End of Year Survey 2018 Part 2: Bookish/Blogging Life

Every year, Jamie at the Perpetual Page Turner puts together a survey to help you reflect on your year as a bookish blogger. I split my survey up into two parts. In part 1, which you can find here, I talk about some of the most interesting books I read this year. Today in part 2, I'll reflect a bit on my blogging and bookish life.

1. New favourite book blog/Bookstagram/YouTube channel you discovered in 2018?

I don't know! I'm not great at keeping up with or discovering new blogs these days. Any recommendations? I'm especially on the look out for book bloggers not in the US or Canada, or CanLit bloggers!

2. Favourite post you wrote in 2018?

I think probably the post Begin Again. I liked experimenting a bit more this year with more creative non-fiction type posts (even if they weren't as popular), and I think that post is probably my favourite. I like how it captures how I felt in the midst of and then after coming out of a years-long writing slump. I like writing about the more difficult side of writing, and I hope it helped at least a few people to know that they aren't alone in their struggles.

3. Favourite bookish related photo you took in 2018?

I have way too many pictures of my cats, but that's book-related, right? Cats are the ultimate reading companion. Here's a picture of my cat helping me with my 2 day poem contest entry.

4. Best bookish event you participated in this year?

I didn't blog about it (which now thinking about it is really silly), but I actually volunteered at a local writer's festival this year (it's one of the reasons I got so into poetry in the latter half of this year). It was probably the best thing I did. I got to meet a lot of fellow writers, both published and unpublished, and I actually called myself a writer out loud, in public.And everyone was so incredibly warm and welcoming. It also solidified for me the notion that writing is something to be shared and is not a solitary thing. I also went to an author event for Eden Robinson at my local bookstore, which was super fun.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2018?

 I don't know, I can't pick! Interviewing Kate Hart was pretty cool. So was having Shvaugn guest post for my Local Book Nook series. So was having incredible Canadian children's author Sheree Fitch follow me on Twitter! I love it all, and I can't wait to do more in the next year.

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

 

For blogging, I would say balance, as always. This time not with school but with writing. Now that I've gotten back into writing pretty consistently, I have to figure out how to prioritize between that and this blog. I definitely think that's something I need to figure out for this upcoming year.

And another thing I've been thinking about is just, what do I want? It's a question I ask myself every year, and now that I'm done school I'm considering committing more to this blog, making consistent posts and really trying to grow it a little bit. Ideally I'd like it to reach a bit wider of an audience, but I also want to keep the core of it - which is doing something that I enjoy and that I'm proud of. Just... I want to be a bit more consistent is all. 

7. Most popular post this year on your blog?

The interview I did with Kate Hart, which I'm so glad. I hope that interview helped at least a few more people find Kate Hart and her book, After the Fall, because she deserves all the attention. That interview was a long time coming, too, so I'm glad it did well.

8. Post you wished got a little more love?

All of them! :) They could all use some more love, but especially my poem project post. I'm really proud of that project and want more people to see it. If you're curious about my writing style, you might want to check that out.

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

I'm not sure if this works, but this year I got heavily into Critical Role and the collaborative storytelling that is Dungeons and Dragons. Both Critical Role and D&D have opened my eyes to new and different ways of telling stories, and have helped me in my own writing as well. I'm really excited to see where it goes.

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

My goals for this year were pretty vague, but one of the things I talked about was sharing more of my own writing and writing process. I think I did that a bit, although I'd still love to do a bit more. I'm also sad that since I was traveling so much this summer I didn't get to do as much stuff for Women in Translation Month this year. But there's always next year! I'll talk more about my goals for the upcoming year in my New Year's post like I always do.

11. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your blogging life in 2019?

I'll talk a bit more about this in my New Year's Post, but like I said, I want to start being way more consistent with my posts. Like maybe actually make a calendar or something. I'd also like to really commit to Women in Translation Month, and start up doing Local Book Nook posts again. (By the way, if you want to talk about local books, hit me up!)

Stay tuned for tomorrow when I'll go over last year's goals and look ahead to what's to come!

End of Year Survey 2018 Part 1: Books I Read This Year

Every year Jamie over at The Perpetual Page Turner does a survey to see what you read throughout the year. Here's a short review of some of the books I read this year, including a few that I didn't get the chance to do reviews of!

2018 Reading Stats

Number of Books You Read:

Number of Re-reads: 11 so far. I think I re-read pretty much all the YA romances I own, plus all my favourite fantasy books.

Genre You Read the Most From: Thanks to my re-read of YA romances, YA contemp, but fantasy (both YA and adult) is close second. I'm predictable if nothing else. I read in 11 different genres, and read a lot of poetry books this year for the first time which is fun!

1. Best book you read in 2018?

Definitely A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. It just somehow fulfilled everything that's always on my wishlist - great, world-sweeping imaginative sci-fi, and a focus on interesting, unique characters. Add in commentary on cross-cultural interaction and I am sold. I have been putting off re-reading it because I don't want it to be over again. You can read my overly gushy review here.

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

After reading Katherena Vermette's North End Love Songs, I was really excited to read her first novel, The Break, but it just didn't affect me as much as I expected it to. Still a good read, though, and an interesting look into family dynamics in the North End of Winnipeg.

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

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin! Big fat fantasy novels scare me sometimes just with all the new lore and stuff you have to learn at the beginning, but I just couldn't put it down. And there's lots of really interesting twists in it. I'm so annoyed that the sequel isn't available in the library yet! I want to read it now!!

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

I definitely pitched A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet to a lot of people, because I really think anyone would enjoy it. And actually, my review got both of my parents to buy the book and re-read it! Doing my job right. :)

5. Best series you started in 2018? Best sequel of 2018? Best series ender of 2018?

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin! I think the series if called the Broken Earth trilogy? I haven't read any new series sequels this year, but I did re-read Crooked Kingdom and man. That book is genius.

6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2018?

Looking back over my book log, I actually discovered lots of cool new authors! Becky Chambers and N.K. Jemisin I already mentioned, but I also fell in love with Claire Kann, Eden Robinson, Joshua Whitehead, Becky Albertalli, Alice Oseman, and a whole bunch of really cool poets.

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

Most of the books I read this year that were out of my comfort zone I didn't really like... although I did read Eden Robinson's Son of a Trickster which is sort of fantasy/horror-esque. Creepy books are not my thing, but Eden Robinson does it so well. I'm so curious to read her newest book, Trickster Drift.

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

Most action-packed, definitely Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. But even it wasn't really action-packed, the most unputdownable was Alice Oseman's Radio Silence. I have no idea how a great friendship story is written in such an intense way. I stayed up way too late reading that book way too many nights. I need to get my hands on more of her books.

9. Book you read in 2018 that you're most likely to re-read next year?

A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet! I think that one might become one of my yearly re-reads it was that good.

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2018?

I love the cover for Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman. So gorgeous.

11. Most memorable character of 2018?

All of the characters in A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet! They were all so unique and interesting. But if I had to pick one, I'd probably say -- actually never mind. I was going to pick one but then I was like - but that one's so interesting! So yeah, sticking with all of them. Read this book, people!!

12. Most beautifully written book of 2018?

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead is a beautifully written, poetry of sadness book. But if I can pick a poetry collection, I would say This Wound is a World by Billy-Ray Belcourt. Every single poem in that collection knocked the wind out of me.

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2018?

I read a lot of interesting, thought-provoking books this year, but one that I keep coming back to is a biography of Nelson Mandela called Nelson Mandela: The Revolutionary Years by David James Smith. This biography focused less on Mandela's career and activist work, and more on his family and how it affected them (spoiler alert: terribly). It painted a picture of how Mandela's activist work pretty much destroyed his family, and it really made me think about activist work in general and how it is way more gritty than the heroic narratives of history make it out to be. It's made me think a lot about my own life choices as well. If you can get your hands on it, I'd recommend it.

14. Book you can't believe you've waited until 2018 to finally read?

Becky Albertalli's books! Simon Vs. The Homo Sapien's Agenda has been on my radar for years, and I finally read through it (and Leah On The Offbeat) this year. They're now on my go-to list for fluffy contemps to re-read when I'm in a slump.

15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2018?

I didn't write down any specific quotes this year, but I think my favourite passage is a passage at the end of A Long Way to A Small Angry Planet where two friends tell each other what they mean to each other. It's beautiful.

16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2018?

Longest book - N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season (although it still seemed too short), shortest probably dodie's book Obsessions, Confessions and Life Lessons (also way too short).

17. Book that shocked you the most?

I don't think any of the books I read this year really shocked me... but I enjoyed them nonetheless!

18. Favourite book you read in 2018 from an author you've read previously?

Probably Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman. It was a different kind of fantasy novel, but beautiful and engaging nonetheless.

19. Best book you read in 2018 that you read solely on a recommendation from someone else?

Oh! I read Sea Foam and Silence by Lynn E. O'Connacht based solely on a recommendation from Laura. It's a verse retelling of the little mermaid. I'm not usually one for verse novels, but I really liked this one, it was beautiful and nuanced and made me consider maybe reading some more verse novels. (Now that I'm a poetry connoisseur I think I would enjoy this even more!)

20. Best 2018 debut you read?

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann!

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

A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet has the best world-building I've seen in a long time. It's so good.

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

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann was just the perfect amount of fluff and fun for me. Becky Albertalli's books came in a close second.

23. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2018?

All the gorgeous poetry I read, but mostly Billy-Ray Belcourt's This Wound is a World. It's so good it hurts. In the best way.

24. Hidden gem of the year?

Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson! More people should be reading her work, because I think a lot of people would really enjoy her haunting fantasy world. 

25. Book that crushed your soul?

See number 23.

26. Most unique book of the year?

Maybe What to Do When I'm Gone by Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman? A graphic memoir/love letter to your mother. 

27. Book that made you the most mad?

My review of Demi-Gods by Eliza Robertson says "I got literally nothing out of this book."

Well that's it for Part 1, check out Part 2 here and stay tuned for my 2019 goals!

What I Read This Year: 2016 End of Year Survey

I did this end of year survey for the past two years, and I'm doing it again! The survey was created by Jamie at Perpetual Page Turner.

 2016 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 65, a lot less than last year.
Number of Re-Reads: 11
Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy and contemporary remain my favourite genres... YA Fantasy, with 11 (most of which were rereads), adult contemp with 9, and YA contemp with 7 (wow is that the first time it's been more adult than YA??).

1. Best Book You Read In 2016? I read a lot of good books, but they were all so different I can’t pick a best book this year... see below for some of my recommendations. 

2. Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? I've loved all of Stephanie Kuehn's books, so I was super excited for her new book, The Smaller Evil, but it was probably my least favourite book of hers, maybe because it was similar to another book I read by her. She's still an amazing author, though, and Charm and Strange was one of my best books of 2014.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (recommended by someone on an episode of Witch, Please). You'd think a book that takes place over not very long about the mundane life of an English butler would be boring, but it was the most fascinating thing ever.  There is so much going on under the surface, and the narrator's voice is sooo well crafted. Ishiguro is a genius.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? I don't know if anyone read it, but I definitely brought up Rebecca Traister's All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Birth of an Independent Nation a lot. So fascinating, so relevant.

5. Best series you started in 2016? I started, finally, to read Throne of Glass because my best friend was reading it. It has been on my TBR forever, but I honestly don't think I would've liked it as much if I'd read it sooner. I love Celaena, she's great. (Although now I'm reading Crown of Midnight and... aghh Sara J. Maas is mean.)

Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016? The Raven King, for both! So good.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016? E.K. Johnston! Well I knew about her before, but I'd never read any of her books, and I fell in love with her book Exit, Pursued by a Bear (I even did a book pumpkin of the cover!) Hermione is the best, and I'm so happy there are YA books like this now.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? Probably Boring Girls by Sara Taylor, which is an adult thriller, I think. So out of my comfort zone, but I loved it. I also did a review here.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? Either Boring Girls or The Raven King!

9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? I mean, it was already a reread this year, but definitely The Queen's Thief series since BOOK FIVEEE

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2016? Made You Up by Francesca Zappia has a fun cover (and was what initially attracted me to the book, way back before it was published, didn't get around to reading it until now...) but I liked the covers of most of the books I read this year.

11. Most memorable character of 2016? Bish from Melina Marchetta's Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil. MM does her characters soo well.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?  Ice Diaries by Jean Mcneil had so many gorgeous turns of phrase, and depicted the Antarctic beautifully (also, a great book if you're doing the book-from-every-continent challenge... too bad I didn't find it last year!!)

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016? Another book I have pushed at a lot of people: Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of New Hollywood by Mark Harris (recommended by Literary Disco). It was about the Oscars of 1967 and how Hollywood was changing (and failing to change), intertwined with the history of the sixties and its effect on Hollywood. SO fascinating, I could not put it down by the end, and even though it's like 800 pages it was too short. Also, even though it was published in 2008, it is interesting how incredibly relevant it still is. Everyone should read this book, it is so great. You should also listen to the episode of Literary Disco on it.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read? Throne of Glass by Sara J. Maas... I think I've had it on my TBR list since I started blogging when I was fifteen.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2016? I don't know if it's my favourite, but a passage I like that I wrote down, from Expecting Adam by Martha Beck:

“He looked back at me with steady eyes, and I knew what I had known – what I should have remembered – all that time: that his flesh of my flesh had a soul I could barely comprehend, that he was sorry for the pain I felt as I tried to turn him into a “normal” child, and that he loved me despite my many disabilities.”

16.Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2016? Shortest is probably North End Love Songs byKatherena Vermette, a gorgeously written book of poetry about growing up in the North End in Winnipeg. Longest book is either Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris, or Riel: A Life of Revolution by Maggie Siggins.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most I read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and I just kept thinking, how does he survive this!?!? And then he did. What an incredible story of survival.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) Since I read Queen's Thief I can count Eugenides and Attolia :), but I'll also say Chaol and Celaena from Throne of Glass.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year The friendship in Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta! Of course. Even though it's her first adult novel, it's so very, very Melina Marchetta.

21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure: Throne of Glass, haha.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016? I can't pick! :)

23. Best 2016 debut you read? I don't think I read any debuts this year... I just can't keep up.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year? The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. Maggie Stiefvater knows how to build beautiful places into her stories, and not just in the sense that they're aesthetically pleasing, but also that they just mean so much to the characters (and, by extension, the readers).

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read? Tell Me How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan. :)

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016? Swing Low: A Life by Miriam Toews. If you ever want to cry, just read something by Miriam Toews. She knows how to write humor, but also deeply sorrowful stories.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year? Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin. I love fun, magical MGs. :)

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul? Swing Low: A Life by Miriam Toews. It doesn't help knowing it is a true story about Miriam Toews’ family.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016? The Miracles of Ordinary Men by Amanda Leduc. Such an interesting concept, and it was done super well. I wasn't super satisfied with the ending, though, but the rest of it was good.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? Couldn't think of anything, then remembered that I had to read The Shunning by Beverly Lewis for a class last semester. So mad that I had to read it (and do a presentation on it).

Book Blogging

1. New favourite book blog you discovered in 2016? I haven’t really kept up with reading very many blogs... recommend me some!

2. Favourite review that you wrote in 2016? Probably my review of Boring Girls by Sara Taylor.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? I like my post, Why I’m Glad I Wasn’t a Teen Author and my post on Growing Up.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)? I don’t think I participated in any events this year... oh except I did this annotation project of a Queen’s Thief book with some Queen’s Thief fans. I’m excited to do some more things with that fandom in the new year in anticipation of the new book!

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016? The Thick as Thieves announcement, definitely. I mean when you’ve been waiting five or six years for another book, and an announcement is finally made, it’s a big deal!!

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? Well I've talked about how I have trouble finding books I can really get into, so that’s one thing. I also found it hard to do all of my 2016 reading goals, apparently. I find it really hard to challenge myself in my reading when it’s so much easier to read fun books, especially when I’m busy with school.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? Funnily enough, my review of Boring Girls by Sara Taylor, and my review of Life Among the Qallunaat by Mini Aodla Freeman, which also happen to be in my opinion the best posts I wrote this year.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? My post Why I’m Glad I Wasn’t a Teen Author, as well as my post about accomplishing my goal of writing 50,000 words before the end of December!

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? Probably the podcast Witch, Please!, a podcast with two (Canadian!) feminist lady scholars discussing Harry Potter. Soo interesting and funny, and relevant, considering all the stuff going on with JK Rowling and the Harry Potter universe these days. They just did an episode discussing the Fantastic Beasts movie.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? Uh... I did really terribly with my reading goals this year, although I did read quite a bit of CanLit, and a lot of diverse #ownvoices.

Looking Ahead: Books

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017? Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo! I loved Shadow and Bone and its sequels, but I’ve put off reading Six of Crows and its sequel (mostly because there are like 30 holds on it at the library). But I want to read it!!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)? Thick As Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner!!

3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? After the Fall by Kate Hart! I have wanted to read her book since I read a first chapter excerpt on her blog years ago, and I’m so excited she’s finally being published! She also has consistently over the years had great blog series, from her cover analysis, to her Badass Ladies You Should Know series.

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017? See #2!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017? I want to actually accomplish some of my reading goals next year. I was looking back at previous blog posts, and my reading challenge posts have always been the most well received so I think I’m going to do that. And I’ve been saying this for years, but I’d love to actually have a blog post schedule, even if it’s only once a month or something. I want to have written more than 13 blog posts by the end of next year (okay so that would mean more than once a month... whatever)!! I have also been thinking for awhile about completely redoing the layout of the blog. We'll see how that goes.

Stay tuned for my 2017 reading goals!

What are your best books of 2016? Goals for 2017? Any suggestions for how I can spruce things up around here?