2015 End of Year Book Survey

Hello everyone! Can you believe that it's that time of year again? Christmas will soon be here and 2015 is nearly over so before I take my blogging break until the new year I wanted to take part in Jamie's annual end of year book survey to break down my year in reading and blogging for you guys. I hope you enjoy reading about my bookish highs and lows of 2015!

Number Of Books You Read: So far I’m at 115 and have met my Goodreads goal of reading 100 books but I’m still hoping to squeeze in more over Christmas when I have lots of reading time!

Number of Re-Reads: 0 – with so many review books I don’t really have time for re-reads these days sadly.

Genre You Read The Most From: Looking at Goodreads, 2015 seems to be the year of Fantasy and Thrillers for me.

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?
So my unofficial best book of 2015 (because there’s still time for another book to come along don’t you know) is Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Admittedly, it’s going to take something pretty special to knock it off the top spot over the remaining days of December.

2. Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
It’s no secret that my most anticipated book for 2015 was A Court of Thorns and Roses but I actually ended up not finishing it for personal reasons which you can read more about here.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 
When I started listening to audiobooks this year I was looking for recommendations on what I should check out and my friend Sophie recommended The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller to me which is not something I’d ever normally pick up but I fell for it hard and it’s now become a new all-time favourite of mine.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? 
I think the book that I pushed on to people the hardest this year is Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne. It’s such an important book to me and I’m so happy with how many people I got to read it that fell in love with it too.

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015? 
Okay, so for best series I have two that I’ve been sitting trying to decide between and I can’t so I’m just going to say both and they are the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson and the Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens they could not be more different but are equally fantastic.

For best sequel I’m going to go with The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon which just blew me away even more than The Bone Season did.

Best series ender has to go to Winter by Marissa Meyer. Hats off to that lady for wrapping up four stories in one book and making an 800 page book totally engrossing and un-put-down-able.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?
This is too hard. I’ve discovered so many amazing new-to-me authors this year whose books I will be auto-buying forever more. The shortlist would have to be Brandon Sanderson and Susan Dennard  whose writing makes my toes curl it’s so good.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? 
2015 was the year where I really branched out of my comfort zone and discovered some fantastic new books for it. I think for this one I’ll go with The Song of Achilles (again) because it was probably the book that was the furthest out of my comfort zone that I loved.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? 
Oh, most definitely Six of Crows. Hands down.

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? 
I’m going to go with Truthwitch by Susan Dennard because I read an ARC of this in 2015 and would love to read the finished version when it’s released next year.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?
It has to be Queen of Shadows. Those covers just get more and more beautiful with each book.

11. Most memorable character of 2015? 
I’ve got to say that all six characters from Six of Crows really stuck with me this year. I love how diverse they are showing that you don’t have to be able-bodied, skinny, white, straight etc to be the hero of the story and be an absolute badass.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
Lorali by Laura Dockrill is the first book that comes to mind. Laura’s writing is so unique and like nothing else I’ve ever read. It is individual and beautiful.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?
This was definitely Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne. I had such a deep and personal connection with it that it felt like it was written especially for me.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?
I’m so grateful for the Mistborn readalong this year. I’ve wanted to read the Mistborn series for years but have always been intimidated by the size of each book. I’m so happy that I signed up and finally got to read The Final Empire and the rest of the books because they’re now one of my all-time favourites and I’m desperate to read more by Brandon Sanderson.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?
I’m one of those people who has a notebook full of quotes that I love from books and so it’s hard to pick just one but if I were to choose one that feels very personal to me it would be this one from All the Bright places about mental health.

“It's my experience that people are a lot more sympathetic if they can see you hurting, and for the millionth time in my life I wish for measles or smallpox or some other easily understood disease just to make it easier on me and also on them.” ― Jennifer Niven, All the Bright Places 

16.Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2015? 
According to Goodreads my longest book was Winter at 827 pages and my shortest is Rat Queens at 128 pages. I loved both of these books so it just goes to show that size really doesn’t matter!

17. Book That Shocked You The Most? 
I’ve read so many good thrillers this year that have completely surprised me! The plot twists in How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst, The Secret by the Lake by Louise Douglas and The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson were particularly shocking!

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) 
This is so hard! I have so many! Okay, I’ve whittled it down from eight to my top three that YOU CAN NOT make me choose between. In no particular order…

Simon and Blue from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Simon and Baz from Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Patroclus and Achilles from The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

They are all my babies!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
I’m big on female friendships and so my favourite non-romantic relationship of the year has to go to Threadsisters Safiya and Iseult from Truthwitch by Susan Dennard.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously 
Six of Crows, Six of Crows, Six of Crows! If you’re a reader of this blog then you’ll know that I love the Grisha trilogy dearly and so I was totally blown away when Leigh managed to surpass that with Six of Crows. In my review I described it as “Like the hotter, maturer, dangerous older brother of the Grisha trilogy” and I still stand by that.

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure: 
I’m starting to sound like a broken record but The Song of Achilles which I’d never have tried if Sophie hadn’t recommended it to me.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?
The first one that comes to mind is Jack from Night Owls by Jenn Bennett who I think is my latest but I have developed so many over 2015!

23. Best 2015 debut you read?
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, I can’t wait to see what she writes next! 

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
I think this has to go to the Mistborn series. Brandon Sanderson’s worldbuilding and magic systems are so developed that it feels like you’re really there.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read? 
Oh my God! Definitely the first volume of Rat Queens the graphic novel. That book is HILARIOUS! I swear that the rat queens are my spirit animals.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?
I’m such a crier and it doesn’t take much to start me off but the books that made me sob my heart out ugly cry this year are as follows:

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
One by Sarah Crossan
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
After You by Jojo Moyes

Read them with a box of tissues at hand!

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
 I think that my best hidden gem this year would have to be The Secret by the Lake by Louise Douglas which I received unsolicited for review. I knew nothing about it but was intrigued by the synopsis so I decided to give it a go and I absolutely loved it! Don’t you love when that happens?

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
The whole Mistborn series really made me re-evaluate my levels of masochism.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015? 
I think that The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle brought something very unique and different to the YA table this year.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? 
All the Rage by Courtney Summers as the title suggests this book really does make you angry but in a good “what can we do about this?” sort of way.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015? 
I discovered my lovely friend Chelle’s blog early in January when I won a giveaway from her. I’m so glad that I discovered her blog because it was through winning this giveaway that we found out that we lived really close to each other. Chelle has been an amazing friend to me this year and I can’t wait to have more Chinese takeaway nights at hers in the New Year!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?
There are three that I’m really proud of and they were for Six of Crows, One and Am I Normal Yet? Which are all some of my favourite books of this year. It’s true what they say that the more you love a book the harder the review is to write but at the same time, as a blogger, it really pushes you to deliver a review worthy of the book and so they end up being some of your best.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
I love that 2015 has been the year where I’ve hosted more discussions on the blog and I’ve really enjoyed writing them. As for best, I think that’s up to the readers but my personal favourites have to be What Kind of Book Buyer Are You? And Is it book bloggers' job to sell books?

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
I think that as long as I am able to go each year the answer to this question will always be YALC!

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?
 A moment that has been really special for me this year is when I helped my friend Kate receive book donations for her pupils. We ended up with over 300 books and Kate hosted such a special event to gift them to her students. The event made it into local papers and it’s something that I feel so proud and happy to have been a part of this year. You can read more about the event here.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? 
 I think that it was trying to balance blogging with real life responsibilities. It's hard to do both sometimes!

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
My YALC Anxiety post. I had so many messages from people who were going who felt the same way and said that this helped them which made me so happy to feel like I’d helped people.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? 
It’d always be nice to get more comments on reviews. They seem to be the one style of blog post that although gets the views doesn’t get the same interaction from readers in the comments.

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? 
A few months ago I discovered the Etsy store Happy Hello. I’ve since been collecting their bookmarks which I’m just obsessed with!

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? 
The only goal I set myself this year was to read 100 books which I surpassed. I’m not really one for setting myself reading goals or challenges. I like to try and keep reading as pressure free and fun as possible and goals just stress me out.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
I really wanted to read Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy this year but just didn’t get around to it! Luckily it’s being released in the UK in 2016 so I will be getting around to it then!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?
With Six of Crows being my best book of 2015 Crooked Kingdom is naturally my most anticipated book of 2016!

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
I’m really looking forward to Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton all of my blogger friends who have read it have loved it so far!

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016? 
I can’t think of a series ending that I’m anticipating in 2016 but a sequel that I am desperate for is Throne of Glass book 5!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016? 
My goal is to post more reviews next year. With trying to vary my blog content and post more discussions I fell behind with my book reviews this year so I would really like to post at least one a week in 2016.

6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read and Recommend To Everyone 
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard! It’s out in January and I’m so excited for the rest of the world to discover it!

 That's all from me for another year! Thank you so much for all of your continued support it means the world to me and I hope you have a very happy Christmas if you celebrate it. See you all for more bookish adventures in 2016!

Is it book bloggers' job to sell books?

“Do book bloggers sell books?” this is a question that gets thrown into the air every so often be it from publishers, readers or authors and each time it’s met with heated debate and generally concludes on the fact that because there aren’t any concrete numbers to go off, nobody really knows for sure. But I’ve started to wonder is it book bloggers’ job to sell books? For me personally, that answer is no.

When I started blogging five years ago I didn’t start this blog as a way of bookselling. I started it for purely selfish reasons. I wanted to discuss my thoughts and opinions on books I love with other people who have read them, I wanted to find other people with the same tastes as me and get recommendations on what else they’ve enjoyed, I wanted to share my excitement about an upcoming release and have somebody say “me too!” and that for me, five years later, hasn’t changed.

It wasn’t until a few months into blogging that publishers and authors would contact me and I was made aware that me fangirling about books to my online friends was somehow helping them whether in book sales, raising more awareness for a book or inspiring more people to read at all. The fact that my blog can help this industry that I love so much makes me happy but it’s not what I’m here for, if it didn’t, I’d still blog.

Placing a book bloggers worth on how many books we might potentially sell is massively misunderstanding what we do. Book bloggers are important to the industry because they shine a light on reading. Our enthusiasm for books is contagious and whether somebody reads a review of mine and buys the book, checks it out of the library, adds it to a wishlist or discards it as not for them isn’t the be all and end all for me. What’s important to me is that people are taking the time to read a post about books and are thinking about them and talking to me about them because that spark of being interested and excited and passionate about books is what I’m here for.

I don’t think that a book bloggers purpose it to sell books because as a whole we are doing something more important. We are getting to the root of why people buy books in the first place. We are nurturing a love of reading, we are creating an ongoing conversation about books, and we have created a community of diversity and different voices that are united by one thing: a passion for books. That is what will make someone not only buy one book in their lifetime – but several. This is what turns a reader into a book lover and this is what I’m here for.

OCD, the Kindle and Me

Lately I’ve noticed that more and more publishers are relying on websites like Netgalley to get early proof copies to book bloggers. Recently I’ve been receiving more emails with a direct link to download an e-galley than I have with offers of a physical proof to read and whilst I think this is fantastic for a lot of reasons I couldn’t help but wonder if this is the way publicity is going in the future and how bloggers who don’t own or dislike e-readers feel about this new digital approach.

Personally I like my Kindle Paperwhite but I LOVE my physical books and really can’t see that ever changing. I have so many exciting books on my Kindle right now but they often get neglected in favour of physical books. In fact I’ll often be excited about an early e-proof for all of a day and then decide that I’d actually much rather wait and buy a finished copy which some people might think is a little crazy when I’m given the chance to read these books sometimes months in advance which brings me nicely on to a realisation I made the other day.

After thinking about this topic a lot over the last few weeks I realised that a large part of why I prefer not to read on my Kindle is because of my OCD. Part of my condition means that I have to do things as thoroughly and correctly as possible and when I’m reading on my Kindle I don’t feel like I’m getting the full reading experience. This is kind of silly when I’m quite happy to read proof copies that are subject to change but try telling my OCD that. I don’t get it either.

So after a lot of thought I have decided to make this year Project Learning to Love My Kindle. At the moment I tend to read one Kindle book per month (if that) and I’d like to start trying to up that to two or three books a month. I’m tired of not reading the books I want to read because I have this irrational fear of not reading the book properly. There are lots of pros for me personally for reading more on my Kindle and it’ll also help tackle an aspect of my OCD which can only be a good thing. I’m not saying that I want to become a full on Kindle advocate but if I can get to a stage where I feel like I can happily read what I want to on my Kindle that would be great.

If you’re a blogger who doesn’t own or dislikes e-readers I’d love to know how you feel about the rise of websites like Netgalley? Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on the latest thing? If you’re a publisher is there a future for paper proof copies? Or are you a reader who hates missing out on exclusive e-book short stories from your favourite authors? If for whatever reason you’ve ever missed out on reading a book due to a dislike of e-readers I feel your pain.

2013 End of Year Book Survey: My Year in Reading and Blogging

Welcome to my last blog post of 2013! I'm going to be taking a well earned break from the blog over Christmas and will be returning early in the new year and what better post to end the year with than Jamie's End of Year Book Survey? I absolutely love survey's and I've had so much fun reflecting on my life in reading and blogging in 2013. This year hasn't been kind to me and my family but books have really pulled me through some difficult times and as a result I've had one of the best years when it comes to books and blogging. Here's to another year of wonderful books in 2014!

1.) Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)
I’m going to do my own thing here and share the best book I read each month because I can’t choose even within genres (especially for the best contemporary!)

January – Just One Day by Gayle Forman
February - Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
March - Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
April - Soulmates by Holly Bourne
May - The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
June - Crash by Nicole Williams
July - Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
August - Hurt by Tabitha Suzuma
September - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
October - This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
November - Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

2.) Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Allegiant! I didn’t hate it but it was nowhere near as good as I thought it was going to be. Also The Program by Suzanne Young which I thought sounded fantastic but in the end had too many plot holes. As somebody who has had depression and knows a lot about mental health this book made me angry with how poorly researched it was.

3.) Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?
Mine has to be This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales. I remember reading the synopsis and thinking it sounded okay but I wasn’t hugely fussed about reading it and then a few of my blogger friends were saying how good it was so I decided to give it a go and I’m so glad I did because as you can see it was one of my favourite books of the year!

4.) Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?
Probably a tie between Fangirl, Just One Day and This Song Will Save Your Life. I’ve recommend them all to so many people!

5.) Best series you discovered in 2013?
I discovered so many amazing series this year but my best discovery would have to be the Crash series by Nicole Williams. I was obsessed with this series and read all three books back to back.

6.) Favorite new author you discovered in 2013? 
Rainbow Rowell! I read all three of her books this year and have loved all of them. I’m really looking forward to Landline next year and will read whatever she writes in the future without question. I’ve also loved books by Kasie West, Carole Matthews and Susan Ee - I’m so happy to have discovered them as well!

7.) Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you? 
I’m really bad at reading books outside of my comfort zone mainly because I’m so happy in my little YA/Chick-lit bubble! I’ve really gotten into the New Adult genre this year though which is a new genre I’ve been loving!

8.) Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?
Hands down The 5th Wave! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time with that one.

9.) Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? 
I’m not a huge re-reader but if I was to re-read a book it would probably be Fangirl because I connected to Cath so much.

10.) Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013? 
Probably, Angelfall. It’s simple but eye catching because it’s different to anything else out there and I absolutely love the colours and effect used.

11.) Most memorable character in 2013?
For me it’s Sturmhond from Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo who is a newly introduced secondary character and he’s so brilliant! He completely stole the show for me.

12.) Most beautifully written book read in 2013?
Gayle Forman’s Just One Day - her writing is absolutely stunning! Warm Bodies is a close second which I never thought I’d say about a zombie novel!

13.) Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?
Hands down Just One Day. It has honestly changed my life. I have anxiety, panic attacks and OCD and as a result my life is very controlled and reading this book about the importance of being spontaneous and putting yourself out into the world has made me say yes to so many opportunities this year that I’d usually shy away from.

14.) Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read?
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, when the final book came out earlier this year it was the perfect time to finally pick up this series and I’m so glad that I did! Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian is another book I wish I picked up sooner because I found it so much fun!

15.) Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?
Going back to what I said about Just One Day I have this quote from the book chalked up on a black board in my room to remind me to just say yes, no matter how scared I am.

“Everything is happening all of the time, but if you don’t put yourself in the path of it, you miss it.” – Just One Day by Gayle Forman 

16.) Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2013?
My shortest that isn’t a novella was Warm Bodies at 240 pages and my longest was Clockwork Princess at 570 pages.

17.) Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers! 
Pretty much the whole of Clockwork Princess I needed to talk about which is why I made a discussion post about it! Also the endings to Undone by Cat Clarke, Hurt by Tabitha Suzuma and Fire With Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian left me in shock.

18.) Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).
Romantic: Sydney and Adrian in The Indigo Spell and The Fiery Heart
Friendship: Jem, Will and Tessa in Clockwork Princess
Siblings: Carey and Jenessa from If You Find Me

19.) Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
 Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas and The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater are two sequels that completely blew me away! I liked the first two in both series when I read them last year but in these two sequels both authors completely upped their game!

20.) Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay which I bought solely because of Sam’s review. I actually hadn’t heard of this book before then and I bought it on her recommendation alone and really enjoyed it!

21.) Genre You Read The Most From in 2013? 
Contemporary YA, which has also been my favourite genre of this year.

22.) Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?
I’ve been introduced to so many swoonworthy book boys this year but the guy who completely stole my heart was Levi from Fangirl. I also have huge crushes on Raffe from Angelfall and Tucker from Unearthly.

23.) Best 2013 debut you read?
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch - such a beautiful and heartbreaking book!

24.) Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?
Probably a tie between Pantomime by Laura Lam and Splintered by A. G. Howard. Laura Lam completely brought life at the circus to life and A.G. Howard took Wonderland and made it her own.

25.) Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?
Geek Girl by Holly Smale and The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah R Miller come to mind for this one. They were two super cute and funny contemporaries that I flew through that left me with a huge smile on my face.

26.) Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?
I’m such a cry baby and if I listed every book that made me cry or nearly cry this year we’d be here all day so I’m tweaking this question to the books that made me cry BUCKETS and they would have to be Clockwork Princess, Undone, If You Find Me and Hurt.

27.) Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?
I’d have to say Pantomime by Laura Lam because it is so different and outside of the blogosphere I haven’t really seen anybody talking about it. Also The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken which although hasn’t been entirely overlooked I think deserves a lot more attention because it’s such a brilliant and unique dystopian and it deserves to be HUGE!

1.) New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013?
I’ve discovered so many amazing book blogs this year and have made some great new blogger friends. The people I’m about to mention have very similar taste in books as I do and I’m regularly checking their blogs for recommendations! Jasprit and Rachel at The Readers Den, Sam at Realm of Fiction, Danielle at What Danielle Did Next, Samantha at The Secret Life of a Bookworm and Casey at Dark Readers. I’ve picked up so many good books because of them and I’m so happy to have discovered their blogs this year!

2.) Favorite review that you wrote in 2013?
Any review for a book that I’ve loved and that meant something to me on a personal level because they are always the hardest to write. So my reviews for Just One Day, Fangirl and This Song Will Save Your Life.

3.) Best discussion you had on your blog? 
I don’t really do many discussion posts on the blog and it’s something I want to get better at. I did do spoiler review/discussions for both Clockwork Princess and Allegiant that had a lot of interaction.

4.) Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?
I loved this discussion that Leanna had on her blog called Has Book Blogging Fallen Out of Fashion?

5.) Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Hands down meeting John and Hank Green in London at the beginning of the year. They are such an inspiration to me and John is one of my favourite authors so that was fantastic.

6.) Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?
There have been so many highlights this year! I loved having some of my favourite authors on the blog and of course getting my blog makeover. But something that always makes me so proud is when I see a quote from my review in a book especially when it’s for one of my favourite books like The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo and Dare You To and Crash Into You by Katie McGarry.

7.) Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
Definitely my Clockwork Princess Discussion. It’s actually the second most viewed post on my blog of all time!

8.) Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
Probably my Booking by Numbers Meme a lot of people seemed to enjoy reading it and a few people even did their own post. But I spent such a long time on it and was really proud of it that I wish more people got involved. 

9.) Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
For a book store definitely Foyles in London! I’ve been twice this year and absolutely love it! It has so many US imports as well as being enormous. As for a bookish website I’m so thankful for the Recaptains which, in case you haven’t heard of it, is basically a blog dedicated to recapping books that are part of a series so that you can refresh your memory before reading the new book. It’s such a brilliant idea and has stopped me from putting off many sequels because I couldn’t remember what happened in book one and didn’t have the time to re-read it.

10.) Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I don’t tend to do reading challenges any more because I find that I never stick to them anyway. But for as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to read 100 books in a year, it was even on my bucket list! For the last few years I’ve come really close but never quite made it and this year I finally reached the big 100! I’m so proud of myself and it felt very satisfying to check that off my bucket list!

1.) One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?
I have a whole lot of sequels I need to catch up on! I’m in the middle of so many series and its hard keeping up to date with them all. I also really want to read the Shatter Me series back to back for the first time when Ignite Me comes out next year.

2.) Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?
There are a lot of sequels that I’m anticipating next year and I have a list on my blog here! I’m also really looking forward to Landline by Rainbow Rowell, Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout, The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith and To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han to name a few!

3.) 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
I’m really excited about Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira and The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings.

4.) Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014? 
Isla and the Happily Ever After – it’s been such a long time coming! And of course City of Heavenly Fire. I have all of the series endings I’m looking forward to on this post.

5.) One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?
Number one on my list is to attend more book related or book blogger events. My panic attacks are triggered by public transport, especially travelling alone, and also being in big crowds of people which has made it hard for me to attend events that are usually held in London and I’ve had to turn down so many amazing opportunities. I’m getting a lot better with this though and am going to be saying yes to a lot more things in the new year.

As for reading I’d really like to get around to some older releases that I’ve wanted to read for ages but always seem to get pushed aside for shiny new books or review copies. I’d like to change this habit in 2014.

END

I hope you've had fun reading my answers and if you've done your own version of this survey please leave me a link in the comments as I'd love to check it out! 

Lastly I want to thank each and every one of you for reading and supporting this blog this year and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with plenty of books from Santa and a happy new year that holds the promise of lots of exciting new book releases in 2014!

Make a Book Bloggers Dream Come True?

Hey Guys,

So if you follow me on Twitter you may have heard the news that I got into the last 10 of the Mira INK competition which I was beyond thrilled about! There were so many amazing entries that I didn’t think for one moment I’d make the top 10 and go through to round two, but here I am.

So here’s the part where I need YOUR help. The competition is to win a year’s paid contract with Mira INK as their book blogger (don’t worry if I win I’ll still be blogging here too! No way am I giving up my baby) plus a laptop or ipad. This is a dream come true for me but for this next stage I can’t do it without your help.

We’ve had to make a 60 second vlog explaining why we think we should win and in this stage it’s all about getting love for your video, likes, comments, views, I need to reach out to as many people as I can. So I ask you this, if you’ve ever enjoyed a post on this blog, if I’ve ever helped you find a book, you could say the biggest thank you ever by simply going and watching this video, liking it and leaving a comment showing your support. You guys have the ability to make my dreams come true and I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I would be.

Here’s the link to my vlog 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4eS-lewifg

And for anyone who’s interested here is the post that got me into the top ten http://shecanflyfree.tumblr.com/post/35646604803/thisisourstory 

Thank you so much for your support now and always.

Love Jess x