The 2018 End of Year Book Survey: 5th Edition

Hey everyone!  I am participating in a book survey called the "2018 End of Year Book Survey," which is hosted by The Perpetual Page Turner and hopefully, I'll be involved in this survey every year!  

Number Of Books You Read:  38
Number of Re-Reads: 6
Genre You Read The Most From: Humor

1. Best Book You Read In 2018?

(If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2018 release vs. backlist)

Children's Book: This is a Taco! by Andrew Cangelose
Graphic Novel:  Saga Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan
Novel: TIE BETWEEN: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

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

I thought that I was going to enjoy reading Farty Princess by A.P. Gai since I had previously read a children's book called Walter the Farting Dog that I really enjoyed.  But, I was a bit disappointed with Farty Princess.

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

I was actually surprised that I enjoyed A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness since I wasn't sure what to expect from that book. The twists and turns in that book surprised me so much that I ended up falling in love with this book!

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

I pushed a lot of people to read Saga Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and most of them did!

 5. Best series you started in 2018? Best Sequel of 2018? Best Series Ender of 2018?

Best series started: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Best sequel: I Hate Fairyland Volume 3: Good Girl by Skottie Young
Best series ender: Haven't read any.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?

Two actually and they are Victoria Schwab and Patrick Ness! I just loved their books This Savage Song and A Monster Calls!

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

I rarely read Science Fiction, but The Martian by Andy Weir was my first novel that I read that dealt with the scientific side of space and I really enjoyed the witty dialogue from the main character!

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

When I started reading Immortal Flame by Jillian David, I never expected to stay up the whole night just to read the book!  The book was so full of action and drama that I had to read it overnight!

 9. Book You Read In 2018 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Definitely A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness!  I was actually planning on rereading that book soon!

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

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness!  Loved the creepy cover!

11. Most memorable character of 2018?

Mark Watney from The Martian!  The fact that he found a way to survive on Mars while cracking jokes the whole time made me fall in love with his character!

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab had such a lyrical prose in the writing that really made me fall in love with the musical aspect of this book!

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

Definitely A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness!  I loved the fact that this book tackled the subject of a parent contracting cancer and how this would affect their kids emotionally.

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

The Martian by Andy Weir. I actually had that book on my shelf since 2015 and I just got around to reading it!

 

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

This was a tough one, but I went with two quotes from two different books:

"I guess you could call it a "failure," but I prefer the term "learning experience." From "The Martian."

"You do not write your life with words...You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do." From "A Monster Calls."

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018?

How I did this: Went to my read books on Goodreads and sorted by page number and just looked for what I knew I read this year that was the shortest and longest.

Shortest Book:  Farty Princess by A.P. Gai (22 pages)
Longest Book:  This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (464 pages)

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

I was actually shocked at the twists that happened in This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab.  I didn't expect some characters to betray the main characters!

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

August and Kate from "This Savage Song" are just perfect for each other!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

I do love the relationship that Conor from A Monster Calls has with his mother.  It really shows how much Conor cares about his mother, even though she is suffering from cancer.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2018 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Saga Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan.  Ever since I first got into the "Saga" series years ago, I'm constantly reading all the "Saga" series from Brian K. Vaughan!

21. Best Book You Read In 2018 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.:

Definitely This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab!  Everyone has constantly been telling me that I need to read this book and I finally did and enjoyed it!

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

I'm in love with August from This Savage Song!  He is such a cute and shy monster that I just wanted to hug him every time he appears on the page!

23. Best 2018 debut you read?

This is a Taco! by Andrew Cangelose!  This is easily one of the most hilarious children's books I have ever read and one of the best recent books I've read!

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

I just loved the dangerous yet imaginative world of This Savage Song. Imagine living in a city where monsters roam the streets!

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Definitely This is a Taco! by Andrew Cangelose! It was such a fun book to read!

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018?

Definitely A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. The fact that it dealt with a parent having cancer while their child is trying to deal with the trauma of the news made me nearly tear up.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Farmer Goff and his Turkey Sam by Brian Schatell. This was a picture book that I remembered reading when I was so small.  But because I forgot the name of the book for so many years, I wasn't able to locate this book until just recently! I feel like this book was heavily underrated and should get more recognition!

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Definitely A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.  The ending was just so tragic.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?

Saga Volumes 7 and 8 by Brian K. Vaughan.  I am always amazed at the world that Brian K. Vaughan creates for his characters and they continue to amaze me to this very day!

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

There were times where I got mad with the main characters' parents in Hiznobyuti by Claude Ponti because they were outright abusive towards the main character and I usually don't like it when a character is mistreated by someone else.

1. New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2018?

I had recently discovered this awesome Bookstagrammer named Xenatine and her bookstagram account is just awesome!  I just loved the way that she takes book photos and I'm always excited to see what book photos she posts up next!

2. Favorite post you wrote in 2018?

Oh man, this was a tough one since I wrote a ton of awesome posts this year!  But some of my favorites this year were My Trip to Soda City Comic Con...AGAIN!!!, Becoming a writer…what do I need to do?, and 20 Books I Need to read in 2019! 

3. Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2018:?

Another tough one since I took a lot of awesome photos this year, but some of my favorites are: 

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

I didn't really attend any bookish events this year, but the closest thing to an event that I got to was going to the Soda City Comic Con this year, which I had a lot of fun at!

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

I actually won two book giveaways over at Instagram, which was my first time ever winning a giveaway!  I also became an influencer for the Instagram account Bookish Signs, which was also the first time I ever rep for anyone!

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

Trying to keep up with my blog posts.  I have been really busy this year and I barely had time to post any posts on my blog.  Also, unfortunately my reading took a nose dive this year since I wasn't able to read that many books this year due to not going to the library this year, making this my lowest reading year at this point.  Hopefully, 2019 will be a better year in reading for me.

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

My most popular post this year was the Top Ten Tuesday #60: Top 10 Books I Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn't Get To  by over 56 comments!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I wished that my post My Trip to Soda City Comic Con...AGAIN!!! got a bit more love since I wanted to share my experiences at a comic con.

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

I just recently discovered the website Etsy.  It's a great website to go to if you want to buy items from various shops and it was through this site that I was able to get some awesome bookish signs that I show constantly on my bookshelf!!

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

Unfortunately no.  I had set myself to read over 80 books this year, but I only managed to read up to 30 books this year.  I always seem to struggle with my reading goals each year and I'm hoping that 2019 will be a better reading year for me.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2018 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2019?

Definitely Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab.  After reading the first book, I was all set up to read the sequel, but I wasn't able to finish the book by the end of the year.  So, I'm definitely making it my priority to read Our Dark Duet as soon as possible!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2019 (non-debut)?

I actually have two books I'm waiting for and they are Finale by Stephanie Garber and Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt de la Pena!

3. 2019 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

I'm definitely looking forward to reading Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers since I loved her "Our Fair Assassins" series!

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2019?

The Wicked King by Holly Black. Even though I haven't read The Cruel Prince yet, I am interested in seeing how this story pans out!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2019?

I hope to finally complete my reading goals, no matter how big or small my goals are.

6. A 2019 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):

I had just read Book Love by Debbie Tung and it's definitely worth the read if you love reading books!!

The 2017 End of Year Book Survey: 4th Edition

Hey everyone!  I am participating in a new book survey called the "2017 End of Year Book Survey," which is hosted by The Perpetual Page Turner and hopefully, I'll be involved in this survey every year!  

Number Of Books You Read: 65
Number of Re-Reads: 0
Genre You Read The Most From: Family and Fantasy

1. Best Book You Read In 2017?

(If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2017 release vs. backlist)

Romance: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Science Fiction: Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Horror: Alice by Christina Henry

Children's Book:  Gregory and the Grimbockle by Melanie Schubert

Graphic Novel: All-Star Superman Volume 1 by Grant Morrison

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

The Love that Split the World by Emily Henry.  When I first saw the cover of this book and heard some interesting things about it, I thought that it was going to be interesting.  But, after I've read it, I was a bit disappointed with how confusing and boring this book was.

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

Alice by Christina Henry.  This book was surprising to me in a good way because I never would have thought that I would actually enjoy a darker retelling of "Alice in Wonderland" that has rape and gory violence in the center of the story.

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

Superman and the Miserable, Rotten, No Fun, Really Bad Day by Dave Croatto.  I've been encouraging people to read this book, especially Superhero fans and fans of parodies, and most people ended up adding this book to their TBR shelf!

 5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?

Series I've Started:  Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Sequel:  Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Series Ender:  I've haven't read any series enders for this year.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?

Stephanie Garber.  I just loved the creative world she woven in Caraval and I loved the way that she wrote the relationships between the characters!

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

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia.  I had never read a book that dealt with mental illness before, so I was excited to read this book and I think it handled the main character's schizophrenia extremely well!

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

Throne of Glass by Sarah. J. Maas.  Wow!  This book was so full of adventure, horror and romance that I just couldn't put this book for anything!

 9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Afterlife with Archie Volume 1 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.  I have really enjoyed this book and I would definitely try to re read it again during Halloween sometime next year!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?

Such a gorgeous and magical cover to a exciting story!

11. Most memorable character of 2017?

Celaena Sardothien from "Throne of Glass."  She is such a strong and independent female assassin that I have taken a liking to this year!

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?

The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman.  This is such a beautifully written book about whether or not you should give up your life to save another life and it was quite emotional to read through!

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017?

Is a Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz.  This book is about how to deal with worrying about various things in your life and to have a positive outlook on life.  I must admit that I felt much more positive about myself after reading this book!

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read? 

It was a threesome this year. The books I've chosen were Throne of Glass, Alice and Made You Up and I've had these books on my TBR shelf for years before I finally read them this year!

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?

From "Dark Triumph,"

"Hate cannot be fought with hate.  Evil cannot be conquered by darkness. Only love has the power to conquer them both."

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?

Of course, going by my Goodreads 2017 Reading Stats:

Shortest: The Gingerbread Man by Rana Giglio (8 pages, and man, was this a short book)!

Longest: Golden Son by Pierce Brown (696 pages)

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

Caraval by Stephanie Garber.  There was a huge plot twist towards the ending that really threw me off and it was so shocking yet invigorating at the same time!

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

Alex Ridgemont and Miles Ritcher from "Made You Up."  Those two are perfect for each other! They can never separate from each other. EVER!!!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Gregory and the Grimbockle.  They have such a cute friendship with each other and I just loved how close they were throughout the whole novel!

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I had read "The Assassin's Blade" by Sarah J. Maas a few years ago and her book "Throne of Glass" is definitely just as good if not better!

21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

I will admit that I probably wouldn't have read this book if my book friends didn't urge me to read this book!

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?

Miles Ritcher from "Made You Up."  I just fell in love with his snarky yet protective nature!

23. Best 2017 debut you read?

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

I just loved the surreal yet magical setting of the Caraval world!

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Another question where I can't just pick one book, so I went with a threesome yet again which were, "Fowl Language," "Bloom County," and "Superman and the Miserable, Rotten, No Fun, Really Bad Day!"  All of these books were so hilarious to read and I was constantly smiling every time I've read them!

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?

The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman.  The fact that this book is about learning the importance of life itself really made me tear up inside.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

The Gingerbread Man by Rana Giglio. I felt that this book isn't quite as well-known as it should be and it definitely was a fun book to read!

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

 The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman.  Once again, this book was so sad that it crushed me on the inside!

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?

Gregory and the Grimbockle by Melanie Schubert. I had never read a children's novel that had so much creativity and adventure since Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl!

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

Caraval by Stephanie Garber.  I must admit that I got a bit mad by the actions of one of the characters (I can't really tell you about it without spoiling the book for you, but it's like that character put the main character through so much grief for no reason)!

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017?

Cait from Paper Fury. Cait is such a friendly and fantastic person and her book blog is one of the most creative and energetic book blogs I had ever seen from this year!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?

My review on Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.   I really enjoyed writing about how I felt about the story and the characters in the book and it was one of my most popular reviews on Goodreads this year!

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

My most favorite discussions for the year were ARC Books…How do you keep up with them? and My Trip to the Soda City Comic Con!

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

I've really enjoyed doing the Book Photo Sundays posts and the Sunday Posts!

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017?

I've actually managed to win two gift cards for this year: one from Caffeinated Book Reviewer and the other one from the author herself, Robyn M. Ryan, which was such an honor and the first time I had ever won a gift card from the author themselves!

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

Trying to read over 10 books per month. I've been trying like crazy to read more than 5 books a month, but either I'm too busy to read so many books or I wouldn't have the energy to do so.

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

I'm was surprised to see my post on Stacking the Shelves #34: November 4, 2017 get over 200 views, which is a first for me on this blog.  I like to thank everyone who commented and viewed that page!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I wish my discussion posts on Reading Stats....Do You Have Yours Today? and Sincere Diversity vs. Publicity Stunt Diversity got a bit more love.

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

I had just joined Edelweiss last year and I'm having so much fun with that site!  I also started ordering books from Owlcrate and so far, I've been loving the books they've sent me!

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

Unfortunately, I haven't met my goal of reading 80 books this year (and it had something to do with my lack of reading in November).  

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018?

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to read this book last year, despite the fact that it is such an important book. I'm going to make it my priority to read this book in 2018!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)?

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown.  I've read both Red Rising and Golden Son and even though I haven't read the third book yet, I'm really excited to read this book!

3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.  Not only is this cover so gorgeous, but I just loved the content in this book and I can't wait to read it soon!

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018?

Legendary by Stephanie Garber.  I had really enjoyed Caraval and I can't wait to read Donatella's side of the story!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2018?

For one thing, I really hope to read over 80 books in 2018 and try to get more guest posts on my blog!

6. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):

I've read Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen and that's set to be released in March 2018.  If you are a fan of Sarah Andersen's books, then you'll like this one!