2015 End of Year Book Survey

Tag created by the Perpetual Page Turner

2015 is well and truly over and overall, I have had a great reading year. I have thought long and hard how to best capture my reading experiences in 2015 and then I discovered the End of Year Book Survey created by the Perpetual Page Turner. This idea is amazing as it not only captures your top books for the year but also all other aspects of your reading journey. So without further ado, let's begin!

2015 Reading Stats

Number of books you read: 150

Number of re-reads: 3

Genre you read the most from: YA fiction

Best in Books

1. Best book you read in 2015?

I have thought long and hard about this question and ultimately, it always comes down to this book: The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan. I tried my best to capture all my thoughts in this review, but seriously, you have to read it for yourself.

2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn't?

I really thought I was going to enjoy this book. It came with so many raving reviews but ultimately, I couldn't help but walk away feeling disappointed. You can revisit my thoughts here. 

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

I enjoy new adult contemporary novels. They are like a hit of sugar rush whenever I am feeling low. I generally enjoy them, given them a 4 star rating and move onto the next contemporary novel. But with this novel, I am absolutely blown away by how great it is - it's like the ultimate contemporary novel. I gave it a full 5 stars.

4. Book you "pushed" the most people to read (and they did)?

The Lunar Chronicles - I cannot describe how much I enjoyed this series. Everyone should read it. That includes you!

5. Best series end of 2015?

This is over 800 pages of pure awesomeness. See my review here.

6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2015?

Victoria Schwab is simply an amazing author - she is officially on my autobuy list.

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

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, after all, science fiction is one of my least read genres. And I was absolutely blown away by how amazing this series is. So much intrigue. So much action. And I still have no idea what's happening.

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

There was a good time gap between when I read The Darkest Minds & Never Fade, and In the Afterlight, so I figured it would take me awhile to get into the swing of the novel. However, the book was so fast-paced and full of twists and turns, I literally just held on and enjoyed the ride. And it was amazing!

9. Book you read in 2015 that you are most likely to re-read next year?

There are so many series I want to reread, but I think I would probably like to start with The Archived by Victoria Schwab. I miss Wesley and Mac!

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

Can we pause for a moment and just appreciate how gorgeous these covers are! I cannot wait to see what the third book's cover will turn out like.

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

Wesley Ayers from The Archived series by Victoria Schwab. Enough said.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

The prose of this novel is absolutely gorgeous. It gave me the nostalgic feelings of a children's tale despite the horrors of World War II. Definitely a lovely novel. See more of my thoughts here. 

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2015?

I keep coming back to this novel. It encompasses so much of what it means to be human.

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2015 to finally read?

I've known about the book series ever since high school, and have watched the film adaptations for over 10 years now, but I have never got around to reading the book until 2015, when I discovered that Anne Hathaway narrated the audiobook. It was amazing! Hathaway's voice and the way the story unfolded was so fun - I'm so glad I finally got to it.

15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2015?

"Horror can be contained within a book, given form and meaning. But in life horror has no more form than it does meaning. Horror just is. And while it reigns, it is as if nothing in the universe that it is not."

~ The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

16. Shortest & longest book you read in 2015?

Shortest: Leave the Window Open by V.E. Schwab

Longest: Winter by Marissa Meyer

17. Book that shocked you the most.

18. OTP of the year (you will go down with this ship!)

Fan-art by lostie815

Cress and Thorne! They are so cute and adorable together, they had me giggling from beginning to end in Cress by Marissa Meyer. Definitely my OTP of the year!

19. Favourite non-romantic relationship of the year

Cassie and Sammy from The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.

20. Favourite book you read in 2015 from an author you've read previously

I really enjoyed the Legend series by Marie Lu, possibly one of the few dystopian trilogies that had a finale I loved. So when I heard she was coming out with a new series, I was excited to read it and now I have another favourite series that I'm heavily anticipating. 

21. Best book you read in 2015 that you read based solely on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure.

I don't think I would have ever picked up this book if my friends didn't keep recommending it to me. I'm so glad they did.

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

Captain Thorne from the Lunar Chronicles. ;)

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

I've only read one and I really didn't enjoy it that much (see number 30 below).

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year?

This book is so charming and magical, it's almost as if Diana Wynne Jones' imagination is limitless. I really enjoyed reading this one.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most fun to read?

This book is so adorable and the interactions between Cress and Thorne are so funny, I was definitely giggling from beginning to end.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2015?

I will admit it, I got a bit teary at the ending.

27. Hidden gem of the year?

Novellas aren't always great. But this one just made me want more of the series.

28. Book that crushed your soul?

29. Most unique book you read in 2015?

Yes Please by Amy Poehler is the book that really got me into audiobooks. Amy Poehler's narration is so funny, the guest cast is amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. See more of my thoughts here. 

30. Book that made you the most mad?

This book really did not live up to expectations. Without revealing too much, let's just say I felt let down by the plot line.

So there you go, my very long and thorough look back at the year that was 2015. What about you guys? :)