Annual(?) end of the year survey 2015
I saw this survey at The Daily Prophecy and thought it would be nice to recap my year in reading.
2015 Reading Stats
Number of books you read: Today, the 21st of December, the counter is at 66. It is probably more then last year, I don’t know exactly, but I also did not really keep count. I will still finish a few books before the end of the year, so hopefully I make it to 70.
Number of re-reads: 19 books, which amazes me! Haha. I did not think I re-read that many.
Genre you read the most from: Fantasy and coming on second place is (to me a semi-sub divitions of Fantasy) Dystopian.
Best of Books
** Best book you read in 2015?** This is a hard one. I think the best is The Martian by Andy Weir. I still like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games very much. I think Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is also one in my top 5 and the His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers made it too.
Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn’t? The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith. I thought the tv-series went wrong when I did not liked it anymore, so I hoped the books would go one the path of what I liked of the tv-series, but it did not – sadface.
Most surprising (in a good way or a bad way) book you read? I think this honor goes to the His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers. I don’t even remember how I got to them, because I never heard of them before. But I really loved the world and the stories.
Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did)? I am not really a pusher. I recommend people books based on what I know they will like. But if I have to give titels, it would be His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers – again – and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
**Best series you started in 2015? Best sequel of 2015? Best series ender of 2015?
Best series started: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Best sequel: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Best series ender: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
Favorite new author you discovered in 2015? Andy Weir, but also Ernest Cline
Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? My comfort zone is pretty big, but I guess Confess by Colleen Hover works for this one. And I really did not like it! So, there you have it, the edge of my comfort zone!
Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? The Martian by Andy Weir and The Wrath of Fate by Robert Brown. They kept me curious about what would happen next.
Book you read in 2015 that you are most likely to re-read next year? I am planning to re-read the His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers.
Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015? Just in the genre simplicity that would be Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and in the genre beautiful it would be all the covers from the His Fiar Assassin books by Robin LaFevers – Yes, again!
Most memorable character of 2015? Melanie of The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. I liked her, even though she changed into this thing I did not recognise, but she is memorable.
Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2015? Oh man, this might not be a book anyone likes to read/listen to, but I think everyone should: Universally Preferable Behaviour: A Rational Proof of Secular Ethics by Stefan Molyneux. This book changed my life, my way of communicating with people and my way of thinking. I am so much happier since I listened to a few of Stefan’s books, but also lost friends because of it. So be warned!
Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? The whole Hitchhiker’s Guide series by Douglas Adams, they are so funny/witty and the movie completely presents the same humor.
Favorite Passage/Quote from a book you read in 2015?
“My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have; for both are infinite. —William Shakespeare”
**Shortest & longest book you read in 2015? According to ‘My year in books’ on Goodreads: The Runaway Queen by Cassandra Clare (shortest) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Fenix by J.K. Rowling (longest).
Book that shocked you the most? Even though I had been wondering about it, it came as a shock: The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey.
OTP (One True Pairing) of the year? I am not the person to answer this question, so I will not.
Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year? Ringer and Zombie in The 5th Wave and The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
Favorite book you read in 2015 from an author you’ve read previously? City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. How can I not like the third novel if I loved the earlier books?
Best book you read in 2015 that you read based solely on a recommendatio from somebody else/peer pressure? Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, not much more to say.
Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015? I am not really the person that would fall for fictional people. Meeting my boyfriend was hard enough!
Best 2015 debut you read? It was not really a debut, but The Martian by Andy Weir.
Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year? For this I really liked The Martian by Andy Weir, but I also like the world of His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers and The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare.
Book that put a smile on your face.was the most FUN to read? I am sorry to say, but AGAIN The Martian by Andy Weir.
Book that made you cry of nearly cry in 2015? I don’t cry from books, so I don’t have an answer to this one.
Hidden gem of the year? And AGAIN: His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers.
Book tha crushed your soul? Depends on how this question is ment. The Matched books by Ally Condie were a dissapointment for what I expected. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare made me really sad with the death of Max. Or the soap that is The Selection by Kiera Cass.
Most unique book you read in 2015 Hmm… Most unique…? Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder.
Book that made you the most mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? The invicable circle that is the House of Night series by P.C. & Kristin Cast.
Your Blogging/Bookish Life
New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015? The Daily Prophecy
Favorite review that you wrote in 2015? The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey and The Martian by Andy Weir
Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? I did the Creatures of the Night book tag by Katytasic.
Best event you participated in (author signings, festicals, citural events, memes, etc.)? I did non of these things last year. I talked to a few Dutch authors at Elfia in April but that was all.
Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015? The start of my blog! On the 5th of September I posted my first post
Most challenging thing about blogging or you reading life this year? Keeping up the reading AND the writing of posts, while being in the process of writing my own story for NaNoWriMo. Great fun!
Most popular post this year on your blog (wether it be by comments or views)? The Creatures of the Night book tag.
Post you wished got a little more love? The Wrath of Fate by Robert Brown. The book is self-published and he is a musican too. I love his work.
Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? The fact that bookstore Bek still excists. I used to go here a lot when I went to school and I just love their interiour, but I was afraid they would not survive the digital age, with all the accesability through the internet. It is a Dutch bookstore I have to say, but if you are in the area, please do visit them.
Did you complete any reading challenges of goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? Oh yes, for sure. I wanted to read one book each week. It is over two weeks until the end of the year and I have finished 66. Also when I started this blog I said I wanted to write one book review a week, which I did and added more posts too (book tags etc.)
###Looking Ahead
One book you didn’t get to in 2015 but will be your number 1 priority in 2016? The Thing Explainer by Randall Monroe, I did start on it, but I find it hard to read it through because it only uses the 1000 most used words!
Book you are most anticipating for 2016 (non-debut)? Defenitly Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare!
2016 Debut you are most anticipating? Hmm… Bookish Ever After by Isabel Bandeira.
Series ending/A sequel you are most anticipating in 2016? Will to Survive by Eric Walters. I have never read anything by this author, but the synopsis of The Rule of Three sounds amazing!
One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2016? I have somethings. The first one is getting more viewers and comments. The second one is maybe getting some ARCs. But on the other hand I also don’t want to be ‘bought’ to review a book…
A 2016 release you’ve already read & recommend to everyone? I am not in the luxary of getting ARCs.
Have a nice Christmas and a great start of the new year.
For now, let books enrich your life!