This is the 2015 end of year book
survey, created by Jamie over at The
Perpetual Page Turner. Credits go to
her for the questions and graphics. I
love this survey and am so excited to be able to look back on my wonderful year
of reading! Also, I'm going to try to not use the same book for more than one category. So, we'll see how that goes!
Number Of Books You Read: 111
Number of Re-Reads: 2?
This is a bit tricky. I used to LOVE rereading, however, in the
past couple of years have tried to turn my attention to reading new books. There’s so many great book to read, and so
little time. So, lately, I’ve dedicated
by time to discovering new stories. I
haven’t been rereading much at all.
I did a Throne of Glass reread (first two books) before reading The Assassin’s
Blade and Heir of Fire. Other than that, i've only reread bits and pieces of things here and there.
Genre You Read The
Most From: Contemporary
In reality, I read the most from the “contemporary” genre, even
though it is probably my least favorite.
This year, I definitely read more
Fantasy and Sci-fi books then I had in past years, Fantasy has become my favorite genre, though,
it is not my “most read”.
1. Best Book You Read
In 2015?
I was tempted to use multiple books for this question. But, I picked just one.
I feel like overall, this one was just spectacular. It's one of my favorite books ever and i'll definitely be rereading it into the future.
2. Book You Were Excited
About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
The Darkest Minds, Fangirl,
and Legend are all really well loved books.
I did like all of them, and I would even recommend them. I just didn’t love them. Which really disappoints me. Where it went wrong with each of these, is
the Main Character, or female protagonist.
I couldn’t connect to Cath, Ruby or June and that really caused a
problem. They made me angry and I couldn’t
relate to them, so I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I wanted to. I loved the stories of each of these, and the
male protagonists. However, when I can’t
connect to a main character it majorly affects how much I enjoy the book.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
Something Real by Heather Demetrios. I didn’t expect anything more than a fun,
light contemporary but it really surprised me.
This book punched me right in the feels.
Sometimes it was downright painful.
I didn’t expect to connect to it as much as I did. This one really surprised me and it’s the
reason I picked up more of her books and hope to keep doing so in the
future.
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most
People To Read (And They Did)?
I'm the student president of my school’s book club. So, I pick all of the books that we read. This is a great way to get people
to read amazing books. For this one, I’ll
say either All Fall Down by Ally Carter or Magnus Chase: The Sword of Summer by
Rick Riordan.
5. Best series you started in 2015?
Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?
Best Series Started: The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
Best Sequel: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Best Conclusion: Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout
6. Favorite new author you
discovered in 2015?
I talked a little about her above, but Heather Demetrious. Such a wonderful author! Her books always really hit you and there
always so much more that I’m expecting. Usually, I’m not the biggest
contemporary fan, but her contemporary books really stand out and make you feel
something.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t
typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Popular by Maya Van Wagenen.
I don’t read non-fiction, so this was definitely a jump for me. However, it’s written in a way that doesn’t
feel like boring nonfiction. Maya is
such a wonderful girl and it was fantastic to read about her social
experiment! I had such a great time
discussing this with my book club.
8. Most
action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Illuminae by Amy Kauffman and Jay Kristoff. The way this book was told, in multiple
formats, and the plot. kept me on my feet the whole time.
9. Book You Read In 2015 That
You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Since I finished Night Film by Marisha Pessl, I’ve been wanting
to go back and reread. It was a great
book and I feel like I probably missed many details the first time around.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read
in 2015?
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. This is a beautiful cover, the design, the
typography, and the little doodles.
Plus, the actual hardcover has beautiful engravings.
11. Most memorable character of 2015?
I absolutely adore The Young Elites by Marie Lu. And
Adelina is one of my favorite characters. She's so complex, and I
appreciate so much that The Young Elites is narrated by
the villain.
12. Most beautifully written book read
in 2015?
The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. It’s one of my favorites of the year, hands
down. The writing was just incredible and
captivating.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/
Life-Changing Book of 2015?
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. Can’t say much because of spoilers, but it’s
definitely a must read!
14. Book you can’t believe you
waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?
Poison Study has been out since 2005! Where have I been? I absolutely loved Poison Study and discovered
another amazing fantasy author to add to my favorites. If you’re a fan of the Throne of Glass
series, Poison Study is a MUST read!
15. Favorite
Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?
ALL the poems in Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone.
And my favorite “passage” has to be the scene at the end of Heir
of Fire with Dorian, Chaol, Aedion, and the King. I just love it so much. It has to be one of my favorite scenes ever
(despite what happens).
16. Shortest & Longest Book You
Read In 2015?
Longest: The Well of Ascesion by Brandon Sanderson at 784 Pages
Shortest: New Music by Paula Stokes at 31 Pages (as you can guess, this was a short story)
As for actual shortest book, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams at 107 or
A Study in Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle at 108
17. Book That Shocked You The
Most
All Fall Down by Ally Carter
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down
with this ship!)
PERCABETH. Wait. From this year?
Okay, then. Han Solo and
Princess Leia from Star Wars A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel and The
Farm Boy. ;) (It totally counts!)
19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship
Of The Year
Chaol and Dorian from the Throne of Glass Series. Those two are my BrOTP.
20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015
From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen.
Her books were some of the first Young Adult books I’d read. I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time and
her latest novel did not disappoint.
21. Best Book You Read In 2015That You
Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
I don’t venture into middle grade much anymore, so I would have
never discovered this series if not for a recommendation from a friend. I’m SO GLAD that I picked it up because it
was wonderful! It’s one of those series that
I feel can be enjoyed no matter what age you are.
22. Newest fictional crush from a book
you read in 2015?
Liam from The Darkest Minds!
I just finished this so Liam is definitely a NEW crush. But, I get it now! I love Liam so much.
23. Best 2015 debut you read?
I still can’t believe that Red Queen is a debut novel.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid
Setting You Read This Year?
The world of the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your
Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
I just had a fantastic time reading this! I loved getting to delve into a new world and
mythology, Riordan style. This book made
me laugh out loud more than any Percy Jackson book. Reading this book was just a great time.
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry
in 2015?
I don’t usually cry when I read books, but Something Real
actually did make me cry (even though I don’t think it was supposed to)
Heir of Fire and Every Last Word made me quite emotional,
too.
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Here, I’ll give some shout outs to books released this year that
I didn’t get to mention but are definitely must reads!
Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines was much more than I was
expecting and I loved it!
The same goes for Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry. I’m not the biggest fan of Contemporary
Romances, but these two were amazing!
And, OF COURSE, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Wasn't a 2015 release, but definitely a can't miss novel!
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
As you can probably gather, every Heather Demetrious book
crushes my soul. But, since I’ve talked
a lot about Something Real, I’m giving a shout out to I’ll Meet You There,
which was wonderful and loaded with feels.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?
Splintered by A.G. Howard.
Such a unique, quirky world! It
took me a while to catch on, but once I did I couldn’t put Splintered down!
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad
(doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
I thought I’d ADORE A
Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray.
However, I really did not end up liking it. At all.
It’s very disappointing because I was anticipating it so much and I
thought it would really be my cup of tea.
It’s such an interesting premise with so much room to explore and
expand. However, so many things in this
book made me angry and I just did not have a good time.
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?
Anjie at Love ThyShelf. I
always enjoy her reviews and discussions!
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?
That’s hard. But, it would have to be my review of Heir of
Fire by Sarah J. Maas. It ended up being
enormous, but I love it.
3. Best discussion/non-review post you
had on your blog?
I really like my discussions on Settings in YA, and
Friendships in YA. I also just posted a
wonderful discussion on Reading Challenges.
4. Best event that you participated in
(author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
I was able to go to my first book signing this year. It was a Maria V. Snyder (author of Poison
Study). I had a blast. And, Maria took time to sit down and talk
with my book club before the signing – it was an amazing experience.
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging
life in 2015?
Well, probably meeting Maria Snyder. But, really just starting a blog in
general. I only started blogging this
year. And while I’ve had my share of
challenges, It’s something that I’m going to continue doing. I thought about blogging for such a long
time, but this was the year I actually started it. It’s something that I love to do and it makes
me so happy and I’m not going to give that up.
6. Most challenging thing about
blogging or your reading life this year?
I’m a senior in high school, so that in itself was a challenge. It’s been really difficult to keep up with my
homework and blogging. And, unfortunately, because of that, my blog
suffered. In the end, doing school and
graduating is what I need to focus on.
However, I’m trying my hardest to become better at managing my
time. I’ve also had my fair share of
slumps. Because of school, my reading
suffered, and that stinks.
7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your
Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More
Love?
I appreciate each and every view or comment, so I’m happy with the
attention my posts get. I always especially love comments on my discussion posts, so those I suppose. However, I did
notice that my review of The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh had no
comments, so that one specifically. I will
agree, I had a hard time reviewing that one.
9. Best bookish discover (book related
sites, book stores, etc.)?
Not any discoveries in the way of stores or sites. However, I LOVE this bookish tote bag that I
got from my local bookstore that says “I like big books and I cannot lie”. I also love the wonderful set of Throne of
Glass pins that I got sent by the wonderful people at Bloomsbury for
pre-ordering Queen of Shadows.
10. Did you complete any reading
challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this
year?
Sadly, I was not able to complete my Goodreads challenge for
this year. However, I’m still more than happy with all of the things that I was
able to accomplish this year – starting a blog is pretty big!
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015
But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For
2016 (non-debut)?
3. 2016 Debut You Are Most
Anticipating?
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most
Anticipating in 2016?
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or
Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?
Just be able to read and review more consistently. Even if I don’t read large volumes of books,
I want to be able to review the books I read. Quality over quantity!
I also want to attend more book events/signings.
6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read
& Recommend To Everyone:
Sadly, I haven’t read any 2016 releases yet. However, I do have Passenger by Alexandra
Bracken and I can’t wait to start it!
This was a great reading and blogging year, and i'm looking forward to 2016 being even better!