Number Of Books You Read: 128 (22 short of my goal)
Number of Re-Reads: 6
Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary
1. Best Book You Read In 2015?
No way I can answer that with one book, so here are five: SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo, I’LL MEET YOU THERE by Heather Demetrios, LAIR OF DREAMS by Libba Bray, SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by Becky Albertalli and OUT OF DARKNESS by Ashley Hope Perez.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
I have loved basically every Gayle Forman book, so I assumed I would feel the same way about I WAS HERE, but I appreciated it more than I loved it, if that makes any sense.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
Technically speaking, I guess GOLDEN SON by Pierce Brown really early in the year had some huge surprises I wasn’t expecting. In the sense that it was surprisingly good and easy to share with my husband son — THE MARTIAN (I rarely listen to mass-market sci-fi).
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
Because I loved it so much last year, I pushed I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson a lot and most people I know — even those who don’t regularly read YA — gave it a chance and then came back to tell me how much they loved it. Then in the last couple months of the year I couldn’t stop talking about SIX OF CROWS.
5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?
BEST STARTERS: SIX OF CROWS, RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard, ILLUMINAE by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. BEST SEQUEL: GOLDEN SON. BEST ENDER: N/A … Somehow I didn’t read any series enders this year.
6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2015?
Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, Ashley Hope Perez, Brenna Yovanoff, Anna-Marie McLemore
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read?
THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir, because I almost never read general science fiction. In YA, I don’t really stick to a comfort zone, but I rarely read creepy/horror/ghost books, so I’ll go with Brenna Yovanoff’s PAPER VALENTINE.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
GOLDEN SON was the definitely the most action-packed and unputdownable for me.
9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
I’m not a HUGE re-reader, but I will probably re-read THE RED QUEEN in January to read + review THE GLASS SWORD. Definitely SIX OF CROWS before CROOKED KINGDOM is released.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?
I think it’s really evocative and eerie.
11. Most memorable character of 2015?
So many, but I think I’ve never encountered an anti-hero protagonist quite as complex as Kaz Brekker from SIX OF CROWS. Even Adelina from THE YOUNG ELITES isn’t immediately as simultaneously charming and capable and ruthless and vulnerable.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
I think Libba Bray is one helluva writer, and LAIR OF DREAMS is beautifully written. THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS has some lovely lyrical writing, and I can’t stop raving about OUT OF DARKNESS and SIX OF CROWS.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?
I thought about WHAT WE SAW a LOT. I thought about what it means to be complicit and silent and whether I’d have had the guts to do what Kate did. It also made me rethink the musical GREASE, which I have to admit I love, but the messages are so, so bad. It’s an uncomfortable book with heavy, heavy themes, but it changed the way I thought about the whole boys will be boys bulls–t (not when it comes to sexual assault, obviously but in general) that is pervasive in society.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?
BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray. I’d owned it forever, and I had started it before… but I never finished it until this year.
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.[/pullquote]
16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?
SHORTEST: Not counting children’s and middle-grade books, since this is a YA-themed survey, I guess I’ll go with FLAT-OUT MATT by Jessica Park. It’s only 158 pages. LONGEST: LAIR OF DREAMS by Libba Bray. It’s 613 pages.
17. Book That Shocked You The Most
Several books I read this year had what a friend calls “WTF” twists, but I’m going to go with GOLDEN SON, because Pierce Brown figuratively killed his readers with that ENDING
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
So many but I’ll limit it to three: Kaz and Inej from SIX OF CROWS (I love Matthias and Nina too!); Darrow and Mustang from GOLDEN SON/the RED RISING trilogy and Skylar & Josh from I’LL MEET YOU THERE.
19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
I absolutely loved the developing friendship between Henry and Ling in LAIR OF DREAMS and the BFFs under duress between Samantha and Annamae in UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee. Also, Simon had awesome besties in SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA.
20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
I interpret this to mean NOT a sequel, so I’m going to go with I’LL MEET YOU THERE by Heather Demetrios and the TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE duology by Jenny Han.
21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
Again, I’LL MEET YOU THERE, because so many of my good friends read and loved it and gave it five stars on Goodreads and basically said I couldn’t be their friends if I didn’t read it.
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?
I didn’t have a ton this year. I tend to like the couples more than I crush on the boys (I’m getting old, y’all). Josh was fabulous in I’LL BE THERE; I really adored Cass (even more than I liked Gwen) in WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE by Huntley Fitzpatrick and my re-read favorites Josh Bennett from THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY, Finnikin from FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK, and Park Sheridan from ELEANOR & PARK.
23. Best 2015 debut you read?
SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by Becky Albertalli; THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS by Anna-Marie McLemore; MORE HAPPY THAN NOT by Adam Silvera; and MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES by Jasmine Warga.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
GOLDEN SON, because I’m so immersed in his world. I found Victoria Aveyard’s RED QUEEN world-building promising, and the space catastrophe, BSG-like world of ILLUMINAE was very vivid.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
I thought SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA was so sweet, and I loved reading it. It made me happy.
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?
OUT OF DARKNESS by Ashley Hope Perez. Very few people have read it, it seems, and that’s a shame. It’s a historical novel about a tragedy in 1937 Texas, and it involves a love story between a Mexican girl and an African-American girl… in the 1930s. I’m sure you can imagine all doesn’t end well. Definitely cried out loud.
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Ditto (OUT OF DARKNESS). It’s a beautiful book, and I wish more of my friends would read it. Other hidden gems: CONVICTION by Kelly Loy Gilbert and THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS by Anna-Marie McLemore.
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Again, OUT OF DARKNESS. Also, WHAT WE SAW by Aaron Hartzler and GOLDEN SON.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?
THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE by Patrick Ness, because I thought the idea of a story about the regular kids in a world where chosen ones and their sidekicks exist was clever and structurally HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford, because it’s not a romance, even though you expect it to be, and because some of the book’s best parts (and characters!) take place (are revealed) via a late-night local radio call-in show.
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
CUT BOTH WAYS by Carrie Mesrobian. I thought her first two books were compelling and well written, and I know there is a need for candid depictions of characters having and dealing with sex in YA (even if that’s not what I’m going to personally hand to my almost-14-year-old son). But… this book made me mad, and I thought it depicted bisexuality as basically nymphomania. I will definitely read her next book, but this one just made me mad.
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?
I am not really sure I “discovered” a new blog this year, just read more of the ones I already knew about!
2. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
The monthly YA Diversity Book Club I participate in with Lucy at The Reading Date & Kristan at We Heart YA
4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
On the Same Page’s Secret Sister and What Sarah Read’s Home For the Holidays
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?
I loved going to BEA in NYC and hanging out at the various blogger parties and author signings with good friends.
6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
My sister got a new job that has made co-blogging difficult; we’ve not been able to sustain our Book of the Month reads with our contributors. We need new contributors!
7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
My most popular post is ALWAYS my 2003 Interview with Rainbow Rowell
As for this year’s offerings, it’s this #Percy Pack story about the 10th Anniversary of Percy Jackson
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
This year, the entire blog, but our YA Diversity Book Club Discussions like this one about THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS
9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
I love Society 6, particularly Evie Seo’s store!
10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
It hasn’t been a great year, so not really, but I did read more than 125 books, and I guess that’s not anything to sneeze at. Professionally, I also started reviewing books for Kirkus.
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
WINTER by Marissa Meyer
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?
Just see #4
3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
EVEN IF THE SKY FALLS by Mia Garcia — plus, I have it, so I’m excited to read it ASAP.
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?
THE RAVEN KING by Maggie Stiefvater, THE WINNER’S KISS by Marie Rutkoski, MORNING STAR by Pierce Brown and CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Barudgo
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?
1. Be more consistent with my posting schedule 2. Collaborate more with other bloggers
6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:
I’ve read several, but I haven’t been raving about anything yet.
What Do You Think?