So here I go.
Number Of Books You Read: 46
Number of Re-Reads: I don't really reread.
Genre You Read The Most From: Probably a tie between kids' contemporary fiction and YA fiction of a few genres. My reading habits were kinda diverse this year.
1. Best Book You Read In 2015?
I'll go with Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. Really hard call though. I also gave five-star ratings to The Martian by Andy Weir, Landline and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck, a couple manga books, and the Crystal Gems kids' book.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis. People kept telling me I was going to really dig this graphic novel, and when I read it I was like . . . "what the heck is this?" Same with the Lumberjanes graphic novel by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, & Brooke Allen--really wanted to like it, but just didn't really enjoy it.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2015?
The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'amour. It was assigned by my book club and I was kinda jazzed to find out what the defining author of westerns was about even though I had no real desire to read the genre. It was the most bafflingly incoherent, simplistic, offensive book I think I've ever read, and I finished it almost in tears because I know how popular and successful the author was.
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2015?
I wasn't too successful with book pushery this year. My dad bought The Martian and is part-way through it because of my recommendation, and one of my friends is reading Fangirl because I gave it to her for Christmas.
5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?
I technically only started one series this year, so I guess by default Shannon Hale's Rapunzel's Revenge wins for best series started this year.
Best sequel was deffo J.C. Fann's book Of Goddess Born.
Best series ender was definitely Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale.
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?
ALISON BECHDEL ALISON BECHDEL ALISON BECHDEL.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
The Appeal by John Grisham! I was not looking forward to a courtroom drama book, and was so pleasantly surprised that I want to read more Grisham.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
I read very few thrillers, and though some were thrown at me by book club, I didn't find them thrilling. Except for . . . The Martian. I was able to put it down, but it kept me on a couple reading streaks I didn't intend.
9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Let's face it, I will reread my Guide to the Crystal Gems book. That kinda doesn't count.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?
Most of the covers I saw this year weren't actually appealing to my taste, art-wise. But I did read a graphic novel compilation of Steven Universe comics that had a really pretty cover.
Ahh, well, probably Miri from Princess Academy. I just love her.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?
Thought-provoking, huh. Fun Home again.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?
A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck. I've had it on to-read lists for years. Also, Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown. It's a classic but I didn't read it until I got a copy as a freebie in my Lambda Awards attendee goodie bag.
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?
You will smell must and soap, and feel a stab of panic about how alone you are. It will be like most showers you've taken.
—From Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?
Goodreads says my longest read was The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, at 513 pages.
Shortest read was Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search: Volume 1 by Bryan Konietzko & Michael DiMartino. 76 pages, and it was a graphic novel.
17. Book That Shocked You The Most (Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)
The Appeal by John Grisham. Bad guys aren't supposed to win the way they did.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)?
I'm not a huge shipper. (OTP means "One True Pairing" by the way, if you don't know.) I honestly had no huge investment in any pairing this year. (Not one that was in any books I read, anyway.) How about Georgie & Neal from Landline by Rainbow Rowell?
19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year?
Cath and her fanfic characters. Haha. No actually, Cath and her sister Wren. (From Fangirl.)
20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously?
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure?
The Martian by Andy Weir. Not only was it the book club book but the founder of the club kept talking about how great it was.
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?
Can I still say Garnet from the Steven Universe graphic novel even though I didn't get my crush on her from the book?
23. Best 2015 debut you read?
Ummmmm Breaking the Ice by Gail Nall.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
Well, gotta go with Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg.
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?
Fangirrrrrrrrrrrl definitely Fangirl.
27. Hidden Gem Of the Year?
A Kingdom Apart by J.C. Fann.
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, never read anything like it. Welcome to Night Vale was a close second, though.
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
The Passion of Sergius and Bacchus by fellow Lambda nominee David Reddish, because his typo/language mistake quotient was out of control for a published book. I was sad about that.
BOOK BLOGGING
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?
I didn't discover any book blogs in 2015.
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?
Maybe Hurricane Punch by Tim Dorsey because it was honestly kind of a rage fest.
3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
There's no way to really say what the "best" was so I'm gonna pick Representation: Incidental vs. Targeted.
4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
I guess that's going to have to be the Lambda Awards, where I was a nominee for the LGBT Nonfiction award. (I didn't win, but it was kinda cool attending the ceremony and getting a picture on the red carpet and everything.)
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?
Let's just go with picking Lynn Forrest for my Pitch Wars mentee. It was so squeeworthy.
I GOT PICKED IN #PITCHWARS I'M CRYING @JulieSondra THANK YOU THANK YOU
— Lynn Forrest (@LynnMForrest) September 2, 2015
6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? Feeling like I'm disappointing myself and others when I don't come through with a book update, haha. I've taken to updating about my writing progress on Thursdays, but some weeks if I don't write, I feel crappy that I didn't.
7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
My Pitch Wars post, which had over 2000 views and was fed traffic by the contest I was in. I had a few other popular posts in association with Pitch Wars, like Avoiding the Red Pen of Doom and Nerdy Analysis, but my most popular non-contest blog post this year was It's Not Fair, with 769 views.
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
Cartoons and Representation. ;)
9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
On Tumblr, sometimes people post queer titles in groups and I like favoriting them while telling myself I'm totally going to put all these on my to-read list someday.
10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I didn't set any goals or challenges, though I roughly aimed to read a book every week. I fell a little short of that (with 46 books read in 52 weeks), but there were some awfully busy weeks this year and some big books I just had to give myself permission to read over a couple weeks.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016:
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
Probably Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel.
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?
Excited about the self-published book by J.C. Fann, one of my friends, entitled Blood of Our Own, which is the fourth in the Queenschair series. (I was trying to pick something that actually comes out in 2016, and I don't have a lot of not-yet-out stuff on my list.)
3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard.
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh. It kinda doesn't count since it's not technically a sequel, but it's sort of a continuation of the first book in a way.
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?
Relax the chicken.
6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:
I'm afraid I have not gotten my grubby paws on anything coming out in 2016, because I am not a special milkshake.
THE END.
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