2015 End of Year Book Survey

Like last year and the year before that, I'm taking part in The Perpetual Page Turner's end of the year survey. I would also like to add that if you're looking for my previous end of year surveys, you'll have to look under the 'survery' label on my blog, because clearly I can't spell correctly.

Stats

Number of books you read: 95
Number of re-reads: 3
Genre you read the most from: young adult

Best in Books

Best book you read
The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong.

Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more thank you did
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. I've been wanting to read it ever since I saw the film, which is one of my favourites. I was surprised by how short it was and how quickly things were covered. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, I just wanted a little bit more.

Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read
Wytches by Scott Snyder and Jock. I thought it was going to be a super unique, scary graphic novel but it fell completely flat. The artwork wasn't that good and it was more confusing than anything as nothing was really explained.

Book you pushed the most people to read
Probably A Streetcar Named Desire because it's one of my texts for English Literature.

Best series you started? Best sequel? Best series ending?
Best series started (and finished) was The Selection by Keira Cass. Best sequel was Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. Best ending was The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa.

Favorite new author you discovered
James Dawson. I read two of his horror books this year and greatly enjoyed both. If he releases any more I'll definitely have to get my hands on them.

Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone
The anthology My True Love Gave to Me. All the short stories are romance and, as you know, that's a genre I try to stay away from. However, I'd been waiting to read it around Christmas ever since I bought it and I ended up being pleasantly surprised by it. Some stories were definitely better than others, but overall it was a fun read.

Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year
Again, I'm going with The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong. I just had to know what happened at the end of each chapter, and every time I thought I had things figured out they took a totally unexpected turn. A thriller in every sense.

Book you read that you're most likely to re-read next year
Maybe The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich or Cell by Stephen King. I don't tend to re-read, but I've read Cell twice now and loved it just as much each time. The Dead House is definitely something I'd be able to revisit, too, as I'm sure I'd pick up lots of little details I missed the first time round.

Favorite cover 

Most memorable character
Rowan from Heir of Fire. I loved his character as soon as he was introduced and we got to see his personality. He was sarcastic and - at times - harsh, probably leaning more towards the villain and anti-hero side of things, going by demeanour alone, but I don't have a problem with that at all.

Most beautifully written book
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black. Although I wasn't really a fan of the characters or the plot, I did enjoy the writing. Holly Black always manages to inject that whimsical sense of magic into her writing, making even the dullest things a little bit easier to read.

Most thought-provoking/life-changing book
Thin by Grace Bowman. I've read books about eating disorders before, but never a memoir. It was such a powerful account, not to mention eye-opening and informative.

Book you can’t believe you waited until 2015 to finally read
The House of Hades by Rick Riordan. Although, in my defence, I did have to wait a year for it to be released in paperback.

Favorite passage/quote from a book

Mental illness turns people inwards. That's what I reckon. It keeps us forever trapped by the pain of our own minds, in the same way that the pain of a broken leg or a cut thumb will grab your attention, holding it so tightly that your good leg or your good thumb seem to cease to exist.

The Shock of the Fall - Nathan Filer

Shortest and longest books you read
Longest was City of Heavenly Fire at 733 pages. Shortest was any of the Penguin little black classics at around 64 pages each.

Book that shocked you the most
Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black. Going in, I knew it was a paranormal romance, but thought that it would be cheesy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it had an intriguing plot, and that it focused on dance and not just the romantic aspect.

OTP of the year
Patroclus and Achilles from The Song of Achilles. The entire book was perfect, but their relationship was equal parts sweet and heartbreaking. 

Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year
Moll and Gryff from The Dream Snatcher by Abi Elphinstone. I loved the connection between these two, even if Gryff was a wildcat. It reminded me of the bonds I have with my cats, which are just as valid and important as those with other people.

Favorite book you read in 2015 from an author you’ve read previously
The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa or Shattered by Teri Terry. Both were excellent ends to two excellent series and I've enjoyed everything else I've read by both of them.

Best book you read in 2015 based solely on a recommendation
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. I'll admit, I'm surprised that I enjoyed this classic so much, but I have so many theories and questions about Merricat.

Newest fictional crush
As I was reading The Selection series by Kiera Cass, I instantly fell in love with Maxon as a character. He was sweet, kind, charming, funny, and just everything I wanted for America.

Best 2015 debut you read
The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie. I'll admit, the title of this put me off a bit and made me think it was going to be a bit rubbish, but it ended up being a really gripping ghost story. 

Best world building/most vivid setting you read this year
The world that may or may not be Westeros in The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin. That man knows how to create a world, even in just a handful of short chapters.

Book that put a smile on your face/was the most fun to read
Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan. Anything by Rick Riordan is guaranteed to be a good time, but I found this to be a really light, easy take on mythology that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Book that made you cry or nearly cry
I don't cry at books, so I can't really answer this. However, if I was a book crier, I probably would have cried at Girl, Interrupted or Thin.

Hidden gem of the year
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson. I wasn't expecting much from it but it surprised me by being a contemporary that I really enjoyed with a deeper storyline than I guessed it would have.

Book that crushed your soul
All the bright Places by Jennifer Niven, but not in a good way. I'd heard so many good things going in to this that my expectations were sky high. Needless to say my soul was crushed when it didn't meet them.

Most unique book you read
The Dead House for sure. The way it was told through interviews, diary entries, and video footage was something I'd never seen before.

Book that made you the most mad
Where She Went by Gayle Foreman. I just... didn't like this. I got so angry with Adam throughout I ended up giving it one star.

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

New favorite book blog you discovered
Stories on Stage. Zoe's blog is beautifully designed and from the comments I've received from her she seems like a lovely person. My cousin also started a beauty blog, Beyond Beauty.

Favorite review that you wrote
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog
Book Talk: Middle Book Syndrome

Best event that you participated in (author signing, festival, virtual event, meme, etc)
Top 5 Wednesday. Unfortunately, real life got in the way a bit and I had to stop taking part.

Best moment of bookish/blogging life
I finished six series this year, which I think is a personal best.

Most popular post on your blog
Meet the Blogger

Post you wished got a little more love
Unpopular Opinions Tag

Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc)
Not really a bookish site, but I found Watermark not too long ago. As someone who desperately needs to get into the habit of watermarking their photos, this site is a godsend.

Did you complete any reading challenges/goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of the year?
Other than my yearly Goodreads goal, no. 

Looking Ahead

One book you didn’t get to in 2015 but will be your number 1 priority in 2016
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas. I really want to savour this put 100% of my focus into it.

Book you're most anticipating for 2016 (non-debut)
Heartless by Marissa Meyer. If this is anything like The Lunar Chronicles then I'll love it. Marissa Meyer has such a unique way of re-telling fairy tales that I'm interested to see what she'll do with Alice in Wonderland, especially focusing on the villain.

2016 debut you are most anticipating
This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. The synopsis for this is so vague but it gets across a lot of what the book is about, which instantly hooked me.

Series ending/sequel you are most anticipating in 2016
The Crown by Keira Cass. I adored first three books of The Selection series, but was let down by The Heir. I'm hoping the final book will be one I fall in love with. 

One thing you hope to accomplish in your reading/blogging life in 2016
Bring back my Top 5 Wednesday posts and keep up with them. 

A 2016 release you’ve already read and recommend to everyone
I don't own any advanced or review copies, so unfortunately I have nothing to recommend.