2015 End of Year Survey

I saw this on The Book Stop (Deb) and liked it so much that I decided to do it too. It was created by The Perpetual Page-Turner initially to simply highlight what she had read but interest in the survey grew until she created this sixth one.

I enjoy reflecting on my year and usually at the beginning of each year I spend the morning writing about what happened in the previous one. So though I’m doing this survey, it’s possible that I’ll still do a reading and blogging reflection post because, well, because I want to.

I’ve copied Deb and have omitted a few questions because the survey is quite long. Also, the headers in this post are from the original on the Perpetual Page-Turner blog.

Number of books read: 57

Books: 46

Graphic novels/comics: 10

Short story: 1

Number of books re-read: 8

Number of books I didn’t finish: 2

Genre I read the most: Fantasy

1. Best book you read in 2015.

You by Caroline Kepnes. It’s a thriller! And the narration is unsettling.

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn’t.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness. His books are highly recommended to me and the concept of this book was so fascinating that I thought I would love it but I didn’t. It was just okay.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read.

The Curse of Crow Hollow by Billy Coffey. I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did because it’s a Christian novel. I requested an ARC and upon finding out that it is a Christian novel, I thought it would be very preachy but it wasn’t. I enjoyed it all except for the very, very last bit.

4. Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did).

It’s a tie for these three and I don’t know if anyone I told to read them actually did, except my brother who I loaned You to. I pushed The Curse of Crow Hollow on people because it’s narrated well and I think everyone should read a sample of that voice, and since Marlon James won the Man Booker Prize, I told everyone to read his second novel, Book of Night Women. Well, I’ve been pushing that book on people all year, before he won the award. It’s a good book. Read it!

5. Best series you started in 2015.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, illus. by Fiona Staples. I started reading comics and graphic novels this year and I’m glad I gave this a try.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015.

Billy Coffey because I really love how The Curse of Crow Hollow is written.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone.

Jason and the Argonauts by Apollonius of Rhodes. I don’t often read classic books for fun, especially those like Argonautica: based in antiquity and an epic poem at that. Not a fan of poetry.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year.

Umm…I want to say Saga but I’ve only read volumes one and two and they are so short that it’s hard to count them here so I’ll go with Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. This installment is more plot-driven so it was hard to break from the book for long as we race to the end.

9. Book you read in 2015 that you are most likely to reread next year.

In Search of Lost Dragons by Élian Black’mor and Carine-M. This is such a beautifully illustrated book about a journalist documenting the existence of dragons. I’ll definitely revisit it next year.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015.

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling.

11. Most memorable character of 2015.

Sirius from the Harry Potter series. I miss him.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015.

Jason and the Argonauts. I may not be able to detect the meter and all that poetry jazz, but I liked hearing the rhythm of the flow of words when I read them aloud and also lines like this —

“He deftly strung his little bow / and from the quiver chose a virgin arrow / laden with future groans.”

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I wish I’d read it when I was younger. I would have enjoyed it more.

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2015?

“I love Stephen King as much as any red rum drinking American, but I resent the fact that I, the bookseller, am his bitch.”

— from You by Caroline Kepnes. I don’t know why I love this. Every time I think of it, I laugh.

16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2015.

Shortest: The Audition (prequel to Seraphina) by Rachel Hartman

Longest: The Fires of Heaven (book 5 of the Wheel of Time series) by Robert Jordan

21. Best book you read in 2015 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure.

That would be all the comics I read but I’ll go with Saga for this because it’s the best one.

23. Best 2015 debut you read.

Between You & Me by Mary Norris. Norris is a copy editor at the New Yorker and this book is her memoir. I enjoyed it.

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year.

It would be a toss-up between the Harry Potter and the Song of Ice and Fire series but since they are re-reads, I’ll say The Call of the Wild. I’m so glad I read it when the weather was warm.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most fun to read.

Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery. The ladies are so funny, especially Betty the smidgen.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix almost made me cry because Sirius.

27. Hidden gem of the year.

Unteachable by Leah Raeder. I loved everything about it except the very, very end. I think it was a little cheesy.

29. Most unique book.

A Long Day’s Evening by Bilge Karasu. The structure of the stories in this novel were a bit confusing at first. Karasu was a Turkish modernist writer. He wrote the sentences in this book to reflect the state of the characters’ thoughts so sometimes they ended without a period or dropped off into ellipses.

30. Book that made you the most mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it).

Talon by Julie Kagawa. I didn’t even bother to finish it.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered.

The Orang-utan Librarian because she makes me laugh and Marines, a booktuber on the Youtube channel mynameismarines, because I love her discussions.

2. Favorite review that you wrote.

My review of Billy Coffey’s The Curse of Crow Hollow.

3. Best discussion/non-review post.

Best discussion: Weekend Reads #26: Harmony With Authors, in which I ask if you have to like who an author is and agree with their views to read, purchase, or enjoy their work.

Best non-review/non-discussion: Weekend Reads #27: Writing Myths #5 & #6: You wanna know where we’re from, in which I write a weird short story about where humans come from.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life.

Bookish: Attending the National Book Festival and getting Marlon James to sign my books. Awesome!! (Weekend Reads #18: The National Book Festival)

Blogging: Receiving a bunch of blog awards this year. I really appreciate the recognition.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life.

Blogging: Being timely and keeping up with my posts.

Reading: Finding the time to read when at home.

7. Most popular post this year on your blog.

To date, it is Top Ten Tuesday #13: Fall 2015 TBR.

I read only two of the books listed on it.

8. Post you wished got a little more love.

Anyone of my posts listed under “random thoughts” (see Posts sidebar).

9. Best bookish discovery (book-related site, book stores, etc.).

Booktube!! I fucking love it. 😀

Book Outlet!! Ditto for those awesome low prices. I’m addicted.

Book Depository. Because when I can’t find a cover I want, I turn to it.

Podcasts! Now I have something other than music to listen to at work. [I recommend the Longform, BBC Radio Bookclub, Book Riot, and Slate Audio Book Club podcasts. If you have any podcast recommendations, let me know below.]

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals you had set for yourself at the beginning of the year?

Except for the Goodreads Reading Challenge, which I smashed, nope. I completed none of the others.

1. One book you didn’t get to in 2015 but will be your number 1 priority in 2016.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. My plan was to read it in December because it seems like a book one should read in winter. I don’t know why I think that. But the weather has been unseasonably warm and my other books took longer than expected so I’ll read it in January or whenever the snow comes.

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2016 (non-debut).

The Winds of Winter if GRRM deigns to grace us with its publication and Hidden Bodies, the sequel to You, by Caroline Kepnes.

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2016.

Reading: Read more books.

Blogging: Post reviews shortly after completing a book. Interact more.

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Whew! That’s a lot and I skipped questions. I doubt anyone will read through it all but I really enjoyed doing this. Well, if you’ve made it all the way here, please treat yourself to some ice cream or whatever treat you like. 😛

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