2015 End of Year Book Survey

This survey was created by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner.  It looks like a good way to sum up a year of reading. (I did this last year, as well. It's a nice way to have a look back at the year from a bookish perspective.)

2015 Reading Stats

Number of books you read: 37

Number of re-reads: 0

Genre you read the most from: fantasy

Best In Books

1. Best book you read in 2015?  All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn’t?  The Here and Now by Ann Brashares. I hoped it would be as good as My Name Is Memory. Sadly, it wasn't.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2015?  I'll have to say Unwind by Neal Shusterman. I wasn't expecting it to be so gratuitously grisly. And after the way people raved about it, I thought the writing and plot would be tighter. There were so many plot holes!

4. Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did) in 2015?  I don't really push people to read books... and I would have no idea if they'd actually read them or not!

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best sequel of 2015? Best series ender of 2015?  Best series I started: The Wide-Awake Princess by E. D. Baker.

Best sequel: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo.

Best series ender: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo. (I wasn't all that enamoured with The Grisha series by the end of it... but those were the best sequels/series enders that I read this year.)

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?  Erin Bow! I had Plain Kate in my TBR pile for years and finally read it this past August. Now I want more from this author!

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?  I read my first Stephen King novel this year: Carrie. I have to say, I quite enjoyed it... even though I don't read a lot of horror.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?  I really enjoyed All Our Yesterdays and I had a hard time putting it down between reading sessions. Imagine my disappointment when I found out the planned sequel had been scrapped!

9. Book you read in 2015 that you are most likely to re-read next year?  I don't re-read.  And if I did, I'd be more likely to re-read something I read years ago. I'm thinking I might like to read Anne of Green Gables again. I haven't read that one since I was about eight years old!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?  Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai.  Honestly... this author gets the best covers for her books!

11. Most memorable character of 2015? Taggle from Plain Kate by Erin Bow. I don't generally like talking animals or cats. But Taggle the talking cat is one of my favourite characters of 2015! Go figure.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?  There were a few this year that had pretty writing. But I'm going to go with Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo, because I love it when books written for younger kids don't shy away from using advanced vocabulary.

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2015?  Maybe Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan. It sure made me think. Mostly about how I'm glad that I wasn't born as a girl in India to poor parents who'd sell me off as a child bride so they could feed their worthier, penis-endowed children. (Can you tell this book made me a little angry?)

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?  Plain Kate by Erin Bow. It sat in my TBR pile for (literally) years before I picked it up and finally read it. And loved it.

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2015?  Finn, in an ill-fitting tux, is waiting for us outside the hotel. He performs an elaborate bow as we climb out of the car. "My Lord Shaw! And Lady Marina of the House of Snobs!"

He reaches for my hand and actually kisses it, and I snatch it back before anyone can see. Why does he always have to try to make me feel stupid?

"Did you bathe in that cologne?" I ask. The cloud around him is thick enough to choke a cat. "You know, there's this thing called soap--"

"It's Eau de Homme," he says, straightening his bow tie. "You know you can't resist it."

I gag. ~ from All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

16. Shortest & longest book you read in 2015?  Well, I did read a couple of novellas, and a couple of novels so short that I'm not sure if they're counted as novels or novellas. Where do I draw the line?

Shortest novel story: The Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo.

Longest novel: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer.

17. Book that shocked you the most (because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)?  Enchanted by Alethea Kontis. I'm shocked that it was even published, it was that bad. If you want to see how to butcher a fairytale retelling, read this one.

18. OTP of the year (you will go down with this ship!)?  Em and Finn from All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill.

19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year?  Flora and Ulysses from Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. Their relationship is just adorable.

20. Favorite book you read in 2015 from an author you’ve read previously?  Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai. I really enjoyed Inside Out & Back Again, and though this newer book isn't written in verse, it's just as engaging.

21. Best book you read in 2015 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure?  I had bad luck this year with recommended books. I didn't really enjoy the books that came highly recommended via peer pressure. Heck, I didn't even make it through Crown of Midnight...

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?  I liked all three boys from Stacey Lee's Under a Painted Sky: Cay, West, and Peety. They were all kind of great in their own way.

23. Best 2015 debut you read?  5 to 1 by Holly Bodger.

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year?  Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read?  Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. It features a squirrel that can type. Enough said.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2015?  All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. That'll teach me to get attached to characters...

27. Hidden gem of the year?  Kindred by Octavia E. Butler.  Well, it was my hidden gem for the year, since it was just sitting there in my Kindle library, all unassuming and innocent. It's been around since 1979 (the book... not my copy), so I'm surprised I hadn't heard of it before I bought it; it's pretty enjoyable!

28. Book that crushed your soul?  Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I was so bored; I just wanted it to be over. Then I dropped it and it crushed my toe. (Just kidding. I read the e-book. But the thing is pretty thick and heavy-looking in physical format. Don't even get me started on the length of Winter...)

29. Most unique book you read in 2015?  Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. The text was interspersed with comic-book panels. It was a pretty cute book.

30. Book that made you the most mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?  Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. I couldn't read more than a few chapters. I'm tired of hearing about how great this series is, with its tired tropes and special little snowflake MC. Maybe one day I'll write a book about a world-famous singer who never even opens her mouth, followed up by a book about a swimmer who never gets wet, and then another about a baker who avoids all kitchens out of principle. They're bound to be super popular. (I mean, this series about an assassin who doesn't assassinate is one of the most popular at the moment. This "tell, don't show" thing must be catching on!)

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?  To be honest, I haven't really sought out a lot of new blogs this year. I have a hard enough time just keeping up with the ones I already follow!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?  I don't know. The snarky ones are always kind of fun. Take your pick!

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?  I didn't really have many of those this year.  That's something I hope to change in 2015 2016. (Yep... I just recycled my answer from last year. I guess I failed with that goal!)

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?  I always enjoy participating in Top Ten Tuesday.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?  Finally getting around to books like All Our Yesterdays and Plain Kate... and then really enjoying them.

7. Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views)?  I have no idea.  Blogger doesn't exactly make it easy to track these things.

8. Post you wished got a little more love?  I can't think of one post in particular.  I do wish my review posts got a little more attention, though.

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?  BookBub. My Kindle app is getting clogged with freebies now.

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?  Yes. My Goodreads Challenge had 25 books on it. I finished that easily. I also did the Fairytale Retelling Challenge and the TBR Pile Reading Challenge. I almost didn't get that last one done! (And I added more books to the TBR pile this year than I read from it. Darn.)

Looking Ahead

1. One book you didn’t get to in 2015 but will be your number one priority in 2016?  The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes. I've been wanting to read it for a long time, but haven't gotten around to it. Most reviews I've seen have been pretty favourable, though, and that just makes me want to read it more!

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2016 (non-debut)?  The Untimely Deaths of Alex Wayfare by M. G. Buehrlen. (This was actually my answer from last year. But the book isn't coming out now until 2016!)

3. 2016 debut you are most anticipating?  I don't really know. I haven't been keeping up with what's coming out.

4. Series ending/a sequel you are most anticipating in 2016?  The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. But... um... I still need to read Blue Lily, Lily Blue.

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2016?  Read more books that look interesting to me... and not necessarily ones that are heavily hyped.

6. A 2016 release you’ve already read & recommend to everyone?  I haven't read any 2016 releases yet!

So that was my bookish year!

How was 2015 for you?