It’s Monday and time for the End of Year Book Survey

“It’s Monday! What are you reading?” is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney to share with others what we’ve read the past week and planning to read next.

The holiday season always throws me off schedule. It’s like, what? It’s the weekend? Sure doesn’t feel like it since the Husband has been on leave since the weekend before – he had a LOT of time-off accumulated, the result of having worked late nights and weekends for far too long. And so Monday has rolled right along again!

I hope you have been celebrating the holidays with plenty of food and good company. Oh and presents! I had some lovely gifts, from books to Lego! The kids had the best of times ripping wrapping paper. And on Christmas Eve, a massive gorgeous feast! And the next few days, we gorged on more and more lovely edibles.

The Husband and I also celebrated our sixth anniversary yesterday with a (very rare) dinner out at Madera at Palo Alto. Hooray for visiting grandparents!

There are just a few days left to 2015! Say it with me, Aaaarrgggghhh!

But really, a new year brings new books. So that’s always fun!

Here’s the End of Year Book Survey from The Perpetual Page Turner! Please click over to her blog for the full questionnaire. I’ve picked just some of the many questions to answer.

Meanwhile, a very Happy Monday and Happy Reading!

Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 217. And I’m on the way to finishing at least one or two more.

Number of Re-Reads: o

Genre You Read The Most From: Fiction

Best in Books

Best Book You Read In 2014?

I seriously cannot answer this with one book.

So instead, I am copping out with my list that I posted earlier in the month

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

War Horse – Michael Morpurgo

The perspective of the horse limited the narrative far too much.

In Real Life – Cory Doctorow, Jen Wang
I was at first, yay, a book about girl gamers! Then ugh, what’s with the trying to save the Chinese gamer bit? Who are they kidding?

Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014?

Supernatural Enhancements – Edgar Cantero
Best series you started in 2014?

Tough one! I started so many! Like The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, Morning Glories, Sunny, The Raven Cycle.

Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

I posted a list here. It might be Hanya Yanagihara for fiction and Taiyo Matsumoto for graphic novels.

Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
I tend to read across many genres, but I really don’t read much romance. So the best would have to be Sarah Maclean’s The rules of scoundrels series. I’m cheating a bit by naming a series, but to be honest I can’t quite tell the books apart now…

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

The Ghost Brigades – John Scalzi
Very exciting.

Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

The Locke and Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez series. I read the last book in 2014, quite a while after putting down book five and had forgotten a few important bits.

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?
I posted a list of my favourite book covers here

Most memorable character of 2014?

Ronan Lynch of The Raven Cycle. Probably because I just finished The Dream Thieves.

Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?

The song of the lark – Willa Cather
I couldn’t really come up with an answer for this one so I just picked the oldest book I read. This was published in 1915!

Shortest & Longest Book You Read?

The Lady Astronaut of Mars – Mary Robinette Kowal
A novella at 31 pages

Drood – Dan Simmons
This one I didn’t need to check. It’s a massive 775 pages. Then again the runner-up was Donna Tartt’s Goldfinch at 771 pages. Simmons also has the distinction of having the third-longest book I read, The Abominable, at 663 pages.