I have done this survey the past few years (courtesy of Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner) and have been looking forward to doing it again! I love reflecting on what I’ve read this past year, and it helps me turn my brain toward the new year and the books I want to read.
Note: As Jamie mentions, this is for books I read in 2015, regardless of when they were published.
I didn’t answer all of the survey’s questions. I’ve deleted the ones I didn’t answer (and then didn’t change the question numbers) but you can see the full survey on Jamie’s blog!
(I have already written about favourite reads of 2015 – you can check that post out here!)
2015 Reading Stats:
Number Of Books You Read:
At the time of writing this, I’ve read 106 books this year (although that doesn’t include re-reads). Not my best year in terms of the number of books read, but not my worst either.
Number of Re-Reads:
Just one, as far as I can recall. I re-read The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle for one of my book clubs this year! That’s one of my favourite books.
Genre You Read The Most From:
Just glancing at the list of books read this year, I’m going to say I read the most from supernatural/paranormal fiction (mostly YA, I think).
Best In Books:
1. Best Book You Read In 2015?
I’m going to try and just pick one book for this question! It’s really difficult to choose, but I’m going to say Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo!
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didnβt?
Rook by Sharon Cameron. I thought the book would be the kind of book I’d fall in love with, but sadly, I had mixed feelings about the book.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? Β
I’m going to say The Summer I Became a Nerd, by Leah Rae Miller, which was surprising in a good way. It was such a fun read!
4. Book You βPushedβ The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
Hmm. I don’t feel like I did much of that with any of the books that I read this year, but I think All the Rage by Courtney Summers is the one I recommended the most.
5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?
Series: Six of Crows (although I also considered Marie Lu’s The Young Elites and Victoria Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic)! I am so so so excited for the next book in this series!
Sequel: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han!
Series Ender: The Nightmare Charade by Mindee Arnett. This was such a fun series!
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?
Courtney Alameda. Her book Shutter was so great! A very ‘me’ book.
And Gwenda Bond. Her Lois Lane: Fallout is such an excellent book!
7.Β Best book from a genre you donβt typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
I rarely read non-fiction, but I loved Margee Kerr’s Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I read it in a single sitting, staying up very late to do so (quite rare for this early bird!).
9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
I don’t seem to be much of a re-reader, but I’d love to revisit Lauren Oliver’s Vanishing Girls.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?
A Darker Shade of Magic. Such a gorgeous cover!
11. Most memorable character of 2015?
Kell and Lila (A Darker Shade of Magic).
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
Six of Crows! I just adore Leigh Bardugo’s writing.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?
Bad Feminist, by Roxane Gay, and All the Rage. BothΒ books had me stopping to really think about and reflect on what I’d read.
14. Book you canβt believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?Β
Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls, by Katherine Larsen and Lynn Zubernis, because it’s about my favourite show and has been out since 2013!
Also, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke. I remembered hearing a lot about it when it came out, and then when I finally read it, I loved it!
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?
I never write down or flag quotes! I like the idea of it but never end up doing it.
16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?
(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.)
Both of these were graphic novels this year!
Shortest: Deadly Class #1, at 32 pages.
Longest: The Walking Dead Compendium 3, at 1,088 pages.
Β 17. Book That Shocked You The Most
(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)
Vanishing Girls! I was truly shocked/surprised, which rarely happens!
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
(OTP = one true pairing if you arenβt familiar)
I have two! Lara Jean and Peter K. from Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You, and Nina and Matthias from Six of Crows!
19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
I love the relationship between Abigail and Jackaby (I read The Beastly Bones by William Ritter, the second book in this series, this year).
20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author Youβve Read Previously
Six of Crows again!
21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes!
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Best worldbuilding would have to be A Darker Shade of Magic.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?
Me Before You.
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Every Breath, by Ellie Marney, was a hidden gem for me this year! But I never ended up reviewing it, sadly. I did really enjoy it, and have the sequel high up on my 2016 TBR.
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Vanishing Girls again!
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?
I really liked the way I Am Princess X, by Cherie Priest, incorporated comic panels into the story. I loved this book!
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesnβt necessarily mean you didnβt like it)?
Probably Me Before You (but I definitely liked the book!).
Your Blogging/Bookish Life:
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?
Jess’s My Reading Dress.
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?
I’ve really enjoyed my two book clubs this year! Even if I haven’t read the book, it’s so nice to be surrounded by fellow book lovers that I can just chat with.
6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
I moved and changed jobs in the fall, pretty much at the same time, and it took a huge toll on my reading life. I was so busy and frazzled and tired from it all that I didn’t read (or blog) nearly as much as I usually do. I still haven’t felt like I’ve gotten out of that slump.
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
I say it every year – I wish all of my reviews got some more love! But I also wish my Supernatural Rewatch posts got more love.
9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
The Magicbookmarks shop on Etsy! I got the cutest Supernatural bookmarks, and there are a bunch of super cute bookish bookmarks.
10.Β Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Probably not, other than my Goodreads challenge. I know I wanted to try and read more books from my bookshelves, and that I wanted to be choosier about the ARCs I accepted/read. I think I did okay with both of those goals, but there’s room for improvement in 2016.
Looking Ahead:
1. One Book You Didnβt Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas! I love this series so much and I was so looking forward to reading the newest installment, but I had a bit of a reading slump in the fall/winter and I didn’t want to try and read this book when I was feeling a bit slumpy.
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?
I’m going to say Front Lines by Michael Grant. I am super excited to have an ARC and want to make this one of my next reads!
Also – The Merciless II by Danielle Vega! I was super pleasantly surprised to learn that this sequel was coming, and now I can’t wait to read it!
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. The Raven Cycle is my favourite series right now, and I can’t wait to find out how the series ends (but I’m also sad about the end of such a wonderful series).
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?
I hope to read more books than I did this year! I read way more in 2014 (142 books) than I did in 2015 (106 books), and I would like to hit a number somewhere in between for 2016.
6. A 2016 Release Youβve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone
Hmm. I have only read a couple of 2016 releases so far, so I’d have to say Emily Hainsworth’s Take the Fall. Read it when it comes out in February!
That’s it! On to 2016! I’ve enjoyed reading other bloggers’ surveys, and now I’m really looking forward to the books I want to read next year!
