2017 End of the Year Survey!

Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 48
Number of Re-Reads: 5 

Survey by The Perpetual Page Turner

Best in Books

1. Best Book You Read In 2017?- My Top Three: 

Review 

This was such a wild ride. I was gripped by this book and couldn't stop reading 

or look away. This is a must read.

Review

This was so whimsical and dark. In the same vein as Alice and Wonderland and Peter Pan.

Loved how the complex idea of the transition from childhood to adulthood was portrayed. 

Review

This is an amazing YA contemporary. Loved the characters and the themes; this 

is one I will be revisiting in the future. 

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Meh. 

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

This one had me on the edge of my seat, and caught me off guard many times.

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

I recommend Sarah Waters a lot this year. Even though I have only read one of her works (Fingersmith, above) I am confident that all of her works are worth recommending. 

 5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?

I didn't actually start any new series this year! I really concentrated on stand-alones as I always felt too busy to get sucked into a series. 

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?

Shirley Jackson!  I can't wait to read more from her in the near future.

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

Science based nonfiction is way out of my comfort zone, but I loved this!

The audiobook was a great experience. 

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

So addicting! 

 9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?

11. Most memorable character of 2017?

Alex from The Female of the Species. She's so complex and different from usual YA characters.  

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017?

I did A LOT of thinking about this reread this year. Teaching and reading this novel 

was a great experience this year. This book still holds up to the test of time. 

I spent A LOT of time thinking about this one and how I felt about it. I'm still
not all that sure. Read my review for more details. 

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read? 

I owned this one for years (and moved it to an apartment and then back home) 

before finally picking it up this year. 

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?

Shortest- The novella version of Flowers for Algernon

Longest 

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

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

Loved the romances in both of these novels. 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Loved the relationship between Sal and his dad. 

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

There was SO much hype around this one this summer that I had to pick

it up. Glad I did!

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?

This year's reread has lead to discover that Atticus Finch is my dream man. 

23. Best 2017 debut you read?

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

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Review

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

My soul seems to have survived this year intact! I didn't read anything too emotional this year. 

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

I was so angry for many of the characters in this book. 

Blog and Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017?

This was not a consistent year for me in regards to both blogging myself and reading other blogs. That being said, here are a few blogs that I made a conscious effort to keep up with this year. 

Jess @ Jessticulates

Emily @ Mixed Margins

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?

Either my review of The Sun is Also a Star (and thoughts on fate) or The Female of the Species

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

Always love continuing my Poetry Spotlight and Literary Look posts. 

Edna St. Vincent Millay Poetry Spotlight

4. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Literary Look: Modernism

5. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

This year I participated in the Diversity Bingo challenge with the goal to complete as many squares as possible. Here's my three update posts:  

Update 1

Update 2

Update 3

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018?

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)?

Becky Albertaili's and Adam Silvera's joint project What If It's Us  looks like a lot of fun. 

3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Lots of buzz about this one already.

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018?

Actually need more time to research this one. I'm out of the loop on 2017 series. I need to catch up. 

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2018?

Just manage to read while also getting hired for and then actually teaching my first year as a teacher! Wish me luck! 

See my 2014 survey answers 

See my 2015 survey answers

Leave me the link to your survey if you filled one out! 

What I Read for Fun While I was Teaching (Mini-Reviews)

One of Us is Lying, Karen M McManus 
4/5 Stars
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This book was a lot of fun. I had seen a few people talk about it here and there as an addictive read, so I picked it up in the hopes it would suck me in, and it totally did. This is a YA thriller about a student who dies during an after-school detention. It's Riverdale meets The Breakfast Club with secrets galore. It had just enough twists and reveals to keep me entertained, but was still well-done and clever.

This was a clever and entertaining read; a perfect break from grading papers and worrying about lesson plans. It was like reading an episode of super-dramatic-junk-T.V., and I enjoyed every minute of it. If you're looking for something to fly though and to entertain you, look no further.





The Dinner, Herman Koch
3.5/5 Stars
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I picked this book up at a library book sale a few summers ago. I knew it was a pretty 'buzzed about' book, and for a dollar, I was willing to pick it up. While I was student teaching, I was in the mood for thriller/suspense novels as they grabbed my ever-wandering attention and entertained me enough to pick up the book even when I was super tired. I had no idea what to expect going into this one, but it delivered an entertaining and dramatic reading experience.

I really don't want to say too much about the plot, as it is better that way, but I loved that the plot revolved around the simple act of two brothers and their wives going to dinner. This was a thriller/suspense character study, which is such an interesting combination. The pacing is great, as secrets are revealed through flash-backs and current conversation. All the characters are crazy; no one is to be trusted; and the steaks are high.



Turtles All the Way Down, John Green
4/5 Stars
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I really enjoyed Green's other works. His works are always witty and enjoyable, so I was of course excited to pick up his latest release after so long without any new material. I didn't place any unrealistic expectations on this novel as that's not fair to author or reader, so I went in  just expecting to enjoy it and I certainly did.

I don't think this is his best work (for me that will always be Paper Towns) but I loved the honest portrayal of anxiety and obsessive thoughts. I didn't think the characters in this novel were as strong as they are in Green's other novels, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. John Green is one of those authors that I respect enough to read everything he puts out, and I expect to fly through whatever it is in a sitting or two. His writing is very natural and fluid, and there's always something wise floating right below the surface. If you somehow haven't read this one yet, pick it up. It's a worthy successor to Green's other works.

What I have Read (and Taught) Recently

I have finished student teaching! I'm currently finishing up the paperwork and certifications needed to become a hireable and certified teacher! I thought I would recap what I read and taught over the semester, with some thoughts on how I enjoyed reading and teaching each piece. I'll have a second post coming soon with what I read for fun while I've been gone.

Short Stories

My freshman started the year with a short story and literary terms unit. This was the first story in the unit and the first story of the year that I taught. This was also my first short story by Dahl that I have read. I knew that he wrote some adult literature and that it was pretty dark, and this story definitely fits that description. This story is super short; I read it aloud in about twenty minutes, but there is so much there to discuss, unpack, and think about, which made it perfect for English class. I'm really interested in reading more of Dahl's short stories. 

 This is a super popular short story that is in numerous anthologies and textbooks. I did not care for this story all that much. It's long and consists of too much rising action. I don't have a whole lot to say about this one beyond that. There's a lot going on in terms of literary elements which makes it useful for teaching vocab and concepts, but for personal enjoyment, it's not for me.

This is another very short story, but it's very well done. I really enjoyed this story, and to me, it felt like an O' Henry story. It has a great ending, and great build up to the ending, and my students really enjoyed it. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read this one, as that's all it will take you. 

Novellas and Novels 

My freshman read the original novella version of Flowers for Algernon, which has become a modern science fiction classic. When I finished reading this, I had some mixed feelings. The novella is short and written in diary form which works really well for the plot. This novella deals with some really serious themes, and the ending was super impactful for me. I was left feeling a little uneasy about the truths of the world that the novella had revealed. It was interesting to teach this piece to freshman, as their thinking tends to be more black-and-white at that age, and they didn't have as strong of a reaction to it as I did. After reading, they were required to write an argumentative paper on whether or not Charlie should have had the surgery, and students didn't have any difficulty making their choice, but I could not decide for myself and kept going back and forth in my own mind.  

This was the only novel I read with my sophomores this year was To Kill a Mockingbird. I hadn't read this novel since I was a sophomore in high school, and I loved it even more the second time around. I didn't recognize a lot of the brilliant word usage, wise world views, and humor in the novel when I read it as a teen. I loved teaching this novel. This is a novel I would love to teach again. If I were to teach it, I would want to supplement it with material by authors of color from the time period as that is important, but this book has stood the test of time and will continue to.