End of Year Survey: 2015 #MyYearInBooks

This popular end-of-year survey is hosted by Jamie at the Perpetual Page Turner. To join in, click the link to visit the original post.

2015survey1

Number Of Books Read: 66
Number of Re-Reads: 0!
Genre You Read The Most From: YA

2015survey2

Best Book You Read In 2015?
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
Erm either The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black, or The Lunar Chronicles!
Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?
Red Queen – Victoria Aveyard
The Kiss of Death – Marcus Sedgwick
Winter – Marissa meyer
Favourite new author you discovered in 2015?
Ahh so many…either Benjamin Alire Sáenz or Rosamund Lupton
Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Fearless by Devon Hartford
Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Red Queen
Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
The Darkest Part of the Forest/Ari & Dante/ Red Queen
Favourite cover of a book you read in 2015?
Most memorable character of 2015?
Ruby from The Quality of Silence
Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
The Darkest Part of the Forest
Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?
The Kiss of Death – Marcus Sedgwick. Published in 2008
Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?
“There are worst things in life than kissing boys” – Ari & Dante
Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?
Badjelly the Witch by Spike Milligan: 64 pgs
Winter by marissa Meyer: 824 pgs
Book That Shocked You The Most
The Quality of Silence
OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
Ari & Dante / Cinder & Kai
Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Hazel & Ben (Darkest part of the Forest) and Celaena & Rowan (Heir of Fire)
Favourite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Winter
Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
Uhm none really. Though, a lot of people recommended James Dawson (Cruel Summer), and Rebel Belle to me.
Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

Rowan (Heir of Fire), follwed closely by Prince Cal (Red Queen)
Best 2015 debut you read?
Red Queen
Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
The Darkest Part of the Forest
Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
Both Rebel belle (Rachel Hawkins) and Vengeance Road (Erin Bowman), were SO much fun!
Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?
Ari & Dante, The Darkest Part of the Forest, Golden Boy…too many!
Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell
Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Golden Boy
Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?
The Light That gets Lost by Natasha Carthew
Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
Red Queen!

2015survey3

New favourite book blog you discovered in 2015?
There were quite a few but My Tiny Obsessions was the first one that came to mind.
Favourite review that you wrote in 2015?
The Darkest Part of the Forest, I think.
Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
I was really rubbish at doing discussion posts this year – none spring to mind!
Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
I really enjoyed Horror October again this year.
Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?
I was really pleased to be invited to the Vulieo Blog Awards, and a bloggers picnic – although I couldn’t attend either due to work and sickness 😦 Nice to be invited though!
Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
Finding the time/motivation to keep going!
Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
Despite being published in August 2014, This is Endgame was also my most viewed post of 2015
Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
All guest posts!
Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
Oh, I dunno! I checked out Audible for the first time but I still haven’t subscribed.
Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?Uhm no, I pretty much failed…but that’s OK!

2015survey4

One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill
Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?
The Glass Sword (Red Queen #2)
2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
Save Me, Kurt Cobain by Jenny Manzer
Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?
The glass Sword!
One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?
Keep going!
A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone
n/a

Woah that was long, but fun! Feel free to leave the link to yours if you joined in.

2013: End of Year Survey

I know it’s pretty late to be posting this, but I really wanted to do a 2013 round-up and this one has been my favourite that’s been doing the rounds. Thanks to The Perpetual Pageturner for compiling this. You can click on the image above to visit them.

I’m only going to do the 2013 book section because I’m so behind on life right now.

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

On my TTT post I went for Graceling by Kristin Cashore as that’s the book I can’t stop thinking about and reaaaalllly want to read again. But it was so hard to choose. The best book I read that was actually published last year was probably Frost Hollow Hall by Emma Carroll or The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black – it’s a tie!

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

I’m torn between Poison by Sarah Pinborough and A Breath of Frost by Alyxander Harvey.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

I guess it has to be The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness just because I’d heard people talk about it a lot but it still took me so long to pick up, and when I did I wasn’t expecting it to be THAT Epic!

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Well I probably talked about The Selection by Kiera Cass the most, but not necessarily recommended it as such (and I first read it in 2012 so not sure it counts). I recommended Frost Hollow Hall and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown a lot.

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

The Graceling Trilogy by Kristin Cashore

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Sarah J. Maas

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

Hmm I didn’t really read one, which is bad. But I guess Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep was out of my comfort zone a little bit just because of the size of it.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Has to be The Knife Of Never Letting Go.

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Let’s face it, it’s going to be The Selection (and The Elite) before The One comes out in May.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

It has to be this one which I read before I started blogging. The picture doesn’t really do it justice, the whole book is so pretty.

11. Most memorable character in 2013?

This is soooo hard! Either Katsa from Graceling, or Celaena from Throne of Glass, ooooh or Manchee from The Knife of Never Letting Go. MANCHEEEEEEE!

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

It was nowhere near my favourite book of the year, but The Wolves of Midwinter by Anne Rice was written beautifully. As was Frost Hollow Hall.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?

Without a doubt The Knife of Never Letting Go.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read?

Same again!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

I read two books by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares) last year and they were both full of beautiful, perfect quotes. I think this was my favourite:

I mean, I don’t know how the world broke. And I don’t know if there’s a God who can help us fix it. But the fact that the world is broken – I absolutely believe that. Just look around us. Every minute – every single second – there are a million things you could be thinking about. A million things you could be worrying about. Our world – don’t you just feel we’re becoming more fragmented? I used to think that when I got older, the world would make so much more sense. But you know what? The older I get, the more confusing it is to me. The more complicated it is. Harder. You’d think we’d be getting better at it. But there’s just more and more chaos. The pieces – they’re everywhere. And nobody knows what to do about it. I find myself grasping, Nick. You know that feeling? That feeling when you just want the right thing to fall into the right place, not only because it’s right, but because it would mean that such a thing is still possible? I want to believe that.”
― Rachel Cohn, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Shortest = The Prince, The Fairy and The Fouly by John Fitzsimmonds at 105
Longest = The Host by Stephenie Meyer at 652 (reread) followed closely by Doctor Sleep

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Uhm SO MANY! But mainly The Knife of Never Letting Go and the ending of The Polaris Whisper by Kenneth Gregory!

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Katsa & Po in Graceling (for romance) and Tod and Manchee from The Knife of Never Letting Go for everything else! ‘Ow, Tod’

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously?

Probably Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, and coming in a close 2nd, Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else?

Has to be Graceling again. (Thanks Tanner)

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

YA Fantasy. I never really used to read a lot of fantasy so I’m surprised just how many of my books this fell into that. I don’t think I can stop now.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Just one??? I need two because I’m greedy – Gavriel from The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, and Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass. Fiiiit.

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

The Polaris Whisper by Kenneth Gregory

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman for sure.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Ooh this one is hard. Maybe Shooting Sean by Bateman because the Mystery Man books are just hilarious. Or The Elite by Kiera Cass, because I’m obsessed and can’t get enough, and the texts that my friend Di sent me whilst she was reading it were BRILLIANT!