 |
| Image from FreeRange Stock Photography by BenjaminMiller2651 |
Last year, I used a survey to examine all of the books I read and reviewed during my first attempt at the Goodreads 24 books in 12 months challenge. I did manage to complete the challenge in 2015 as well as an additional personal challenge (once I realized it was possible) of reading 10,000 pages over the course of the year! For 2016, I have not been quite as successful. My total books read is just under the 24 book goal, and I am far from reaching my 10,000 page goal having only completed 5,000 pages read this year. Nevertheless, here is this year's book survey.
Were you successful at your book goals for 2016?
Books I Read in 2016:
Can be found here.
Numbers:
Under 250 pages : 4
Between 400-449 pages: 0
Between 450-499 pages: 1
Over 500 pages: 1
Over 1000 pages: 0
Audiobooks: 0
Re-reads: 1
DNFs (did not finish): 1
Five Star Rating: 3
One/Two Stars Rating: 4
Authors met in 2016: 2
Book events attended in 2016: 2
Books read in one day: 3
Books that made you cry: maybe 1? or 2? I don't cry when reading books…
Book reviews posted this year: 15
Most books read by one author this year: 1
 |
| Source: pixabay.com |
Longest & shortest…
By page number: Hashtag Poetry (92 pages), The Goldfinch (773)
By title: Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh•t, Tasting Rome
From buying to reading: Foraged Flora (4 months), Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh•t (a few days)
First
Read of 2016: Sweeter Off the Vine by Yossy Arefi
Series you picked up & series you quit: no series this year
Book Post of 2016: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Review of 2016: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Best & worst… + Favorites
Average rating on Goodreads: 3 stars
Most disappointing & biggest pleasant surprise: Chronicles of Old New York and Foraged Flora; The Goldfinch
Most lenient & harshest ratings: The Knot Outdoor Weddings and Hashtag Poetry; The Goldfinch
Best Book You Read In 2016? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Book that became an instant go-to recommendation: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Forced yourself to finish: 2Am at the Cat's Pajamas, Foraged Flora, Photographs from the Edge, Chronicles of Old New York
Best series you started in 2016? I didn't start a series.
Favorite new author you discovered in 2016? Donna Tartt?
Best book from a genre you don’t typically read? The Flower Workshop
Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? The Girl on the Train
Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, if I re-read any of them. (I won't.)
Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (noticing a trend?)
Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation: The Girl on the Train
Best 2016 debut you read? Hashtag Poetry
Hidden Gem Of The Year? The Best of Top Secret Recipes
Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016? The Flower Workshop
Most beautifully written book read in 2016? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
 |
| source: unsplash.com |
Random
Book read furthest away from home (vacation reads?): The Goldfinch
Book that took you the longest to read: Foraged Flora
Book that you personally connected with the most: Hashtag Poetry
Book that made you love the villain: none
Book you said you’d come back to but still haven’t picked up again: Alice In Wonderland
Book you read waaaay before it’s publication date: none?
Book you read on your birthday: The Goldfinch
Book with a character who shares your name: Mandy by Julie Andrews (didn't read this year!)
Book you borrowed from a friend a long time ago and still have: none. I return what I borrow.
Book you wish you could go back and read for the first time again: none? Nothing I've read was that spectacular or shocking this year.
Book you read that is red: Chronicles of Old New York is the closest
Starts with X, Y, or Z: none
Book you hugged when you finished it: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Book you wanted to throw across a room (not necessarily because it was bad): The Girl on the Train; the main character irritated me so much!
Food you craved while/after reading a certain book: nothing? Skip meals, yes. Crave meals? no.
Furthest out of your comfort zone: The Goldfinch
Series or author’s works you binged (whether all at once or throughout the year): none. I was good and read a variety of different books/authors throughout the year.
Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read? The Girl on the Train
Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2016? The Goldfinch
Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? Photographs from the Edge
Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2016? The Goldfinch, and The Girl on the Train (just surprising)
Book That Shocked You The Most: The Girl on the Train
Most memorable character of 2016? the boy from The Goldfinch, just because every time I hear the song "Took a Pill in Ibiza", I think of that character/book
Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year: the best friends in The Goldfinch
Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016? none. I don't really remember too many dreamy men in the books I read this year.
Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read? Hashtag Poetry
Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry? When Johnny Nolan died in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. So sad!
Book That Crushed Your Soul? none?
Most Unique Book You Read In 2016? The Flower Workshop
Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? Victoria. The queen was such a whimp. And way too emotional.
 |
| source: unsplash.com |
Books & Blogging
Post with the most views (posted in 2016): Charles E. Moore and Timothy Keiderling's Bearing Witness with 246 page views.
Post you wish you could re-write: I didn't actually write as many book reviews on the blog as I did last year, so I would probably just write (for the first time) some of my NetGalley blog reviews for the blog.
New favorite book blog you discovered in 2016? The Goldfinch; it took a while for it to sink in, but I am really glad I read it!
Favorite review that you wrote in 2016? Tasting the recipes from Sweeter off the Vine. Yum!
Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? English that Germans get Wrong, mostly because there was a lot of insight about how people from the UK pronounce things differently than people in the US.
Best book-related event that you participated in? We went to hear an NPR talk with Ryan Gravel on Where We Want to Live, a book about the Atlanta beltline. The talk itself was kind of boring, but it was fun hearing everyone in the audience agree about how they had seen a particular person walking their dog and playing a violin at the same time. It almost made Atlanta feel smaller and more like a community than it traditionally feels like, so that was nice. :)
Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016? The Booktag Blog Hop was fun while it existed, all of 3 months.
Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog? Two giveaways (don't count) and then Ten Must-Haves where I daydreamed about traveling to Switzerland on a low cost carrier.
Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? My Hollywood Studios post; I loved my video of that dance! :) I also liked this one, this one, and this one.
Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? this book: Pierre Herme Macaron: The Ultimate Recipes from the Master Patissier. I'm ready to get in the kitchen and try some of these recipes! Yum!
Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? Nope, unfortunately not. :(
 |
| source: Kaboompics // Karolina vis pexels.com |
The Upcoming Year
One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2016 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017? I don't know. I might read a book I've already read and enjoyed. I need a vacation read for February.
Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)? not sure
2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? None. I have no idea what's going to come out. It will be fun to be surprised and discover new books in the new year!
Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017? none. I don't follow series'.
One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017? I'd love to stick to my 2 books/month goal. I know it can be done, but sometimes it just seems so hard!
A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone: none yet
 |
| Linking up with All the Beautiful Things and Run Jump Scrap. |
* Survey is a combination of two taken from The Book Addicts Guide.and Perpetual Page Turner.
** Linking up with Susannah Connway's December Reflections.
