End of Year Book Survey

Today I'm trying something new and filling out a bookish survey. This is from Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner and it's a survey of reading from the past year.

Number Of Books You Read: 88
Number of Re-Reads: 1
Genre You Read the Most Books From: Classics

Best In Books
1. Best book you read in 2015? Yikes, just one? I'm going to tentatively go with Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, but there are a lot of contenders for this spot!

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn't?
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak. I loved the movie and am a huge russophile, so I expected to adore the book, but truthfully found it underwhelming.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
The Saga series by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples. I read it because I was taking a class on graphic novels, but I wasn't expecting to get hooked!

4. Book you "pushed" the most people to read (and they did)?
Being Mortal by Dr. Atul Gawande. I have seriously told about half a dozen people to read this, including my parents, some classmates, and a librarian that I met doing a tour of a hospital library. I don't know how many of them have actually followed through, but I know my dad did!

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best sequel of 2015? Best series ender of 2015?
Best series: Saga again.
Best sequel: Messenger, the third book in The Giver series by Lois Lowry.
Best series ender: Champion by Marie Lu.

6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2015? Joseph Boyden! I love his books.

7. Best book from a genre you don't typically read/was out of your comfort zone? I read Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson and loved it, despite the fact that I pretty much never read westerns.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

9. Book you read in 2015 that you are most likely to re-read next year? I don't re-read a lot, so probably none.

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2015? I read a lot of stuff on Kindle or OverDrive, so this is hard for me to stay. I really like the cover of The Orenda by Joseph Boyden because it looks like birch bark.

11. Most memorable character of 2015? Melanie from The Girl With All the Gifts.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015? Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2015? Most definitely Being Mortal by Dr. Atul Gawande. It made me think so much about end-of-life care and medical ethics.

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2015 to finally read? Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke.

15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2015?
 "I'm going to tell you something important. Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world."
Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2015?
Shortest: Night by Elie Wiesel - 115 pages (not counting some of the graphic novels)
Longest: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - 1006 pages

17. Book that shocked you the most? I don't know if anything really shocked me, but probably Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn since it had a few plot twists.

18. OTP of the year? Okay, so OTP stands for "one-true pairing", as in a couple you love from books. I don't really go for this kind of thing, but I did think that Lara Jean and Peter K from To All the Boys I've Loved Before were pretty adorable.

19. Favourite non-romantic relationship of the year? Lara Jean and her sisters in the above, and also in the sequel P.S. I Still Love You. 

20. Favourite book you read in 2015 from an author you've read previously? I'm going to nerd it out and choose Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie. I love his biographies.

21. Best book you read in 2015 that you read solely based on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure? Walk On Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, which I read because of the review by Emily at The Book Geek in one of her videos.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015? I don't really do fictional crushes beyond Mr Darcy... I can't think of anyone.

23. Best 2015 debut you read? Overwhelm by Layla Messner.

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year? The Legend series by Marie Lu, because to some extent, I could really see a lot of that happening in the future.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read? To All the Boys I've Loved Before and the sequel, P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han. I laughed so much.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2015? I cry at everything, but I actually can't remember whether I cried over specific books this year. Probably After You by Jojo Moyes, because she always makes me cry!

27. Hidden gem of the year? Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay.

28. Book that crushed your soul? Night by Elie Wiesel

29. Most unique book you read in 2015? None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio, because it talked about an issue that is rarely brought up in fiction.

30. Book that made you the most mad? Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, because I couldn't understand the characters' motivation at all.

Looking Ahead
1. One book you didn't get to in 2015 but will be your number 1 priority in 2016? Probably The Bone Season because I meant to start this in December, but ended up being drawn into a few other reads.

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2016 (non-debut)? Salt to the Sea by Ruth Sepetys. I have been fascinated by the Wilhelm Gustloff since reading Crabwalk by Günther Grass, and I'm excited that Sepetys is

3. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2016? I want to be more proactive about posting, instead of writing all my TTT posts at the last minute. I'd like to get back to writing on a variety of issues. In my reading life, I'd like to read more books on theology.

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

6th Annual End Of Year Survey – 2015 edition!!

December 2, 2015 by Jamie · 94 Comments

My silly little survey I created for myself to highlight what I read in 2010 suddenly grew when a bunch of others jumped in and has turned into such a fun end of year event that I have LOVED hosting and has made my TBR list grow crazily! Seriously, 360 people linked up last year and I know even more participated on their blogs and on Youtube!! So without further ado: the 6th annual End of Year Book Survey!
I know the year isn’t over yet but, as I said in year’s past, this is the time I start reflecting on what I’ve read and start looking ahead because I NEVER get much reading done during December with the holidays and what not! I’ll be filling mine out soon (I know I said that last year and never did but I have motivation this year…last year I was just DONE with all the things) but I’ll be revising if I happen to read something absolutely earth shattering that would need to be on here!
So feel to fill this out whenever you feel like it (please credit me!)…whether that’s today or in January   — I know everybody will want to reflect at different points! Feel free to link up and share your End of Year Book Survey and visit others on the list!

Note: The survey is for books you read throughout the year, no matter when they were published, and is not limited to just books that came out in 2014!!

Number Of Books You Read:
Number of Re-Reads:
Genre You Read The Most From:

- See more at: http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2015/12/6th-annual-end-of-year-survey-2015-edition.html#sthash.Xstpk5js.dpuf

6th Annual End Of Year Survey – 2015 edition!!

December 2, 2015 by Jamie · 94 Comments

My silly little survey I created for myself to highlight what I read in 2010 suddenly grew when a bunch of others jumped in and has turned into such a fun end of year event that I have LOVED hosting and has made my TBR list grow crazily! Seriously, 360 people linked up last year and I know even more participated on their blogs and on Youtube!! So without further ado: the 6th annual End of Year Book Survey!
I know the year isn’t over yet but, as I said in year’s past, this is the time I start reflecting on what I’ve read and start looking ahead because I NEVER get much reading done during December with the holidays and what not! I’ll be filling mine out soon (I know I said that last year and never did but I have motivation this year…last year I was just DONE with all the things) but I’ll be revising if I happen to read something absolutely earth shattering that would need to be on here!
So feel to fill this out whenever you feel like it (please credit me!)…whether that’s today or in January   — I know everybody will want to reflect at different points! Feel free to link up and share your End of Year Book Survey and visit others on the list!

Note: The survey is for books you read throughout the year, no matter when they were published, and is not limited to just books that came out in 2014!!

Number Of Books You Read:
Number of Re-Reads:
Genre You Read The Most From:

- See more at: http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2015/12/6th-annual-end-of-year-survey-2015-edition.html#sthash.Xstpk5js.dpuf

2016: A New Hope?

2015. I don't have words to describe this year, or rather I do, but I'll spare you because they are mostly curse words.

On January 1, 2015, I wrote the following in my journal: "The word that comes to my mind for this year [2014] is loss. Loss of Bruce [my oldest friend's father who passed away in December of 2014]. Loss of my dignity. Loss (sometimes) of the confidence I had that my friends and family would be there in my hours of deepest need. Loss of hope. Loss of faith in medical science. Loss of a dream and of subsequent dreams, the idea that I could ever be a mother of more than one child, of the idea that giving up my career was the most logical thing to do. Loss of unity with my husband. Loss of control over my body and emotions. Loss of the ideal that if I tried hard enough, my dreams would come true."

When I read those words, I just want to go back to my January 2015 self and give her a hug, and say, "Oh honey, the losses will just keep on coming." The hits have been one after the other this year. I lost a dear friend in February, leaving a wound in my soul that continues to ache. We had a massive family illness in the winter, which led to a terrible misunderstanding with my father. We made up and are on good terms again, but words were said that cannot be unsaid, and it still smarts. School was hard, several friends lost their parents, friendships were tested and found wanting. Close family members came to the brink of divorce, reconciled, and I've only just learned today that they are splitting up for sure. We are still infertile, and I have lost hope that we will ever be parents. My heart hurts. It has kept hurting, this whole long year. Then as I tried to embrace the holidays and find the joy in it all, I found a dead raccoon in my yard and spent Christmas Eve shoveling it into a garbage bag to haul to the curb. It seemed somehow symbolic of the year that was. Needless to say, 2015 has been nothing like I expected.

Were there joys? Of course. I met new friends. I did well in school. I attended a close friend's wedding. There was a new Star Wars movie. We adopted Neville. We laughed and loved and lived. But it still hurts.

So, now it's almost 2016, and I am afraid. I went into the last two years thinking that things would get better, and instead they just got worse and worse and worse. To be brutally honest, I am sad every day, and I know that even the best circumstances and a fantastic career will not heal the child-shaped hole in me, but at least I would like a reprieve from really awful stuff happening. I go into this new year with trepidation, wondering "How long, o Lord?", wondering if I will make it to see 2017 without losing myself, the loving and wondering and rejoicing parts that I know are still in there somewhere.

However, after getting even more bad family news today, I decided to give myself a pass from getting anything useful accomplished, and just sit in bed this afternoon watching the original Star Wars. I realized, thinking it over, that Episode 4 is titled "A New Hope". So maybe it's there, somewhere, that hope. Maybe I can find it and grasp it, if even for a little while.

Happy New Year, friends. May joy find you wherever you are.

Merry Christmas!!

A quick shout out to wish everyone who celebrates a wonderful and merry Christmas! It's been a rough season for us, which was capped off by finding a dead raccoon in our yard on Christmas Eve (yes, really), but we are trying to find the joy in the season and in the miracle of our Saviour's birth.

Happy holidays from our family to yours!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Christmas List

Merry almost-Christmas! Today at The Broke and the Bookish, we're posting about books we'd love if Santa were to bring us. Here's my list:

1. Any of the illustrated editions of the Harry Potter series: Be still my heart!

2. Humans of New York Stories by Brandon Stanton: I love reading his posts, and this seems like a great coffee table book.

3. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (AKA J.K. Rowling): I'm actually fairly close to getting my hold at the library, but it still seems like a fun book to have.

4. Longbourn by Jo Baker: To supplement my Pride and Prejudice obsession.

5. Yes, My Accent Is Real by Kunal Nayyer: He's so funny!

6. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews: I hear this is good and I like the cover.

7. Funny Girl by Nick Hornby: He always makes me laugh.

8. The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra: I adored A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, so this is a no-brainer.

9. Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates: This looks fascinating and race-relations in America is such an important issue to follow right now.

10. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: I've never read any of her books, but I've read good reviews and I needed a 10th item on the list.

So, what's on your Christmas list?

Welcome Neville!

I'm excited to announce that our family is growing... but not in the way you're thinking! On Saturday, we took in a new kitty, a 'sibling' for our dear Sadie, and his name is Neville Catticus.

With Neville at the Shelter

It happened like this: In November, Gil came home with the news that his secretary had found an abandoned kitten, and asked if we wanted her. I was shocked and didn't think he was serious. I had been sure that he didn't want another cat, and so I hadn't really thought about it. I was about to go to Florida for a few days with my dad, so I waited until I was home to say that I was interested, and by that time, the kitten had found a home.

A few weeks later, I was running an errand and found that my journey crossed paths with Toronto's new Cat Cafe. I fell in love with a cat there and got the green-light from Gil to pursue an adoption, but again it fell through because this cat could only be adopted if his sister came along for the ride, and three cats seemed like a little too much. Still, the desire to take in another kitty had settled in me, so as soon as my schoolwork was done for the term, I got myself over to the shelter and met Neville, and the rest is history.

What about his name? I actually agonized for way too long about his name, and was told multiple times by my husband that I was overthinking the issue. I wanted a literary reference, and Neville is one of my favourite supporting characters from Harry Potter. I gave him the middle name of Catticus because Gill initially suggested our cat be named Atticus based on the character from the Harper Lee novel, because, in his words, "I bet he would like to kill a mockingbird." Yes, we are those crazy people whose cat has a middle name, but no, it will not be on any paperwork!

This year has been so hard in a million different ways. We had family drama, health stresses, continued infertility, and death, and somehow I just needed 2015 to go out on a high note. I'm excited that we will get to share our lives with another feline friend.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I Read In 2015

Whew, it's hard to believe the year is nearly over. I'm definitely looking forward to a new start in 2016, but today at The Broke and the Bookish, we are looking back to our favourite reads of the year, so without further ado....

1. Being Mortal by Dr. Atul Gawande: Dying is not a cheery subject, but this book challenged me on so many levels and I've recommended it to a lot of people. It's a great look at how we deal with dying in our culture. I highly recommend it.

2. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke: Honestly, I have no idea how it took me so long to read this book. It's about nerdy magicians, for goodness' sake!

3. The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman: I read this book for my graphic novels course and found it really moving and interesting and creative.

4. Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie: I am a sucker for Massie's biographies. For me, the high point was his Peter the Great book, which I read last summer, but Nicholas and Alexandra was great too and helped me see the doomed couple from another angle.

5. Oblomov by Goncharov: I had put this off for ages because I wanted to read it, but wondered if it would be slow moving. I ended up really having a soft spot for the lazy Oblomov and laughing at this Russian classic.

6. The Orenda by Joseph Boyden; Gee, how many times can I write about my love for Joseph Boyden on here? This book took an original and nuanced view of Canadian history, both of the French and the Native Peoples, and I couldn't put it down.

7. Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay: Intrigue! Ballerinas! Stalinism! Love stories! What's not to like? I really enjoyed this book in which a wealthy Russian ballet star looks back on her hidden past.

8. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: I've become a bit bored with the slew of popular dystopias on the market now, but Station Eleven was something totally different. It infused dystopia with art and mystery, and I really enjoyed it.

9. Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden: Boyden's look at two young Cree men and the Great War. It was fantastic, and my favourite of Boyden's thus far.

10. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel: As a self-proclaimed Tudor nerd, I can't believe it took me years to finally read Wolf Hall, but when I finally got around to it, I was completely drawn in and loved it.

Broke and Bookish Secret Santa!

This year, I did something new and took part in the Secret Santa exchange at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd thought about it last year, but missed the sign-up date. It felt a little weird at first to have a total stranger know my address, but I decided it would be fun, and it totally was! I had a blast looking for something special for my match, and I can't wait to hear that she's received her gift (which should arrive today)!

Well, today Santa came to my house with a gift from Chelsea over at BFT Reviews. I received chocolate, some lovely Christmas-y socks, a Jane Austen mug (be still my heart!), and a copy of The Book Thief, which I'd been meaning to read for ages. I am so excited! Thanks Chelsea!

Not only that, but I also participated in a Secret Elf exchange with some friends from all around the world, and today got this lovely ring from my dear friend Erin. Santa really has been busy today. ;)