2017 End Of Year Book Survey

The 2017 End of Year Survey was created by Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner! I will link her original post that has both the survey's questions and the linky list so you can add your survey to the list of other bloggers participating! This is a survey of books you read in 2017, no matter what the release date was for each book! If you read it in 2017, you can use it as an answer for any of the questions. Have fun and if you participate please tell me so I can read your answers!

2017 Reading Stats

Number of  Books You Read: 109 Books
Number of Re-reads: 13
Genre You Read The Most From: Young Adult Contemporary

Best In Books

1. Best Book You Read In 2017?
(If you have to cheat - you can break it down by genre if you want or 2017 release vs. backlist)

Debut Contemporary Novel: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Contemporary (Non-Debut) Novel: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli 
Debut Fantasy Novel: Cloaked in Shadow by Ben Alderson
Fantasy (Non-Debut): A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Comics & Graphic Novels: Faith comics by Valiant Comics
Autobiography: Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded by Hannah Hart

2. Book you were excited about and thought you'd love more but didn't?
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt was a huge disappointment for me, personally. I was so excited for a story about Lizzie Borden, but it wasn't written well and the story was boring. I am not sure how the author managed to make such an interesting and chilling story boring, but she somehow did. 

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. This book was so hard to get through I had to DNF it, which really made me sad because I was really excited to read it. I had heard amazing things and there was (is? I am not sure the progress) talk of it becoming a movie. But I just didn't like the writing style. 

4. Book you "Pushed" the most people to read (and they did)?
I honestly don't really push books onto people, so I can't think of an answer for this one. 

5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?
I actually haven't read a lot of series this year. That may change next year. My favorite series that I have started this year is probably Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst, Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh or the Faith comic series by Valiant Comics. And the only series I finished this year was A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, which I found disappointing.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?
Either Angie Thomas or Audrey Coulthurst. They both wrote amazing books (The Hate U Give and Of Fire and Stars, respectfully), and I loved them both. 

7. Best book from a genre you don't typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
The Princess Saves Herself In This One by Amanda Lovelace. I do not read a lot of poetry, but after reading this book of poems I actually realized I want to read more. I am hoping to do that in 2018. I just need to look around and find some in the same style. 

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
The Beast of London by L.D. Goffigan is a really action packed great vampire book that I really enjoyed reading.

9.  Book you read in 2017 that you are most likely going to re-read next year?
This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab. I loved this book, but I need to re-read it before jumping into the sequel and final book in the duology, Our Dark Duet. 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?
I really love the book cover for Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. I don't even think pictures do it justice. It's absolutely stunning in person. 

11. Most memorable character of 2017?
Molly Peskin-Suso from The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. I don't think I have read a character ever that I related to more than I relate to Molly. Especially younger me. I feel like if younger me read Upside, I would have benefited so much from it. Also, Kell from A Darker Shade of Magic was amazing and I love him. 

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?
This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab. I think Schwab's writing style is so unique and beautiful I also read an anthology of short stories, Because You Love To Hate Me, and I absolutely loved her story Death Knell. I just read A  Darker Shade of Magic and loved it also!  I am hoping to continue the series in 2018. 

13. Most thought provoking/life-changing book of 2017?
Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy. I had been going through some stuff with my sexual identity when I picked up this book, and I feel like it helped me feel more confident about my bi identity. 

14. Book you can't believe you waited  UNTIL 2017 to finally read?
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. It was gorgeous and so much fun. 

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2017?
"Hate ricochets, but kindness does too." - A List of Cages by Robin Roe 

16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2017?
Shortest: OLIVER the Schnoodle by Marta elena Vassilakis (32 pages)
Longest: The Diviners by Libba Bray (578 pages)

17. The book that shocked you the most.
Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Unloaded by Hannah Hart. I honestly did not know that her past was so heavy, and it made me appreciate the light you can see in Hannah while watching her YouTube videos (youtube.com/harto). I didn't think I could love her more. I felt for her, cried for her, and was really proud of her.

18. OTP of the year (you will go down with this ship!)
(OTP= one true pairing, for ones not familiar with the term)
Hmm, I do not do ships very often. However, I think Zacriah and Hadrian from Cloaked in Shadow by Ben Alderson are incredibly cute.

19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year?
Kate Harker and August Flynn from This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab. I think it was a good idea to keep them as just friends and not have a romance between them. It works really well and it makes it so the really cool dark elements of the plot are the focus. I cannot say yet if they start having a relationship in the sequel, since I haven't read it yet, but I hope not.

20. Favorite book you read in 2017 from an author you've read previously?
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe when I read it in 2016, and so The Inexplicable Logic of  My Life did not disappoint. He's quickly become a favorite author of mine. 

21. Best book you read in 2017 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from someone else?
A List of Cages by Robin Roe. I hadn't felt much of an interest in it when I heard about it initially. But a friend of mine had finished it and immediately was like "YOU NEED TO GO READ THIS NOW" and I am really happy I listened to her, because it was amazing. 

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?
I don't have many fictional crushes to begin with, but I re-read Dumplin' by Julie Murphy and my love for Bo was sparked up again.

23. Best 2017 debut you read?
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

24. Best world building/Most vivid setting you read this year?
I read less fantasy than I have in a while this year, so I don't have a lot to choose from. However, I really loved the world building for The Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh. It was such a fun book to read and I loved the world. 

25. Book that put a smile on your face or was the most fun to read?
Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick. She's so hilarious, and I loved her autobiography so so so much. 

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2017?
Let's be real, most books make me cry. I am a sap. I am soft. But there are a few that stick out the most. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, A List of Cages by Robin Roe, Buffering by Hannah Hart, The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, Turtles All The Way Down by John Green, etc. This list could be so much longer. I'll stop here.

27. Hidden gem of the year?
Faith comics by Valiant Comics. I definitely think more people need to read this comic series. The main character, Faith, is a superhero who has branched off from her superhero team to go solo. She is so cool and so much fun to read about. She's also fat, which never comes up or ever impacts her job to protect California. She has my body type, and she's efficient, badass, nerdy, smart, goofy. I love her, so much. 

28. Book that crushed your soul?
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I feel like this is going to be a pattern with Sáenz's books, Ari & Dante killed me last year, and this year Sal, Sam, & Fito crushed my heart into bits. Both are really different, but they both have these messages of family, love, friendship, coming of age. It's great and I love them forever. 

29. Most unique book you read in 2017?
Undying by Corina Bishop. Undying was a hard book for me to rate because I loved loved the story but there were a lot of grammatical issues with the writing. However, the story was great and super unique. It's this Sci-Fi story about a girl who wakes up being tortured and she has no idea who she is or where she is.  It's really great and I recommend it solely on the story.

30. Book that made you the most mad (doesn't necessarily mean you didn't enjoy the book)?
Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. This book was SO amazing for a good 3/4 of the way through, and then something happens that honestly made me really mad. To the point of, despite giving it a good rating of 4.5 stars, I don't want to read it again or own it. I probably should have rated it lower, but the first 3/4 of the book was so great I couldn't bare to. 

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017?
I started in January, so I am new as a blogger and as a blog reader, so all the blogs I read now were new to me in 2017. However, I really love Amy from A Magical World of Words. I really love her posts and I need to remember to comment on them more often. She's also incredibly sweet.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?
I don't know if I have a favorite. My reviews are all things I am proud of because I was able to put my words into thoughts coherently enough that I felt like I wanted to share it with the internet. 

3. Best discussion/non-review you had on your blog?
I think that would be one I did recently, which is titled [Book Discussion] Quitting Goodreads? And it's about why I am going to be taking 2018 to slowly transition myself out of using Goodreads by using other websites and apps instead. 

4. Best event that you participating in (author signings, festivals,virtual events, memes, etc)?
I didn't g to any events. I live too far to go to anything. I did participate in the  BookTube-A-Thon like I do every year and that was fun. 

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017?
I think just meeting some great friends. I think I second guess myself when it comes to reaching out and talking to people, and I hope to be more communicative next year.  But I have met a lot of great people by starting my blog. 

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
I think it's something that I think everyone deals with, which is dealing with pressure. I sometimes feel like I am not reading fast enough or reading enough relevant books to get people interested. That put me in one small and one really big reading slump. I am hoping to change how I do things next year so I can try to prevent it from happening again.

7. Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
there is two, one I already mentioned, the book discussion about why I am quitting Goodreads, and one titled Heather & Matt Engagement Photos w/ Quotes.. Which is pretty self explanatory 

8. Post you wish got a little more love?
I am not sure if I have a specific post, but instead a small series. I would have liked more people to comment and talk about their NaNoWriMo experiences on my NaNoWriMo Update Posts. NaNno was one of the best things  I pushed myself to do this year and I really was excited to talk about it and maybe build a little community of writers along with my community of readers. 

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
BookThinkers! I am actually transferring all my books from Goodreads to BookThinkers because I am not a big fan of Goodreads and their policies right now. I am excited for the BookThinkers app to launch and to be able to document my reading progress guilt free of using a program who obviously has forgotten why readers were drawn to it.

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set yourself at the beginning of this year?
I wanted to read 80 books, which I've done. Read more diversely, which I've done, and I wanted to do more writing. I am hesitant to say that I did that, since most of my writing was crammed into November, but I did write a novel and plan on working on that novel in 2018. 

Looking Ahead

1.  One book you didn't get to in 2017 but will be your number one priority in 2018?
Wild Beauty by Anna Marie McLemore

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2018 (non-debut)?

•  Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli 
• Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake 

3. 2018 debut you are most anticipating?

• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi 
• The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton 

4. Series ending/A sequel you are most anticipating in 2018?
I didn't read many series this year, but one thing I am excited about is the prequel to Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. It's titled Inkmistress and I am so excited! I am also excited to continue the Darker Shade of Magic series by V.E. Schwab.

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2018?
I am hoping to keep working on my NaNo story, focus more on reading than numbers when it comes to my reading, and be more active in the blogging community. 

6. A 2018 release you've already read & recommend to everyone (if applicable)
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Thanks for reading!