Year in Review - 2019

How many books read in 2018?
107, although Goodreads had me on 105, I'm not sure what happened although it may be due to books I didn't finish? I had put my challenge at 60 books and way surpassed that. I think it might be the first time I've ever read over a hundred books in one year!

How many were on paper and how many electronic?
I read 49 paperbacks, 40 ebooks, and 18 hardbacks. That's way more hardbacks than I usually read! I think that's because I preordered some books, which turned out to be hardbacks, and because I read some books that were gifts. The ebooks I read were mostly from Netgalley, although I generally tried to request fewer books on there and tried to get to ones I was excited about relatively quickly. I think I did quite well with that actually. 

I read one graphic novel, which isn't something I'm usually into but I had had The Wicked + The Divine recommended to me. 

Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
I think I only read five non fiction books - a book about camping that I read first thing in 2019, Uncomfortable Labels by Laura Kate Dale, Happy Fat by Sofie Hagan, The (Other) F Word, and I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O'Farrell. I don't enjoy a lot of non-fiction, but I do like creative life writing like a lot of these are. 

Male/Female authors?
I read fourteen books by men this year and a further six that were either co-authored by men or had contributions from men in anthologies. This is actually more for me than last year by nearly 50%, and I think this is partly because I read more crime in 2019 which is often written by men. I think I said in my review that I was surprised when I learnt that S K Tremayne is a man!

I don't know that I read any nonbinary authors, but I maybe just don't know that they are. 

I read books by queer women and trans women and women of colour and disabled women, and any intersection thereof. A couple of the men I read were men of colour or queer men. 

Most books by a single author?
I read three books by Cara Hunter and I think that was the most.

Favourite book(s) read?
Oh gosh. I really enjoyed Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by L C Rosen, Early Birds by Laurie Graham, Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman, The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell and The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. 

Least favourite?
I haven't finished a book that I didn't like in 2019, I gave up on books a lot sooner if I wasn't enjoying them. I don't review books that I don't finish very often, because I think it's mean to authors! 

Oldest book read?
I guess technically it was Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky, as the words were written before her death in 1942

Newest?
Any of the Netgalley ones that aren't out yet. A friend of mine got into Netgalley in 2019 and really enjoyed all the digital copies she managed to secure! It is a great resource. 

Longest book title?
It's got to be The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee, hasn't it? 

Shortest title?
Pulp by Robin Talley. I had forgotten how much I liked that book actually. 

How many re-reads?
I honestly don't think I reread any books in 2019! It's not something I do a lot - there's so many new books to read!

Any in translation?
Not to my knowledge. 

How many of this year's books were from the library?
Ten! I kept a much better record of this in my bullet journal/catch all journal, on a page near my list of books. I requested a couple of books to come into my local library for me, which I find really useful. 

Here's to 2020's books! I've set my Goodreads challenge as eighty books, although I would like to surpass this. We'll see!

End of Year Survey Part II

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?   
So many, but let's go with Luna's Little Library because she and I have similar taste in books so she always tempts me into new purchases, and I like reading her Twitter too. 

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?   
I'm going to say the one for YA Shot, because it was such a good day and the event deserves a lot of attention for this year!

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?   
I only had review posts!

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?   
YALC, definitely. What a great time I had. 

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015? 
Getting to grips with NetGalley and the approvals I've had on there

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? 
Not being able to read as much as I'd like due to my MA work

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?  
The YALC one because they retweeted it, I still get hits on it. 

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?   
The rest!

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? 
Wordery.com, it's got a great selection at great prices, and it's not Amazon.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I did, I wanted to read  fifty books and I more than surpassed that. Other than that, I had no specific goals. That's already different in 2016!

End of Year Survey Part I

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel, hands down. 

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

I think it was The Breeders by Katie French. It promised so much but didn't deliver. 

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

I'm often surprised by books, but I think We Were Liars by E Lockhart just blew me away.

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

Station Eleven, definitely. 

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

The Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries were the best series I discovered, I read the first three and have pre-ordered the fourth. I don't think I read any series ender. 

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

So many! Too many to mention!

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

A couple of my book club books, like A Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, weren't books I'd have picked up by myself. 

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

Station Eleven, I couldn't stop reading it. 

 9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I rarely re-read and if I do it'd be in three years or so. 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

I loved the cover of Music and Lies by Gill-Marie Stewart - it was the cover that attracted me when I saw it at YALC. 

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

Simon in Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, bless him. 

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

About A Girl by Sarah McCarry. 

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?

Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne I think

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

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - I've never read anything by her before but I really liked it. 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

I don't remember quotes generally. how rubbish.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?

The longest was The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, the shortest was probably one of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

We Were Liars or maybe the Raven Boys.

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

So many of the Raven Boys' ones! Ugh!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Probably from the Raven Boys too. I must read The Dream Thieves this year!

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

Probably the new Elly Griffiths books, I love her writing. 

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

SO MANY! I am so open to recommendations!

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

I'm not overly one for fictional crushes, sorry! 

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

George by Alex Gino, fabulous

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

The Raven Boys. It's clear that Maggie has REALLY thought out her world

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

The Murder Most Unladylike ones were just so much fun. 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?

We Were Liars! The Paying Guests. This Song Is (Not) for You by Laura Newlin

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson - everyone needs to read this. 

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

So many of the above, but let's also say The Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray. It was lovely. 

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan - it is a collection of non-fiction and fiction, and the author is dead, so I think that counts. 

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

We Were Liars, for real! I wanted to throw my Kindle out of the window!

- See more at: http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2015/12/6th-annual-end-of-year-survey-2015-edition.html