2015 End-of-Year Survey

2015 End-of-the-Year Book Survey Results

Hosted at Perpetual Page Turner

Stats:

• Number of Books Read: 111 so far, it is likely I'll finish two more before year's end.
• Number of Re-Reads: 5
• Genre You Read the Most: YA
• My 2015 list of books read (hyperlinked)

Reading Survey:

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (reread)

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

• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 

• Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick...was quite different compared to the movie and I actually liked it less than the movie, which never happens. 

 4. Book You “Pushed” the Most People to Read (And They Did)?

•  The Martian by Andy Weir...I told everyone to read this book and just about everyone did.

5. Best series you started in 2015? The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

Best Sequel of 2015? Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, and 3rd book in the Raven Cycle series.

Best Series Ender of 2015? The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett, the fifth and final book in the Tiffany Aching series, a sub-series of the Discworld series.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

•  Anthony Doerr, author of my favorite book this year. 

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

•  I am a very eclectic reader, but I don't often read Science fiction, so The Martian was a double delight.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

•  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I lived and breathed this book for a week.

9. Book You Read In 2015 Which You Are Most Likely To Re-read Next Year?

•  I rarely reread books but I am most likely to reread the books I reread this year: To Kill a Mockingbird; The Whistling Season; The Little Prince; Shipping News; and The Giving Tree.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

•  The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

•  Isabelle in The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

•  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?

• What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey. I taught a Sunday School class using this book and curriculum and have been thinking about it ever since.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? 

•  The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I loved this classic mystery written in the mid 1800s.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

• This really isn't my favorite, but I do think it is funny:
• “They come quietly—like a silent but deadly fart—and they get you before you can pinch your nose.” 
                                        ― Terry Pratchett, The Shepherd's Crown

16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2015?

• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. 612 pages, longest
• Strong is You Hold by Galway Kinnell (Poetry.) 69 pages, shortest

 17. Book Which Shocked You The Most

• Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. This book blew my mind. It really got me thinking about people and wondering if it is really possible for humans to save our world from destruction we brought on ourselves.

18. O.T.P. of the Year (Romantic pairing)

• Finn and Priscilla in The Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year

• Werner and Marie-Laure in All the Light You Cannot See.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 from an Author You’ve Read Previously

•  People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 Which Was Based SOLELY On a Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

•  None.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

•  Richard Gansey in the Raven Cycle series (Blue Lily, Lily Blue)

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

•  Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

24. Best World-building/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

• The Martian by Andy Weir. I could picture Mars and his whole operation there. 

25. Book Which Put a Smile on Your Face/Was the Most FUN to Read?

•  Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen

26. Book Which Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2015?

•  Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

27. Hidden Gem of the Year? There are several:

• The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten
• Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson
• The History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage

28. Book Which Crushed Your Soul? 

•  I am not sure if any book could crush my soul but I did find myself very tender about The Shepherd's Crown because I knew the author, Terry Pratchett has just died so this will be his last book and that made me very sad to think about.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

•  I Crawl Through It by A.S. King---surrealism! (Need I say more?)

30. Book Which Made You Angry (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

• Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer 

31. One Book You Didn’t Read In 2015 but Will Be a Top Priority in 2016?

• Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Eric Larson…I have checked it out three times in 2015 and not gotten to it yet. I really do want to read it.
• Winter by Marissa Meyer. I even went to launch party and I still haven’t read it.

Blogging survey:

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?

This is embarrassing to admit, but I am terrible about remembering site names of blogs I visit.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?

 All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

 A Literary Tribute to Sheri Story. Sheri died this year from breast cancer and this is my tribute to her and to her love reading.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

 The Pierce County Reads finale event with the author of The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?

I really appreciate it when I hear from readers who say they enjoyed a book I recommended on my blog.  That is the best.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

I have battled periods of apathy about writing my blog, especially the book reviews since it feels like I am just writing them for myself.

7. Most Popular Post This Year on Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? The Literary Tribute to Sheri Story

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Two reviews, two similar yet dissimilar books (The Game of Love and Death/Black Dove and White Raven)

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

UncommonGoods---Reading Gifts.

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

·         Goodreads goals—my goal of reading 100 books was met; I’ve read 111.

·         R.I.P. Challenge--- to read one horror book during October was met; I read three.

·        Austen in August Challenge---I read a book about the meaning behind Jane Austen’s words.

·         Classics Spin---I participated in two spins and finished both books, The Woman in White by Collins and Great Expectations by Dickens.

·        Read all the ALA Youth Media Award winners of 2015---I am one book short of accomplishing this challenge.

·         Read all the Printz Award winners of 2015 (award and honor books), done!

·        Books I Should Have Read in School…But Didn’t. My goal was to read three, I read four!

It was an odd year for reading. Most of my favorite books were nonfiction and many of my fiction selections were fairly forgettable. Come back later this week for a list of my favorite book club selections of the year and several other end-of-year lists.