prompt here.

4. Best Event That You Participated In (Author Signings, Festivals, Virtual Events, Memes, Etc.)?


I loved taking part in the Book Blitz for The Spirit Chaser by Kat Mayor - I was so pleased that I got the opportunity to read it as well because it was fantastic!

I also really enjoyed beginning my own weekly blog meme called Music Monday.  It's so much fun sharing music with fellow bloggers.  Here's my most recent entry featuring Glass Animals.

5. Best Moment Of Bookish/ Blogging Life Of 2015?

I'm having a hard time pinpointing one specific moment (there were so many great parts), but I really enjoyed beginning Music Monday and realizing that others actually wanted to join me.  Otherwise, I love participating in this community and getting to know other bloggers!

6. Most Challenging Thing About Blogging Or Your Reading Life This Year?

Probably just finding the time to get everything accomplished that I wanted to get accomplished - I'm glad I can schedule posts.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (Whether It Be By Comments Or By Views)?


Most views on a review: Pegasus by Danielle Steel (January 21, 2015) - 233 views
Most views on a non-review: Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Did Not Finish (October 6, 2015) - 254 views

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?


Review: Steeped in Evil by Laura Childs (January 12, 2015) - 6 views
Even though this wasn't one of my usual reads, and I didn't like it all that much, I had a really good time putting my review together, so I wish it got some more love.


Non-review: The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis - 52 views
Mindy McGinnis is quickly becoming a favorite (and she's even from Ohio!) and this is a fantastic dystopian.  I wish this post (and it's review with only 13 views) had gotten a little more love.

9. Best Bookish Discover (Book Related Sites, Book Stores, etc.)?

I'm having a hard time ranking them, but one that I've been getting good use out of is Overdrive for Libraries on my phone.  I have been using it for my Kindle and PC for a while, but I loved figuring out that I can borrow audiobooks and listen to them on my phone, as well as borrow ebooks.

10. Did You Complete Any Reading Challenges Or Goals That You Had Set For Yourself At The Beginning Of 2015?

Yes, I finished my Goodreads Challenge of 200 books - Yay!!


1. One Book That You Didn't Get To 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority In 2016?



I have two that I ran out of time on - Winter by Marissa Meyer and Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (Non-Debut)?


I can't wait to see what Lee Kelly does with A Criminal Magic.  It's been billed as The Night Circus meets Peaky Blinders, and that sounds like an excellent combination to me.

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?


I have quite a few on my list, but Where Futures End by Parker Peevyhouse sounds really promising.

4. Series Ender/ Sequel You Are Most Anticipating In 2016?



It's a toss-up between A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab and The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading Or Blogging Life In 2016?

I hope to read more widely and come up with more unique content for my blog in 2016.

6. A 2016 Release You've Already Read & Recommend To Everything?

I haven't had the chance to read any yet.  

Comments

  1. I still have not read A Darker Shade of Magic, but I think I need it in my hands right now! Everyone has been recommending it and it sounds so amazing. Also, Winter was perfect. So sad that the Lunar Chronicles are over.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's so amazing! I'm kind of trying to put off Winter for just a little while because I don't want it to end. :)

      Delete
  2. Not read any of your faves, except, of course, for Blue Lily, Lily Blue! I just read Cait's reread-review of TRB on Goodreads and I reALLY WANT TO REREAD. Keep calm and wait for TRK!!!

    I must get some VE Schwab in my life, it's beyond a joke.

    200 books is impressive -- well done!

    I really want to read The Accident Season, it sounds like just the book for me.

    Thank you so much for the SS shout-out! I'm so glad you enjoyed participating. It made me smile to scroll down and see the button!

    Also, Lauren, I'm so sorry I've been such a stranger around here. I can only plead school and novel work. Thanks for being such a faithfully brilliant commenter on Ink, Inc.!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I would love to hear what you think of VE Schwab - I bet you would love her work! Same with The Accident Season.

      You're very welcome for the shout-out! I'm really enjoying taking part.

      Don't worry about it, Emily! :)

      Delete

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