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!

Review of All the Books I Read in 2015

So, every year on my blog I do a review of all the books I've read in the year, usually going over the books I thought were the best, worst, and a few other categories. This year, I wanted to do a more in-depth reflection because it's not always that easy to divide the books I read into best and worst, because each book I read impacts me in a different, unique way.

This year my tastes changed significantly, as they do every year. This year I probably read the most adult books I've ever read in a year, although of course I still read quite a few young adult books. I'm definitely starting to grow out of YA, though. I'm finding it increasingly harder to get into the snarky voices and repetitive drama that tends to appear in a lot of YA. (see: @broodingYAhero)

I started out the year on the right foot, reading a lot of good books, like Cristina Moracho's Althea and Oliver, and Gary D. Schmidt's Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. I also read Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen, which entirely changed my view on what YA should and can be (I really need to read it again).

I also started the year with a commitment to do the Around the World Reading Challenge. I did pretty well with it at the beginning of the year, although the only mini-challenge I was able to complete was reading a book from every Canadian province and territory. Doing that challenge got me into the CanLit world, which is really cool. Now my TBR list is filled with books written by Canadians, and CanLit is on my radar a lot more. I read a ton of really good CanLit this year, which you can read about in my wrap-up post for my Across Canada challenge.

While I didn't read a ton of books outside of Canada or the US, I did read some really good books with international settings. The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari was one of those books, about a young woman in Afghanistan, Rukshana, who, supported by some men in her family, pretends to be a boy to play cricket. I loved the character Rukshana, and it was a great, funny read. And I found it just by pulling it off the shelf at the library, which is not usually how I find books anymore. Another book with an international setting that I loved was Listen, Slowly by Thanha Lai, about a young girl, Mai, going to visit her family in Vietnam for a summer. It had everything I love in MG - cute, spunky characters, lots of awkward silliness, and great family dynamics.

And of course, A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri, set in Iran in the 1980s, which was heartachingly beautiful, made me cry, and became my best and favourite book of 2015 and which I will now recommend to everyone I possibly can. (Read my review here).

Unfortunately, at the end of summer and then into the school year in the fall, I kind of ran out of steam for my Around the World challenge and couldn't really get into any books. All the YA books seemed too young or annoying, and the adult books seemed too hard to get into. I think at that point in the year, I wanted an easy read where my brain didn't have to work too hard. I just wanted something that would completely sweep me away and forget reality, and I couldn't find any book to do that. So, I ended up falling back on my favourite books, and reread The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, and The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven King needs to come out like, yesterday).

School this semester sucked all the desire for reading for fun from me, but hopefully with the break I can buy some good books with my Christmas gift cards, get to the library, and get back to actually enjoying reading.

When I look back on this year of reading, I didn't really fall head over heels with very many books, but I read a lot of good books that made me think about different things, which I think is really cool and extremely valuable. I mean, when I look back on the books I read this year, I learned a lot. I learned about...

• The Quebec separatist movement 
• Afghanistan during the Taliban regime
• the Iranian revolution of 1979
• Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
• What it's like growing up in a Mennonite community
• What it's like to be a Canadian immigrant
• What it's like living in the north of Canada
• How to be an urban cyclist
• Louis Riel and the Red River Rebellion
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his work in the German church and his role in a plan to assassinate Hitler during WWII
• The history of Down Syndrome
• What it's like growing up Aboriginal in Canada
• What it's like to deal with generational and cross cultural clashes
• What it means to wear a hijab
• What it means to be queer
• What depression is like
• How cruel and how amazing people can be

And that's not even everything. I love reading.

Happy New Year! I hope you read lots of amazing books this year. Let me know in the comments or on Twitter what you learned this year while reading!

2015 End of Year Survey

This survey was originally made up by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner! 

2015 Reading Stats

Number of books I read: 90, although I may fit one more in yet...

Number of rereads: Only 12 this year! 

Genre I read the most from: YA Contemporary, with 22, although if you add adult contemporary, I read 37 contemporary altogether.

Best in Books 

1. Best book I read in 2015 I think that would have to be A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri for this year. 

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn't? I loved Donna Tartt's The Secret History, but so I was hoping I would like her other book, The Goldfinch, just as much... but, I did not. 

3. Most surprising (in a good way or a bad way) book you read? When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid. Both the way it was written and the ending surprised me, in both the best and worst way possible. 

4. Book you "pushed" the most people to read, and they did? Um, probably Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, which I always push quite often. I also pushed A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea quite a bit as well, and got my mom to read it. 

5. Best series you started in 2015? Ooh, Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock was really good, and so refreshing for YA. I haven't read any of the other books in the series yet, but I'd like to. Best sequel of 2015? The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski, the sequel to The Winner's Curse - it was so good and intense, I think I read it one sitting. I'm so excited to read The Winner's Kiss!

Best series ender of 2015? Shadowscale by Rachel Hartman (I know it's only a duology, but that still counts). Either that or Winter by Marissa Meyer.

6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2015? Jenny Han! I'm glad I could add to my stack of well-written YA contemporary romance with To All the Boys I've Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You. 

7. Best book from a genre you don't typically read/was out of your comfort zone? I don't typically read historical fiction, but I quite enjoyed Consumption by Kevin Patterson, as well as A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri. 

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? Winter by Marissa Meyer, probably. Sheesh, I felt like I had run a marathon after finishing that book, but I was definitely sad it was over! 

9. Book you read in 2015 that you are most likely to reread next year? Well, Jenny Han's duology, definitely, and hopefully Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. 

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2015? I love the cover of The Weight of Feathers by Anna Marie McLemore, which is a beautiful, dramatic and magical story about two show families. The cover of Listen, Slowly by Thanha Lai is also beautiful. Oh, and the cover of Watch the Sky by Kirsten Hubbard, which is what got me to pick up the book initially.

11. Most memorable character of 2015? Even though it was a reread, I'm going to say the characters from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, since they are so well written and I can never get them out of my head. 

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015? A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri, definitely. I mean it made me cry, so. 

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2015? Probably this biography I read of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy by Eric Metaxas. That man was amazing and everything he did and said is extremely inspiring to me.

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2015 to read? What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang, which I waited for way too long to read, it actually turned out to be quite good. Now I'll probably wait way too long to read the sequel. 

15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2015? This is a passage from Heather O'Neill's The Girl Who Was Saturday Night. The way she writes is so smooth and clever:

"Every writer has to invent their own magical language, in order to describe the indescribable. They might seem to be writing in French, English or Spanish, but really they were writing in the language of butterflies, crows and hanged men."

16. Shortest book you read this year? Summer Point by Linda McNutt. Longest? The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, that thing is like 900 pages.

17. Book that shocked you the most? When Everything Feels Like The Movies by Raziel Reid. 

18. OTP of the year? Lara Jean and Peter K. :)

19. Favourite non-romantic relationship of the year?  Mai and Ut from Listen, Slowly by Thanha Lai. I love little girl friendships. :)

20. Favourite book you read in 2015 from an author you've read previously? Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta. I'd read it before, when I was 15, and hated it (actually if you look at one of my previous end of year posts, I think it makes it to the "worst books" list). This time I loved it, and don't understand why I didn't like it so much the first time.

21. Best book you read based solely on a recommendation from someone else/peer pressure? I read both Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller and Deathless by Cathrynne M. Valente because of Tumblr. (They were both great).

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015? Um, I forget his name, but a character from one of the short stories in the Christmas anthology My True Love Gave to Me, edited by Stephanie Perkins. 

23. Best 2015 debut you read? The Weight of Feathers by Anna Marie McLemore was really good. 

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year? Maybe the whole world of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. 

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most fun to read? Reading Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak by Victoria Jason was pretty fun, as well as Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I always seem to enjoy well-written memoirs. 

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2015? A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri. 

27. Hidden gem of the year? The first book I read, Althea and Oliver, by Cristina Moracho. I haven't really heard many people at all talking about it, and it was really well written and had a really interesting premise. Also The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari, about a girl pretending to be a boy to play cricket under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. It was great.

28. Book that crushed your soul? Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt. 

29. Most unique book you read in 2015? When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid was quite different from anything I've ever read.

30. Book that made you the most mad?  Most of the books that made me really mad this year I didn't finish, so... none?  

Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favourite book blog of 2015? I could barely keep up with my own blog, much less anyone else's... 

2. Favourite review that you wrote in 2015? I think one of my favourite reviews is the post I did reviewing three books I read set in the Canadian territories. Actually, all the CanLit reviews I did this year were pretty fun.  

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? Maybe my 5 TBR List Tips.  I didn't do a whole lot other than reviews this year, though. (Which is kind of funny considering last year my goal was to do more reviews!)

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, etc)? NerdCon! So fun. 

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life of 2015? I always love talking to writers and authors on Twitter, and letting them know when I loved their book. 

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? Trying to balance school, reading and blogging. (I failed). 

7. Most popular post this year on your blog? My Around the World Reading Challenge post, probably because I linked to it so many times over the year, haha.

8. Post you wished got a little more love? My post about The Book Faeries, where I talk about how my family gives my brother books to read. (The cycle is still going, too). 

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, bookstores, etc)? 49thshelf.com is great for CanLit recommendations, and a bookstore I discovered is Half Price Books when I went to Minneapolis in October to go to NerdCon. Unfortunately, my city doesn't really have any great used bookstores like that. :(

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? I kind of finished my Around the World Reading Challenge, but I definitely completed my Across Canada Reading Challenge, reading a book set in every province and territory in Canada. 

Looking Ahead

1. One book you didn't get to in 2015 but will be your number one priority in 2016? Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D Schmidt, which came out in October but I haven't had the chance to read yet!

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2016 (non-debut)? The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater!! So excited.

3. 2016 debut you are most anticipating? I haven't seen any I'm interested in yet, but I'm sure I will!

4. Series ending/ a sequel you are most anticipating in 2016? See #2! Oh, also The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski.

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2016? Blog more than once every couple of months... I'd also love to keep reading books with international settings, especially books by non-American or North American authors. In 2015, I wanted to read more books by non-American authors than by American authors, but I didn't succeed but I would love to try for next year! (So, recs anyone?)

If you want to do the survey, you can find it here! Stay tuned for January 1 for my annual year-end wrap up post (with a bit of a twist, this year). :)

Review of All the Books I Read in 2014

It's my annual tradition to stuff all of the book reviews I could have done throughout the year into one post (although I did do more individual reviews this year thanks to the A to Z challenge I did), so here you go! This year I read 109 books, compared to last year when I read 57 (although this year I wasn't taking any English courses where I had to read books, so).

Best Books of 2014

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo - An interesting fantasy with a Russian-inspired setting. Lived up to all the hype!

Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta - Perfect, heartwarming ending to series full of sorrow, heartbreak, and good characters. 

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater - An interesting series with good characters! (The Dream Thieves is probably my favourite though). 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - Stephanie Perkins and Rainbow Rowell are on the top of my list of YA romance authors. They write the best romances. 

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers - A powerful book that is written so well and doesn't shy away from anything. I'm not a huge reader of historical fiction, but this one (and it's sequel) was so worth it. 

Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn - A brilliantly written, painful book. I think everyone should read it. 

Books I Bought in 2014

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo - After I read Shadow and Bone, I knew I'd like the sequels (and that the wait at the library would be FOREVER), so I bought them!

Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta  - I have to own all of the Marchetta. 

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater - I bought The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves after I read The Raven Boys, and then I bought Blue Lily, Lily Blue as soon as it came out in October!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I loved Eleanor and Park, so I knew another romance by Rainbow Rowell I would want to own. I was right!

Reason for God by Timothy Keller - I bought it because I knew I would want to lend it out to people. An interesting read. 

How to Love by Katie Cotugno - I kind of wish I hadn't bought this book, since it didn't live up to the hype. 

Of Two Minds by Carol Matas and Perry Nodelman - This is a super unique MG fantasy that I read when I was younger, and I found it at a charity book sale so I bought it (for like $2!) It's also available on Kobo, I think. 

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger - I liked Kody Keplinger's other books, The DUFF and A Midsummer's Nightmare so I was hoping I would like this one... I didn't.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - Got this one at a charity book sale. It was really good! 

Dead Ends by Jade Erin Lange - I was hoping this would be better than it was. 

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher - I read this once in high school and it made an impression on me, so when I saw it at the book sale for $1, I thought I'd buy it and reread it - just as good and important the second time. 

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - I will buy all of Stephanie Perkins books until she stops writing. 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz - I bought it because of the hype. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but I liked the family dynamic and the writing was decent. 

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutoski - Bought because of recommendations from Megan Whalen Turner fans - thankfully it lived up to the hype (and I was able to get my brother to read it)!

The Secret History by Donna Tartt - I only bought this book because the line was like 20 people long at the library, but I actually really liked it (even though it's kind of a horrible book as far as content). It's basically a modern Greek tragedy, if that explains anything. 

Water Book One: Ascension by Kara Dalkey - Again, got it at the book sale! I'd read it in middle school and thought it was the best mermaid book ever. It still is. 

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson - I bought it because it was $1.50 at Dollarama, of all places. It was good. 

Home of Our Hearts by Robin Jones Gunn - RJG is one of my favourite authors, so of course I have to have her latest book. 

Ingo by Helen Dunmore - From the book sale for like $1.50 - it was a good mermaid MG. 

And I just bought Althea & Oliver by Cristina Moracho, Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn yesterday, so I have yet to read them - but I will let you know how they go!

Books I Reread in 2014

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - so I could remember what happened when I read the rest of the trilogy after I bought them. 

The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater - Because they were good and I wanted to enjoy them again - also I missed so much stuff the first time!!

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - My tenth reread of this wonderful book, and I STILL find new things.

Codename Verity by Elizabeth Wein - I'd forgotten most of what happened, so it was just as good the second time around. 

The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner -   MWT is a genius, and in my third reread I still find new hidden gems. 

The Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn - read in anticipation of the newest release, Forever With You! 

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Of Two Minds by Perry Nodelman and Carol Matas

Worst Books of 2014

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler - It turns out a book about Facebook is just not that interesting. 

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook - So much problematic stuff in this book. (Actually now that I think about it, I bought this as an ebook. I'm trying to forget that I did).

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson - Poorly written, misrepresentation and other problems. 

Wildefire by Karsten Knight - Nothing happens, nothing gets resolved, the characters were bland, and the writing was horrible and cliche. 

The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha - Way too cheesy and fluffy for me, with surface level description and characterization. 

So there you go! A quick summary of my year in reading, although of course there were other books that I enjoyed but weren't in either extreme of best or worst. As for 2015... I still want to read lots of books (my TBR list is filling up from all these end of year recommendations!) and I also want to try and read more diversely. Ideally I'd love to get my blog up and running regularly, but it's easy to think like that when I don't have school to worry about, so we'll see. 

What about you? What were your best or worst reads of 2014? Have you read some of the books I did this year? Did you like them or not? 

Happy New Year!