Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
(Rounded up from 3.62/5)
So how *do* you sum up a year in 20,000 characters? Not even the year at large even, though what I guess I could put on that if it came down to it is mixed and weird and interesting and unsettling (and I understand that to most that would be the worst understatement of all time, I’m trying to keep the hope alive while not trampling on other people’s hopelessness darnit) (although now 2016 secretly being The Winds of Winter all along just feels horribly right to me, like a weird parallel version of Frog Fractions 2 except not or something). Just the reading year. But while I don’t really know where to go with this I’ve got a lot of stuff I can use to put it all together, so I might as well plough on and see where it gets me.
I think 2016 was a fairly good reading year for me all things considered! 250 books and just over 80,000 pages all in all. Sure, some of those were really short (and some of them were not!) and it’s not coming up on 310 books and just over 88,000 pages like I did in 2015, but tbh I feel like a read a lot of odd tat that year. Not *bad* odd tat you know (or at least not all of it ;)), just the sort of stuff you look back on and go “...wait. Why’d I read that again?” And I’m pretty sure I read a lot more books I actually own this year than I did last year, and I’m more than happy about that. Plus no 1-star books! Granted I only had two in 2015 and I veer between being too generous and too mean with, like, everything, but that still feels like a win to me.
In terms of challenges I aced all the ones I tried this year, even if by the end I did sort of get to the point where I just left my goals where they were and didn’t bother increasing them. They were good challenges though! Got me to pull out a bunch of stuff I might have forgotten about that I ended up really liking. Another thing I did this year is I kept tabs on a whole pile of statistics (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/17630080-paul-s-corner-for-2016, comment 7)! So seeing as I have those and the ones for last year too I might as well just take a wander over them to see what I can get out of them. (The fractions are because some books fell into more than one category. I am nothing if not ludicrously precise sometimes. :D)
- That’s a lot of fantasy and nowhere near as much sci-fi. Huh. I blame L. Frank Baum and both giving up on Doctor Who books and running out of K.A. Applegate books personally. I think that explains why my proportion of adult-aimed books went way up this year too.
- You can tell that general and other nonfiction are just where I put things that I don’t know whether they fit into any other category or not.
- How the heck are so many of my books from the last seven years?
- I started my first full-time job in September (woohoo!) and it really did a number on my reading time (boo :/). I’ve halved my goal for next year as a result and I’m not even making any plans, which is probably for the best because I made so many this year and got some of them done but most of them I just ended up forgetting about them really. Takes some of the pressure right off I feel like, not making plans. (Not to mention that I’m only focussing on yearly challenges and I’m barely letting myself look at the quarterly ones no matter how lovely they sound :/)
- I need to read more women and authors of colour darnit. (Not that that means I necessarily want to neglect anyone else of course...) On the plus side my POC proportion is better than it was last year, though my women ratio has slid down slightly.
- Part of me thinks “aw I read more books by authors I know already than new ones” and then the rest of me says “shut up part, at least 123 new authors is huge and you read more in both ratio and sheer numbers than you did last year, what the hell man?!” And a lot of them were worth it too!
- When it all comes down to it that’s just over 125 books I own that I read for the first time this year. As opposed to like half that last year. Which I am really happy about! Not so happy about my to-read-own shelf still having like 310 books on it though. I mean I knew I had a problem, but huh.
- The plus on #readwomen is because I read a 3,000 page anthology showcasing new SFF authors this year, and while I know I should have figured out how many women were in there I haven’t because I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Unfortunately. :( No matter how you slice it I read way more new women authors than I did last year, which is great. :)
- I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing or not when you’re on 3.2% 5-stars, 59.2% 4-stars, 34% 3-stars, and 3.6% 2-stars. There’s that veering between being too generous and not being generous enough again, though I’m still very happy with what I gave everything. (Compare that with 3.9% 5-stars, 40.6% 4-stars, 42.6% 3-stars, 12.2% 2-stars, <1% 1-star, and it turns out I’m up from ~3.34/5 last year! Awesome!)
- I reread a lot more books this year than I did last year! A good lot of that in fairness is down to that job I mentioned making me move away from home, so I wanted to read some books again for what felt like the last time I’d properly be around them. I think I got to most of them, and a lot of those that didn’t I’d managed to reread in the not too distant past regardless, so I’m pretty content. :)
But enough boring statistics, let’s have some recommendations and achievements! Unfortunately space is short and I know people don’t want to get bogged down with ramblings especially when they’re not saying anything new, so for the most part I’m only going to focus on books that I think need a bit more love, even if they’re fairly well known already. If I read it and it was big, I either liked it a lot, or it didn’t quite work for me for whatever reason. If it’s the first one I probably won’t mention it, because again, you probably know how great it is and I’ll just be another voice in the choir. And if it’s the second one I probably just won’t mention it because I really want to keep things positive here, plus even I don’t think that highly of myself to believe what I say is gonna matter! You’re probably gonna read it or not no matter what I say, and that’s fine! Really! :) Like if you *want* me to climb up on some giants and poke them with a sword I *can*, and I will, but I don’t think it would necessarily end well. :)
Five Star Fever Starters
- Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (no really. I kinda upped this one I’ll admit)
- Back from the Brink by Paul McGrath (I feel like even if you don’t much care for soccer this could be great)
- Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (a reread. Slightly flimsy in places but has more power now than it ever had)
- Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (one of those books that comes along and surprises you)
- Blindness by José Saramago
- The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
- Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale – The Final Chapter by Russell T Davies and Ben Cook (an absolute must for anyone who liked his time on Doctor Who, and maybe even if you didn’t too)
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Other big things I did this year
- I read every Wizard of Oz book that L. Frank Baum wrote for some reason. Even the especially funny foreigners one. I’m glad I did it (they were all fairly short, which was nice), but I don’t know whether I’d say it was actually worth it.
- Because of the year that was in it I finally got around to downloading and reading our Constitution (I’m Irish). It’s got a heck of a lot of problems both in a legislative and a purely how-well-can-the-average-bear-sit-down-and-follow this sense, but on the whole I’m fairly happy with it. I think it works.
- Vaguely related to that, I found out that I actually do like Roddy Doyle and Colm Toibín after all, and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and Brooklyn are a lot better now that I’ve got more years behind me. Same with Good Omens too, oddly.
- Vaguely related to that *again*, I managed to get around to reading Seamus Heaney outside of school, and it only took me four years. I’m looking forward to reading more of him someday.
- The singular Mark Oshiro gave me the opportunity to start rereading Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series, and while it had its ups and downs I’m so glad I took it. What do I even say about Young Wizards though? It’s this glorious fusion of fantasy and sci-fi where magic is a lot like science and science is a kind of magic. It’s been doing YA better than most YA since before YA was even really a proper thing (maybe?). It treats its audience with respect and doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, mostly avoiding a heavy hand as it does so. Its most successful epic moments emerge nearly entirely from the everyday, allowing both to live together in easy coexistence, just like they always (and should) do. It celebrates the universality and diversity of ordinary lived experience. I can’t stop thinking that in a weird way it picks up Doctor Who’s gauntlet more forcefully than practically anything else I’ve ever seen, and like that show at its best it dares to point towards a better way. Even after all that’s happened the secret of alchemy is still material social progress, and Young Wizards has both in spades. It’s just really good, everyone, and even if I probably did a terrible job of explaining why, you all should read it.
- I read every Donna Tartt novel, all three of them! Even if that meant rereading The Goldfinch. And even if The Goldfinch lost me a bit this year with its pacing and its hyperdense approach to detail (although it revealed its themes and concerns even more than it did when I read it first), and The Secret History got oddly trashy at times (which I’m fairly sure is just me though!) and The Little Friend was just plain odd sometimes, it was worth it. That last one in particular is pretty underrated I think, even though I do understand just why that is.
- I finished reading the 2013 Man Booker Prize shortlist! I still think The Luminaries was the weakest book there, but while OK We Need New Names and Harvest are a little too conventional for my expectations I guess...? even if they’re still very good and still definitely worth reading, aside from those you’ve got A Tale for the Time Being (which you should definitely all read btw), The Lowland (not as good as Unaccustomed Earth but it’s very interesting), and The Testament of Mary (maybe wait until you read Brooklyn or something else by him first though) in there, and that makes for one heck of a shortlist in my opinion.
- I finally discovered N.K. Jemisin through her Inheritance Trilogy. So worth it.
- I finally finished reading 1Q84 after all this time! In some respects it’s better than I thought it was, and more like Murakami at its usual than I thought it was, and in some respects it’s... really not. It’s really, really not. Either way though I’m glad to have it over with really.
- Finally read The Color Purple, How to Be a Woman, Persepolis, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Vital.
- Finally got around to rereading Harry Potter for the first time in... forever? I’m pretty sure it was, though I have obviously seen the films since then. It still holds up basically, sometimes even more than I thought it did. (There was a very year of Harry Potter feeling to this year actually, largely by design. The Cursed Child I feel comes *so* close to not working, but it just about does, although I frankly agree slightly more with the people who didn’t like it than I do with the people who loved it. Fantastic Beasts is cool. It’s got its fair share of problems, but it’s cool. And the Shoebox Project is amazing.)
- Reread Lord of the Rings, and I kinda have to say I prefer the films??? Like I still had a good time but there’s something about them that just rubs me up the wrong way, like they weren’t as good as I wanted them to be or they should have been. I just have the sense that the pacing could be better and there’s not enough character and Fellowship is brimming with potential in its margins that isn’t really followed up on as much as I’d like. So while I haven’t seen the films in years I reckon that even if I had I’d be more likely to go back to them than the books at this point. Sorry. :(
- (Also Tom Bombadil is tragically misunderstood, I’m not even kidding)
- I know I said it above already but I read a 3000 page anthology featuring newcomers to SFF this year. I did it. And it only took me 6.5 months! It was uneven and strange, I don’t know how much I’ll actually get out of it, and one of the better writers (and an internet sort-of-acquaintance no less) turned out to be a staggering asshat this entire time, so that was dispiriting, but all in all I’m still glad I did it. And for some reason I really want to do it all over again next year! If a compilation of this type comes out again of course. :)
- I finally got around to finishing Kate Thompson’s Switchers trilogy, an old Irish memory from growing up that I’d abandoned somewhere in the middle and never come back to. Truth be told it wasn’t really that great and mostly just reminded me of other series that deal with the same concepts but are way better, but even if it took me over 10 years to go back, I’m still glad I did.
Other honourable mentions
- A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (the more time goes on the more I like this) (plus A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara of course while we’re talking about the 2015 Man Booker Prize)
- Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
- The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker
- The Country Girls by Edna O’Brien
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
- The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
- The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall
- The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (it does suffer when it’s more about love problems and less about utterly ethering capitalism admittedly)
- In the Woods by Tana French (which OK is already fairly big, but I’m mentioning this because Irish pride, and because it really is as good as everyone said it was!)
- NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently by Steve Silberman
- Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
- The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley
- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (it’s waiting in the wings for you)
- The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami
- The Vegetarian by Han Kang
- The Chimes by Anna Smaill (like every YA dystopia book you’ve ever read, and yet something all of its very own)
- The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
- Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent (great for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train maybe? Dare I say I liked it more even??)
- One by Sarah Crossan
- Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill
- The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee
- Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
- Men Explain Things to Me and Other Essays by Rebecca Solnit
And that’s it! Haha ;) I really don’t have anything left to say (thank the book lords, I hear you cry). So really I want to finish this off not by talking about myself, but by talking about *you*. Thank you. All of you! I might not know that many of you (in fact I’m fairly sure I don’t even know 1% of you), but if that small fraction I know is anything like the rest of all you Goodreaders (and I’m fairly sure it is), you’ve worked wonders to make this year on Goodreads interesting in a good way. Fun. Supportive. Helpful. Full of great books and good times, even if the books haven’t always been great and you haven’t always agreed with each other and it’s felt like the world’s just been spitting in your eye. And even though I ain’t so fatuous as to claim that reading’s going to drive the beast back even if you bolt on some add-ons to it, I like to think it’s going to be a long, long time before I start thinking it’s not good for at least something. Its work is not yet done.
So what I guess I’m really trying to say is just: keep reading. I would say don’t let it be the only thing you do, but I’m not that heartless. Like, of course it’s not going to be the only thing you do, you have to eat and sleep and earn money, duh, but I can’t blame anyone for feeling so gripped by hopelessness that they just have to retreat and withdraw. I’m not here to judge you for not being up to being roused or rising right now because 2016 has left them lost and hurt and confused. I’d be lying if 2016 hasn’t left me feeling lost and hurt and confused more than a few times in its time.
I mean, what do scientists do when things aren’t working out? (Disclaimer: this might be more truthiness than truth.) They return to first principles, and work from there. Building outwards as they go. And maybe reading will let us do something similar, if we choose to. It’s a nice thought to have at least, even if it probably doesn’t even make any sense.
And if you can, as well, share your story. Your 2016 in Goodreads. While this year made us all too aware that we don’t get to choose who lives and who dies, we do get to choose who tells our story. I’ve told mine. Now you tell yours. And have a happy 2017. While it might not look like that could even be possible right now (and again while I want to keep the hope alive I really don’t want to trample on people’s hopelessness either) there will be pinpricks of light in the darkness. Even if they look very very small (or even if they just look very far away) and it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be any way out of the darkness, they’ll be there. And I know that it’s a lot easier for me to say this than it is for other people, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t help thinking that there are worse things to do than to hold on to them. We’ll just have to see as we move it all along, I suppose. :)
So how *do* you sum up a year in 20,000 characters? Not even the year at large even, though what I guess I could put on that if it came down to it is mixed and weird and interesting and unsettling (and I understand that to most that would be the worst understatement of all time, I’m trying to keep the hope alive while not trampling on other people’s hopelessness darnit) (although now 2016 secretly being The Winds of Winter all along just feels horribly right to me, like a weird parallel version of Frog Fractions 2 except not or something). Just the reading year. But while I don’t really know where to go with this I’ve got a lot of stuff I can use to put it all together, so I might as well plough on and see where it gets me.
I think 2016 was a fairly good reading year for me all things considered! 250 books and just over 80,000 pages all in all. Sure, some of those were really short (and some of them were not!) and it’s not coming up on 310 books and just over 88,000 pages like I did in 2015, but tbh I feel like a read a lot of odd tat that year. Not *bad* odd tat you know (or at least not all of it ;)), just the sort of stuff you look back on and go “...wait. Why’d I read that again?” And I’m pretty sure I read a lot more books I actually own this year than I did last year, and I’m more than happy about that. Plus no 1-star books! Granted I only had two in 2015 and I veer between being too generous and too mean with, like, everything, but that still feels like a win to me.
In terms of challenges I aced all the ones I tried this year, even if by the end I did sort of get to the point where I just left my goals where they were and didn’t bother increasing them. They were good challenges though! Got me to pull out a bunch of stuff I might have forgotten about that I ended up really liking. Another thing I did this year is I kept tabs on a whole pile of statistics (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/17630080-paul-s-corner-for-2016, comment 7)! So seeing as I have those and the ones for last year too I might as well just take a wander over them to see what I can get out of them. (The fractions are because some books fell into more than one category. I am nothing if not ludicrously precise sometimes. :D)
- That’s a lot of fantasy and nowhere near as much sci-fi. Huh. I blame L. Frank Baum and both giving up on Doctor Who books and running out of K.A. Applegate books personally. I think that explains why my proportion of adult-aimed books went way up this year too.
- You can tell that general and other nonfiction are just where I put things that I don’t know whether they fit into any other category or not.
- How the heck are so many of my books from the last seven years?
- I started my first full-time job in September (woohoo!) and it really did a number on my reading time (boo :/). I’ve halved my goal for next year as a result and I’m not even making any plans, which is probably for the best because I made so many this year and got some of them done but most of them I just ended up forgetting about them really. Takes some of the pressure right off I feel like, not making plans. (Not to mention that I’m only focussing on yearly challenges and I’m barely letting myself look at the quarterly ones no matter how lovely they sound :/)
- I need to read more women and authors of colour darnit. (Not that that means I necessarily want to neglect anyone else of course...) On the plus side my POC proportion is better than it was last year, though my women ratio has slid down slightly.
- Part of me thinks “aw I read more books by authors I know already than new ones” and then the rest of me says “shut up part, at least 123 new authors is huge and you read more in both ratio and sheer numbers than you did last year, what the hell man?!” And a lot of them were worth it too!
- When it all comes down to it that’s just over 125 books I own that I read for the first time this year. As opposed to like half that last year. Which I am really happy about! Not so happy about my to-read-own shelf still having like 310 books on it though. I mean I knew I had a problem, but huh.
- The plus on #readwomen is because I read a 3,000 page anthology showcasing new SFF authors this year, and while I know I should have figured out how many women were in there I haven’t because I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Unfortunately. :( No matter how you slice it I read way more new women authors than I did last year, which is great. :)
- I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing or not when you’re on 3.2% 5-stars, 59.2% 4-stars, 34% 3-stars, and 3.6% 2-stars. There’s that veering between being too generous and not being generous enough again, though I’m still very happy with what I gave everything. (Compare that with 3.9% 5-stars, 40.6% 4-stars, 42.6% 3-stars, 12.2% 2-stars, <1% 1-star, and it turns out I’m up from ~3.34/5 last year! Awesome!)
- I reread a lot more books this year than I did last year! A good lot of that in fairness is down to that job I mentioned making me move away from home, so I wanted to read some books again for what felt like the last time I’d properly be around them. I think I got to most of them, and a lot of those that didn’t I’d managed to reread in the not too distant past regardless, so I’m pretty content. :)
But enough boring statistics, let’s have some recommendations and achievements! Unfortunately space is short and I know people don’t want to get bogged down with ramblings especially when they’re not saying anything new, so for the most part I’m only going to focus on books that I think need a bit more love, even if they’re fairly well known already. If I read it and it was big, I either liked it a lot, or it didn’t quite work for me for whatever reason. If it’s the first one I probably won’t mention it, because again, you probably know how great it is and I’ll just be another voice in the choir. And if it’s the second one I probably just won’t mention it because I really want to keep things positive here, plus even I don’t think that highly of myself to believe what I say is gonna matter! You’re probably gonna read it or not no matter what I say, and that’s fine! Really! :) Like if you *want* me to climb up on some giants and poke them with a sword I *can*, and I will, but I don’t think it would necessarily end well. :)
Five Star Fever Starters
- Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (no really. I kinda upped this one I’ll admit)
- Back from the Brink by Paul McGrath (I feel like even if you don’t much care for soccer this could be great)
- Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (a reread. Slightly flimsy in places but has more power now than it ever had)
- Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (one of those books that comes along and surprises you)
- Blindness by José Saramago
- The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
- Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale – The Final Chapter by Russell T Davies and Ben Cook (an absolute must for anyone who liked his time on Doctor Who, and maybe even if you didn’t too)
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Other big things I did this year
- I read every Wizard of Oz book that L. Frank Baum wrote for some reason. Even the especially funny foreigners one. I’m glad I did it (they were all fairly short, which was nice), but I don’t know whether I’d say it was actually worth it.
- Because of the year that was in it I finally got around to downloading and reading our Constitution (I’m Irish). It’s got a heck of a lot of problems both in a legislative and a purely how-well-can-the-average-bear-sit-down-and-follow this sense, but on the whole I’m fairly happy with it. I think it works.
- Vaguely related to that, I found out that I actually do like Roddy Doyle and Colm Toibín after all, and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and Brooklyn are a lot better now that I’ve got more years behind me. Same with Good Omens too, oddly.
- Vaguely related to that *again*, I managed to get around to reading Seamus Heaney outside of school, and it only took me four years. I’m looking forward to reading more of him someday.
- The singular Mark Oshiro gave me the opportunity to start rereading Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series, and while it had its ups and downs I’m so glad I took it. What do I even say about Young Wizards though? It’s this glorious fusion of fantasy and sci-fi where magic is a lot like science and science is a kind of magic. It’s been doing YA better than most YA since before YA was even really a proper thing (maybe?). It treats its audience with respect and doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, mostly avoiding a heavy hand as it does so. Its most successful epic moments emerge nearly entirely from the everyday, allowing both to live together in easy coexistence, just like they always (and should) do. It celebrates the universality and diversity of ordinary lived experience. I can’t stop thinking that in a weird way it picks up Doctor Who’s gauntlet more forcefully than practically anything else I’ve ever seen, and like that show at its best it dares to point towards a better way. Even after all that’s happened the secret of alchemy is still material social progress, and Young Wizards has both in spades. It’s just really good, everyone, and even if I probably did a terrible job of explaining why, you all should read it.
- I read every Donna Tartt novel, all three of them! Even if that meant rereading The Goldfinch. And even if The Goldfinch lost me a bit this year with its pacing and its hyperdense approach to detail (although it revealed its themes and concerns even more than it did when I read it first), and The Secret History got oddly trashy at times (which I’m fairly sure is just me though!) and The Little Friend was just plain odd sometimes, it was worth it. That last one in particular is pretty underrated I think, even though I do understand just why that is.
- I finished reading the 2013 Man Booker Prize shortlist! I still think The Luminaries was the weakest book there, but while OK We Need New Names and Harvest are a little too conventional for my expectations I guess...? even if they’re still very good and still definitely worth reading, aside from those you’ve got A Tale for the Time Being (which you should definitely all read btw), The Lowland (not as good as Unaccustomed Earth but it’s very interesting), and The Testament of Mary (maybe wait until you read Brooklyn or something else by him first though) in there, and that makes for one heck of a shortlist in my opinion.
- I finally discovered N.K. Jemisin through her Inheritance Trilogy. So worth it.
- I finally finished reading 1Q84 after all this time! In some respects it’s better than I thought it was, and more like Murakami at its usual than I thought it was, and in some respects it’s... really not. It’s really, really not. Either way though I’m glad to have it over with really.
- Finally read The Color Purple, How to Be a Woman, Persepolis, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Vital.
- Finally got around to rereading Harry Potter for the first time in... forever? I’m pretty sure it was, though I have obviously seen the films since then. It still holds up basically, sometimes even more than I thought it did. (There was a very year of Harry Potter feeling to this year actually, largely by design. The Cursed Child I feel comes *so* close to not working, but it just about does, although I frankly agree slightly more with the people who didn’t like it than I do with the people who loved it. Fantastic Beasts is cool. It’s got its fair share of problems, but it’s cool. And the Shoebox Project is amazing.)
- Reread Lord of the Rings, and I kinda have to say I prefer the films??? Like I still had a good time but there’s something about them that just rubs me up the wrong way, like they weren’t as good as I wanted them to be or they should have been. I just have the sense that the pacing could be better and there’s not enough character and Fellowship is brimming with potential in its margins that isn’t really followed up on as much as I’d like. So while I haven’t seen the films in years I reckon that even if I had I’d be more likely to go back to them than the books at this point. Sorry. :(
- (Also Tom Bombadil is tragically misunderstood, I’m not even kidding)
- I know I said it above already but I read a 3000 page anthology featuring newcomers to SFF this year. I did it. And it only took me 6.5 months! It was uneven and strange, I don’t know how much I’ll actually get out of it, and one of the better writers (and an internet sort-of-acquaintance no less) turned out to be a staggering asshat this entire time, so that was dispiriting, but all in all I’m still glad I did it. And for some reason I really want to do it all over again next year! If a compilation of this type comes out again of course. :)
- I finally got around to finishing Kate Thompson’s Switchers trilogy, an old Irish memory from growing up that I’d abandoned somewhere in the middle and never come back to. Truth be told it wasn’t really that great and mostly just reminded me of other series that deal with the same concepts but are way better, but even if it took me over 10 years to go back, I’m still glad I did.
Other honourable mentions
- A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (the more time goes on the more I like this) (plus A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara of course while we’re talking about the 2015 Man Booker Prize)
- Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
- The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker
- The Country Girls by Edna O’Brien
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
- The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
- The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall
- The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (it does suffer when it’s more about love problems and less about utterly ethering capitalism admittedly)
- In the Woods by Tana French (which OK is already fairly big, but I’m mentioning this because Irish pride, and because it really is as good as everyone said it was!)
- NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently by Steve Silberman
- Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
- The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley
- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (it’s waiting in the wings for you)
- The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami
- The Vegetarian by Han Kang
- The Chimes by Anna Smaill (like every YA dystopia book you’ve ever read, and yet something all of its very own)
- The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
- Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent (great for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train maybe? Dare I say I liked it more even??)
- One by Sarah Crossan
- Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill
- The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee
- Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
- Men Explain Things to Me and Other Essays by Rebecca Solnit
And that’s it! Haha ;) I really don’t have anything left to say (thank the book lords, I hear you cry). So really I want to finish this off not by talking about myself, but by talking about *you*. Thank you. All of you! I might not know that many of you (in fact I’m fairly sure I don’t even know 1% of you), but if that small fraction I know is anything like the rest of all you Goodreaders (and I’m fairly sure it is), you’ve worked wonders to make this year on Goodreads interesting in a good way. Fun. Supportive. Helpful. Full of great books and good times, even if the books haven’t always been great and you haven’t always agreed with each other and it’s felt like the world’s just been spitting in your eye. And even though I ain’t so fatuous as to claim that reading’s going to drive the beast back even if you bolt on some add-ons to it, I like to think it’s going to be a long, long time before I start thinking it’s not good for at least something. Its work is not yet done.
So what I guess I’m really trying to say is just: keep reading. I would say don’t let it be the only thing you do, but I’m not that heartless. Like, of course it’s not going to be the only thing you do, you have to eat and sleep and earn money, duh, but I can’t blame anyone for feeling so gripped by hopelessness that they just have to retreat and withdraw. I’m not here to judge you for not being up to being roused or rising right now because 2016 has left them lost and hurt and confused. I’d be lying if 2016 hasn’t left me feeling lost and hurt and confused more than a few times in its time.
I mean, what do scientists do when things aren’t working out? (Disclaimer: this might be more truthiness than truth.) They return to first principles, and work from there. Building outwards as they go. And maybe reading will let us do something similar, if we choose to. It’s a nice thought to have at least, even if it probably doesn’t even make any sense.
And if you can, as well, share your story. Your 2016 in Goodreads. While this year made us all too aware that we don’t get to choose who lives and who dies, we do get to choose who tells our story. I’ve told mine. Now you tell yours. And have a happy 2017. While it might not look like that could even be possible right now (and again while I want to keep the hope alive I really don’t want to trample on people’s hopelessness either) there will be pinpricks of light in the darkness. Even if they look very very small (or even if they just look very far away) and it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be any way out of the darkness, they’ll be there. And I know that it’s a lot easier for me to say this than it is for other people, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t help thinking that there are worse things to do than to hold on to them. We’ll just have to see as we move it all along, I suppose. :)
I read a lot of books in 2016. I think I read more that year than any other. To try to sum it up would be almost impossible. Not completely impossible, but the probability of me doing that is next to nil. It's not only laziness that deters me from this attempt. It's the fact that I read over 600 books!! Who is willing to weed through that list with me? For me? No one??? Exactly. If you don't wanna, why would I?
I will say that it was a great year in books. That from what I've seen in peeks (and through my stealthy stalking) 2017 is looking to be a promising year as well. I'm looking forward to Preppy 2 and 3 from TM Frazier. I'm looking to finish the Bellator Saga from Cecilia London. I want to get the rest of the books that Pepper Winters has promised. I can't wait to read from new authors. Those reads are my fave! :D
I think that I'm going to keep a running tally of favorites for 2017 so I don't run into this problem again for 2017 on Goodreads. Maybe then I too will have an interesting graphic or two to display my love and appreciation. For those I've disappointed, don't be too upset. I bought over 600 books (and many paperbacks on top of that because I had to add my faves to my bookshelves). So that's money in people's pockets. I'm sure they love that more than any platitudes I could possibly share ;)
Until next year! xoxo
I will say that it was a great year in books. That from what I've seen in peeks (and through my stealthy stalking) 2017 is looking to be a promising year as well. I'm looking forward to Preppy 2 and 3 from TM Frazier. I'm looking to finish the Bellator Saga from Cecilia London. I want to get the rest of the books that Pepper Winters has promised. I can't wait to read from new authors. Those reads are my fave! :D
I think that I'm going to keep a running tally of favorites for 2017 so I don't run into this problem again for 2017 on Goodreads. Maybe then I too will have an interesting graphic or two to display my love and appreciation. For those I've disappointed, don't be too upset. I bought over 600 books (and many paperbacks on top of that because I had to add my faves to my bookshelves). So that's money in people's pockets. I'm sure they love that more than any platitudes I could possibly share ;)
Until next year! xoxo
So I was going to wait and do this on the last day of 2016 but I can go back edit it.
This year I challenge myself to read 20 books. Since this was my first reading challenge I have ever participated on here, I wanted to go easy on myself for my first time. I'm glad I did because I didn't feel any pressure to get to my goal.I didn't want to just read a book that I'm not enjoying to get to I not only I read 20 books this year but I suppressed by 33 books which my total as of right now 53 books. *throws confetti* I'm really proud of myself for obtaining my goal and I had so much fun doing it. I read some very interesting books and explored a genre that I never thought I would and honestly had fun reading it. ( cough errotica cough) Also my Beauty and the Beast addiction become worse by not only reading the original and abridged versions but at least reading (or attempted) 10 books that were either retellings or had elements of it. I think I love that fairy tale a little to much..
Ok Here's are my top faves of the year.
1.A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
2. Trick by Natalia Jaster
3. The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
4. Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White
5. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
6. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
7. The Princess Save herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace
8. Radiance by Grace Draven
9. Beauty and the Beast by K.M. Shea
10. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
11. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
Honorable Mentions
1. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand,Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
2. Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman
3. Petal and Thorns by Jeffe Kennedy
4. Zodiac Starforce: By the Power of Astr by Kevin Panetta
5.The Beauty Series by Skye Warren
6. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas
Biggest disappointments
1. Harry Potter and the Curse Child by J.K Rowling
2. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Biggest "I wish I can get that time back. "
1.Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of The Phantom of The Opera by Colette Gale
2. Beauty and the Beast by Shoshanna Evers
3. Beauty and the Beast by Jenni James
As you can tell Sarah J. Maas is on this list four times so it's a no brainer of which author I enjoyed the most this year.: -) Sarah is such an amazing author who brings her characters (who face real world problems) and worlds to life.ACOMAF took over my life this year cause I couldn't stop thinking about it at all. She honestly gets so much flack for her books. I'm not saying she's perfect cause certain areas she's lacking ( cough more diversity in ACOTAR cough) but I know she's going to try. I can't wait for ACOWAR and TOG 6 next year. I have to say that this year was pretty good for me in the reading department but it didn't come without disappointments and lot of WTF's. Boy did I have a lot of them. lol
Hopefully I can read more in 2017!
This year I challenge myself to read 20 books. Since this was my first reading challenge I have ever participated on here, I wanted to go easy on myself for my first time. I'm glad I did because I didn't feel any pressure to get to my goal.I didn't want to just read a book that I'm not enjoying to get to I not only I read 20 books this year but I suppressed by 33 books which my total as of right now 53 books. *throws confetti* I'm really proud of myself for obtaining my goal and I had so much fun doing it. I read some very interesting books and explored a genre that I never thought I would and honestly had fun reading it. ( cough errotica cough) Also my Beauty and the Beast addiction become worse by not only reading the original and abridged versions but at least reading (or attempted) 10 books that were either retellings or had elements of it. I think I love that fairy tale a little to much..
Ok Here's are my top faves of the year.
1.A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
2. Trick by Natalia Jaster
3. The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
4. Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White
5. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
6. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
7. The Princess Save herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace
8. Radiance by Grace Draven
9. Beauty and the Beast by K.M. Shea
10. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
11. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
Honorable Mentions
1. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand,Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
2. Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman
3. Petal and Thorns by Jeffe Kennedy
4. Zodiac Starforce: By the Power of Astr by Kevin Panetta
5.The Beauty Series by Skye Warren
6. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas
Biggest disappointments
1. Harry Potter and the Curse Child by J.K Rowling
2. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Biggest "I wish I can get that time back. "
1.Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of The Phantom of The Opera by Colette Gale
2. Beauty and the Beast by Shoshanna Evers
3. Beauty and the Beast by Jenni James
As you can tell Sarah J. Maas is on this list four times so it's a no brainer of which author I enjoyed the most this year.: -) Sarah is such an amazing author who brings her characters (who face real world problems) and worlds to life.ACOMAF took over my life this year cause I couldn't stop thinking about it at all. She honestly gets so much flack for her books. I'm not saying she's perfect cause certain areas she's lacking ( cough more diversity in ACOTAR cough) but I know she's going to try. I can't wait for ACOWAR and TOG 6 next year. I have to say that this year was pretty good for me in the reading department but it didn't come without disappointments and lot of WTF's. Boy did I have a lot of them. lol
Hopefully I can read more in 2017!
3.5-4 stars for the year in reading as a whole
You can see my Best books of 2016 here: http://bit.ly/2i7TAk3
This was a year of change, Goodreads changed to a new format and I'm sorry but months later and it still isn't great. I noticed many long time reviewers who I admired or who were my friends have left the Goodreads platform and I understand, but I miss seeing their reviews.
This is also the year I started to burn out on ARCS and romance. The pressure to give an arc a positive review is too much, the fact that authors feel like I owe them a positive review because I got a free book, the entitlement of it just got to me. So I have been and will be requesting fewer and fewer arcs because at this point I want to read at my own pace and not feel pressured into loving everything. So welcome more library books and Kindle Unlimited into my life!
I met so many wonderful book friends this year, made so many more. I choose to believe and to see the positive in this community and know that there is goodness in everyone's heart, despite the drama all over the interwebs.
Now as for 2017, I think I'll need to be escaping into books until 2020, so my reading stats may go up again!!!!
You can see my Best books of 2016 here: http://bit.ly/2i7TAk3
This was a year of change, Goodreads changed to a new format and I'm sorry but months later and it still isn't great. I noticed many long time reviewers who I admired or who were my friends have left the Goodreads platform and I understand, but I miss seeing their reviews.
This is also the year I started to burn out on ARCS and romance. The pressure to give an arc a positive review is too much, the fact that authors feel like I owe them a positive review because I got a free book, the entitlement of it just got to me. So I have been and will be requesting fewer and fewer arcs because at this point I want to read at my own pace and not feel pressured into loving everything. So welcome more library books and Kindle Unlimited into my life!
I met so many wonderful book friends this year, made so many more. I choose to believe and to see the positive in this community and know that there is goodness in everyone's heart, despite the drama all over the interwebs.
Now as for 2017, I think I'll need to be escaping into books until 2020, so my reading stats may go up again!!!!
My reading dipped off a few years ago as my mental health took a nosedive, but I've been slowly restarting the metaphorical engine. Finding out that I can check out audio books from my library has definitely helped me add more books into my life. I still don't devour print books like I once did, but it's nice to be reading again at all. I missed books.
some stats for this years reads:
favorite book: Collectively the whole Southern Reach trilogy was really compelling to me, especially the first and third book which were masterfully paced. I also really enjoyed Sarah Vowell's Lafayette biography
least favorite book: Anathem had a lot going for it in concept and i liked some of it, but it got weirdly preachy at times. I started out liking the main character, but by the end I just wanted him to shut up already. I also had a real hard time getting into Neuromancer, but I think that may have been more a case of it being ill-suited to casual listening.
total books: 19 (of my goal of 15!)
female/male author ratio: 10/9 (53% women)
fiction/non fiction: 14/5 (74% fiction)
main character female/male ratio: 5.5/8.5 (39% women) (counted split pov books as one half if the other half was a different sex, only counted fiction)
audio/print: 19/0
shortest book: Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (195)
longest book: Anathem by Neal Stephenson (937)
Hopefully in 2017 I will be able to read even more books! Looking at the list of books I read, I notice a lack of non-white authors, so this year I'm going to make an effort to pick books to read by people of color. I've tentatively decided to participate in Book Riot's #ReadHarder challenge, so that should help a little with that particular goal. I'm also hoping to read a load of poetry and newer poetry, so if anyone has recs for new poets, do let me know!
some stats for this years reads:
favorite book: Collectively the whole Southern Reach trilogy was really compelling to me, especially the first and third book which were masterfully paced. I also really enjoyed Sarah Vowell's Lafayette biography
least favorite book: Anathem had a lot going for it in concept and i liked some of it, but it got weirdly preachy at times. I started out liking the main character, but by the end I just wanted him to shut up already. I also had a real hard time getting into Neuromancer, but I think that may have been more a case of it being ill-suited to casual listening.
total books: 19 (of my goal of 15!)
female/male author ratio: 10/9 (53% women)
fiction/non fiction: 14/5 (74% fiction)
main character female/male ratio: 5.5/8.5 (39% women) (counted split pov books as one half if the other half was a different sex, only counted fiction)
audio/print: 19/0
shortest book: Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (195)
longest book: Anathem by Neal Stephenson (937)
Hopefully in 2017 I will be able to read even more books! Looking at the list of books I read, I notice a lack of non-white authors, so this year I'm going to make an effort to pick books to read by people of color. I've tentatively decided to participate in Book Riot's #ReadHarder challenge, so that should help a little with that particular goal. I'm also hoping to read a load of poetry and newer poetry, so if anyone has recs for new poets, do let me know!
Okay this is pretty late but I'm doing it anyway!
So, reading-wise, 2016 was an incredible year for me. This was the year I actively joined social media (especially goodreads) and found new books, and the year I finally understood my reading tastes (I got standards now lol *flips hair*). This year I mainly read books in English, which really helped my vocabulary, and I even listened to 11 audiobooks, all in English! Yeah, I'm pretty proud of my accomplishes.
But personally, this wasn't such a great year. My grandpa passed away and I wasn't focused at all in school... But this year I'm going to make it better.
I can't point exactly what books were my favs, because of different categories, but I'll try my best by answering these questions (which I changed a bit to better fit my answers). But first, some stats.
Books read: 66 (fitting and scary, right?)
Audiobooks: 11
Ebooks: 14
1. Best Book:
[bc:Gemina|29236299|Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480097137s/29236299.jpg|44560442] [bc:A Court of Mist and Fury|17927395|A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452783825s/17927395.jpg|25126749]
2. Most disappointing book:
[bc:The Raven King|17378527|The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477103790s/17378527.jpg|24170172] [bc:The Wrath & the Dawn|18798983|The Wrath & the Dawn (The Wrath & the Dawn, #1)|Renee Ahdieh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417956963s/18798983.jpg|26724902] [bc:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387124618s/9361589.jpg|14245059]
3. Most surprising (good or bad):
[bc:Vassa in the Night|28220892|Vassa in the Night|Sarah Porter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452803823s/28220892.jpg|41396000] [bc:Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two|29056083|Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (Harry Potter, #8)|John Tiffany|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470082995s/29056083.jpg|48765776]
4. Book you peer-pressured people into reading the most:
[bc:Throne of Glass|7896527|Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1335819760s/7896527.jpg|11138426]
5. Best series starter:
[bc:Illuminae|23395680|Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956s/23395680.jpg|26653661]
Best series sequel:
[bc:Isla and the Happily Ever After|9627755|Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3)|Stephanie Perkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362064564s/9627755.jpg|14515040] [bc:A Court of Mist and Fury|17927395|A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452783825s/17927395.jpg|25126749]
Best series ender: [bc:Crooked Kingdom|22299763|Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456172607s/22299763.jpg|42090179]
6. Favorite new author:
Sorry but I basically discovered good books this year, so I can't point an author... But I might say Sarah J Maas and Jay Kristoff
7. Best book from an unknown genre/ out of your comfort zone:
[bc:Vengeance Road|23719270|Vengeance Road|Erin Bowman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422925649s/23719270.jpg|41187933] [bc:Binge|25507925|Binge|Tyler Oakley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438341092s/25507925.jpg|45286444]
8. Most action packed/thrilling/unputdownable book:
[bc:Illuminae|23395680|Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956s/23395680.jpg|26653661] [bc:Gemina|29236299|Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480097137s/29236299.jpg|44560442]
NEED I SAY MORE? #moststressfulbooksever
9. Most likely to reread next year:
[bc:Carry On|28356624|Carry On|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455989059s/28356624.jpg|43346673]
10. Favorite cover:
There were so much beautiful covers, I can't choose. But I'll say [bc:Furthermore|28110143|Furthermore|Tahereh Mafi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454343290s/28110143.jpg|42362451]
11. Most memorable characters: ANY sarah j maas character.
12. Most beautifully written:
[bc:The Sun Is Also a Star|28763485|The Sun Is Also a Star|Nicola Yoon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459793538s/28763485.jpg|48954670]
13. Most thought-provoking:
[bc:The Sun Is Also a Star|28763485|The Sun Is Also a Star|Nicola Yoon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459793538s/28763485.jpg|48954670] this baby again!
[bc:And I Darken|27190613|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449153532s/27190613.jpg|41682914] this one got me thinking "when will I stop defending cruel/morally dubious characters? Maybe never."
14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2016 to read:
[bc:Carry On|28356624|Carry On|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455989059s/28356624.jpg|43346673] mind you, I read this on the 30th of december. WHY
15. Favorite quote:
"To the people who look at the stars and wish. To the stars who listen, and the dreams that are answered" -[a:Sarah J. Maas|3433047|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1269281353p2/3433047.jpg]
"Am I not Merciful?" -[a:Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman|14644699|Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
16. Shortest and Longest:
[bc:Zenith|29569157|Zenith (The Androma Saga #1)|Sasha Alsberg|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465241925s/29569157.jpg|49894931] [bc:Winter|13206900|Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4)|Marissa Meyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470057036s/13206900.jpg|18390887]
17. Most shocking book:
[bc:Gemina|29236299|Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480097137s/29236299.jpg|44560442] EVERYTHING HERE
18. OTP OF THE YEAR:
[bc:A Court of Mist and Fury|17927395|A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452783825s/17927395.jpg|25126749]
19. Favorite non-romantic relationship/ favorite BROTP
The Inner Circle from [b:A Court of Mist and Fury|17927395|A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452783825s/17927395.jpg|25126749]
20. Favorite book from an author you've read before:
I only read new authors this year!
21. Best book you read based on a recommendation:
[bc:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477103737s/17675462.jpg|18970934] [bc:Isla and the Happily Ever After|9627755|Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3)|Stephanie Perkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362064564s/9627755.jpg|14515040] [bc:An Ember in the Ashes|27774758|An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)|Sabaa Tahir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449158871s/27774758.jpg|39113604]
22. Newest fictional crush:
I cant pick, I love them all
23. Best debut?
I honestly didn't read any debuts... Oops?
24. Best worldbuilding/ most vivid setting:
[bc:And I Darken|27190613|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449153532s/27190613.jpg|41682914]
25. Most FUN to read:
[bc:My Lady Jane|22840421|My Lady Jane|Cynthia Hand|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444923765s/22840421.jpg|42397220]
26. Made me cry:
Most of them. I'm a big crybaby!
27. Hidden gem of the year?
[bc:The Ruby Red Trilogy Boxed Set|21408134|The Ruby Red Trilogy Boxed Set|Kerstin Gier|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394412980s/21408134.jpg|23594438]
28. Crushed your soul:
[bc:The Sun Is Also a Star|28763485|The Sun Is Also a Star|Nicola Yoon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459793538s/28763485.jpg|48954670]
29. Most unique:
[bc:Furthermore|28110143|Furthermore|Tahereh Mafi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454343290s/28110143.jpg|42362451]
30. Made you the most mad (not necessarily bad, but here it's bad):
[bc:Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List|23230|Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List|Rachel Cohn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320498121s/23230.jpg|2891169] I HATE THIS
3-. Honorable mentions:
[bc:Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit|28003097|Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit|Jaye Robin Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456091624s/28003097.jpg|48007974]
[bc:Cinder|11235712|Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)|Marissa Meyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470056948s/11235712.jpg|15545385] (the entire series) [bc:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|Becky Albertalli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579] [bc:Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel|20312458|Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel|Sara Farizan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410170987s/20312458.jpg|28147217] [bc:Legend Trilogy Boxed Set|17929102|Legend Trilogy Boxed Set (Legend, #1-3)|Marie Lu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1368726621s/17929102.jpg|25130295] [bc:The Grisha Trilogy Boxed Set|30043543|The Grisha Trilogy Boxed Set (The Grisha, #1-3)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461770450s/30043543.jpg|47335535]
And looking forward:
1. Your 2017 #1 priority:
[bc:A Series of Unfortunate Events Box: The Complete Wreck|65113|A Series of Unfortunate Events Box The Complete Wreck (Books 1-13)|Lemony Snicket|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1307655939s/65113.jpg|2393728]
2. Most anticipated for 2017:
[bc:Untitled|33590260|Untitled (Throne of Glass, #6)|Sarah J. Maas|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|25272014]
3. Most anticipated debut:
[bc:The Love Interest|31145148|The Love Interest|Cale Dietrich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474049716s/31145148.jpg|47243315]
4. Series ender/sequel you're most anticipating:
[bc:A Court of Wings and Ruin|23766634|A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480850195s/23766634.jpg|25126752]
5. Thing you hope to accomplish in your reading?
write those goddamn reviews
So that's it (it took me forever to do this lol) and I really hope 2017 is even a better reading year, even if I'm already behind schedule!
So, reading-wise, 2016 was an incredible year for me. This was the year I actively joined social media (especially goodreads) and found new books, and the year I finally understood my reading tastes (I got standards now lol *flips hair*). This year I mainly read books in English, which really helped my vocabulary, and I even listened to 11 audiobooks, all in English! Yeah, I'm pretty proud of my accomplishes.
But personally, this wasn't such a great year. My grandpa passed away and I wasn't focused at all in school... But this year I'm going to make it better.
I can't point exactly what books were my favs, because of different categories, but I'll try my best by answering these questions (which I changed a bit to better fit my answers). But first, some stats.
Books read: 66 (fitting and scary, right?)
Audiobooks: 11
Ebooks: 14
1. Best Book:
[bc:Gemina|29236299|Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480097137s/29236299.jpg|44560442] [bc:A Court of Mist and Fury|17927395|A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452783825s/17927395.jpg|25126749]
2. Most disappointing book:
[bc:The Raven King|17378527|The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477103790s/17378527.jpg|24170172] [bc:The Wrath & the Dawn|18798983|The Wrath & the Dawn (The Wrath & the Dawn, #1)|Renee Ahdieh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417956963s/18798983.jpg|26724902] [bc:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387124618s/9361589.jpg|14245059]
3. Most surprising (good or bad):
[bc:Vassa in the Night|28220892|Vassa in the Night|Sarah Porter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452803823s/28220892.jpg|41396000] [bc:Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two|29056083|Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (Harry Potter, #8)|John Tiffany|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470082995s/29056083.jpg|48765776]
4. Book you peer-pressured people into reading the most:
[bc:Throne of Glass|7896527|Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1335819760s/7896527.jpg|11138426]
5. Best series starter:
[bc:Illuminae|23395680|Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956s/23395680.jpg|26653661]
Best series sequel:
[bc:Isla and the Happily Ever After|9627755|Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3)|Stephanie Perkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362064564s/9627755.jpg|14515040] [bc:A Court of Mist and Fury|17927395|A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452783825s/17927395.jpg|25126749]
Best series ender: [bc:Crooked Kingdom|22299763|Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456172607s/22299763.jpg|42090179]
6. Favorite new author:
Sorry but I basically discovered good books this year, so I can't point an author... But I might say Sarah J Maas and Jay Kristoff
7. Best book from an unknown genre/ out of your comfort zone:
[bc:Vengeance Road|23719270|Vengeance Road|Erin Bowman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422925649s/23719270.jpg|41187933] [bc:Binge|25507925|Binge|Tyler Oakley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438341092s/25507925.jpg|45286444]
8. Most action packed/thrilling/unputdownable book:
[bc:Illuminae|23395680|Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956s/23395680.jpg|26653661] [bc:Gemina|29236299|Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480097137s/29236299.jpg|44560442]
NEED I SAY MORE? #moststressfulbooksever
9. Most likely to reread next year:
[bc:Carry On|28356624|Carry On|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455989059s/28356624.jpg|43346673]
10. Favorite cover:
There were so much beautiful covers, I can't choose. But I'll say [bc:Furthermore|28110143|Furthermore|Tahereh Mafi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454343290s/28110143.jpg|42362451]
11. Most memorable characters: ANY sarah j maas character.
12. Most beautifully written:
[bc:The Sun Is Also a Star|28763485|The Sun Is Also a Star|Nicola Yoon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459793538s/28763485.jpg|48954670]
13. Most thought-provoking:
[bc:The Sun Is Also a Star|28763485|The Sun Is Also a Star|Nicola Yoon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459793538s/28763485.jpg|48954670] this baby again!
[bc:And I Darken|27190613|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449153532s/27190613.jpg|41682914] this one got me thinking "when will I stop defending cruel/morally dubious characters? Maybe never."
14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2016 to read:
[bc:Carry On|28356624|Carry On|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455989059s/28356624.jpg|43346673] mind you, I read this on the 30th of december. WHY
15. Favorite quote:
"To the people who look at the stars and wish. To the stars who listen, and the dreams that are answered" -[a:Sarah J. Maas|3433047|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1269281353p2/3433047.jpg]
"Am I not Merciful?" -[a:Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman|14644699|Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
16. Shortest and Longest:
[bc:Zenith|29569157|Zenith (The Androma Saga #1)|Sasha Alsberg|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465241925s/29569157.jpg|49894931] [bc:Winter|13206900|Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4)|Marissa Meyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470057036s/13206900.jpg|18390887]
17. Most shocking book:
[bc:Gemina|29236299|Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480097137s/29236299.jpg|44560442] EVERYTHING HERE
18. OTP OF THE YEAR:
[bc:A Court of Mist and Fury|17927395|A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452783825s/17927395.jpg|25126749]
19. Favorite non-romantic relationship/ favorite BROTP
The Inner Circle from [b:A Court of Mist and Fury|17927395|A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452783825s/17927395.jpg|25126749]
20. Favorite book from an author you've read before:
I only read new authors this year!
21. Best book you read based on a recommendation:
[bc:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477103737s/17675462.jpg|18970934] [bc:Isla and the Happily Ever After|9627755|Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3)|Stephanie Perkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362064564s/9627755.jpg|14515040] [bc:An Ember in the Ashes|27774758|An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)|Sabaa Tahir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449158871s/27774758.jpg|39113604]
22. Newest fictional crush:
I cant pick, I love them all
23. Best debut?
I honestly didn't read any debuts... Oops?
24. Best worldbuilding/ most vivid setting:
[bc:And I Darken|27190613|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449153532s/27190613.jpg|41682914]
25. Most FUN to read:
[bc:My Lady Jane|22840421|My Lady Jane|Cynthia Hand|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444923765s/22840421.jpg|42397220]
26. Made me cry:
Most of them. I'm a big crybaby!
27. Hidden gem of the year?
[bc:The Ruby Red Trilogy Boxed Set|21408134|The Ruby Red Trilogy Boxed Set|Kerstin Gier|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394412980s/21408134.jpg|23594438]
28. Crushed your soul:
[bc:The Sun Is Also a Star|28763485|The Sun Is Also a Star|Nicola Yoon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459793538s/28763485.jpg|48954670]
29. Most unique:
[bc:Furthermore|28110143|Furthermore|Tahereh Mafi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454343290s/28110143.jpg|42362451]
30. Made you the most mad (not necessarily bad, but here it's bad):
[bc:Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List|23230|Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List|Rachel Cohn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320498121s/23230.jpg|2891169] I HATE THIS
3-. Honorable mentions:
[bc:Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit|28003097|Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit|Jaye Robin Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456091624s/28003097.jpg|48007974]
[bc:Cinder|11235712|Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)|Marissa Meyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470056948s/11235712.jpg|15545385] (the entire series) [bc:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|Becky Albertalli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579] [bc:Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel|20312458|Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel|Sara Farizan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410170987s/20312458.jpg|28147217] [bc:Legend Trilogy Boxed Set|17929102|Legend Trilogy Boxed Set (Legend, #1-3)|Marie Lu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1368726621s/17929102.jpg|25130295] [bc:The Grisha Trilogy Boxed Set|30043543|The Grisha Trilogy Boxed Set (The Grisha, #1-3)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461770450s/30043543.jpg|47335535]
And looking forward:
1. Your 2017 #1 priority:
[bc:A Series of Unfortunate Events Box: The Complete Wreck|65113|A Series of Unfortunate Events Box The Complete Wreck (Books 1-13)|Lemony Snicket|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1307655939s/65113.jpg|2393728]
2. Most anticipated for 2017:
[bc:Untitled|33590260|Untitled (Throne of Glass, #6)|Sarah J. Maas|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|25272014]
3. Most anticipated debut:
[bc:The Love Interest|31145148|The Love Interest|Cale Dietrich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474049716s/31145148.jpg|47243315]
4. Series ender/sequel you're most anticipating:
[bc:A Court of Wings and Ruin|23766634|A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480850195s/23766634.jpg|25126752]
5. Thing you hope to accomplish in your reading?
write those goddamn reviews
So that's it (it took me forever to do this lol) and I really hope 2017 is even a better reading year, even if I'm already behind schedule!
Not sure about the real world but book wise it was a great year for reading and listening to Audio Books!
Just a few of the highlights:
[bc:All the Light We Cannot See|18143977|All the Light We Cannot See|Anthony Doerr|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451445646s/18143977.jpg|25491300][bc:Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore|13538873|Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)|Robin Sloan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1345089845s/13538873.jpg|6736543][bc:The Golem and the Jinni|15819028|The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni, #1)|Helene Wecker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349205573s/15819028.jpg|21547736][bc:The Forgetting Time|25527908|The Forgetting Time|Sharon Guskin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442527065s/25527908.jpg|45315154][bc:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One|Ernest Cline|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406383612s/9969571.jpg|14863741][bc:The Kind Worth Killing|21936809|The Kind Worth Killing|Peter Swanson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417981750s/21936809.jpg|41240456][bc:Lab Girl|25733983|Lab Girl|Hope Jahren|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441826687s/25733983.jpg|45572105][bc:Dark Matter|27833670|Dark Matter|Blake Crouch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472119680s/27833670.jpg|43161998][bc:The Last One|27245997|The Last One|Alexandra Oliva|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465634920s/27245997.jpg|45572184][bc:The Flood Girls|25814284|The Flood Girls|Richard Fifield|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454256758s/25814284.jpg|45670988][bc:All the Ugly and Wonderful Things|26114135|All the Ugly and Wonderful Things|Bryn Greenwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476868672s/26114135.jpg|46061078][bc:What Doesn't Kill Her|23014597|What Doesn't Kill Her (Reeve LeClaire, #2)|Carla Norton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429575970s/23014597.jpg|42580739]
Just a few of the highlights:
[bc:All the Light We Cannot See|18143977|All the Light We Cannot See|Anthony Doerr|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451445646s/18143977.jpg|25491300][bc:Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore|13538873|Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)|Robin Sloan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1345089845s/13538873.jpg|6736543][bc:The Golem and the Jinni|15819028|The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni, #1)|Helene Wecker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349205573s/15819028.jpg|21547736][bc:The Forgetting Time|25527908|The Forgetting Time|Sharon Guskin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442527065s/25527908.jpg|45315154][bc:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One|Ernest Cline|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406383612s/9969571.jpg|14863741][bc:The Kind Worth Killing|21936809|The Kind Worth Killing|Peter Swanson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417981750s/21936809.jpg|41240456][bc:Lab Girl|25733983|Lab Girl|Hope Jahren|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441826687s/25733983.jpg|45572105][bc:Dark Matter|27833670|Dark Matter|Blake Crouch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472119680s/27833670.jpg|43161998][bc:The Last One|27245997|The Last One|Alexandra Oliva|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465634920s/27245997.jpg|45572184][bc:The Flood Girls|25814284|The Flood Girls|Richard Fifield|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454256758s/25814284.jpg|45670988][bc:All the Ugly and Wonderful Things|26114135|All the Ugly and Wonderful Things|Bryn Greenwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476868672s/26114135.jpg|46061078][bc:What Doesn't Kill Her|23014597|What Doesn't Kill Her (Reeve LeClaire, #2)|Carla Norton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429575970s/23014597.jpg|42580739]
2016 was a very good reading year for me. I read bouble the books I had in my challenge and I'm very proud of it. So, next year I'm gonna put a much bigger challenge cause I have all these books sitting on my bookselves!! (not to mention all the books I have in my to-read list and sadly can't even find them in Greece).
Best
Best series: [b:The Dark Tower Series Collection: The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower|12274389|The Dark Tower Series Collection The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481416723s/12274389.jpg|16692927]
Best sci-fi: [b:The Martian Chronicles|76778|The Martian Chronicles|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1374049948s/76778.jpg|4636013]
Best fantasy: [b:A Storm of Swords|62291|A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)|George R.R. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471637043s/62291.jpg|1164465]
Best horror: [b:Red Dragon|28877|Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter, #1)|Thomas Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390284698s/28877.jpg|925503]
Best graphic novel: [b:Marvel 1602|15719|Marvel 1602|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385102624s/15719.jpg|2371238]
Best greek graphic novel: [b:Μυθοναύτες #1|29741554|Μυθοναύτες #1|Δημήτρης Σαββαϊδης|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459336230s/29741554.jpg|50095370]
Most fun: [b:Νεοελληνική μυθολογία|29858586|Νεοελληνική μυθολογία|Auguste Corteau|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460145048s/29858586.jpg|50222569]
Best non-fiction: [b:Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity|58169|Catching the Big Fish Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity|David Lynch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442184320s/58169.jpg|1120870]
Ratings
5 stars: 72
4 stars: 28
3 stars: 10
I'm generally very careful with what I read and that's wy the ratings are so high.
Pages
This year: 22733
last year: 9287
More than double!
Most Read Authors
Stephen King
Philip K. Dick
Joe Kelly
Jules Verne
Auguste Corteau
Oldest book I read this year: [b:Alice in Wonderland|13023|Alice in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #1)|Lewis Carroll|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391458382s/13023.jpg|2933712] (1856)
Publication decade I read the most books from: 2000's
Best
Best series: [b:The Dark Tower Series Collection: The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower|12274389|The Dark Tower Series Collection The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481416723s/12274389.jpg|16692927]
Best sci-fi: [b:The Martian Chronicles|76778|The Martian Chronicles|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1374049948s/76778.jpg|4636013]
Best fantasy: [b:A Storm of Swords|62291|A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)|George R.R. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471637043s/62291.jpg|1164465]
Best horror: [b:Red Dragon|28877|Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter, #1)|Thomas Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390284698s/28877.jpg|925503]
Best graphic novel: [b:Marvel 1602|15719|Marvel 1602|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385102624s/15719.jpg|2371238]
Best greek graphic novel: [b:Μυθοναύτες #1|29741554|Μυθοναύτες #1|Δημήτρης Σαββαϊδης|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459336230s/29741554.jpg|50095370]
Most fun: [b:Νεοελληνική μυθολογία|29858586|Νεοελληνική μυθολογία|Auguste Corteau|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460145048s/29858586.jpg|50222569]
Best non-fiction: [b:Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity|58169|Catching the Big Fish Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity|David Lynch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442184320s/58169.jpg|1120870]
Ratings
5 stars: 72
4 stars: 28
3 stars: 10
I'm generally very careful with what I read and that's wy the ratings are so high.
Pages
This year: 22733
last year: 9287
More than double!
Most Read Authors
Stephen King
Philip K. Dick
Joe Kelly
Jules Verne
Auguste Corteau
Oldest book I read this year: [b:Alice in Wonderland|13023|Alice in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #1)|Lewis Carroll|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391458382s/13023.jpg|2933712] (1856)
Publication decade I read the most books from: 2000's
It's been a stellar year of reading for me. I put together a few posts about my favorites from this year. I hope you'll check them out:
Top 5 Novels: http://charlene.booklikes.com/post/1506325/char-s-horror-corner-top-5-novels-read-in-2016
Top 5 Anthologies and Collections: http://charlene.booklikes.com/post/1505154/char-s-horror-corner-top-5-short-story-collections-anthologies-read-in-2016
Top 5 Novellas:http://charlene.booklikes.com/post/1506323/char-s-horror-corner-top-5-novellas-read-in-2016
On 12.30, my Failed Challenges post will go up.
Happy New Year everyone, and here's to another great year of reading in 2017!
Top 5 Novels: http://charlene.booklikes.com/post/1506325/char-s-horror-corner-top-5-novels-read-in-2016
Top 5 Anthologies and Collections: http://charlene.booklikes.com/post/1505154/char-s-horror-corner-top-5-short-story-collections-anthologies-read-in-2016
Top 5 Novellas:http://charlene.booklikes.com/post/1506323/char-s-horror-corner-top-5-novellas-read-in-2016
On 12.30, my Failed Challenges post will go up.
Happy New Year everyone, and here's to another great year of reading in 2017!
2016 was what I consider a crucial year in my life. There was a point where I wasn't able to read that much and I was okay with that. It was nice to have that distance from my blog for myself. I grew a lot over the year. I switched jobs and I learned a lot from all my different experiences. To my GR friends thank you for still following, liking, and commenting on my reviews. It really means a lot to me. It seems that I finally have the motivation and my life sorted out to do some more reviews. I hope that 2017 will be even better! Thanks again and I love you all :)