2020 Book Survey

Jamie, The Perpetual Page Turner created this EOY Book Survey. I've participated several years (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019). I enjoy the survey so much that I am here again for 2020. I've discussed in the past how difficult narrowing down these are for me, but I'm going to try to do better keeping each category to one selection. Some of these get out of hand. Oh and feel free to join in and do your own survey. Just link back to Jamie.

2020 Reading Stats

88 books read so far (including a few children's books)
4 book re-read
Genre Read the Most From? Adult & Historical fiction (which is a new record for my blog)

Books

1. Best book you read?

Midnight Sun (Twilight, # 5) by Stephenie Meyer (the only book--besides a re-read--that I rated 5 Stars)

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

The Map From Here to There (The Start of You and Me, # 2) by Emery Lord
The Betrothed (The Betrothed, # 1) by Kiera Cass
Maybe This Time by Kasie West
More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn
The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, # 1) by Richelle Mead

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

Midnight Sun (Twilight, # 5) by Stephenie Meyer

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

Fable (Fable, # 1) by Adrienne Young

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

Series:

A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram, # 1) by Darynda Jones

Sequel:

A Proper Charade by Esther Hatch

Ender:

A Portrait of Loyalty (The Codebreakers, # 3) by Roseanna M White

6. Favorite new author you discovered?

Megan Walker, Sara Desai, Sarah Hogle, Sajni Patel

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

The Marriage Game by Sara Desai

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book?

A Convenient Fiction (Parish Orphans of Devon, # 3) by Mimi Matthews
Moment of Truth by Kasie West
Fable (Fable, # 1) by Adrienne Young

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

Hardly any time for re-reads. I do have one in mind that I might try re-reading in 2021, but it isn't a book that I read in 2020.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read?

Igniting Darkness (Courting Darkness, # 2) by Robin LaFevers

11. Most memorable character?

Fable from Fable by Adrienne Young

12. Most beautifully written book read?

On Wings of Devotion (The Codebreakers, # 2) by Roseanna M White

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you?

Colors of Truth (Carnton, # 2) by Tamera Alexander

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

Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, # 2) by Richelle Mead (because I read book 1 years ago and because she was a favorite author for so long)

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

Top Ten Book Quotes from 2020

16. Shortest and longest book you read?

Longest: A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 3) by Sarah J Maas (re-read) 705 pages
Shortest (not including children's books): Transforming Emma (Lockets & Lace, # 20) by Linda Carroll-Bradd 136 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?)

Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, # 2) by Richelle Mead

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

Naomi & Nicholas from You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

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

Defiance & Annette from Betwixt & Between by Darynda Jones

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

Midnight Sun (Twilight, # 5) by Stephenie Meyers

21. Best book you read that you read based solely on a recommendation from somebody else?

From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, # 1) by Jennifer L Armentrout

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read?

Roane from Betwixt & Between by Darynda Jones

23. Best debut you read?

I can't ever tell (keep up with) what's a debut and what isn't.

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

Fable by Adrienne Young

25. Book that was the most fun to read?

The Marriage Game by Sara Desai

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry?

You Have a Match by Emma Lord

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

Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

29. Most Unique Book You Read?

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

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

The Betrothed (The Betrothed, # 1) by Kiera Cass
The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, # 1) by Richelle Mead
Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
The White Coat Diaries by Madi Sinha
Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, # 2) by Richelle Mead

Blogging

1. New favorite book blog you discovered?

Honestly, I haven't had the time I'd like to visit other blogs. Again, it's the stage of life that I'm in. Perhaps soon, I'll have a new favorite blog to share with you guys.

2. Favorite review you wrote?

A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram, # 1) by Darynda Jones
The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
Colors of Truth by Tamera Alexander
Fable by Adrienne Young
The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

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

N/A

5. Best moment of book blogging/your book life this year?

Exceeding my reading goal is always a good thing. I've been trying to keep things on kind of an even-kill until I move into a different season of life that allows for more focus on reading and blogging.

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

This year was kind of balanced. My kids are old enough to be a little more independent than the baby stage. However, that is changing again this coming year with the addition of a new baby. So I'm kind of back to that space of just trying to survive and keep blogging and reading when I can.

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

Blogger's latest update has made this harder to determine. And for the sake of getting this post done, I'm going to skip this one.

8. Post you wished got a little more love?

Any of them? Reviews especially.

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

N/A

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

My Goodreads challenge (88 books of 52), Series Enders Reading Challenge (10 of 5-10 books), Reading the Bible in a Year (Succeeded)

Looking ahead…

1. One book you didn’t get to this year but will be your number 1 priority next year?

Layla by Colleen Hoover
Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, # 2) by Jennifer L Armentrout
(and I've already read both)

2. Book you are most anticipating next year (non-debut)?

A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 4) by Sarah J Maas

3. Debut from next year you are most anticipating?

No debuts are currently on my radar I don't think. Or they might be, but I really don't make note of that when I'm adding to my TBR list.

4. Series ending you are more anticipating next year? Sequel?

Sequel: A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram, # 2) by Darynda Jones

Ender: Honestly, I'm not even sure which series are ending in 2021. I've been tricked before thinking that a series was done when the author ended up continuing it. And I've found it really difficult to find information on my on-going series as to how many books are planned.

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

This has been my main goal for the last six years...Just keep going. With dwindling time to read and blog I'm hoping to just hang tight and keep doing the best that I can until another season in life comes that will allow me more time to do both.

6. A Release from Next Year You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright

What would your answers be to the 2020 EOY Book Survey? Leave me your link so I can check out your post. Or just leave me a comment! Let me know!

Dreams of Savannah - Review

Dreams of Savannah

By: Roseanna M White

Expected Publication: January 5th 2021 by Bethany House Publishers

400 pages

Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( 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--Cordelia Owens can weave a hopeful dream around anything and is well used to winning the hearts of everyone in Savannah with her whimsy. Even when she receives word that her sweetheart has been lost during a raid on a Yankee vessel, she clings to hope and comes up with many a romantic tale of his eventual homecoming to reassure his mother and sister.

But Phineas Dunn finds nothing redemptive in the first horrors of war. Struggling for months to make it home alive, he returns to Savannah injured and cynical, and all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him. Matters of black and white don't seem so simple anymore to Phin, and despite her best efforts, Delia's smiles can't erase all the complications in his life. And when Fort Pulaski falls and the future wavers, they both must decide where the dreams of a new America will take them, and if they will go together.

Normally, I avoid books set during the Civil War like the plague. We have enough racial divide still in our world, and it seemed like 2020 was especially filled with racial strife. And since I read to escape a lot of times, I don't enjoy books that focus so much on subjects like this. Somehow I missed that this would be such a prominent topic when I was deciding to request Dreams of Savannah. Maybe I was sidetracked by the fact that Roseanna M White is the author and I just finished her Codebreakers series.

Dreams of Savannah had a slow start for me. I prefer books that are driven by relationships and romance. And considering Phin and Delia were apart for the first 50% of this book, I feel like the plot was the main driving force. Plot-driven books aren't always bad, they're just not my favorites usually. And so I struggled through the beginning and didn't have trouble putting this book down up until the 50% mark. From there I read much faster even though, the characters were still often apart.

There is much to say about the plot, but I find that I don't want to discuss it. For the most part, I don't want to spoil anything for potential readers. But I will say that I always appreciate it when authors do a good job showing that all of us humans are simply varying shades of grey. None of us are 100% good and rarely are we 100% bad. And yes even in a war that seems to have such an obvious moral issue at its core, there are still good people and bad people on both sides.

Favorite quotes:

-She might miss him, and in that way not want him to go— which was fine by him. But she’d have no use for a man not willing to fight for his country.

-“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Luth.” “Nonsense. It and I are the dearest of friends.”

-"I see now that faith is more than the church to which one belongs.”

-“I will never understand you, Cordelia Penelope Owens. But somehow . . . somehow, despite that, I think perhaps you are the best of us.”

Dreams of Savannah wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. I found the first half of the book to be quite slow because so much of it was about setting up the plot. I prefer books driven by the characters' relationships, but since the main two characters were apart for this entire part of the book, I struggled to keep moving forward. The last half went much quicker. Either way, I feel, for my reading preferences, Dreams of Savannah gets 3 Stars. Have you read Dreams of Savannah? What did you think? Let me know!