Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorites of 2019

This week's topic is favorite reads of 2019. And I have A LOT of favorites (to no one's surprise). However, in the twitterverse - library folk create their top ten books of the year under #libfaves - so I did actually chose just 10...

There's a first time for everything right?


Tweet CuteThe Good Ones (Happily Ever After #1)There's Something About Sweetie (Dimple and Rishi, #2)We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya, #1)Illegal
New KidBrazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #2)Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, #7)Red, White & Royal BlueMaybe He Just Likes You


Monday, December 30, 2019

2019 End of the Year Survey



**2019 READING STATS**


 It's the annual survey from Jamie over at Perpetual Page-Turner

Number Of Books You Read: 257 kids, middle grade, YA, and adult (plus 574 picture books, easy children's nonfiction, and I can read books)
Number of Re-Reads: None
Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary Romance (both adult and YA)


Side note: I will try not to talk about the same books over and over again!

best-YA-books-2014

1. Best Book You Read In 2019?

As librarians, we have a Top Ten list called #Libfaves. So I did make a Top 10 list - which is always hard. Here's the book I picked as the best book I read this year:

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

Read why I thought it was the best

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

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?


Probably a tie between these two books. I talked about them A LOT


5. Best series you started in 2019? 

The Good Ones by Jenn McKinlay

Romance bookstore! Secret Rooms! A fun Kitten!


We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Also this fantasy with a deadly magical world, hidden identities, and banter

Best Sequel of 2019? 

Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay

#MeToo in the library world and that killer ending!

Some Like It Scandalous by Maya Rodale


Smart woman who knows what she can do

Best Series Ender of 2019?

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Is there really any other answer here?

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2019?

I wrote up a blog post of these, I'm not sure I can claim one as my favorite...

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? 

I don't usually read adult nonfiction, but this book hooked me!

Generation Friends by Saul Austerlitz

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

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

 9. Book You Read In 2019 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year? I don't have time to re-read many books, especially not if I just read them the year before.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2019? Also can't narrow this down, but I do have a blog post for that too...

11. Most memorable character of 2019? So many, but I did Adore Sweetie!

There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2019?


 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2019 to finally read? 

The Detective's Assistant by Kate Hannigan

Such a great historical fiction for middle grade readers

 16.Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2019?

Shortest: any picture book, but this one stood out to me:
Because

Longest Book at 984 pages:
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

That dog scene made me bawl my eyes out.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean
Hattie and Beast

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

Sophie's large family

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2019 From An Author You’ve Read Previously - so many but I did love this one

Past Perfect Life by Elizabeth Eulberg

21. Best Book You Read In 2019 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.: There are several, but this one was a great feminist read!

Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2019? Again there are several, but I love The Duke of Ruin

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

23. Best 2019 debut you read? One of my favorites.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read? Again, there are several, but I loved the bookish nerdiness of this one!

The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Spark by Sarah Beth Durst

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul? I will Never get over the death - you know the one I mean

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2019? One day in the life of Disney - around the world. I now want to work at Disney.

One Day at Disney by Bruce Steele


book-blogging

3. Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2019:? It's not the best photo - I'm not looking at the camera. But here I am with Meg Cabot chatting about her new book.


4. Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events,  etc.)? BEA was great (and terrible because of the rain). Here are some other BEA pictures.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2019? Meeting lots of authors at BEA was great, but moderating a romance author pannel at my state library conference and intorducing illustrator Vashti Harrison were both awesome moments.




7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? My summer reading post about program ideas for Universe of Stories was the most popular by views.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? So hard to say, but probably this one about the blog turning 11.


10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? I completed my Goodreads challenge this year. I always have intentions of completing other ones, but I forget about them!

looking-ahead-books-2015

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2019 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2020?  Too many to count! But this one is near the top

Meg and Jo

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2020 (non-debut)? (Kids/Middle Grade, YA, and Adult - because I can't have just one!) Again, there are SO many here.

Keep It Together, Keiko CarterBreak the FallDaring and the Duke (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #3)

3. 2020 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? (Kids/Middle Grade, YA, and Adult - because I can't have just one!)

From the Desk of Zoe WashingtonLoveboat, Taipei (Loveboat, Taipei, #1)From Alaska With Love

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2020?

We Free the Stars (Sands of Arawiya, #2)Crush the King  (Crown of Shards, #3)

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2020? Break 1 million views for the blog - I'm SUPER close!


6. A 2020 Release You’ve Already Read and Recommend To Everyone (if applicable): Read about why here.

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord