3rd annual end of year survey - 2015 edition!

 

Number Of Books You Read: 130

Number of Re-Reads: 3 (only one is a proper book though)

Genre You Read The Most From: probably YA

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

For once I want to choose a single one.. I want to say The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. It was such a good book AND it's about books.. That may be the only reason I chose it over the others!

I have a 'favorite reads of 2015' coming so don't worry! 

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

The sad part is that I have an extensive selection of books for this question...

Firstly, Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer. I was really looking forward to reading it and I loved the majority of it - the ending ruins everything though. So it went from a solid 4 star (perhaps 5 star) rating to a disappointing 2 stars. 

99 Days by Katie Cotugno. I had preordered it and everything! I was so, so disappointed - especially since her other book How to Love was one of the best books I read in 2014. 

Honourable mentions; 

• To Kill a Mockingbird and the sequel; Go Set a Watchman, both by Harper Lee

• As Red as Blood (Lumikki Andersson, #1) by Salla Simukka

• Lord of the Flies by William Golding

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

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

The Circle by Dave Eggers. Surprising because it's so REAL and it's probably an extreme version of our society, but probably also where we're headed. 

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

I always tell people to read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin which I read back in 2013 - I've gotten a lot of people to read that one! It's still my favorite book. 

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

I actually began quite a lot of series this year so I have a lot to choose from! Since I usually don't have any I want to name in this category I feel like I can choose a few! All the ones I've named is series where I've read more than 1 book!

I love the Anna and the French Kiss series! I gave Anna 5 stars and the other 2 4.5 stars. It's quite a nice contemporary series! 

I also started The Dispossessed series by Page Morgan, where I discovered a love for gargoyles! I have yet to read the last book in the series! 

A series I thought I'd hate and started on a whim: The Selection by Kiera Cass. I really didn't think I'd like this one, turns out that I love it and I'm waiting for the last one to be released. I've read the first three in this series and since I feel like it's a series on their own, and the next two books is a companion series, I give the best series ender award to The One. 

Some other great series I recommend where I've only read the first book: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, You by Caroline Kepnes, More Than by Jay McLean, The Violet Hour by Andrea L. Wells and Omega by Lizzy Ford

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

Well, I actually have a bunch this year, but the author I've read the most books from this year is probably Sarah J. Maas. I'd of course heard about her before this year, but I read A Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire and A Court of Thorns and Roses this year and I'm currently waiting for a copy of Queen of Shadows from the library. I definitely prefer the A Court of Thorns and Roses series to the Throne of Glass series but both a great! 

The one author I love and just discovered this year is probably Andrea L. Wells, author of The Violet Hour and the novella The Midnight Hour. She write incredible books AND she's such a sweetheart! 

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

Well, I'm really not into paranormal in either age but, I was quite intrigued by The Violet Hour by Andrea L. Wells even though it's about werewolves. Turns out I love it and I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel. 

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

Definitely Mind Games by Teri Terry. It's seriously such a good book and apparently there's a sequel set 10 years later! 

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

The Shamer's Daughter by Lene Kaaberbøl. I read it a few months ago and really enjoyed it, since then I've seen the movie and received the whole series as a Christmas gift. My plan is to marathon the entire series since it's 'only' 4 books. 

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

This is the Danish cover for Tell the Wolves I'm Home. I love the colours, the font and I just think it's beautiful! 

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

June from Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt! I still have about 50 pages left at this point but June is so, so relatable and I really admire her character! I don't think I've ever related that much to a character before! 

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

I'm gonna choose something new and say the beginning of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov...  I absolutely loved the beginning! 

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

If You Find This Letter by Hannah Brencher. It's a non-fiction book about Hannah having a rough time and starting to write letters to strangers. It definitely made me see things from another perspective and inspired me a ton! 

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

The Shamer's Daughter by Lene Kaaberbøl! I practically grew up with this series and when I was younger I read, and loved, another of her series. It's practically a staple, like Harry Potter, if you come from Denmark! 

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?
On the top of my head; the first few sentences of Lolita. 

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth, Lo. Lee. Ta.
She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?

The shortest book is definitely The Pearl by John Steinbeck with only 94 pages in a tiny edition. I've read a ton of novellas and short stories this year though, but that's not 'books'. 

The longest book I read was A Game of Thrones with 780 pages! A close second was Dublin or The Princes of Ireland with 768 pages in the Danish edition! 

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin. Sex, incest, blood, murder, etc. It definitely shocked me! 

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

Feyre and Tamlin from A Court of Thorns and Roses

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

The relationship between Logan and her mom in The Violet Hour by Andrea L. Wells and the relationship between Finn and June in Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt! 

Worst part is that it's a big part of the story, to me at least, but the relationships aren't really in the book. If you've read any of these 2 books, you know what I mean. 

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

The only book where I'm a 100% sure I've read the author previously AND I love the book is Mind Games by Teri Terry. I finished her Slated series in the beginning of the year and while that's a great series, I think Mind Games is ten times better! 

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

It has to be Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge! I was definitely intrigued by the cover and the summary but I felt like everyone was talking about this book at the time and I felt a bit left out. I absolutely loved it though! 

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

Uhhm Tamlin from A Court of Thorns and Roses *blushes* or close second and third is Chaol or Damien from Throne of Glass. Sarah J. Maas creates quite crush-worthy male characters! 

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

The Violet Hour by Andrea L. Wells. You can read my review here or just go out and buy the book!

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

Definitely Mind Games by Teri Terry - an amazing book. Read my review here. 

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

Reluctantly Married by Victorine E. Lieske! My cheeks hurt from smiling and I definitely laughed out loud!  

Fun fact: Last year I chose another book by the same author for this category! She writes cute, and funny, contemporary romance books! 

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

I've been through all my reads of 2015 and the only one that really made me cry was We are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman - such a good book! 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon made my eyes quite watery too...  

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

An anthology by a Danish author; Nearby (rough translation) by Peter Hugge. I received this for review in November and I absolutely loved it! The stories are intertwined and there's this particular tone of melancholy throughout the entire thing - it's truly remarkable. It's quite 'hidden' or unknown since it's been released by a publishing house I didn't know existed, I've never heard of it and only 3 people have rated it on goodreads - including me! 

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

I'm thinking You by Caroline Kepnes, mostly because I feel like a bad person for disliking our victim, Guinevere, and loving our stalker, Joe. It's not like she had it coming, but she's not innocent! 

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

I want to say You by Caroline Kepnes again! It's so unique, a big part of the story is written in second narrative and like I mentioned before; I love the stalker and dislike the victim. It made me quite frustrated, made me feel quite bad AND it made me laugh. Also, our stalker loves books and works in a bookstore! 

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

We're gonna go with 99 Days by Katie Cotugno and Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer. I'm a bit indifferent to 99 Days but I'm still quite disappointed by Belzhar. I'm going to explain why I'm mad about these books in a second, but if you haven't read these books I'll advice you to jump ahead since I'm going to spoil them otherwise. 

SPOILER So, 99 Days - Molly, our main character, can't make up her mind and keeps jumping back and forth between the two brothers! She's so childish! 

Belzhar.. well that takes a bit more explaining. Our 15-year-old main character, Jam, has been sent to a boarding school because her boyfriend is dead. Turns out that he isn't truly dead, he's just dead to her because he went out with someone other than her or something like that - also, he doesn't even know that she exists. Everything has just been inside her head. Yeah, I didn't really see that one coming. 

  

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?  

I discovered a lot that I really like, and even though I've been neglecting them these past few months I still like all of them! One of my top favorites is definitely A Girl Between the Pages though! 

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?  

I quite liked my review of All of the Above by James Dawson 

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

I wrote a letter to all the books I'll never read and the response was great!   

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

All the readathons, mostly cramathon though. I failed the other ones! 

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

When I realized how easy I could become a reviewer for Danish publishers which has been a dream for a long time. I'm now a reviewer for a Danish site and 4 different publishing houses!

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

Back in September I created a second blog, in Danish this time, and it's been quite hard juggling both of them. Also, I've been quite uninspired these past months.

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

For some reason my most popular post is a 'Sunday Post'-post. It was back in August when I took part in ARC August.

Sunday Post: ARC August, booktubeathon and more

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?  

My 'Adult books for readers of YA'-post. I had put a lot of time and effort into that post! Also, I always see 'Ya books for adults' or similar posts, I've never really seen one like mine.

Adult books for readers of YA

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

Well, since this was a great year when it comes to bookish discoveries, I'll cheat and name a few!

• World Book Day in Denmark! I was handing out books the entire day and it was great! 
• Adult coloring in books! I have the Mindfullness one from Emma Farrarons and the 3 different ones from Johanna Basford! 
• I found out how much I can actually read during a weekend because of cramathon! I read a total of 7.5 books, with a total of 1984 pages from Friday to Sunday! 
• I also found out that I like anthologies! 

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

I actually had to think quite hard about this. Back in 2013/2014 I had a bunch of challenges I participated in, but 2015 was quite easy-going when it comes to challenges. I believe I only had the goodreads challenge which I'd set to 75 books! Since I've read 130, I'm golden!

I looked back at my End of the Year Survey from last year and discovered, this time, I actually did quite good in the 'looking ahead' part. (I failed the first one completely!)

My number one priority in 2015 was apparently Shattered (Slated, #3) by Teri Terry, A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin or to continue the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. It wasn't exactly my first priority but I did read Shattered in January and I read A Game of Thrones in June/July.

My most anticipating (non-debut) books were All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby. I've actually read both of these, and I really enjoyed them as well! 

My most anticipating debut book was Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas - which I read this Summer. I was definitely disappointed by that ending! Read my review here.  

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

Since I have to read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde for our bookclub I'll probably read that first thing! 

     

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

Hidden Bodies (You, #2) by Caroline Kepnes! Luckily I have an eARC of this one! I believe it's released in February. 

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?   

Sword and Verse (Sword and Verse, #1) by Kathy MacMillan! It's a fantasy with some form of literary element! Also, it's out in January! 

   

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

For once I actually have an answer for this! The other times I've just said something I'm remotely interested in! But, this year, Sarah J. Maas is releasing the sequel to her new series; A Court of Thorns and Roses and I loved the first book! Waiting for a paycheck so I can preorder A Court of Mist and Fury! The release date is in May at this point. 

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

Read a lot of books I already own! 

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

Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald! I believe it's only the US (or maybe UK?) version which is yet to be released but it's the only 2016 release I've gotten to so far. Also, it's my favorite book of 2015! 

If you've filled out this survey leave your link in the comments! I love going through these!