2017 in review

 2017 has been over for almost a week, so here’s a quick look back as well as a glimpse into my plans for 2018.

Jamie, from the blog Perpetual Page Turner, (click for link) released her 8th annual end-of-year survey for book bloggers. I didn’t start book blogging until the end of 2017, but I went ahead and filled out (most of) the survey anyway.  Here it goes: 

 

 

Number Of Books You Read: 95 (and about 46 half-finished books — my attention span was poor this year)

Number of Re-Reads: 5

Genre You Read The Most From: Thriller/Mystery, Contemporary Romance, YA

 

Best Book You Read In 2017?

Contemporary Romance: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne  (A | GR | my review)

Macabre Humor: The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen (A | GR | my review)

Mystery/Thriller: The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter  (A | GR | my review)

YA: Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee  (A | GR | my review)

Scifi: Wool by Hugh Howley (A | GR)

 

Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Warcross by Marie Lu (see my review here)

Artemis by Andy Weir (see my review here)

 

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

Sunshine by Robin McKinley (A | GR)

 

Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee  (A | GR | my review)

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter  (A | GR | my review)

Wool by Hugh Howley (A | GR)

 

Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?

Karin Slaughter.  How have I gone this far without reading any of her work?

Ilona Andrews. People have been telling me for years to read their work and I have completely ignored them.  Mostly because I was sick of PNR and urban fantasy, but then I read some of her books and wow I’m sorry I doubted you.

Mariana Zapata.  She writes some darn good contemporary romance. 

 

Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (A | GR)

 

Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter  (A | GR | my review)

 

Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Sunshine by Robin McKinley (A | GR)

Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier (A | GR)

 

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?

 

 

 

BONUS: What as the worst cover of a book you read in 2017?  

ANYTHING BY ILONA ANDREWS. Just look up any of their books. Seriously, all of the covers are terrible. 

 

Most beautifully written book read in 2017?

Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (A | GR)

 

Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017?

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson (A | GR)

 

Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read?

The Shining by Stephen King (A | GR)

 

Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?

 

“One day I would have all the books in the world, shelves and shelves of them. I would live my life in a tower of books. I would read all day long and eat peaches. And if any young knights in armor dared to come calling on their white chargers and plead with me to let down my hair, I would pelt them with peach pits until they went home.” 

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

 


 

“He books it into that little playground there. I mean the guy is zooming like the Road Runner, skidding through the gravel and the slush and everything. I’m yelling, “Police, police! Stop, motherfucker!”

‘You do not yell, “Stop, motherfucker.”’

‘I do. Because you know, Palace, this is it. This is the last chance I get to run after a perp yelling, “Stop, motherfucker.” 

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

 


 

“Death only comes round once in a lifetime, that much I realise, and maybe I should have put a bit more effort into it.”

The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen

 


 

“It’s a corporate truth universally acknowledged that workers would rather eat rat skeletons than participate in group activities.” The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

 


The entirety of Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson:

 

“The amount of money I would pay for people to stop fucking up grammar is only slightly lower than the amount I’d give to ensure I never have grammatical errors in the statements I make calling others out on their grammatical errors.”

 

“What I want you to know: Dying is easy. Comedy is hard. Clinical depression is no fucking picnic.”

 

“Don’t sabotage yourself. There are plenty of other people willing to do that for free.”

 

Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (A | GR | my review)

Eyes like Those by Melissa Brayden ** ( A | GR )

** yes, it is a contemporary romance novel, but there were also a lot of GREAT non-romantic friendships within it.  I’ve already requested the next in the series (coming out Feb 2018)

 

Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Eyes like Those by Melissa Brayden **  ( A | GR )

 

Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (A | GR )

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters ( A | GR | my review)

 

Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness ( A | GR )

 

Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier ( A | GR )

 

 

 

New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017?

The Real Book Spy

Drunk Austen

 

Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?

“The Man Who Died”

 

Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

My seasonally appropriate posts were the most popular.  These two in particular:

13 Books to Get You in the Mood For Halloween

Wherein a Bookworm Ponders the Benefits and Ill Effects of the Holiday Season

 

 

Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017?

  1. Starting!
  2. Finding out how many other people hate Amy March as much as I do.

 

https://twitter.com/overduebookblog/status/93920

 

 

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

I didn’t read as much as I usually do and I found it a bit of a challenge to balance my time between my work, hobbies, and blogging.  I’m getting into a routine now, which is nice.

 

Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

 

 

One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018?

Okay, how about I just list the books I left half finished on my bedside table:

 

It by Stephen King 

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Truth or Beard by Penny Reid 

An Unattractive Vampire by Jim McDoniel 

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman 

Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson 

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.S. Schwab 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 

 

LOOK, I KNOW I HAVE A PROBLEM OKAY?

This is also the place where I should also promise to read all the books I already own in 2018, but there’s really  no point in lying.

 

Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)?

Macbeth By Jo Nesbo (April 2018)

The Outsider by Stephen King (May 2018)

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter (July 2018)

 

2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

The Woman In The Window by A.J. Finn (January 2018)

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (January 2018)

 

Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018?

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Guide, #2) by Mackenzi Lee (Fall 2018)

A Reaper at the Gates (Book 3) by Sabaa Tahir (April 2018)

Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner (January 2018)

 

One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2018?

Reading with intention.  I’m going to try and follow Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge in order to accomplish that. 

 

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