End of the Year Bookish Survey 2016

Hosted by Perpetual Page Turner

Number Of Books You Read:

470 

I initially made my goal 250 because I thought that I might do some more

gaming than reading this year.  Yeah.  Didn't happen.  I still did a lot of gaming

but a team challenge at GoodReads had me pushing myself even more!  I ended

up reading 289 books in a 5 month span, for the challenge we did and my team

didn't even win, though we did come in 2nd, so YAY!  :)  I kept upping my yearly

goal by 50, or so, every time I'd get close.  I finally put it at 450 and left it there.

In Numbers (because I get asked if I only read short stories/comics) :
29 books were over 450 pages
 141 books were 301 - 450 pages
 285 books were 100 - 300 pages
15 books were under 99 pages

Number of Re-Reads:

62

It was the year of the re-reads!  I've never re-read so many books before.

I re-read most the first 20 (or so) of my Trixie Belden's and almost that many

of the Nancy Drew's.  Then there were re-reads of my favorite books, such as:

The Night Circus, The Martian, Ready Player One, Great Zoo of China & more! 

Genre You Read The Most From:

Science Fiction / Fantasy

I'm actually not really sure and I already have so many books to go through for

this anyways so I'm just guessing.  I think a lot of what I read this year was either

Sci Fi and or Fantasy.  I still read a bunch of mystery, my normal go to genre, but

I think with reading so much time travel, Sci Fi probably took over this year. 

 Best in Books 2016

*** New to me Books only, no re-reads as answers ***
All Covers link back to GoodReads

1. Best Book You Read In 2016?
Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St Mary's #1) by Jodi Taylor, and the rest of the 7 novels + 7 short stories series are my favorites of the year.  I discovered the books in March and re-read all the first 6 in Nov/Dec before the newest short story came out.  I ADORE this time traveling series.  It's a bunch of misfits and everything completely goes wrong in every book, but it's sooooooo much fun.  The characters are amazing, they are flawed and not perfect and you just love them anyways.  I wish this series had 50 books already, it's awesome and if you at all like time traveling books and you have not read this series, you must right now!!  Don't read 'em out of order!!  Then tell me what you think!

2. Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
There were a couple that fit this, but the worse was Arena by Holly Jennings. You can read my rather lengthy review at GoodReads, but basically I thought it would be a gaming book and instead it preached Daoism and the dangers of drugs. Had it been 90% gaming and the rest 10%, it would have been a 5 star book. Instead it was about 20% gaming (if that) and the rest a bunch of shit. I was really really pissed off and disappointed by it but I grudgingly gave it 3 stars because what little gaming was enjoyable, it just wasn't enough.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
I'm gonna try to keep different books (for the most part) for my answers, otherwise The Chronicles of St Mary's books will be my answer for EVERYTHING that's good in this questionaire. :) That said, I looked through all my books and the most surprising WAS one of the St Mary's books actually. I don't wanna say which, you just gotta read 'em but it has a holy shit moment that I was NOT expecting and OMG it was crazy. So it was the most surprising, because I didn't see it coming, in a good way for the most part. But leaves tons and tons of questions!

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
Crap! The Chronicles of St Mary's series! It really was. I just need to go back and take out that part about not using it all the time. But I pushed it towards a few people to read, including my Husband, and everyone (so far) has loved as much as they have read of the series. It's THAT great!! :)

5. Best series you started in 2016?
Sigh! LOL!! I give up on trying not to use it all the time. It should be obvious that the best series I started in 2016 was definitely Chronicles of St Mary's. Every book is fantastic. There's one.... um it's book #5 ~ No Time Like the Past ~ that is definitely my least favorite of all of them. Still, 5 stars. :)

Best Sequel of 2016?
It's the 4th in a series, but not tne ending of the series, so I'm gonna go with Four Lengendary Kingdoms by Matthew Reilly. He's one of my favorite authors, so I always love when new books come out. This is from his Jack West series and had some stuff in it I wasn't excpecting. Love Reilly books!



Best Series Ender of 2016?
I'd have to say Crash and Burn by Abigail Roux. I started the series in Dec of 2015 and finished it up the end of January, so I read them all, plus 2 of Sidewinder in a month or so. Really great series, especially since it was my first M/M. None have stood up to this series, though there have been some other good stuff out there, but this is definitely the best.



6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?
Let me see if there was anyone better than Jodi Taylor. Nope. Gonna have to go with Jodi Taylor for this one, though I haven't read her other books (3, I think) yet. They look a little too girlie for me, but I will try them at some point.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
I'll have to go with The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. I don't read many Classics at all, but I read a few for the challenge I was in because they were short and I found "Alien Voices Presents" for audio, which are Star Trek guys doing the audios for some of the Classics, specifically John De Lancie and Leonard Nimoy were the two big ones. So I tried them out and I liked them because of the audio. I dunno if I would have liked any of the ones I read as much if it hadn't been for people I like doing the audiobooks.


8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
MOST of what I read is action-packed, thrilling and unputdownable. Those are the best kinds of books!! That being said, just because something isn't action packed, doesn't mean it's not unputdownable, so I'm gonna break this up into three, because I can. And, I'll get away from the predictable! :)

Action-packed:
While it doesn't get more action-packed than almost everything Reilly's ever written, I'm gonna go with Vanquished by S.E. Green. Lots of action going on with this book, not for the faint of heart though, or those having issues with such thing as rape or harm coming to teens. Really fucked up book but really really good!!

Thrilling:
Gonna have to go with another really fucked up book again, and say The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson. Really really messed up book but really really great. Don't read if you get creeped out by creepy serial killers. Really disturbing, but fantastic book, if you like to read that kind of thing. Can not WAIT for the sequel!!

Unputdownable:
There's two that fit here for me, and all I gotta do is show you the covers and I'm sure most (if not all) of you will agree they are very very unputdownable!!!


9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
As I've mentioned, I already re-read the St Mary's books and I will again! They are so good and the narrator is AMAZING. Besides those I'm hoping for a lot LESS re-reads this year. New to me book of 2016 I'm likely to re-read besides those? Probably The Cursed Child. I know people love it or hate it, but I loved it. I knew nothing about it going in (did that on purpose) so all of it surprised me.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?
I didn't have any that I was REALLY REALLY in love with, and I liked several. I guess I'll go with A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray.



11. Most memorable character of 2016?
Max and Peterson from The Chronicles of St Mary's series and Kvothe from King Chronicles.


12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?
Starting to get into the questions I don't like. I read mainly books where people are shooting each other and killing each other. I like ACTION, not typically known to be beautifully written, but I love them. The Night Circus is still the most beautifully written book I've read since 2011. But, if I must pick one for 2016 then I'd have to go with Beauty by Caroline Lee. It's part of a series of fairy tale retellings with a western twist. The others were ok, but this telling of Beauty and the Beast was quite touching, different than the others.


13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016?
UGH! None! I don't read thought-provoking or Life-Changing books. Blech!! I didn't even read a non-fiction this year. (YAY!) I don't read to get enlightened, I read for the fun of it.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read?
Definitely 11/22/63. I don't read a lot of books over 600 pages and I'm usually doing a challenge where reading most shorter books is better so I kept putting it off. I did end up reading it for a challenge and I did end up loving it. Wish I hadn't waited so long to read it. My first Stephen King too (I think!).



15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2016?
Many!! All depressing, so skip this one if you don't wanna read depressing quotes. Here's two I especially liked:

~ “Have you ever felt despair? Absolute hopelessness? Have you ever stood in the darkness and known, deep in your heart, in your spirit, that it was never, ever going to get better? That something had been lost, forever, and that it wasn't coming back?”
― Jim Butcher, Storm Front

~ “Perhaps the greatest faculty our minds possess is the ability to cope with pain. Classic thinking teaches us of the four doors of the mind, which everyone moves through according to their need.

First is the door of sleep. Sleep offers us a retreat from the world and all its pain. Sleep marks passing time, giving us distance from the things that have hurt us. When a person is wounded they will often fall unconscious. Similarly, someone who hears traumatic news will often swoon or faint. This is the mind's way of protecting itself from pain by stepping through the first door.

Second is the door of forgetting. Some wounds are too deep to heal, or too deep to heal quickly. In addition, many memories are simply painful, and there is no healing to be done. The saying 'time heals all wounds' is false. Time heals most wounds. The rest are hidden behind this door.

Third is the door of madness. There are times when the mind is dealt such a blow it hides itself in insanity. While this may not seem beneficial, it is. There are times when reality is nothing but pain, and to escape that pain the mind must leave reality behind.

Last is the door of death. The final resort. Nothing can hurt us after we are dead, or so we have been told.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind


16.Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2016?
The shortest, according to GoodReads, was a 10 page short story in the Cut and Run series that was actually posted online. So besides that, the shortest would have been the short stories in the St Mary's series which ranged in pages from 21 - 74. The longest book I read was 11/22/53 at 866 pages. One thing I'm going to aim for in 2017 are some longer books.


17. Book That Shocked You The Most
Hmmmm. Apart from a certain book in a certain series, I'd guess I'd have to say the story that was most shocking was The Butterfly Garden. It's definitely a very very twisted serial killer type book and most certainly not for everyone. But it was really really good, in that sickening way. :)






18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
UGH!! I hate these terms. Really really hate. Racks up there with chat speak and other crappy shit of the internet. There were none that stood out to me that were new to me. I'd say Ty and Zane, but I technically started that series in 2015, so they are out sorta.  Same with Harry and Ginny.  I like to give new to me answers. Other than that, there were none that stand out at all. If I have to pick I guess I'll go with Cara & Nate. They are unique, though the series isn't the best.


19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Sorry. Gonna have to do it. Can't not do it. My favorite non-romantic relationship is Max & Peterson, hands down!! I adore those two!! Markham is good too, but Max and Peterson are just so funny and so enjoyable and got each other's backs in every way.  I actually perfer their friendship to the romantic relationships of the books.   (In every St Mary's book, so won't post cover, again.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
It probably went to Matt Reilly last year too. I just LOVE his books. If you aren't into insane over the top CRAZY action, he's not for you. But if you are like me and love the gun fights, explosions and stuff that really couldn't ever happen, then he's a must!






21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
No one pressures me into anything, I really wanna I wanna read, but I did decide to go back to The Name of the Wind based on a recommendation. My Hubby had already wanted me to read it, and I started it, but gave up before it really got going. Was talking to someone about it and they said it does pick up. I had left off right before it did. So I gave it another chance, and I loved it.



22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016?
Ugh. Again! Married woman here. No crushes, at all. The guy I found to be the most intriguing would probably be Magnus Craig from Collecting the Dead, or Kvothe. The girls I found most intriguing were definitely the ladies of Bay West, especially Meg.



23. Best 2016 debut you read?
I don't pay attention to if things are debuts or not. Going to have to look. Ahhh, this one was a debut and I loved it! Very good competition type book, quite enjoyable.



24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
I'm gonna have to go with Name of the Wind with this one.


25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
ALL 7 of the St Mary's books, plus all 7 of the short stories! Did you think there would be another answer?! :)


26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016?
I HATE HATE books that make me cry. I don't do it. I stay away from books that I know will make me cry and I get pissed off when a random one makes me cry. This time it was Beauty. It made me cry a few times. Damn book.


27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
I never know what is expected with this question. I'll go with Totally Worth it, as a book that's not well known (just over 100 ratings) plus is Lesbian Romance and very few lesbian books are actually good, but this series really really is!



28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Ergh. I just need to change out these questions I don't like. Nothing. No Thing, no book.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016?
Definitely Security. It was definitely different, and enjoyable. It took me a little while to get into it and then it slowly started picking up steam. But then it really took off and the conclusion was just really really good. Enjoyable and different, quite unique.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
I didn't have a "this REALLY pissed me off" book this year so YAY for that. One that made me mad was Arena. It was less about the gaming and more about preaching and I really really disliked that.

Book Blogging

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2016?
None. Sorry. My blogging was sadly ignored this year, because of reading so many books, so I didn't get around to any new blogs. Plan on getting back into it (I hope) this year.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016?
Dunno. I'll have to go look. Let's go with My Review of <A href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25112974-the-syndicate">The Syndicate by Sophie Davis</a>. It was one of a few that I reviewed on its own and I really enjoyed it.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
None really, I didn't post much at all. I suppose my Dewey Wrap-Ups?

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Grudgingly I'll say Wobble, a 5 month challenge I did at GoodReads. I know that's not really what it's going for here, but I don't go out and do things, and that's what I did most of the year. I say grudgingly because there were a lot of issues with the challenge itself and behind the scenes stuff with me, but my team made it enjoyable for me.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016?
Nada.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
Nada. Didn't blog much. With reading life it was just reading so damn much (289 books in 5 months) was a little crazy.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
For some reason, my <a href="http://kakijokoja.blogspot.com/2016/05/april-reading-log-wrap-up-post.html">April Reading Log</a> had the most views this year.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
This one.  :)

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
None

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

LOOKING AHEAD to 2017

 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017?
Started this at about 12:45am Jan 1st.  Planned on it being my first book of the year.  Going to try to read some more longer books this year and NOT do a challenge where I push myself too much.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)?
No cover for it yet, but of course The Rest is History by Jodi Taylor ~ St Mary's book #8







3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
I don't pay attention to if something is a debut or not, I just wanna read it if it sounds good to me. That said, it looks like Caraval is a debut, so that's the one I'm most looking forward to of the few debuts on my list of "to be released" books.



4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017?



5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017?
I hope to get back to my blog more, and I hope to not read as much as I did in 2016, that burnt me out there too much at the end. I know 16 books may seem like a lot in 8 weeks, but it's not, for me, and I just didn't really WANT to read at that point. I listened to audios at night because they help me sleep, otherwise I probably wouldn't have read during that time. I don't wanna overdo it again, and just wanna enjoy my books.


6. A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:
Kendra Elliot's newest book was quite enjoyable. New characters, new area. Her characters are always so likable and the stories are always enjoyable. This one was the same.