For the past 9 years, The Perpetual Page Turner has posted this fun year end survey for book bloggers. I have participated the past few years and thought I would again. Here are my answers to the survey.
**2018 READING STATS**
Number Of Books You Read: a ton (I am not giving out my # because I think we shouldn’t compare ours to each other. It’s all about the love of reading, right?)
Number of Re-Reads: 7
Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary Romance
1. Best Book You Read In 2018?
It’s hard to pick just one because I read so many good books and have a lot of favorites.
If I had to pick just one, I would go with The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
I listened to Cora Cormack’s Losing It series this year. I had so much fun listening to the first two books that I thought I would love the third book, Finding It. I really didn’t.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
I chose The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred because it’s not a book I would normally pick up. It has this old school romance vibe that I’m not really into. A couple of my blogging friends (Stephanie & Brandie) loved it, so I decided to request it from my library and give it a chance. I ended up really liking it.
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
Gosh, I don’t know. Does anyone have any ideas for this? I know I told people to read The Kiss Quotient a lot since it is my favorite of the year.
5. Best series you started in 2018? Best Sequel of 2018? Best Series Ender of 2018?
Best series I started: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
Best Sequel of 2018: The Boy I Grew Up With by Tijan
Best Series Ender of 2018: 4th & Girl by Max Monroe
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?
I discovered so many great authors this year! My favorites were Helen Hoang, Katherine Center, Katie McGarry, Meghan March, Sally Thorne…I could go on and on.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
I am not a science fiction or fantasy fan, but I loved The Raging Ones by Krista and Becca Ritchie.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
I didn’t read a ton of thriller or action type books this year. I did read one thriller that kept me on my toes. It was Verity by Colleen Hoover.
9. Book You Read In 2018 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
I don’t normally do re-reads. This year, I re-listened to all of the Fallen Crest Series by Tijan. If I did another, I might re-read one of Max Monroe’s Bad Boy Billionaires books because they make me laugh so much.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018?
I love the cover for Tillie Cole’s A Wish for Us. It is beautiful and reflects the book so well. It’s all about how some people see color while hearing music.
11. Most memorable character of 2018?
It’s a toss up for me. It’s either Hazel from Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren because of her unforgettable quirkiness or it’s Preppy from the King series by T.M. Frazier because of his personality combined with his style.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?
I read a lot of beautifully written books this year. I was lucky in that aspect. Since I have to choose just one, I’m going with How to Walk Away by Katherine Center.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?
This might seem like an odd choice, but I listened to Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg this year. I’m so far out of the dating world, that I hadn’t really thought about all of the changes that have gone on in the past ten years or more. It was a really eye opening and thought provoking read for me. It wasn’t exactly life changing, but it made me understand some of my single friends better.
The Opportunist and the rest of the other Love Me with Lies books by Tarryn Fisher. So crazy, but so good.
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?
“Someone else’s opinion of you is none of your business.”
-Rachel Hollis, Girl Wash Your Face
I chose this quote because it’s something that I remind myself of a lot. Before I heard this quote, I used to tell myself that 99% of the time people are just thinking about themselves, but this really puts that in more perspective.
16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018?
Shortest: Studly Period (The Ivy Years, #5.5) by Sarina Bowen, 50 pages
Longest: Cocktales by Penny Reid & friends, 998 pages
How I did this: Went to my read books on Goodreads and sorted by page number and just looked for what I knew I read this year that was the shortest and longest.
17. Book That Shocked You The Most
(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)
The Upside of Falling and The Downside of Love by Meghan Quinn. I can’t tell you why. You will just have to read it yourself.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)
Heather & Channing from The Boy I Grew Up With by Tijan.
19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Millie, Reid, and the guys from My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren.
20. Favorite Book You Read in 2018 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren
21. Best Book You Read In 2018 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.:
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
(Thanks, Ari!)
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018?
I think I’ll go with Rowdy Wade from Jock Row by Sara Ney.
23. Best 2018 debut you read?
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Crew by Tijan and/or Cry Baby by Ginger Scott
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
4th & Girl by Max Monroe
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018?
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Intercepted by Alexa Martin
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
It’s probably a toss up between two series: Blue Line Duet by Meghan Quinn or the Love Me with Lies series by Tarryn Fisher.
1. New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2018?
Kayla from Books & Blends
2. Favorite post you wrote in 2018?
I don’t really have a favorite. I try to write posts I’m proud of.
3. Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2018?
This is me and my friend Ashley at Book Bonanza 2018. I hadn’t seen her in over 5 years when we met there for the fun that the event was. I have some favorite pictures of me with authors and blogger friends, but this one I’ll call my favorite because I miss getting to see her when she lives in South Carolina and I live in Washington state.
Book Bonanza 2018!!! I got to meet so many of my favorite authors and a couple of my favorite bloggers (Celebrity Readers & DG Book Blog) well! I wish I was going again next year. It was such a great, uplifting experience.
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2018?
I’m going to go with Book Bonanza again. I loved meeting people who love books as much as I do.
6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
Letting go. I decided after this past summer that I didn’t need to sign up for every ARC or blog tour. I switched my focus to reading what I already have and to not having to post reviews for all the books I read. I actually want to read LESS next year. Crazy, right?
7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
My most viewed post for 2018 was my review for Ryan’s Bed by Tijan.
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
Honestly, all of them.
9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
I didn’t really discover any new ones this year. Sorry.
10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Yes, I completed my Goodreads Challenge for year, lowered my Want to Read shelf numbers on there, and read a ton of backlist books off my Kindle.
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2018 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2019?
Flight Patterns by Karen White
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2019 (non-debut)?
Just one? Torture again! The one that instantly pops to mind, though, is The Risk by Elle Kennedy.
3. 2019 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
I don’t know that I have a debut I’m looking forward to most. I haven’t looked up what books are debuting yet.
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2019?
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. I could have gone with The Risk again, but I wanted to list another book I’m excited to read.
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2019?
I want to continue to slay my backlist TBR!
6. A 2019 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):
Gert ready for list…You all should read The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros, Overnight Sensation by Sarina Bowen, Deal with the Devil by Meghan March, and The Hail Mary by Ginger Scott when they release.
And that’s a wrap! I answered all of the questions, but if you have any more for me, let me know. This gives a snapshot of my year in books, but I read so many great ones I probably could have answered the questions several different ways.