Alright, I know I just posted a book review this evening, but that’s because I suck and didn’t finish my book yesterday like I was supposed to. So, you’re getting two posts from yours truly tonight. I know, what better way to celebrate New Year’s Eve? Ha.
So, wow, what a year. A lot of changes this year: graduated college, moved from southern to central Ohio, started a new job, started volunteer proofreading, revamped my blog/socials. A lot of firsts this year, too: first car, first apartment, first time actually adulting (learning to budget, pay bills, manage a big kid job, etc.), first paid proofreading gig. It was a busy year, and not really as bad for me personally as it was for the world in general.
I guess the most depressing part is that I didn’t get to read as much as I wanted to. I’m still trying to learn how to balance my life. I get in moods where I’m like, hey, you know what you could do instead of read? Video games, movies, TV, board games, sleep, clean, go buy more plants, bother the girlfriend, visit friends… Aaaaaand then my reading time is over. I’m really bad at prioritizing. I need to read and blog more. But life tends to get in the way. And these days, I’m not too upset about that. I used to be pretty miserable, and would read to escape that depression. I do still read to escape, but now I’m not escaping a sad life, I’m just escaping to a different life. I’m happy.
Anyway, enough about my boring self. Let’s get down to the good stuff: my book/blog facts. As always, here’s my 2017 Goodreads Year in Books:
Ugh, and add about 400-ish pages to that total pages read thing. I finished out this year with an ARC of Truly Devious, but the page count isn’t on Goodreads yet, so it didn’t count them…
Anyway, overall, a good year in books! One year I’ll reach my goal…one year.
I’m also going to post this Statistics Survey that I did last year. I enjoyed doing it last year, so I figured I may as well just keep doing it every year until I find something better. I saw this on Read and Treats‘s blog last year, in case you’re wondering where I got it from.
2017 in Books
Number of books read…
Under 250 pages: 23 (I read a lot of children’s books this year okay?)
Between 400-449 pages: 3
Between 450-499 pages: 4
Over 500 pages: 1
Over 1000 pages: 0
Number of…
Audiobooks: 0. I don’t read audiobooks.
Re-reads: 2
DNFs (did not finish): 1
Number of books rated…
Five Stars: 17
One/Two Stars: 3
Number of authors met in 2017: 1 (a co-worker who wrote a book but he’s still an author so hush)
Number of book events attended in 2017: 0
Number of books you read in one day: 13 (like I said, lots of children’s books)
Number of books that made you cry: 2 (damn you, My Sister’s Keeper…)
Number of 2018books you have on pre-order: 0
Book read furthest away from home (vacation reads?): Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst (read in Panama City Beach, FL)
Book that took you the longest to read: The Republic by Plato. Read it over the course of an entire semester for my philosophy minor. It’s a tough read…
Book that you personally connected with the most: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. He details anxiety so (painfully) honestly and accurately.
Book that made you love the villain: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oliver Wilde, Before I Fall by Luaren Oliver, Lord of the Flies by William Golding. None of these books really had villains, per se, but they all had kind of terrible people who I grew to like.
Book you said you’d come back to but still haven’t picked up again: Moby Dick. I started it in 2016 and still haven’t gotten past the first 200 pages. I’m trying, guys… I really love it, but it’s long and it bogs me down.
Book you read waaaay before it’s publication date: Well, not waaay before its pub date, but I just finished Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, which comes out January 16, 2018. Thanks again, Epic Reads!
Book you read on your birthday: The Circle by Dave Eggers.
Book with a character who shares your name: None. Alyssa is not a common name.
Book you weren’t entirely truthful about when rating (Fluff up any ratings? Rated even though you didn’t finish?): I’m always honest with my reviews. There’s no point in embellishing.
Book you read in 2017 but already want to re-read: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I think it’s one of those books that will affect you in a new way each time you read it. I truly loved this book.
Book you borrowed from a friend a long time ago and still have: None. I don’t borrow books often. My girlfriend has a stack of books I want to read, but she lives with me so I don’t have to technically borrow them.
Book you which you could go back and read for thefirst time again:My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Piccoult. Jesus, this one really hurt.
Most books read by one author this year: Ransom Riggs. Finish the Miss Peregrine series this year.
Happiest & saddest: Happiest—Pride and Prejudice | Saddest—My Sister’s Keeper
Longest & shortest…
By page number: 608 (Illuminae)| 32 (Sleeping Beauty)
By title: The Presidogs of the United States of Pawmerica | Room
From buying to reading: Illuminae | Pride and Prejudice
Best & worst…
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.9 stars
Books you read/your rating: Best—5 stars (there were multiple books) | Worst—When We Were Very Young with 1 stars
Series enders: Only finished one series this year: the Miss Peregrine series, and it was a fine ending.
First & last…
Reads of 2017: First—The Picture of Dorian Gray | Last—Truly Devious
Books on your bookcase (1st book on the top left and last book on the bottom right): First—The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy| Last—The Lucifer Effect
Most disappointing & biggest pleasant surprise: Most disappointing—Room. It seemed like an interesting premise, but it flopped. Hard.| Biggest pleasant surprise—Truly Devious. I thought it would be just as disappointing as most YA mysteries, but it was great!
Fandom you joined & one you abandoned: Picked up—The Illuminae fandom. Love love loved this book! I need to read the rest of the series! | Abandoned—none.
Series you picked up & series you quit: Picked up—The Illuminae Files and Truly Devious | Quit—none.
Most lenient & harshest ratings: None. I’m pretty good at sticking to my ratings.
Most hyped & furthest under the radar that you read: Most hyped—Illuminae | Under the radar: Love That Dog
Book you read that is red: The Scarlet Letter
Starts with X, Y, or Z: None
Book you hugged when you finished it: Turtles All the Way Down
Book you wanted to throw across a room: The Scarlet Letter because it was so terrible. And I did throw it. Well, tossed it. Gently. Onto my bed. But still.
Food you craved while/after reading a certain book: None
Book that became an instant go-to recommendation: Illuminae
Furthest out of your comfort zone: Heartless and Vassa in the Night. I’m not huge on re-imaginings, but I enjoyed these both pretty well.
Read on a recommendation (that you may not have picked up yourself): A Streetcar Named Desire (my girlfriend gives spot-on recs)
Forced yourself to finish: The Scarlet Letter
Series or author’s works you binged (whether all at once or throughout the year): Ransom Riggs’s Miss Peregrine
Read 'em and Weep 