2018 End of the Year Book Survey

2018 End-of-the-year book survey

Stats:

• Number of Books Read: 150
• Number of Re-Reads: 9
• Genre You Read the Most: Junior/Young Adult Nonfiction

Reading Survey:

1. Best Books You Read In 2018?

• Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka (YA, Graphic memoir)
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Adult fiction)

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

• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

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

• Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders---the audiobook uses over 150 voices, it is amazing in this format.

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

•  Educated by Tara Westover

5. Best series you started in 2018? The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, Winternight Trilogy #1; Best Sequel Prequel of 2018?  Rebound by Kwame Alexander, prequel to The Crossover; Best Series Ender of 2018? Goldenhand by Garth Nix, Abhorsen #5

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?

•  Jon Meacham (The Soul of America: The Battle For Our Better Angels)

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

•  Sports books: Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

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

•  Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr's Assassin by James Swanson

9. Favorite Book Club Selection Based On the Discussion?

•  Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. Click the hyperlink for the questions I developed and my comments on why the discussion worked so well.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018?

•  The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman

11. Most memorable character of 2018?

•  Arthur Less in Less by Andrew Greer

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?

•  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (a re-read)

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?

• The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights From Super Soul Conversations by Oprah Winfrey (audiobook)

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read? 

•  True Grit by Charles Portis

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?

• "In our finest hours, though, the soul of the country manifests itself in an inclination to open our arms rather than to clench our fists;” 
  ― Jon Meacham, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels

16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2018?

• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, 531 pages, longest
• A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss 32 pages, shortest

17. Book Which Shocked You The Most

• What Happened by Hillary Clinton.  The amount of sexism that she experienced during the campaign:  Shocking.

18. Best Audiobook I Listened To in 2018

• Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

19. Favorite JH and SH Nonfiction Books I Read In My Role as a Cybils Judge

• Junior High Nonfiction: Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge
• Senior High Nonfiction: Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2018 from an Author You’ve Read Previously

•  Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (Previously read by the author: Lost City of Z. Both are nonfiction titles.)

21. Best Book You Read In 2018 Which Was Based SOLELY On a Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

•  Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018?

•  Raymond from Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Everyone needs and deserves a friend like him.

23. Best 2018 debut you read?

•  Children of Blood and Bone written by Tomi Adeyemi

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

• . Children of Blood and Bone written by Tomi Adeyemi, set in mythical Nigeria.

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

•  The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelli Barnhill

26. Book Which Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2018?

•  What Happened by Hillary Clinton

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

• Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by JD Vance
• The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
• The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix

28. Anything odd about this year's reading list? 

•  Yes, I re-read nine books, which I rarely do. 
• Also I read five political books, and have started two more which I hope to finish soon.
• I dnf (did not finish) 27 books. Most of them were Cybils nominated books and I read enough to evaluate them but didn't have time to read them all completely.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?

•  Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked Their World by Pénélope Bagieu

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

• Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff

31. One Book You Didn’t Read In 2018 but Will Be a Top Priority in 2019?

• Becoming by Michelle Obama...I've started the book but won't be able to finish it until next year.

Blogging survey:

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2018?

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

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2018?

•  Books on Civil Rights

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

•  Eulogy for my Father

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

 Judge for Cybils Award, Round 1 Junior High/Senior High Nonfiction 

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2018?

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)?

• Death of a Friend 

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

• Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
• Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

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?

• Nonfiction November--- I read or previewed 26 books
• Reading Pulitzer winners---
• Less by Andrew Greer, winner of the 2018 award for literature
• Reading Classics Club books---
• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
• Suite Francaise by Irene Nimerovsky
• Kindred by Octavia Butler
• True Grit by Charles Portis
• My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin