Monday, February 26, 2018

End Of Year Survey: 2017 Edition


Hey all!  So I'm a bit late on this but I'm doing .  I know it's February but as I find myself reviewing less and just being behind on reviews, I love using this as a way to talk about my reading.  The graphics I'm using are originally from Jamie's blog.

Number Of Books You Read: 101
Number of Re-Reads: 1
Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary

1. Best Book You Read In 2017?

(If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2017 release vs. backlist)
I loved several books, but When Dimple Met Rishi is the first that comes to mind. 

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


Definitely by Sarah Combs.  So many friends have loved it and it felt pretty flat for me.  I thought I would love by Kathryn Holmes more but it wasn't for me. I also didn't care for the way so many people have.

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

This one has to be by Jenny Han. I really didn't care much for her Summer series and I liked To All the Boys I've Loved Before, but I LOVED P.S. I Still Love You.

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

Actually a non-fiction title, but by Lisa Wade.  A great book about college hookups in America.

 5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?

Starter:
duology by Alexandra Duncan. For comics my favorite series starter was by Jeff Lamire.

Sequel:
Easily by V.E. Scwab.

Ender:
I'm surprised by my choice because the first book was just good for me, but by Jenny Han.  As a book about two teens in love graduating from high school and moving on to college, I thought it hit all of the right notes.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?


Definitely Mackenzi Lee.

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


So the two books outside of my comfort zone that I read, My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante and by Natsuo Karino, I didn't particularly care for.  This is probably a sign that I should step out of my comfort zone a bit more often.

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


I tore through When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.  For a book that's a bit more conventionally action packed, I loved by Tara Sullivan.

 9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?


When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. I know, you all are astounded.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?



11. Most memorable character of 2017?


Monty from The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee.  I loved watching him grow.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?


The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord. I love how she wove everything together and you guys, my heartstrings were yanked.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017?


by Fox Benwell.  It's a heartbreaking story of a teen whose suffering from
ALS and how that impacts his views on death.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read? 


by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.  I've owned a copy for years and never gotten around to it.

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?


"If you tell your hopes to the dreaming tree, the tree will pass them on to the clouds. And the clouds will tell the stars."
-Emery Lord

"Because how could I ever really explain his sure hands on my neck, tilting my face to his?  How a black ceiling of stars arched over us, pine branches bowing to cocoon us against the earth.  How I clung to him because the ground flew out beneath us--or maybe we rocketed upward.  How my heart beat so fast I almost felt like laughing.  Because it's giddy to stumble into magic, to realize what this can feel like."
-Emery Lord

"It's the whole light that fills you, wide and glowing, expanding your seams.  And maybe you find it in the smooth lake water or piano chords, so lost in them that you sway back and forth.  In brassy hits of trumpet, playing until you pant, breathless.  Maybe you find it somewhere beneath the tall pines, during a summer that changes everything.  Or in an Airstream trailer on an open road that you earned. In every dance move that sets you free. In the hands that mend your split open knuckles.  In the people who teach you, who forgive you."
-Emery Lord

"Against the sky the stars crown him, marking the edges of his silhouette like he is a constellation of himself."
-Mackenzi Lee

"I'm desperate not to let all my stupid hope fill the silence between us but it's filtering in anyway, like water running through the canyons that longing has spent years carving in my head."
-Mackenzi Lee

"We are cracked pottery mended with lacquer and flakes of gold, whole as we are, complete unto each other.  Complete and worthy and so very loved."
-Mackenzi Lee

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?


How I did this: Went to my read books on Goodreads and sorted by page number and just looked for what I knew I read this year that was the shortest and longest.

I read a lot of comics, so was the shortest and was the longest.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most
(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

Probably by Kristin Cashore.  I was not expecting that book to take the direction it did, but I really liked it.  I think because it was so weird it would actually be a great book club pick.

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

Percy and Monty from The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and Dimple and Rishi from When Dimple Met Rishi.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year


I loved Impy's relationship with everyone at the Renaissance Faire in , especially with her own family.  Jamieson did a great job of showing the depth of all of these relationships aren't always easy.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously


Easily All's Faire In Middle School by Victoria Jamieson.

21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:


Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I'd given it consideration in the past but a couple of my best friends love the t.v. show.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?


Honestly, I don't really do fictional crushes in YA books.  In real life a grown woman crushing on a teenager is just not okay.  I read some adult Austen retellings and usually I might go for a Mr. Darcy but none of them especially stand out this year.

23. Best 2017 debut you read?


When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon and by Angie Thomas.

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


Definitely the world in V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series.

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


Probably The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and All's Faire In Middle School.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?


The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?


, the story of a Chocotaw boy who dies on the Trail of Tears (the synopsis on GoodReads starts with this, so it's not actually a major spoiler).

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Again, How I Became A Ghost by Tim Tingle.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?


Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore. Seriously, someone needs to write an academic thesis on this book.

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


The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan, because it's infuriating how Amadou and his brother are treated.  Also Naila's story in . The way her family treats her is heart-wrenching. Also by Natsuo Kirino because Worm is a major misogynist.



1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017?

I was a horrible blog reader this year soooooo sadly I don't have an answer to this. 


2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?

 Definitely my review of When We Collided by Emery Lord.


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


I spent 2017 focused on reviews because I've been really behind on them.  I'm hoping to finally catch up this year and get some different content up on the blog!

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


Easily the Nova Teen Book Festival, especialy because my friend Jennie came out for it and spent a few days with me. I also loved getting to meet Sandhya Menon in August!

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017?
Honestly I think attending the festival with Jennie and getting to go to all kind of author events

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

I somehow got scabies this summer (basically skin mites) and that struggle lasted for five months. It was super anxiety inducing and after every treatment I had to do several loads of laundry and decontaminate my life.

There's also the fact that I got engaged early on in July (yay!) and someone in my work place went on maternity leave on September, so I spent a week in late July driving all over the state of Maine with my mom and fiancee looking at wedding venues.  We covered pretty much all of Maine and with everything else going on reading in the car was impossible.  Also when my coworker was on leave work was just generally a lot crazier and I wouldn't always come home feeling energized to read.

For those wondering, we chose Point Lookout Resort and the big day is in June of 2019.  Photo above!


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


My review of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. 

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?


Considering how bad I've been at engaging with other people's blogs I am not here to complain about people not commenting on or viewing my posts.
9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Not really a discovery but I love that GoodReads now sends me daily Amazon deals on Kindle books.

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


I wound up changing my GoodReads goal from 105 to 102, because I realized I wasn't going to make 105, and I'm totally content with 102 as being my final number for the year.




1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018?


by Brandy Colbert!  I loved her debut, Pointe.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)?

Right now by Sandhya Menon.

3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?


Right now I cannot wait for by Tomi Adeyemi.

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018?


by Zoraida Cordova!  I've honestly been trying to finish off series.  I managed to finish four in 2017 and one so far in 2018.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2018?


Finally catch up on reviews and engage with other blogs. 

6. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):


I adored by Dhonielle Clayton. Pick this one up if you haven't already!

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