Once again, I'm filling out an end-of-the-year book survey made by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner! The link leads you to her own list for this year.
Number Of Books You Read: 31
Number Of Books You Read: 31
Number of Re-Reads: 2
Genre You Read The Most From: Classics and contemporary (which is CRAZY because even though I enjoy contemporary I never seem to read much of it)
1. Best book you read In 2015?
Click here to see my list.
2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn’t?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
There are probably some diehard fans that hate me right now because these books get A LOT of love. But I just wasn't crazy about either of them. As I said in my review of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I just felt there were too many Underworld similarities for it to feel original, and I didn't even review Outlander because I knew that I wasn't about to say anything that hasn't already been said before by the few who disliked it.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph - I had to read this play for an acting class (don't ask) and I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be as fantastic as it was.
Fairest by Marissa Meyer - I didn't expect this to be so good since it's a prequel about the Lunar Chronicles villain, but holy crap. That whole family is crazy.
4. Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did)?
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork - well, no one has actually read it yet, but I bought it for my best friend for Christmas last year and this year I got a professor to put it higher up on her TBR (she can use it for a class).
5. Best series you started in 2015? Best sequel of 2015? Best series ender of 2015?
Best series started: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Best sequel: I'm going to cheat and use the prequel Fairest by Marissa Meyer
Best series ender: Redeemed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?
Virginia Woolf, hands down. (Obviously she's not new to the world, but she's new to me.)
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph. I don't usually read plays, but this was really good.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Either Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas or Redeemed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. Also, I read Fairest by Marissa Meyer in a day - talk about some insane characters with major issues.
9. Book you read In 2015 that you are most likely to re-read next year?
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. It was perfect, and I could relate to it in ways I've never been able to relate to a book before.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - a gorgeous piece of art depicting a badass character!
11. Most memorable character of 2015?
Antoinetta - Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Celaena - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Lily and Mrs. Ramsay - To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Looking For Alaska by John Green
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2015?
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee certainly sparked some discussions.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?
Looking for Alaska by John Green and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read In 2015?
"Thomas Edison's last words were 'it's very beautiful over there.' I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful." - John Green, Looking for Alaska
"It would be hung in the attics...It would be destroyed. But what did that matter?" - Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse (to provide some context, "it" is a painting)
"I have had my vision." - Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse
16.Shortest & longest book you read in 2015?
Shortest - Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph
Longest - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
17. Book that shocked you the most
(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)
Fairest by Marissa Meyer - THAT WHOLE FAMILY IS BATSHIT CRAZY
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - THE ENDING
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee - OH MY GOSH ATTICUS WHY?
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)
Mr. Weston and Agnes - Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (the Bronte sisters do romance better than anyone!)
Doug and Kayleen - Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph
19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year:
Jim and Huck - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
20. Favorite book you read in 2015 from an author you’ve read previously:
Looking for Alaska by John Green
21. Best book you read in 2015 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure:
The only book I read based solely on a recommendation this year was The Awakening by Kate Chopin. One of my favorite teachers said it was one of her favorites and I've loved her previous recommendations, but I was a bit lukewarm on this one. Definitely an important book from an important author though.
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?
I'm not sure if I have one, but I though Doug from Gruesome Playground Injuries was a sweetheart albeit reckless.
23. Best 2015 debut you read?
As usual, I didn't get to a debut.
24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year?
Nothing's jumping out at me too much (because I haven't read as much sci-fi and fantasy this year) but I could visualize the castle in Throne of Glass really well.
25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read?
Redeemed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.
26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2015?
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (THAT FREAKING ENDING OH MY GOSH) and Looking for Alaska by John Green
27. Hidden gem of the year?
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph
28. Book that crushed your soul?
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
29. Most unique book you read in 2015?
The Rover by Aphra Behn. This play is really... Well, I don't even know. I've certainly never read anything quite like it. It was written in the 1600s and highlights how women were looked upon in that time, and it's rather alarming. But it's also unique because women generally weren't writing in this time period; Aphra Behn was the first woman to write professionally. In A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf says “All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.”
Also, Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She took the epic form and made a relatable story with her interesting style. Mrs. Browning also gets props.
30. Book that made you the most mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, because there were just too many Underworld: Rise of the Lycans similarities.
Book Blogging
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?
I'm having trouble with finding book blogs. There are so many out there but I've always been selective about who I follow. (Not the greatest karma, I know.)
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?
I don't really have a favorite review... but, I suppose I was most excited about writing my review of the album Visions by Grimes.
3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
Let's face it, they weren't that memorable.
4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
The only meme I participate in is Top Ten Tuesday.
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?
I honestly don't know if there was a single moment. It was a solid year all-around.
6. Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
My review of Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Nightwish.
7. Post you wished got a little more love?
For the second half of this year, I think it would be more appropriate to say I wish the blog in general got a little more love. (Pageviews took a nosedive.)
8. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
Hmm... I don't think I have one this year. Although I will say that I was finally able to find three books I wanted for the buy two, get one free deal they have at Barnes and Nobel.
9. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I always want to read at least 24 books each year, so I surpassed that.
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