This is my second time participating in the End Of The Year Book Survey. If you’d like to check out my End Of The Year Book Survey- 2016, feel free!
Let’s dive in to my 2017 survey!
End Of The Year Book Survey- 2017
*Created by The Perpetual Page Turner*
Statistics:
Number Of Books You Read: 166
Number of Re-Reads: 5
Genre You Read The Most From: Paranormal
Additional stats I wanted to share:
- My rating breakdown:
- 5 stars- 74
- 4 stars- 55
- 3 stars- 21
- 2 stars- 12
- 1 star- 4
- DNF- 20
- Honest reviews accepted in 2017: 46
Part 1: Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2017?
This is just too difficult. I have a blog post that captures My 10 Favorite Books That Were Published in 2017, as well as a list of all my 5-star ratings of 2017 in Goodreads: Your Year In Books Meme.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
I was counting down the days until See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt was published. Unfortunately, right away I knew this was going to be a miss. The writing style for both the layout of the book and narrative itself just wasn’t for me. I didn’t even make it to page 100 before calling this one. I was just far too bored and the storyline was all over the place.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
When I first read the synopsis for Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, I thought the book may be a miss for me. But because I had heard a few of my blogging friends raving about it, I decided to give it a go. I ended up loving this book! I was drawn into the story very early on. The drama and suspense was so addicting!
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
A List of Cages by Robin Roe. I recommend this to so many people I lost count. Many of them did read the book. I would get late night texts from friends who had just finished reading and couldn’t wait to discuss it.
5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?
- Best series I started in 2017– The Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi. I read books 1 through 7 this year and loved each of them. The artwork and storylines are so incredible.
- Best sequel I read in 2017– Curse of the Sands by Martin Ferguson. I loved every second of this book and cannot wait to get my hands on book three!
- Best Series Ender I read in 2017– Locke & Key, Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodríguez. I was dreading reaching the end of this series because I love it SO much. But this is the most wonderful conclusion that I could have ever imagined.
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?
Tony Moyle! Tony first approached me with an honest review request for his book, The Limpet Syndrome. That book was SO in my wheelhouse! I absolutely loved his writing style and sense of humor.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
I’m not usually a fan of memoirs, but The March Trilogy was absolutely incredible; a must read for all. If you haven’t read it yet, I urge you to go pick it up today. This graphic novel was written by Congressman John Lewis, a key figure of the of the civil rights movement, and Andrew Aydin. And the artwork illustrated by Nate Powell is absolutely stunning.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
A Killer Harvest by Paul Cleave! Once I picked this one up, I really struggled to put it down; I just couldn’t wait to see what happened next!
9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
I think I may re-read Eagle of The Empire (Relic Hunters, #1) and Curse of The Sands (Relic Hunters, #2) by Martin Ferguson in preparation for the release of the third book in the series.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?
I really loved the cover of The Dry (Aaron Falk #1) by Jane Harper:
11. Most memorable character of 2017?
Jazz Bashara from Artemis by Andy Weir. Oh my gosh, Jazz was a hoot! I can see why her character may be a little much for some readers tastes, but I loved her! She was so sarcastic and had absolutely no filter. I really enjoyed all the situations that she got herself into, whether they were good or bad.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye. I absolutely loved the beautiful classic writing style of this book. My favorite feature was the use of stunning description. For example: “…it had snowed again, and an inch of powder lay glimmering upon the grounds, awaiting the performers as the pale January sunlight bent down to kiss the top of the trees.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017?
Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. It has been a very, very long time since a book has had this much of an impact on me. Most of it was such a light and fun read! But there was also a very serious and raw emotional edge that made me totally fall in love with this book.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read?
Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie. I had won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. For some reason, it wound up on my shelf where it just sat getting bumped by the other books on my TBR. When I finally picked it I was absolutely kicking myself for taking so long to read it!
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?
16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?
Shortest– Environmentally Friendly by Elias Zanbaka (19 pages)
Longest– This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity #1) by Victoria Schwab (464 pages)
17. Book That Shocked You The Most
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart… Even though this was a re-read for me, I had forgotten what happens. No spoilers though! 🙂
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (You will go down with this ship! OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)
Amira and Sadie of Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill. These two were just too cute not to mention here!
19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Brothers Calvin and Sammy of From Ant to Eagle by Alex Lyttle.
20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton. I absolutely loved that Mr. Crichton spliced together strands of fiction and history for this book! I loved learning about the real characters and events in the typical Crichton fashion. The storyline organization and pacing was absolutely thrilling. I was hooked right from page one and did not want the book to end. There were many situations that got my heart pumping, times that made me sad, and times where I found myself cheering the characters on.
21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. This book had been on my TBR for quite a while once I heard the Book Riot team raving about it. I kept bumping it back, as I’m not usually a big fan of historical fiction. When it was picked for our second book club read, I was so excited to finally get around to reading it.
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?
n/a
23. Best 2017 debut you read?
Here And Gone by Haylen Beck! I thought that the premise of this book was incredibly spooky because it’s so realistic. And phew, this book doesn’t hold back at all! The main action starts in just the first ten pages and doesn’t let up until the very end. Between all of the action and the wonderful writing style, I couldn’t put this book down!
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman! While reading, I could picture the settings of this book in my head so well!
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
Big Mushy Happy Lump (Sarah’s Scribbles, #2) by Sarah Andersen. These comics are just too cute!
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?
I very rarely cry while reading. But there were three books this year that made me cry:
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Voltron: Legendary Defender, Volume 1 by Tim Hedrick, Mitch Iverson. I didn’t hear a single person in my reading circles talking about this one. For as popular as the netflix series is, I thought for sure this would have been a bigger hit! I was clearly pumped for it! 🙂
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
See number 26.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?
Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin, Megan McDowell (Translator). After finishing the book, I found myself questioning if all that I had just read had simply been a dream, or if it had all really happened. Needless to say, I will definitely thinking about this story for a long time!
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
The Bone Feud by Wynne McLaughlin. Oh the injustice!! LOVED this book though!
Part 2: Your Blogging/Bookish Life
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017?
Oh my gosh, so many! Check out the “My Favorite Bookish Accounts” section in my blog’s sidebar to see some of my favorites!
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?
Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies by Lindsay Ribar, simply because it was the very first book review that I posted here.
3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
My Trip To The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut. This was such a fun post to put together. To this day it is still my second most viewed post.
4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Two events immediately come to mind for this one! The first is that I had the amazing opportunity to meet Joe Hill! I also had an amazing time participating in Armchair Book Expo.
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017?
Oh gosh… how in the world can I pick just one?! Hmm. I guess I would have to choose receiving my first honest review request. When I got the notification that someone had filled out my form and wanted to give me a free copy of their book, I was ecstatic! I felt like I was a “real” book blogger at that moment.
6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
Creating an honest review process that works best for me. When I first started, I accepted way too many too quickly. When I realized that I was only reading honest reviews because I didn’t have time for the other things I wanted to read, I knew I had to make a chance. My process still isn’t perfect, so I’d happily take any recommendations here 🙂
7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
Most popular by comments– [Top 10 Tuesday] Ten Bookish Settings I Would Love To Visit
Most popular by views– [Bookish Discussion] 16 Books That Didn’t Live Up To The Hype
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
9. Best bookish discoveries (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
- Book Platform- BookThinkers (this at least has the potential to be great!)
- Bookstore- RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Bookstore- Sheafe Street Books in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Organization- Altrusa Portland Gives Books
- Event- Bloggiesta
- Event- Armchair Book Expo
- Event- Summer Comment Challenge
- Meme- Flytips
10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
My 2016 goals:
- Read all of the ebooks on my Kindle– total fail.
- Complete multiple TBR takedowns– semi-success.
- Complete a series my boyfriend and I own– fail
- Stop being so stubborn about DNFing– SUCCESS!
Part 3: Looking Ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018?
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss.
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)?
Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2) by Jane Harper.
3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018?
Amulet #8 (Amulet #8) by Kazu Kibuishi.
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2018?
My book blogging goals:
- Stay on top of updating my review archive page.
- Participate in 1 or 2 online book events.
- Find a new weekly meme to replace the ones that have gotten stale.
- Continue adding to my testimonial page.
My reading goals:
- Complete all honest review requests on time.
- Read all of the books on my shelves that I own but haven’t read.
- Re-read the books I have been meaning to re-read.
6. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):
Kingsbane (Soul Stones, #0.2) by T.L. Branson.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you enjoyed this post! If you completed the End of the Year Book Tag, I would love to read it! Just throw the link down in the comments and I will check it out.
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I'm working on this survey now. I enjoyed reading your answers but it sure is a long one to complete!
Ugh! So sorry for my delayed response. This was another comment that had gone missing! <3
I love that you made a goal of not being stubborn about DNFing and you succeeded! I'm a big proponent of DNFing. And I like your blogging goals for next year – it's always good to keep things fresh, and I think making sure your blog pages are updated is really good for new readers.
😀 It was definitely necessary for me. I was pushing myself through so many books I didn't enjoy that I kept winding up in reading slumps! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Great post! And I think you've convinced me to add Jane Steele to my TBR, that excerpt is gorgeous.
Enjoy!! 🙂
That cover for The Dry is pretty good, and I've added it to my TBR because it sounds good too. And Jazz sounds like a lot of fun, I didn't think Artemis would be my thing but I don't know, I'm reconsidering. 🙂
Sarah Andersen's books look awesome. And We were Liars! I forgot about that one, but it was a trip! Love books like that.
Happy New Year!!!
I really enjoyed The Dry! Artemis is one that is certainly hit or miss; I hope it's a hit for you! Happy New Year to you as well!
Great post! I need to read A List of Cages eventually. Love that quote you shared!
It's an incredible read!! Enjoy! 🙂
I'm so impressed that you picked up so many books this year. How amazing! I think I'm most envious of your 73 five-star reads. That's so many wonderful books in a single year. I also loved participating in Armchair Book Expo. I'm so sad that it won't continue next year. Hope 2018 is full of many more amazing reads!
Right?! I was so lucky!! Yeah, I will miss Armchair Book Expo so much, but I'm thankful I got to participate once! 🙂
I just love this survey. I couldn't help but join in this year as well. It looks like you had an amazing year of reading. I can see why The Dry cover is your favorite. It's very eye-catching! I love it too. The Name of the Wind! I really want to read that one too.
I hope you have a great 2018, Erica. Good luck with your goals. May your year be filled with many great books, good health and much joy and laughter.
It's such a fun thing to do at the end of the year! It has certainly been an awesome year! 🙂 I hope you have a great 2018 as well! <3
Well if you need a recommendation for 2018, The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley. I CRIED SO MUCH. I loved reading all of your answers here. I hadn't even hear of a lot of these books.
Oh!! I'll add it to my TBR! Thank you 🙂