2015 in Reading and Blogging: an End of Year Survey

Thanks to The Perpetual Page Turner for this end-of-2015 survey!  It’s long, so I’ve cut out some of the questions (in case you’re confused by the numbering).

Number of Books Read: 80 (reviewed: 64)
Genre You Read The Most: contemporary or near-contemporary fiction. The rest of my reading is pretty spread out across fantasy, historical fiction, and science fiction.

Best in Books

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

Always hard to pick one, but Everything I Never Told You. This book is thought-provoking and beautiful and sad, and is, amazingly, Celeste Ng’s first novel.

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

How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran, because I LOVED How to Be a Woman. I was also disappointed by The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende and The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer.

3. Most surprising book?

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. This was such a strange, complicated book and it went in directions I didn’t expect.

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

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. I’m sure this book isn’t for everyone, but it has touched so many people, and I find myself talking about Lawson all the time.

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?

Best series starter: The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher. I’m also really enjoying Rachel Aaron’s Nice Dragons series.  Two other good sequels were The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon and Firefight by Brandon Sanderson.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

Chimamanda Ngozi Idichie, who wrote Americanah. I can’t wait to read more by this author. Also Belinda Bauer. See this list for others.

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

Redeployment by Phil Klay, which is about military service in Iraq and Afghanistan. A really powerful book that we should all read.  I also recommend Cristina Henriquez’ The Book of Unknown Americans, for a view of what life in America is like for immigrants. 

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

I read two books by Belinda Bauer, Rubbernecker and The Shut Eye. Both were books I wanted to read in one sitting, which is rare for me (I like to stretch books out).

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

Constance Kopp in Girl Waits with Gun. Also Nao in A Tale for the Time Being.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

 Everything I Never Told You

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

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Us by David Nicholls and Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

Everything I Never Told You is a debut novel although it actually came out last year. Two first novels I really liked this year were Girl at War by Sara Novic and The Constable’s Tale by Donald Smith.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

1. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

I’m a big fan of Rebecca Burns, an author you probably haven’t heard of.  The Settling Earth is a book of related short stories that describe the experience of settlers in 1800’s New Zealand. 

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed, a book of essays by writers about why they chose not to have children. I wish everyone would read this book.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

The Humans by Matt Haig, which I found maddening because the story made sense and also because it got really preachy.

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?

Two recent favorites are The Readers Room and Booker Talk.  Both are smart, interesting blogs that focus more on literary fiction.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?

Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed and Furiously Happy, because I connected so personally with those two books. I also really enjoy reviewing classics (the lit major in me) so The House of Mirth is another one I’m proud of.

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

I really liked this post about the things we don’t say on our blogs.

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

My favorite was R.I.P. X, a Halloween event. I also really enjoyed the Book Blogger Discussion Challenge.

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

This isn’t very exciting but I really got organized this year.  I plan most of my posts each month, and I put reminders on my calendar each month to do things like post Goodreads reviews, respond to review requests, and update my Review Directory.  There’s so much more to book blogging than just reading and reviewing.

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

A couple of times this year I felt overwhelmed by reading commitments. I think I was pushing myself too hard to complete challenges and read review requests, instead of just reading for enjoyment. I had to take a step back and read something just for fun.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Still my review of The Kitchen House, which I don’t get.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I wish book reviews got more love in general! I’d also love to see more signups for my book giveaway.

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

Overdrive, which provides ebooks from my library — although I think it’s really last year’s discovery. This year I’m super-happy with the family-share feature on the Kindle, so my husband and I can share books.

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

See my challenge wrap-up here.

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?

Where should I start? I didn’t read many of the “best of 2015” books.  I need to finish The Turner House.  I’ve also got Fates and Furies, A God in Ruins, The Shore, and City on Fire on hold at the library.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?

I really want to learn to create my own graphics, at least relatively simple ones. I’m getting tired of just copying clip art from the web.  I’m also working on using Twitter more effectively.

6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

The Shut Eye by Belinda Bauer.  I don’t read a lot of modern thriller/mysteries but I love her writing.