2015 End of Year Book Survey

Posted December 23, 2015 by Brin in Discussion Posts / 0 Comments

Hosted by Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner

2015 End of Year Book Survey

This will be my third year completing this survey (how time flies!) and I thought I would get an early start this time around because, let’s face it, this reading slump isn’t going anywhere in a hurry so I doubt I will get much reading done in December. **EDIT Okay, I know I said early start but it has taken a while to get this completed so not quite so early – oops!!**

This year I haven’t been able to read very much (for various reasons). I would go as far to say I have actually never read so little since back in my university days where the last thing I wanted to do was to crack open a book for fun after ploughing through textbook after textbook.

These days I have no such excuse. I just suck at reading this year. I could blame the medication I’m on (it does play a part to be fair) but I just seem to not be able to get into the flow with reading this year at all. Hopefully 2016 will be a better year but for now, here are my responses to this survey.

Big thanks to Jamie for devising and hosting this!

Number Of Books You Read: 31

Number of Re-Reads: 0

Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

This is actually a really tough one because I did manage to read some absolutely amazing books before the slump took affect but if I was pushed to give just one book I would have to go with The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. It is definitely the one that has stuck in my mind the most. I also loved Uprooted by Naomi Novik but as time has gone on I find that The Wrath and the Dawn has had the most impact on me.

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

I would definitely have to go with Killer Queen by L.H. Cosway. I absolutely adored Painted Faces so I really thought that this book would be a winner especially getting to see the story from Nicholas’s POV. I was so excited for this but the book fell flat for me. It wasn’t bad per se, but it didn’t spark with me the way the first book did.

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

I was completely taken by surprise by how much I loved I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios. I just completely fell in love with the writing and the characters. It was a truly exceptional novel.

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

I pushed a lot of people to read Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Luckily they all really enjoyed it which is a relief! I really enjoyed this book. I had no expectations for it (I actually won an ARC but had not heard anything much about the story prior to receiving it) and I ended up being completely blown away by this deceptively dark fantasy novel.

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?

Best series started would definitely be A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (cheating here but I already know the rest of the series is going to be great based on the first book alone). Best sequel of 2015 would have to be Cress by Marissa Meyer (it is actually the third book but a sequel of a sequel counts right?) and best series ender would have to be End of Days by Susan Ee.

6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2015?

This is really tough (beyond tough!) but I have to go with Sarah J. Maas because A Court of Thorns and Roses was so good. I have heard great things about the Throne of Glass series too so very excited to get started on that series.

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

I don’t tend to read a lot of non-fiction these days but I thought Columbine: A True Crime Story by Jeff Kass was a compelling read. I have always been fascinated by true crime and this particular case has always interested me since I was around the same age when those terrible events occurred (albeit in a different part of the world).

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

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. This book was just non-stop. I loved all of the intrigue and the story was unrelenting (but in a really good way).

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I really want to re-read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. It was just such a cute and adorable read. A perfect pick-me-up for when I am feeling a bit low. I really need to buy a copy stat!

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2015?

Definitely Uprooted by Naomi Novik. I love both the US and UK covers for this book actually but the UK cover is simply gorgeous when you see it – the picture really doesn’t do it justice.

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

Carswell Thorne from Cress by Marissa Meyer. I have to admit… I am a huge Thorne fangirl! I definitely loved him being more in the spotlight in Cress.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

Its got to be Uprooted by Naomi Novik again. This book was perfection. The prose was lyrical and unsettling at the same time. It read like a proper old-fashioned fairy tale.

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

I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios. This book gutted me in the best possible way. The story was hard-hitting but hopeful. I was blown away by the feels that this book invoked.

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

I would have to go with Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. It wasn’t a perfect book but it was utterly charming and I really enjoyed it. It’s been on my TBR list for ages so I was glad to finally get to it.

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

“White shouldn’t be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn’t even be a default.” ― Becky Albertalli, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?

Cress by Marissa Meyer was the longest book sitting at 550 pages. The shortest book was Breaking Saint Jude by Nikki Godwin at 132 pages.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes was definitely a book with so many twists and turns it left my head reeling. I don’t know why that surprised me though considering the Falling Kingdoms series is such a head-spinner.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

Shahrzad and Khalid 4eva!! I was completely swept up in the romance in The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. It even just managed to beat the oh-so-adorable Cress and Thorne pairing.

19. Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Definitely Thorne and Cinder – I really love their friendship and missed their interactions in Cress. Thankfully, they interact a fair bit so far in Winter!

20. Favourite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Something Like Lightning by Jay Bell. This book continued on from the marvellous ‘Something Like’ series and it was absolutely fantastic. Definitely a worthy follow-up.

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

I read The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski based on recommendations and I am so glad that I did because it was absolutely brilliant.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

Carswell Thorne naturally! I love Thorne and his cocky, flyboy ways. He is definitely my newest fictional crush (right up there with Adrian Ivashkov and Gansey). 😉

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

Definitely Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. See number 9 for reasons why I loved this so much.

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

Uprooted by Naomi Novik. The world-building in this book was incredibly rich and dense. I was very impressed with the level of detail given to this fictional world.

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

Breaking Saint Jude by Nikki Godwin was a delightfully fun read. Don’t get me wrong, everything wasn’t all sunshine and roses but the characters were just so lovable and the story was so zany it just warmed me right down to the very bottom of my heart.

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

I was really moved by My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga. The story hit me hard and although I didn’t exactly cry (I don’t do too much of that anymore) it did make me swallow a lump or two from my throat.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Again, I’m going to go with Breaking Saint Jude by Nikki Godwin. More people need to read this book dammit!! It’s so darn good. 😀

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios. This book grabbed me right away and has stayed with me long after I read the last chapter months ago.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

Fall Out Girl by L. Duarte definitely qualifies. On paper it would normally be the type of book I actively avoid. It has insta-love, the main character is a bit of a Mary Sue (complete with traumatic background) and the hero… well, let’s just say I wasn’t all that keen on how the love story developed. Yet I really enjoyed the book. Go figure, right? 😛

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Sutphin Boulevard by Santino Hassell. The main character in this book drove me batty but I really loved the book. No one does angst better than Santino. 😉

1. New favourite book blog you discovered in 2015?

I found way too many book blogs this year so it is really hard to narrow it down to just one but if I have to choose I would go with Nellie and Co. Amanda has so many awesome hints and tips on blogging. It has been so helpful and fun to read her posts.

2. Favourite review that you wrote in 2015?

I wrote so few reviews this year so it would have to be my review of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli which you can check out here.

3. Best discussion / non-review post you had on your blog?

Hmm, probably would pick my review of Dragon Age: Inquisition. I wanted to have a little more variety on my blog and I love to talk about my favourite games.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

I enjoyed taking part in sharing my dream literary collection for a project that Invaluable.com was running. They approached me to take part and it was a lot of fun.

5. Best moment of bookish / blogging life in 2015?

I set up an Instagram account this year and I have had a lot of fun getting to know people in the bookstagram community.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

Trying to blog through a reading/blogging slump wasn’t exactly easy. I still feel like I am still playing catch-up but I am glad I have gotten over the worst of it (I hope).

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My post about famous people modelling for book covers got a fair number of views You can check it out here. I really need to remember to do that follow-up post I promised at some point…

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I would have to say reviews are my least viewed pages funnily enough. I have moved away from being a strictly review blog to more of a books-in-general blog which seems to work better for me because I don’t beat myself up quite so much about not getting the reviews done quickly enough anymore.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

I have to go with all the bookish stuff (mainly jewellery but prints and stuff too) I have bought on Etsy. This marketplace is a dream for book-lovers.

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

That would be a big nope! I actually had to reduce my Goodreads challenge because it was making me way too anxious that I wasn’t reading quite as much as I wanted. I failed hard this year. 🙁

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

Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes. I may manage to get this read before the year is done but if not it will be the first book I get to in 2016.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?

I am so looking forward to reading The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater but I think the book is going to break my heart. Still, it is my most anticipated read.