EOY 2015 Book Survey

Jamie The Perpetual Page Turner created this EOY Book Survey. I've participated the last three years (2012, 2013, & 2014), and I really enjoyed it. So here I am again for 2015. I've discussed how difficult narrowing down these are for me, right? Some of these get out of hand. Oh and feel free to join in and do your own survey. Just link back to Jamie.

2015 Reading Stats

104 books read (including a few children's books)
5 books re-read
Genre Read the Most From? New Adult Contemporary & Young Adult Fantasy

Books

1. Best book you read in 2015?

Faking Normal by Courtney C Stevens
Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, # 1) by Pierce Brown
7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker
A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, # 5) by George R R Martin

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

The Sin Eater’s Daughter (The Sin Eater’s Daughter, #1) by Melinda Salisbury
Deep (Stage Dive, #4) by Kylie Scott
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler
The Body Electric by Beth Revis

3. Most surprising (in a good or bad way) book you read in 2015?

Divided We Fall (Divided We Fall, # 1) by Trent Reedy
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

4. Book you read in 2015 that you recommended to people the most?

Faking Normal by Courtney C Stevens
Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, # 1) by Pierce Brown

5. Best series discovered in 2015? Best Sequel? Best series ender?

Series: Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, # 1) by Pierce Brown
The Key (True Reign, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis

Sequel: Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy, # 2) by Pierce Brown
Red (True Reign, # 2) by Jennifer Anne Davis

Ender: The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, # 6) by Richelle Mead

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

Pierce Brown
Cora Carmack
Susan Ee
Rebecca Shea
Huntley Fitzpatrick
Courtney C Stevens
Jennifer Anne Davis
Jen Hatmaker

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

I can't say that I truly branched out that much this year, but Truest by Jackie Lea Sommers would have to be the one that fit this the most. It was just a different type of read and caused me to think a good bit.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2015?

Red Rising by Pierce Brown (once I got past the 30% mark) & Golden Son

9. Book you read in 2015 that you are most likely to re-read next year?

Honestly, I don't see myself having much time for re-reads next year. We'll just have to see though.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

A Thousand Nights by EK Johnston
The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

11. Most memorable character in 2015?

Darrow from Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown
Owen from Confess by Colleen Hoover

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Confess by Colleen Hoover
Faking Normal by Courtney C Stevens
November 9 by Colleen Hoover

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2015?

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?

A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, # 5) by George R R Martin

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2015?

With as much as I love quotes, I hate that I'm just not prepared enough to be able to answer this one this year. *hangs head in shame*

16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2015?

A Dance with Dragons: 1125 pages & Playtime with Meerkat: 10 pages

17) Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it? (Updated to: Book that shocked you the most?)

A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, # 5) by George R R Martin

18) Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2015 (romantic)?

Owen & Auburn
Sydney & Adrian
Sam & Jordan
Alexi & Bodee
Ben & Fallon

19. Favorite relationship (non-romantic) from a book you read in 2015?

Darrow & Servo

20. Favorite book you read in 2015 from an author you’ve read previously?

Confess by Colleen Hoover
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, # 5) by George R R Martin
Chasing River (Burying Water, # 3) by KA Tucker

21. Best book you read in 2015 that you read based soley on a recommendation from somebody else?

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker recommended to me by my friend Kay
The Key (True Reign, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis recommended to me by Holly

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

Bodee from Faking Normal by Courtney C Stevens
River from Chasing River (Burying Water, # 3) by KA Tucker
Owen from Confess by Colleen Hoover
Ben from November 9 by Colleen Hoover

23. Best debut you read in 2015?

Mayhem by Jamie Shaw

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2015?

Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, # 1) by Pierce Brown

25. Book that was the most fun to read in 2015?

Never Never (Never Never, # 1) by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker (hilarious)

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2015?

Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby
Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips
Unbreakable by Rebecca Shea
Truest by Jackie Lea Sommers
Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

27. Book you read in 2015 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out?

Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy
The Key by Jennifer Anne Davis

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

I cried with a few books this year, but I don't think there was any one book that I could say "crushed my soul."

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

Esther: A Royal Beauty (Dangerous Beauty, # 1) by Angela Elwell Hunt

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler
Stealing Parker (Hundred Oaks, # 2) by Miranda Kenneally
Things I Can't Forget (Hundred Oaks, # 3) by Miranda Kenneally

Blogging

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?

Sorry guys, I really didn't get to explore other blogs much this year. :(

2. Favorite review you wrote in 2015?

Either my review of Stealing Parker or Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally. Both are negative reviews. Now don't get me wrong, I honestly don't enjoy doing negative reviews, but I think these were my best thought out reviews. That's why I'm featuring them.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Again...lest I be accused of being negative, the MOST discussion I had on my blog revolved around a controversial topic where a reader purposefully read my post the wrong way and tried to impose on me thoughts and feelings that I don't really have. BUT regardless it sparked conversation and I'm sure many thoughts. And truly it was really the words I chose to title the post rather than the content itself that I believe sparked the nonsense that followed: Top Ten Books That Don't Celebrate Diversity.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signing, festivals, virtual events, meme’s, etc)

Meh…not much new happened this year and I didn’t go to any events. Armchair BEA as always.

5. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2015?

When I decided not to let the events mentioned in question # 3 cause me to quit blogging.

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

Ugh too much to really discuss here. Check out my 2015 EOY Wrap Up for more information.

7. Most popular post this year on your blog (views or comments)?

Discussions Only We Know: How Outspoken is Too Outspoken

8. Post you wished got a little more love?

Discussion Only We Know: 13 Blog Related Frustrations

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

I've got nothing.

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

Finished my daily Bible reading (read the Bible in a year). Finished 104 books (included a few children's books to boost up my number). Read 10-12 series enders (I actually read 14).

Looking ahead…

1. One book you didn’t get to in 2015 but will be your number 1 priority in 2016?

Winter by Marissa Meyer
Their Fractured Light by Aime Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

2. Book you are most anticipating in 2016 (non-debut)?

Top Ten Most Anticipated Reads from January to June 2016

3. 2016 Debut you are most anticipating?

No debuts are currently on my radar I don't think.

4. Series ending you are more anticipating in 2016?

The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, # 4) by Maggie Stiefvater
The Last Star (The 5th Wave, # 3) by Rick Yancey
Morning Star (Red Rising Trilogy, # 3) by Pierce Brown

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2016?

Keep going.

6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

I've read 3 2016 releases already but so far they've just been okay. None that I feel like need an extra shout out just yet.

Waiting on Under the Lights

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Under the Lights (The Field Party, # 2)

By: Abbi Glines

Expected Publication: August 23rd 2016 by Simon Pulse

320 pages

Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary, Sports

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In the follow-up to Abbi Glines’s #1 New York Times bestseller Until Friday Night—which bestselling author Kami Garcia called “tender, honest, and achingly real”—three teens from a small southern town are stuck in a dramatic love triangle.

Willa can’t erase the bad decisions of her past that led her down the path she’s on now. But she can fight for forgiveness from her family. And she can protect herself by refusing to let anyone else get close to her.

High school quarterback and town golden boy Brady used to be the best of friends with Willa—she even had a crush on him when they were kids. But that’s all changed now: her life choices have made her a different person from the girl he used to know.

Gunner used to be friends with Willa and Brady, too. He too is larger than life and a high school football star—not to mention that his family basically owns the town of Lawton. He loves his life, and doesn’t care about anyone except himself. But Willa is the exception—and he understands the girl she’s become in a way no one else can.

As secrets come to light and hearts are broken, these former childhood friends must face the truth about growing up and falling in love…even if it means losing each other forever.

I enjoyed Until Friday Night better than I expected. I hope Under the Lights lives up. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Top Ten Resolutions for 2016

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Resolutions for 2016.

Guys for once I don't know that I can come up with ten resolutions/goals. But here's what I've got so far.

1. Read the Bible for the 5th (I think) year in a row.
2. Read 52 books--1 per week.
3. Post 1 book review per week.
4. Read 10-12 Series Enders.

Seriously guys. That's all I feel like I can commit to book/blogging wise. And my life aside from reading and blogging is so vague right now that I don't feel like I can commit to anything more concrete. What about you guys? What are your resolutions for 2016? Let me know!

Until Friday Night - Review

Until Friday Night (The Field Party, # 1)

By: Abbi Glines

Published: August 25th 2015 by Simon Pulse

352 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Sports

Source: Borrowed from Holly

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

I’ve read a lot of Abbi Glines. I wouldn’t say her writing is always my favorite. There are some aspects that tend to repeat in most of her books that I actually rather dislike. On average, I’ve rated her books around 3-3.5 Stars. But so far I’ve only read new adult books by her and most of these books have conflict that makes me roll my eyes at some point. But one thing is always for certain with Abbi Glines…she sucks me in and I usually read her books in a day. After seeing my sister-in-law say that Until Friday Night is actually kind of sad, I knew I wanted to read it soon. Plus…bonus, this book/series is young adult. YAY!! While there is still several f-bombs, the physical description is cut way back from her new adult books. And so, I started Until Friday Night not really knowing remembering much else about it.

West is the typical Abbi Glines leading male. He’s currently in a relationship, but he’s not invested emotionally at all. He’s basically in it for the physical perks and that’s it. West does the whole bit of pushing Maggie away in the very beginning because he’s not someone she needs to be hanging around. He’s too messed up in the head. Only to become a caveman and act super possessive when any other male is slightly interested in her. And this is BEFORE the two even have any sort of in depth conversation. I can see this being a real annoyance for some readers. For me, it was par for the course of an Abbi Glines book and not something that bothered me too much. Once he overcomes this stupid phase, he’s actually a fairly likeable guy.

On a realistic level, wow can I relate to what West had to go through with his dad. Having recently lost my father-in-law (although not to cancer and not really slowly), these parts of Until Friday Night really had me tearing up. I would have been all out bawling if I didn’t want to explain to my husband what I was reading. Along with the dedication, I really felt like Abbi Glines was drawing from some (perhaps recent) personal experience when she wrote these sections. The emotions were heartfelt and raw and real. And the events were very similar to our experience with my father-in-law. Pretty emotional…so beware.

Maggie is also similar to a typical leading female for Abbi Glines. She feels some kind of attraction or sees something in the leading male even when he’s being a total jerk. And so she continues to endure when most non-fictional girls would be running for the hills. As the description says, Maggie witness her father murder her mother. I wish this had been explored a bit deeper. I don’t know if the next book in the series will carry on with West and Maggie or move on to other characters. I’m assuming the later, but if we were sticking with West and Maggie, I’d really like to see more time spent exploring this aspect.

Maggie choosing not to speak to anyone except West really reminded me of The Sea of Tranquility. And of course, sharing something as vulnerable with someone else as Maggie shares with West has to bond two people. And the two really begin to develop a co-dependent relationship. Which leads into that eye rolling conflict I was talking about earlier. Fortunately, things didn’t remain in this state for too long and we were able to move forward without too much to complain about.

I feel like my review of Until Friday Night has come off more negative than I really felt. I did have a few annoyances that I felt like needed to be pointed out, but between the emotion I felt around West’s situation as well as how fast I read this book, I ended up really enjoying it. Plus the fact that this was a young adult book and not a new adult book means the physical content wasn’t as graphic which I also appreciate. Until Friday Night gets 4 Stars, and I’m excited to see what the next book in the series offers. Have you read Until Friday Night? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 177 & Stacking the Shelves - 128

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

It's 2016! 2015 was the best and worst kind of year. My EOY Wrap Up has more details on that. Either way, I'm excited about what lies ahead in 2016. I've already finished one book! YAY! Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Day.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Reads from January to June 2016
Wednesday: December 2015 EOM Wrap Up
Thursday: 2015 EOY Wrap Up

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Until Friday Night (The Field Party, # 1) by Abbi Glines
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
And sometime this week I hope to post my 2015 EOY Book Survey

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2016 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Forever Summer (Summer, # 4)

By: CJ Duggan

Published: December 29th 2015 by Smashwords Edition

204 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--You see there’s this boy.
He makes me smile, forces me to listen, serenades me out of tune and keeps me sane, all the while driving me insane. He's really talented like that. But for the first time in since, well, forever, things are about to change. The question is, how much am I willing to lose in order to potentially have it all?

The Distance from A to Z

By: Natalie Blitt

Expected Publication: January 12th 2016 by HarperCollins

316 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--This full-length novel by debut author Natalie Blitt is a pitch-perfect blend of Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally that proves the age-old adage: opposites attract.

Seventeen-year old Abby has only one goal for her summer: to make sure she is fluent in French—well, that, and to get as far away from baseball and her Cubs-obsessed family as possible. A summer of culture and language, with no sports in sight.

That turns out to be impossible, though, because her French partner is the exact kind of boy she was hoping to avoid. Eight weeks. 120 hours of class. 80 hours of conversation practice with someone who seems to exclusively wear baseball caps and jerseys.

But Zeke in French is a different person than Zeke in English. And Abby can’t help but fall for him, hard. As Abby begins to suspect that Zeke is hiding something, she has to decide if bridging the gap between the distance between who she is and who he is, is worth the risk.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!