2015 End of Year Survey

Every year Jamie from Perpetual Page Turner creates this survey for book bloggers to wrap up the year and talk about some of the amazing books we have read. I tend to answer the same books for multiple questions but clearly it's because they are favorite reads. Here are my 2015 answers....
Number Of Books You Read: 

Currently 130, 148 counting rereads, and I'm hoping to make it to 150 with a novella and one more book but I don't think that is going to happen. But my Goodreads goal was 120 so I'm calling that a win. 

Number of Re-Reads:

18. Which is way more than I did last year. Genre You Read The Most From:  Fantasy. I haven't actually looked but I'm like 98% sure.


1. Best Book You Read In 2015?                                             
(If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Adult: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Young Adult: Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 2. Book 

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

Adult: The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
Young Adult: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, A Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman, and Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid  

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

Adult: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Young Adult: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson and The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow (both in a good way)

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
Adult: Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Young Adult: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine and The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace  

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

Best Series I Started: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace, and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Best Sequel: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson, Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, and Beastly Bones by William Ritter
Best Series Ender: Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner and Winter by Marissa Meyer  

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

Adult: Patrick Rothfuss
Young Adult: Scott Westerfeld and Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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

Adult: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Young Adult: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich  

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

Adult: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson and The Martian by Andy Weir
Young Adult: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff  

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

Adult: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Young Adult: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J, Maas and The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkowski

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

Young Adult: Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman, Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

Adult: Lila Bard in A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab and Mark Watney in The Martian by Andy Weir
Young Adult: Everyone in Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and Adelina Amouteru in The Rose Society by Marie Lu

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

Adult: The Song for Achilles by Madeline Miller and The Name of the Wind by Patrock Rothfuss
Young Adult: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Bejamin Alire Saenz and The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

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

Adult: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Young Adult: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone, Dumplin by Julie Murphy, and Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli  

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

Adult: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Young Adult: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater and The Diviners by Libba Bray  

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

Adult: "If I seem to wander, if I seem to stray, remember that true stories seldom take the straightest way." Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind.

Young Adult: "Some people think that not knowing is the best part. It's in our nature to want to be fooled. We put blinders up all the time. Illusion is a way to hold on to our innocence. Do you really want to give that up?" -Kim Liggett, Blood and Salt

16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2015?

Shortest: The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin 100 pages
Longest: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss 994 pages

17. Book That Shocked You The Most (Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

Adult: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
Young Adult: Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas and The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

Young Adult: DORIAN AND MANON in Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (I have been holding this in because I didn't want to spoil anyone but I ship Manorian so hard!)

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Adult: Agnieszka and Katia in Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Young Adult: For me YA non-romantic relationships were all about the squads like Team Aelin in Queen of Shadows, the Rampion Crew in Winter, The Dregs in Six of Crows, and the group in Their Fractured Light.

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

Adult: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson and
Young Adult: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, Beastly Bones by William Ritter, and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

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

Adult: The Song for Achilles by Madeline Miller
Young Adult: The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

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

Adult: Mark Watney in The Martian by Andy Weir
Young Adult: Sean Kendrick in The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

Young Adult: Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Backy Abertalli, The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace, and Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

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

Adult: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, and Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
Young Adult: The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

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

Adult: The Martian by Andy Weir
Young Adult: Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli and Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

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

All the books! Too many to list. I'm such a crier. It's really problematic.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Adult: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Young Adult: My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul? 

Adult: The Song for Achilles by Madeline Miller
Young Adult: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and The Rose Society by Marie Lu

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015? 

Adult: The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
Young Adult: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

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

Adult: A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Young Adult: Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid and An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?

Oh wow, that's such a tough question. I always find new and amazing blogs. Probably the biggest ones were from ladies I met at BEA.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015? 

Adult: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab because it was so gushy and still coherent.
Young Adult: Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas because I avoided any and all spoilers which was hard.

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

Why I Never Finish A Book Before Bed
What I Learned First Year at BEA

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

BEA 15 - so amazing. I met so many amazing authors and bloggers
Rainbow Rowell in Pittsburgh for Carry On - she's a favorite author and I missed her at BEA twice.

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

I have no idea. I mean probably BEA which was huge and amazing.

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

Wow, kind of a loaded question. The thing that comes to mind is that in the beginning of the year I ended up reading a handful of books I didn't really enjoy. I'm not sure it was a slump but it definitely took almost two months to find something I really loved.

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

By Views - Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (because it was linked on an io9 post, WHAT?)
By Comment - Love-a-Thon Bookshelf Tour, Why I Never Finish a Book Before Bed, A Darker Shade of Magic Review

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Uprooted by Naomi Novik - This was posted on Memorial Day and right before BEA so I think it just fell under the radar.
Top Five Favorite Audiobooks - I recommend audiobooks to people all the time and yet this post got low views and no comments.

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

Probably Society6. I've bought more than a few things from there this year and I'm sure I will get more.

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

Yes. I completed my Goodreads Challenge of reading 120 books, the Debut Author Challenge, the Netgalley/Edelweiss Challenge, and the TBR Pile Challenge

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

I'm not sure it's my number one priority but in 2015 I'm determined to finally read The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?

All the Brandon Sanderson like Calamity and Bands of Mourning, All the Victoria Schwab especially A Gathering of Shadows and This Savage Song, The Raven King by Maggie Steivfater, and The Skylighter by Becky Wallace

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto and The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016? 

All the books in my most anticipated releases especially... The Raven King by Maggie Steifvater, Calamity by Brandon Sanderson, Book 5 in the Throne of Glass series, and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

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

I want to try and read 150 books again this year but I'm going to set a smaller goal because I like meeting goals, it makes me feel good about myself. I also really want to start podcasting. I've been wanting to do it for awhile now and I'm finally doing it I think.

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

I haven't read any 2016 releases yet but I am currently reading Worlds of Ink and Shadows by Lena Coakley and it's really good.

Okay, there you have it, my Year End Survey? What were some of your favorite books in 2015? What books do you hope to reading 2016? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: See How They Run by Ally Carter

*** This book is a sequel so if you haven't read All Fall Down by Ally Carter, proceed with caution. Here's my review, check that out first. ***

Title: See How They Run Series: Embassy Row #2 Written by: Ally Carter Published: December 22, 2015 by Scholastic (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Inside every secret, there's a world of trouble. Get ready for the second book in this new series of global proportions--from master of intrigue, New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.  Grace's past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn't stop it, Grace isn't the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.  The twists get twistier and the turns get even more shocking in the second thrilling installment of Embassy Row.

I enjoy Ally Carter's writing a lot despite never finishing The Gallagher Girls series. And while this book has the same action and adventure it's a very different series. I read the first book, All Fall Down in January and really enjoyed it so I was really excited to get a copy of this one from my Secret Sister waiting for me right before the holidays. This book did not disappoint. See How They Run was a fantastic sequel to an engaging YA political thriller.

I absolutely loved the way that Ally Carter escalated the plot development in this book. If you read All Fall Down then you know how it ended and really changed everything. But that was only the beginning. This book is bigger and the stakes are even higher. The first book was only an introduction to the world and now that that has been established, we can take things to new heights. That's exactly what Carter does here. Everything really built to a huge and thrilling conclusion. As the synopsis says, the twists were even twistier and the big reveal at the end, Carter changes the game again and left me totally reeling. But because she did change things so much she had to rebuild the world. There was a lot more exposition for a typical second book. This led to a little info dumping and some muddled plot development. But the plot was engaging and extremely readable.

In book one I was expecting more of a typical murder mystery but I got something much more psychological and political. In this book however those were all tuned down a little bit. I already mentioned that there was a lot of new exposition in this book. Because of that it felt more like a big picture book that acted like a bridge between the first book and what I'm sure will be a great conclusion to the trilogy. But the book did have a lot of really great mystery. It wasn't quite a murder mystery but there were those elements. And because the setting of the book has political implications, so does the plot and the mystery. I usually like my series to resolve the mystery with each specific book but here it ended up just setting up more mysteries despite a few twists and reveals, some I solved and some I did not.

And once again, See How They Run was populated with complex characters with strengths and weaknesses. They're honestly very refreshing because they aren't the type that figure everything out on the first try and can do no wrong. The main character Grace is not your usual protagonist. She gets things wrong more often than she gets them right but that's what makes her so likable and sympathetic. In book one she is plucky and sarcastic but here that is really tuned down as well. The events of the first book really took their toll on her so now Grace is in an even more vulnerable place. But she doesn't let that stop her from figuring things out and coming to the aid of those she cares about. In this book we also got to spend more time with some favorite secondary characters from the first book especially Alexei. Jamie was also a big part of this book which was really fun as well. He's so different from Grace and is very protective but also has so much respect for her. You can tell it all comes from a place of love. But that's what it's like for so many of these characters. They're really complex and far from perfect but that's what makes them so interesting.

On the whole See How They Run was a fun and engaging read with a plot that really escalated into a thrilling adventure, a mystery full of crazy twists, and complex characters who are likable for their weaknesses. I'm really excited with the way this series is going and after that ending I can't wait to see how everything goes in the next book. It's going to be amazing I'm sure.

I give See How They Run by Ally Carter 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. If you liked the first book in this series then definitely pick up this one as well. It takes things to a whole new level and really builds on the ending from the last book. If you are into mysteries and political thrillers, especially YAs then I would recommend this series.

Have you read See How They Run? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated 2016 Releases

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish 

Sequels and Series Enders 
1.) Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - January 26, 2016
The next book in the Mistborn trilogy. Holy crap, the twist at the end of the last book was out of control. That books was phenomenal. More Sanderson, all the Sanderson.

2.) Calamity by Brandon Sanderson - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - February 16, 2016
The final book in The Reckoners trilogy which I am so so obsessed with. I'm terrified this book will wreck me and I know Sanderson has some crazy plot twists planned so I can't really wait to read this.

3.) A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - February 23, 2016
ADSOM was my favorite book of 2015 and I am even more excited for the sequel. I know some blogger friends who have gotten ARCs have loved it so I cannot wait for my preorder to arrive.

4.) The Skylighter by Becky Wallace - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - March 22, 2016
I basically pooped my pants when I got the email from Simon that they were sending me an ARC of this one. I'm so excited to find out what happens next with these characters.

5.) The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkowski - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - March 29, 2016
The finale to the Winner's trilogy. I'm excited to see how this one ends. The way the last book ended was crazy! Plus now that Macmillan has said they're not redesigning until the paperbacks I'm even more pumped.

6.) The Sleeping Prince by Melinda Salisbury - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - April 26, 2016
I really liked The Sin Eater's Daughter. It got me out of a reading slump. The world and the history of the book was very cool so I'm excited for more.

7.) The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - June 7, 2016
I loved The Falconer. It got me into steampunk when I read it about a year and a half ago. Plus that cliffhanger was so mean. I got an ARC from Chronicle which is great because I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

New Series/Book from a Fave Author 
8.) Passenger by Alexandra Bracken - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - January 6, 2016
I loved The Darkest Minds and Passenger sounds even better. I'm a sucker for time travel books and I hear it does a great job with the history which is cool.

9.) Truthwitch by Susan Dennard - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - January 6, 2016
I really enjoyed the Something Strange and Deadly trilogy. The fact that Susan's next book is a high fantasy with a strong female friendship and elemental magic makes me so pumped!

10.) The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - March 8, 2016
I loved A Mad, Wicked Folly it was such a fantastic YA historical fiction novel. This one sounds even more interesting and is once again set in the Victorian era which I always love reading.

11.) Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - May 24, 2016
Stacey's debut was one of my favorite debuts of the year. Again, a fantastic YA historical fiction book. Her second book sounds really interesting and full of adventure.

12.) This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - June 7, 2016
Victoria Schwab is an absolute favorite author and this book sounds so freaking amazing. I know some people have read early reviews and loved it.

First Time Reading this Author 
13.) Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - February 2, 2016
For a long time I avoided this author because I found historical fiction set during WWII to be pretty typical and I stopped enjoying it. But she has some unique sounding stuff including this one.

14.) The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - March 8, 2016
I've been wanting to read some Cat Winters for awhile now so I was really excited to get approved  for this one on Netgalley. Plus it's a genderbent, diverse Hamlet retelling. So cool!

15.) The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins - Add to Goodreads
Release Date - March 8, 2016
I was never really interested in Wendy Higgins other books but this one is right up my alley. It's a fantasy with political intrigue and a retelling The Singing Bone which is very cool.

16.) And I Darken by Kiersten White - Add to Goodreads
I was sold when I learned thuis book was about a teenage girl trying to save her tiny kingdom from occupation. But even better, it's a historical fantasy about a gender-bent Dracula about the relationship with him and Sultan Mehmed

There you go. All the books I am excited about for the first half of 2016. What about you? What books are you excited about? Did any of these make your list? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Title: Everything Everything Written by: Nicola Yoon Published: September 1, 2015 by Delacorte (Random House) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.  But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.  Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

I decided to take part in the Debut Author Challenge this year because in 2014 I read so few debuts. The goal was to read 12 debuts. I knocked that out by early June so I decided to double that and read 24. But as the end of the year approached I realized I needed one more. So when my OTSP Secret Sister sent me a copy of this one a few weeks ago I decided to read it to complete that challenge.

I  had really good things about this book and after trying and liking a lot of contemporary this year, I decided to give this one a try. Everything, Everything was a cute and fast contemporary read with interesting characters and much more drama than I expected.

When the book started, I thought it might just be a simple romance. It seemed like the overdone "good girl meets bad boy who changes her worldview and she falls in love" or even worse "nerdy character meets quirky outgoing person who they instantly fall in love with." But this wasn't that kind of story. It had some of those elements but it felt realistic and not at all cliche. a lot of that had to do with the fact that in the end the plot of the book was much more than that. A lot of the plot of Everything, Everything was this idea of fear of missing out and identity. The main character feels stuck and lonely. She has only ever known one thing and when a new family moves in next door it makes sense as to why she would want something more, something different. It made for an interesting story. However it was almost a little too complex. There were some plot points that didn't quite resolve or they didn't particularly connect with the larger narrative of the book. But it was still an engaging and interesting read.

The characters were also more interesting than I expected. Madeline has spent practically her entire life in her home suffering from a disease that makes her allergic to everything. It's made her curious and questioning but she also really doesn't understand the world because she's never been out in it. It made her really sympathetic. She's also a big reader and that's kind of the way she relates to things, experiences from books she read. I could relate to those feelings and wanted her to get out there in the world but I also wanted her to be safe and happy inside. I loved watching her develop throughout the book. Olly was also a really unique character. Like I said before, I started out thinking he was going to be a bit of a cliche but he never came of that way. He was so kind and funny. Their relationship progressed fast but in never felt unrealistic or insta-lovey. There were also lots of interesting secondary characters that rounded out the cast and made for interesting and complex interactions for our main characters.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the format. I was very unique and engaging. It's written in a really interesting format. Everything is told from Madeline's perspective but it's not just her narrating her life and her experience. We get her explaining things but we also have email interchanges, drawings, and little graphs. I love that kind of format. It wasn't totally epistolary but somewhere in between that and a standard narrative. The chapters too were really short which made for really quick pacing and the kind of book where you would be telling yourself you could easily read one more chapter before realizing that you had read thirty pages. I finished only in a few days in between holiday travel and everything.

On the whole Everything, Everything was a fast and interesting read. It had a plot much more complicated than first perceived, characters that you can easily relate to, and a unique format.

I give everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon 8.5 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would despite a few things that I didn't totally love. I would recommend to YA contemporary readers or anyone looking for a book that deals with teen identity.

Have you read Everything, Everything? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!