End of Year Survey: 2019 Edition

Here I am, once again, doing Jamie’s End of Year Survey! I love looking back on the year with this tag.

2019 Reading Stats

Number of books you read: 177
Number of re-reads: 0
Number of DNFs: 11
Number of unfinished books: 1
Genre you read the most from: probably YA romance (as usual)

Some Bonus Reading Stats (including DNFs)

Books by female authors: 120
Books by male authors: 64
Books by anonymous authors: 1
Books co-written by male and female authors: 3

Adult books: 85
YA books: 85
NA books: 12
MG books: 6

Best in Books

Best book you read in 2019:

This is always the hardest question. I think this year’s best book was Sadie.

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

Possibly The Secret Commonwealth. I was really looking forward to it and it ended up just making me mad.

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

Permanent Record. Emergency Contact is one of my favorite books, and Permanent Record feels like it was written by a different person.

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

I feel like I was most successful with getting people to read Nevernight.

Best series you started in 2019:

The Backstagers! I think I have one volume left and I’m waiting because I don’t want it to be over!

Best sequel of 2019:

I really enjoy Revival, and Volume 2 was very good! I keep prioritizing other books over this series, but I can’t wait to see where this story goes.

Best series ender of 2019:

I didn’t finish a lot of series in 2019, and the few that I did finish were mostly just okay endings. Even though it’s a duology, though, Puddin‘ was really good.

Favorite new author you discovered in 2019:

Maybe Julie Murphy? I didn’t go seeking out new authors, but I read three of her books and gave all of them four stars.

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

The story of The Poet X wasn’t out of my comfort zone, but it’s rare for me to read a book in verse. It’s even rarer for me to love one, but this was so good.

Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year:

I hardly read any thrillers at all, but I’d say that You kept me interested.

Book you read in 2019 that you would be MOST likely to re-read next year:

Every year, I answer this question with a disclaimer that I’m not actually going to reread the book that I choose. I just don’t like doing rereads. But let’s see… if forced, I might reread Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too. It was just so cute.

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2019:

Probably The Babysitters Coven! This wasn’t my favorite book of the year, but it might be my favorite cover.

Most memorable character of 2019:

Still Ghüs from Saga.

Most beautifully written book read in 2019:

I can’t say that To Be Taught, If Fortunate was one of my favorites of the year, but I also can’t deny that it was beautifully written.

Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2019:

Bad Blood was incredibly thought-provoking, in the sense of “with all of those government regulations, how did something like this possibly happen.”

Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2019 to finally read:

I was scared of the hype surrounding American Panda, but it ended up being so good!

Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2019:

We barely get any time on this planet. Do not spend it pleasing other people. Fuck politeness. Live life exactly how you want to live it so you can love the life you make for yourself.

Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark

Shortest and longest book you read in 2019:

Book that shocked you the most:

I’m really picky about historical fiction, and I’ve never been super into bands like Fleetwood Mac, but I ended up loving Daisy Jones & the Six so much.

OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!):

I didn’t really have an OTP of the year in 2019. Maybe Olive and Ethan from The Unhoneymooners? Even then, they were just cute, not life-shattering or anything.

Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year:

I’d probably have to go with Willowdean and all her friends in Dumplin‘!

Favorite book you read in 2019 from an author you’ve read previously:

Looking through my five-star reviews of 2019, most of them were by authors I was just reading for the first time! Jenn Bennett never disappoints, though, so the answer to this question has to be Serious Moonlight.

Best book you read in 2019 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure/bookstagram/etc:

Based SOLELY on a recommendation, and in had never heard of it before and would likely never have read it otherwise… The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg. This was a recommendation from Alex and definitely one of the best graphic novels of the year.

Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2019:

If there’s one thing 2019 was lacking, it was a good swoony love interest. I can’t think of anybody!

Best 2019 debut you read:

The Story That Cannot Be Told!

Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year:

Most vivid setting definitely goes to Pumpkinheads. I felt like I was right there on the farm!

Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read:

Snug was just so cute. I love Catana’s comics.

Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2018:

Ugh. Saga, Vol. 9.

Hidden gem of the year:

Kiss Number 8 was one of my favorite graphic novels of the year and I’ve hardly seen anyone talking about it!

Book that crushed your soul:

2018 was Saga, Vol. 7. 2019 is Saga, Vol. 9.

Most unique book you read in 2019:

Definitely Jealous Revenge.

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

Most mad is hard, because I had a few books that made me really mad. I think that honor goes to Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens, though, for glamorizing really problematic behavior. (I have a whole rant in my review.)

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

New favorite book blog/bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2019:

I don’t really know! I didn’t do much discovering in 2019.

Favorite post you wrote in 2019:

Last year I gave three answers to this question, so I’ll do that this year too:

• Let’s Talk About: Appropriate interactions on social media
• Let’s Talk About: BookCon 2019
• Tag: Lover Book Tag (Original!)

Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2019:

I’m still not over getting this ARC.

Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, etc):

Definitely BookCon!

Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2019:

That’s a hard one. Maybe going out of my comfort zone a little bit to do some author interviews/guest posts!

Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year:

Figuring out how to balance reading with moving, living in a new city, and starting a new job. Audiobooks have been my savior!

Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views):

My most-viewed post was the one about Mackenzi Lee.

Post you wished got a little more love:

I was surprised at how few views my review of American Panda got! It was such a cute book and hardly anybody even saw it!

Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc):

I don’t think I discovered any book-related sites or stores, but I did (re)discover my love of audiobooks. I also discovered that I really enjoy doing buddy reads with my boyfriend.

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

Yes! I met all of my goals. It’s actually going up as tomorrow’s blog post, but I finished all three reading challenges and met my 100 book goal for 2019.

Looking Ahead

One book you didn’t get to in 2019 but will be your number 1 priority in 2020:

Ever since I was so disappointed by Lovers Like Us, I haven’t had the motivation to read The Last Hope. This is one ARC that I really need to get to, though, since it released back in August!

Book you are most anticipating for 2020 (non-debut):

Definitely Chasing Lucky! Anything by Jenn Bennett automatically goes on my most anticipated list. 🙂

2020 debut you are most anticipating:

I have to support my fellow book blogger here and say that the debut I’m most anticipating is The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa Sloan!

Series ending/sequel you are most anticipating in 2020:

I don’t think there are any! I think I read mostly standalones or completed graphic novels in 2019.

One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2020:

It would be really cool to hit 3,000 followers. I’d also like to do more collaborations. (I say this every year.)

A 2020 release you’ve already read and recommend to everyone (if applicable):

I haven’t read any 2020 books yet!

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Have you done this end of year survey? Feel free to leave your link and the comments and I’ll check out your post! Do we have any of the same answers for these questions? Anything you disagree with me on? Let’s talk in the comments!

End of Year Survey: 2018 Edition

Every year, I look forward to doing Jamie’s End of Year Survey, and this year is no different! The only change is that I have a lot more to talk about this year than I have in the past. 🙂

2018 Reading Stats

Number of books you read: 218!!!
Number of re-reads: 1
Genre you read the most from: probably YA romance

Some Bonus Reading Stats

Books by female authors: 162
Books by male authors: 50
Books by non-binary authors: 1
Books co-written by male and female authors: 5

Adult books: 94
Young adult books: 92
New adult books: 29
Middle-grade & children’s books: 3

Debuts: 16

Best in Books

Best book you read in 2018:

Ooh, starting off with the most difficult question. I think I have to go with Nevernight. I still think about how much I liked it sometimes.

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

I thought I would love Down and Across but I kind of ended up hating it.

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

Troll. Mostly I was just surprised that a book could possibly be this bad.

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

I’ve developed a bit of a reputation as “that girl who loves The Hating Game,” so I guess I should probably go with that one. (Even though I read this in 2017, not 2018.)

Best series you started in 2018:

Definitely The Raven Cycle!

Best sequel of 2018:

Since I probably can’t use The Raven Cycle for every series-related answer, I’ll go with In Bed With the Beast.

Best series ender of 2018:

I have to go with The Raven King because it’s the only series ender that I read in 2018.

Favorite new author you discovered in 2018:

Definitely, without a doubt, Jenn Bennett.

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

I don’t tend to read a ton of political nonfiction, and when I do, I don’t tend to love it. But On Tyranny was amazing.

Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year:

I’m trying so hard not to repeat books, but I think I have to go with Nevernight again.

Book you read in 2018 that you would be MOST likely to re-read next year:

I am, in general, very unlikely to ever re-read a book, just because there are so many books that I want to read and so little time. That said, if I absolutely had to choose, I’d probably re-read The Kiss Quotient.

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018:

What If It’s Us. I’ve said a few times that I love this cover so much that I’d frame it and hang it up in my house.

Most memorable character of 2018:

Ghüs from Saga!!!

Most beautifully written book read in 2018:

This is another really hard question, but I think I’ll go with Little Fires Everywhere.

Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2018:

I don’t know about life-changing, but Between the World and Me was very thought-provoking.

Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read:

I’m a huge Sarah Dessen fan and I owned Saint Anything FOREVER before I finally got around to reading it.

Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2018:

“People say depression lies. Anxiety is just stupid. It’s unable to tell the difference between things that are actually scary (being buried alive, for example) and things that are not scary at all (being in bed under the covers). It hits all the same buttons. Stop. Go. Up. Down. It’s all the same to anxiety.”

— Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Shortest and longest book you read in 2018:

Book that shocked you the most:

I had never read anything by Jenn Bennett when I picked up Alex, Approximately and I was so surprised by how much I loved it.

OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!):

JOSH AND HAZEL 😭😭

Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year:

The Grant siblings in Save the Date!

Favorite book you read in 2018 from an author you’ve read previously:

R.S. Grey, queen of steamy romantic comedies, wrote a number of my favorite books of 2018. I think my favorite this year was Not So Nice Guy.

Best book you read in 2018 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure/bookstagram/etc:

It’s so hard to choose because I’ve read a lot of great books based on someone’s recommendation (or just peer pressure) this year. One book that I definitely would not have read (or, I guess, re-read) without being asked was The Catcher in the Rye. This was a buddy re-read with Daniel and I loved it so much more the second time around.

Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018:

I think my one and only fictional crush from 2018 would have to be Michael Phan from The Kiss Quotient.

Best 2018 debut you read:

Love Scene, Take Two was an easy five stars for me. I loved it so much!

Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year:

Hands down, The Name of the Wind.

Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read:

Emergency Contact just made me feel warm and fuzzy and happy.

Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2018:

It’s really, really rare for a book to make me cry, but Love and Other Words had tears streaming down my face.

Hidden gem of the year:

Since I’m trying not to repeat books, I’m going to go with Frat Girl! I loved this book and somehow it only has 557 ratings on Goodreads!

Book that crushed your soul:

I’m still not over the way that Saga, Vol. 7 ended.

Most unique book you read in 2018:

I think that honor would have to go to The King of FU.

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

Fire and Fury made me mad, both because of the subject matter and the fact that it could have been so much better.

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

New favorite book blog/bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2018:

Everybody already knows that my favorite book blog of 2018 is Page to Page, run by my favorite person, Daniel.

Favorite post you wrote in 2018:

I’m a big fan of:

• Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite book bloggers
• Let’s Talk About: My spam problem
• Book review: Troll by Emma Clark

That’s more than one, sorry.

Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2018:

Please enjoy this photo of me reading The Name of the Wind with my cat.

Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, etc):

Definitely BookCon!

Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2018:

I would say that the best moment of my blogging life this year was hitting 1,000 followers.

Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year:

I had a number of reading slumps where I couldn’t even look at a book. You’d never know it looking at my stats, but there were weeks where I’d read 8 or 10 books and then weeks where I’d read basically nothing.

Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views):

My most popular post of 2018 was Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite book bloggers. I’m so happy that it’s my most popular post and it always makes me smile when it gets another like or comment.

Post you wished got a little more love:

Honestly, my posts this year have gotten more love than I’d ever expected, but let’s see… I wish some of my earlier posts in 2018 would have gotten more love.

• Book review: The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss
• Top Ten Tuesday: Books that surprised me
• ARC review + giveaway: I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting

Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc):

I think my happiest discovery is my library’s used bookstore and a used bookstore about twenty minutes away from my house. Also a disaster since I don’t really need to be buying any more books, but at least I’m not paying full price anymore?

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

I did! I set several goals for myself in 2018 and I actually met all of them!

• Debut Author Challenge: I wanted to read 12 debuts and ended up reading 15!
• #killingthetbr: I wanted to read at least three books per month that had been on my TBR for more than three months, and I did! (December was a little iffy, but I bent the rules a little bit to allow for reading unowned books that had been on my TBR for more than three months.)
• 100 Book Challenge: Having read well over 200 books in 2018, I’d say this one was a success.
• Monthly Motif: I read at least one book each month fitting the theme.
• Read the Rainbow: I had read the rainbow so many times by the middle of the year that I stopped keeping track.

Looking Ahead

One book you didn’t get to in 2018 but will be your number 1 priority in 2019:

My Plain Jane! I can’t believe I haven’t read this one yet!!

Book you are most anticipating for 2019 (non-debut):

By far, Serious Moonlight is my most anticipated. I would do just about anything to get my hands on this book.

2019 debut you are most anticipating:

After having a cup of coffee and nice conversation with the author, I have to say that the debut I’m most anticipating is The Story That Cannot Be Told by J. Kasper Kramer.

Series ending/sequel you are most anticipating in 2019:

Without a doubt, Darkdawn.

One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2019:

I have a whole post with my 2019 goals coming up, but basically, I have a few reading challenges that I want to complete and I want to do more collaborations with other bloggers.

A 2019 release you’ve already read and recommend to everyone (if applicable):

I’ve read one book so far that releases in 2019 and it was amazing. I would definitely recommend You’d Be Mine.

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Have you done this end of year survey? Feel free to leave your link and the comments and I’ll check out your post! Do we have any of the same answers for these questions? Anything you disagree with me on? Let’s talk in the comments!

2018 in Review!

2018 has been a crazy year, both on my blog and in my real life. I think I’m actually done with oversharing for now, but I thought it would be fun to do a wrap-up and show my favorite books, top posts, and big events during each month of 2018. I’ll be sharing some more posts talking about my favorite and least favorite books from this year as well as my goals for next year, but for now, without further ado, here is 2018 in review.

Favorite book: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates [my review]
Pages read: 5,084 over 20 books
Average rating: 3.2 stars
Bookish happenings: I just about died in January when I was checking Melissa Chambers’ website to see if she was publishing anything new and found that she’d shared my review of Falling for Forever right there in the middle of the page! It’s been my dream for as long as I’ve been reviewing books to be featured in some kind of promotional materials, and it actually happened. I’m fangirling right now just thinking about it, and this was almost a whole year ago!

Favorite book: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett [my review]
Pages read: 4,950 over 16 books books
Average rating: 3.53 stars
Bookish happenings: Back in February, I won the cutest package from Danielle Ellison! I loved her book, The Sweetheart Sham, and winning a box of stuff from her was such a great surprise! It remains the only Twitter giveaway I’ve ever won and I still have my morning coffee in my PB&J mug sometimes. 

Favorite book: Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett [my review]
Pages read: 5,575 over 17 books
Average rating: 3.82 stars
Top post: my review of Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
Bookish happenings: March was the month that everything started to change! The biggest thing that happened in March was me getting snowed in, getting bored, researching different platforms, and moving my blog to WordPress! Best decision I’ve ever made.

Favorite book: the whole Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater [my reviews: The Raven Boys | The Dream Thieves | Blue Lily, Lily Blue | The Raven King]
Pages read: 6,917 over 21 books
Average rating: 3.62 stars
Top post: Top Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start
Bookish happenings: One month into my time on WordPress, I hit 100 followers. It took me years to get to 100 followers on Tumblr, and I’m pretty sure at least a third of them were porn bots.

Favorite book: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang [my review]
Pages read: 5,243 over 18 books
Average rating: 3.44 stars
Top post: ARCs: A Beginner’s Guide
Bookish happenings: I actually got ARCs of two of my most anticipated books of 2018! First was The Kiss Quotient and second was The Brightsiders. I ended up loving both books so much!

Favorite book: Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi [my review]
Pages read: 5,663 over 18 books
Average rating: 3.61 stars
Top post: Let’s Talk About: BookCon!
Bookish happenings: I went to BookCon and my first author panel! I was also interviewed about my blog and reading habits on camera!

Favorite book: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Pages read: 5,583 over 20.5 books
Average rating: 3.4 stars
Top post: Giveaway because you’re all the best!
Bookish happenings: July was a month of buddy reads! Leslie and I did buddy reads of both Nevernight and Godsgrave and then Daniel and I did a buddy re-read of The Catcher in the Rye!

Favorite book: Not So Nice Guy by R.S. Grey
Pages read: 5,434 over 19.5 books
Average rating: 2.75 stars
Top post: Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite book bloggers!
Bookish happenings: I did a whole post about my favorite book bloggers! It is, to this day, still one of my favorite things that I’ve written.

Favorite book: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Pages read: 4,725 over 14 books (+ a DNF)
Average rating: 3.29 stars
Top post: Let’s Talk About: Planning out my (blogging) life
Bookish happenings: I shared two of the most popular posts I’ve ever written: a discussion about my spam problem and a discussion about how I plan out my blog posts! I also somehow hit 1,000 followers and celebrated by talking about myself for the millionth time.

Favorite book: What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Pages read: 4,982 over 15 books
Average rating: 3.07 stars
Top post: Top Ten Tuesday: Longest books I’ve ever read
Bookish happenings: I reviewed the worst book I’ve ever read by sharing all 170 thoughts I had while reading it.

Favorite book: Saga, Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan
Pages read: 5,119 over 24 books
Average rating: 3.79 stars
Top post: Tag: 25 Bookish Facts About Me
Bookish happenings: I fell into a pretty huge reading slump in November and really struggled to focus on anything that wasn’t a graphic novel. That said, I did read some really great graphic novels, including Saga and Fence!

Favorite book: Becoming by Michelle Obama
Pages read: 1,082 over 5 books (but the month’s not over yet)
Average rating: 4.2 stars (but the month’s not over yet)
Top post: Tag: End of the Year Book Tag 2018
Bookish happenings: I went to the biggest used bookstore of my life and was basically in heaven. Also, I hardly read anything.

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What happened in your life in 2018? Any really standout books? Do you want to share some of your top posts? Let’s talk in the comments!

Book tag: 2017 in review

This book tag was created by A Booktube Book.  I found it over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Recently, I’ve been getting more into book tags. I have a whole ton of them bookmarked that I want to do at some point, but this one felt timely and appropriate for the first half of January.

1. First Ever Female Doctor Who: Favorite Female Protagonist

I loved both Dani from The Big F and Jane from My Lady Jane.  There were so many great female protagonists in 2017, though! It was hard to choose!

2. GCC Cuts Ties with Qatar: An Author You Cut Ties With

I don’t want to name names, but I cut ties with an author that I really loved who had the audacity to go on Twitter and complain about a (positive) review that I wrote for her latest book. She claimed that I gave away “the whole plot” when I didn’t even write about anything that wasn’t in the plot summary. I’ve loved her books, but I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life. I won’t be reading anything else that she writes.

3. La La Land Oscar Mix-Up: A Book That Surprised You

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green surprised me in a good way. It had been while since he released a new book and I was really hoping that I’d still love his writing – and I did.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven surprised me in a bad way. Honestly, I think I’ve talked this to death, but I thought that the way she handled the mental health issues in her book was incredibly irresponsible.

4. Hurricanes and Earthquakes: A Book That Rocked Your World

 

 

A lot of books rocked my world in 2017! I had more four- and five-star reads than ever before. The Hating Game, The Hate U Give, and Anything You Can Do top the list of my favorites.

5. Louvre Abu Dhabi: Favorite Book Cover Art

 

2017 had some great cover art. I mean, just check out my all reviews page! Three favorites, though, would have to be A Million Junes by Emily Henry, Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, and Infini by Krista & Becca Ritchie.

6. Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi Sells for $450M: A Take-My-Money Book

Every year, the answer is the same. I should probably just set up a direct transfer from my bank account to Krista & Becca Ritchie’s. I tried not to repeat books here, but I adored Infini’s cover and I preordered it, so… Anyway. Damaged Like Us and Lovers Like Us are obviously also on this list.

7. Total Eclipse: A Sequel That Overshadows the First Book

I don’t think any of my 2017 reads really qualify! I found most sequels kind of disappointing if I’m perfectly honest.

8. Muslim Ban: Favorite Diverse Book

 

27 Hours features an almost entirely LGBT+ cast of varying ethnicities (I think I gave it four stars) and The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is about a young, bisexual British man and his biracial best friend/crush traveling around Europe (I gave it four stars as well).

9. Italy Doesn’t Qualify for World Cup: Most Disappointing Book

 

I saw a lot of people raving about Next August by Kelly Moore, but I couldn’t even make it through the first half. It was my one true DNF of the year (I don’t count Norwegian Wood since I just got bored and put it down).

10. Prince Harry Engaged: Favorite Ship

I loved Joshua and Lucy from The Hating Game!  (Sorry for repeating books again, but they stand out in my mind as the best couple of the year.)

11. Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Most Anticipated Book

I’m not really sure what this question is getting at, so I have multiple answers for you.

• My most anticipated of 2017 that I actually read in 2017 was A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab.
• The book I most anticipated in 2017 that doesn’t come out until 2018 is My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.
• And as a bonus, the book I was most anticipating for 2017 that I didn’t actually read is One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus.

What do you think? Would your answers be different? Did you do this book tag? Let me know!

2017 End-Of-Year Book Survey

Way back in 2015, I did Perpetual Page Turner’s end-of-year book survey.  I could have sworn I also did it last year, but I guess I didn’t!  Here are this year’s answers.  I’d love to know your thoughts as well.  Feel free to shoot me a message!

Number of books you read: 140!
Number of re-reads: 1
Genre you read the most from: romance

1. Best book you read in 2017?  Hands down, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn’t? The Fortunate Ones by R.S. Grey.
3. Most surprising (in a good or bad way) book you read? Maybe Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman?  I thought it was going to be a cutesy book about a romance between neighbors but it really just ends up being about a guy cheating on his girlfriend.
4. Book you pushed the most people to read? I don’t think I’ve really pushed a lot of books this year, but I do incessantly recommend anything by Krista & Becca Ritchie.
5. Best series you started in 2017? I mostly read standalones this year, but I could definitely go with Krista & Becca Ritchie’s new Like Us series.
6. Best sequel of 2017? Again with the Ritchies… Infini for sure.
7. Best series ender of 2017? Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab.
8. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017? R.S. Grey.
9. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read? Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur.
10. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? I don’t read a lot of books that fit that description, but I did have a hard time putting S.D. Grimm’s Summoner down, so we’ll go with that.
11. Book you read in 2017 that you’re most likely to re-read next year? I don’t do re-reads unless required.
12. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017? A Million Junes by Emily Henry.
13. Most memorable character of 2017? Farrow Keene from the Like Us series.
14. Most beautifully written book read in 2017? I know it’s a really polarizing book, but I loved E. Lockhart’s writing in We Were Liars.
15. Most thought-provoking or life-changing book of 2017? Hmm, what a question. Maybe We Should All Be Feminists?
16. Book you can’t believe you waited until 2017 to finally read? I read a lot of 2017 and 2018 releases and not a lot of older books, but I could probably go with either Brown Girl Dreaming or Everything, Everything.
17. Favorite passage or quote from a book you read in 2017? This is not a deep or thought-provoking passage, but I loved this line in My Lady Jane since it was such a funny Monty Python reference:
“Who are you calling beef-witted?” she laughed at him. “Your mother was a hamster, and your father stank of elderberries!”
18. Shortest and longest books of 2017? According to Goodreads, my shorted was To Cast a Cliche by Aubrey Wynne (15 pages) and my longest was Second Chance Seal by BB Hamel (712 pages).  There’s no way that book was 712 pages, though, so I’m going with A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab (624 pages).
19. Book that shocked you the most (plot twist, character death, etc)? All the Bright Places.  See below.
20. OTP OF THE YEAR – I will go down with this ship: Luka Kotova and Baylee Wright in Infini. Give me all of the pining from afar.
21. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year? The Hale/Meadows/Cobalt siblings in the Like Us series!
22. Favorite book you read in 2017 from an author you’ve read previously? I’m so sorry but I have to do Infini again.
23. Best book you read in 2017 that you chose solely based on a recommendation from someone else or peer pressure? The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue by Mackenzi Lee.
24. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017? Davis Price from Arm Candy or Julian Lefray from The Allure of Julian Lefray.
25. Best 2017 debut? The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. It’s the best book I’ve read in years.
26. Best worldbuilding or most vivid setting you read this year? Maybe 27 Hours by Tristina Wright?  I didn’t read a lot of books this year that really needed a lot of worldbuilding.
27. Book that put a smile on your face or was the most fun to read? My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.
28. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2017? So I actually very rarely cry while reading, but a ton of books just decimated my heart this year.  The Fortunate Ones by R.S. Grey, A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab, and All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven immediately come to mind.
29. Hidden gem of the year? I’ll call this hidden because I haven’t brought it up a lot – Operation Prom Date by Cindi Madsen.
30. Book that crushed your soul? Ugh, definitely A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab. I’m still not over Holland and it’s been months!
31. Most unique book you read in 2017? Probably The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry. It’s not often that you find a YA novel set in Inquisition-era France that focuses on a young woman who hears the voice of God.
32. Book that made you the most mad? All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.  I think the author had good intentions, but the book was really irresponsible. I wrote a really detailed review if you’re interested.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017? I’ve been following the same handful of book blogs for years, but I did recently start following girlxoxo, which has been a lot of fun.
2. Favorite review you wrote in 2017? I’ve written 140 book reviews this year (possibly more, because I was a little delayed at reviewing book from the end of 2016) so this is a really hard question! I think my spoiler-filled, semi-ranty, essay-length review of A Conjuring of Light is probably my favorite. I got so emotional about that book. The thought of Holland still breaks my heart.  Here we go again…
3. Best discussion or non-review post that you had on your blog? According to my blog stats, it’s my top ten anticipated releases for the second half of 2017.
4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes)? I don’t do a lot of events because of social anxiety, but I’m trying! I joined Krista & Becca Ritchie’s Fizzle Force and try to participate in the events there.  I would love to go to a signing but I feel like I’d probably just clam up and forget how to speak.
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017? Alright, there are two. First was getting an ARC of Renegades by Marissa Meyer, which was totally unexpected and totally awesome. Second was that publishes and authors started reaching out and offering me ARCs this year, which was also totally unexpected and totally awesome.
6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? Definitely moving! It took up so much time and so much effort! I don’t think I read anything for at least a month.
7. Most popular post this year on your blog? My review of Renegades by Marissa Meyer!
8. Post you wish got a little more love? Probably Top Ten Tuesdays in general. I love doing these lists and I usually end up putting a lot of time and effort into them.  Sometimes they’re hits and sometimes they get literally zero attention.
9. Best bookish discovery (sites, stores, etc)? Probably booko, which compares prices between major retailers, and bookoutlet, which has huge discounts on popular titles.
10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? Yes! I completed my goal of reading 125 books, the 2017 Debut Author Challenge, and both Modern Mrs. Darcy reading challenges. I keep track of my challenges here if you’re interested.

1. One book you didn’t get to in 2017 that will be your #1 priority in 2018? Probably Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen, which I got in 2016 and planned to read in 2017. Hopefully, 2018 will be its year.
2. Book you’re most anticipating for 2018 (non-debut)? That’s a really hard question because I’m anticipating so many books, but probably My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.
3. 2018 debut you’re most anticipating? So far, You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon.
4. Series ending/sequel you’re most anticipating in 2018? The Lady’s Guide to Piracy & Petticoats by Mackenzi Lee.
5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2018? There are a few things I can say here.  First, I obviously want to meet my reading goals and finish my reading challenges.  Second, I want to maintain relationships with the publishers and publicists who have been so great about providing me with ARCs!  (I’d also like to hopefully build relationships with more publishers.)  Finally, I hope to be a bit more active in the bookish world outside of my blog.  I’ve had this blog for almost five years now and I think it’s well beyond the time that I should be getting out there and spreading the word.
6. A 2018 release you’ve already read and recommend to everyone? Unfortunately, I haven’t loved any of the 2018 releases I’ve read so far.  At least not enough to recommend to everyone. But there are a ton of them I’m looking forward to!