End of Year Reading Survey

I came upon this survey by Perpetual Page Turner that asks questions about what you read over the past year.  I thought that it seemed like a fun thing to get involved in. 

Stats:

Number Of My Books I Read: 30 books

Number of Re-Reads: Zero

Genre You Read The Most From: Surprisingly fantasy…between book club things and Fablehaven I have become a bit of fan

Best in Books:

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

This was tricky…I have three. I think even though it sounds like what everyone is saying: The Fault in Our Stars was the one that I really connected with on an emotional level. On an intellectual level, I connected to The Night Circus.  On a “ooh I want to recommend this to my students” that would be The Looking Glass Wars

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

Gone Girl—oh my don’t read it unless you want to read some really dirty stuff

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014?

The Kite Runner ended up surprising me because it took me a bit to get into and then I ended up enjoying it a lot by the end.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?

If I Stay—if I found out a student had read  TFIOS I immediately recommended this one—great genre for them right now. 

5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?

Fablehaven is the series I started this year---and I really need to get the last one read. So that

would be the best sequel too... In terms of series ender, I didn’t actually read one.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

I have gained a new appreciation for Neil Gaiman…yes I blame my book club J

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

I don’t usually read the fantasy genre—I like reality type books—so The Night Circus was really amazing.

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

The Looking Glass Wars

9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

No Promises in the Wind and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle—ah the life of a teacher

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/I/51QXd-ThaTL.jpg

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?

A certain cover of The Looking Glass Wars

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Liesel from The Book Thief

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

Actually….The Book Thief had so many historical connections

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?

The Fault in the Stars

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?

Allegiant

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?

“Life takes us to unexpected places sometimes. The future is never set in stone, remember that.” 

― Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Shortest: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Longest: Gone Girl

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

 As much as I did not like the writing of Gone Girl—that plot was really shocking!

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

(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

Hazel and Gus from TFIOS

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

King and Maxwell from Split Second

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Grip of the Shadow Plague

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

The Looking Glass Wars or The Night Circus

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?

I don’t get crushes…..

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

The Plague Legacy: Acquistions by Christine Haggerty

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

The Night Circus

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

The Looking Glass Wars

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?

The Fault in Our Stars

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

The Sea of Trolls

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Gone Girl

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

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

Thirteen Reasons Why

Book Blogging

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014?

 Honestly not sure…I stumble on blogs all the time but I don’t know when

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014?

The Book Thief Review

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

With the lack of blogging…not a lot of discussion has occurred…

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

Probably Bout of Books

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?

 My favorite was doing a Right Now I Am….I hadn’t blogged in so long and it felt good to put writing what was going on

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Which apparently is the one that got the most views too!

A is for Allegiant was the one that got the most comments I think ever on Inspirefly

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Honestly…just looking at the numbers I really can’t pick because the ones with lower numbers were probably not that great of posts.  But one actually surprised me…the Grip of the Shadow Plague Book Review

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

A little book called The Book Whisperer that I’m still reading

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

I did do 30 books like I challenged myself on Goodreads to do

Looking Ahead Books 2015

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?

The Help

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?

The Plague Legacy Book 2

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Don’t know any debuts coming….

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?

See above

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?

Keep up on my blog!

6. A 2015 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone: N/A

Bout of Books 2015 Part 1

Super excited for this year's Bout of Books! It is a great way for me to kick off my 365 project. I have an excuse for a week's worth of posts! :)  Perfect timing--and I'm excited to start off the year right with reading.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

A New Year, A New Goal

So as 2015 starts, I have been reflecting on what I want to re-start in my life.  It is always a time for new beginnings.  It seems to be more so for me this year as I kind of got thrown into a new beginning at the beginning of the school year and into a whirlwind of planning, students, grading etc.  

I often pick my restarts in life with what I feel like I have been missing in my life. One of my missing things has been this blog.  One of the things that I really had been missing is writing on this blog.  This blog's history with resolutions has been 1 for 2.  In 2013, I did a 365 challenge in which I wrote a blog post everyday.  It was hard at times to come up with new content, but overall I really enjoyed the experience, learned a lot, and it really kick started my blog.  In 2014, I resolved to blog 3ish times a week--I was going to set aside certain days and then on the off days I was going to do all of the things I had learned over the year to help grow my blog.  I felt like I could give it the right attention if I commented, shared, interacted on the days I didn't write--and it wouldn't take over my life.  I was also going to do some fixing up of this blog--new design, update links etc.  But if you notice over the past year--I've done nothing in that department and I'm pretty sure I only wrote like 15 posts...okay I shouldn't beat myself up it was like 67--but a very noticeable decrease from like July on and half of those are April A to Z Challenge blog posts.  

Anyway....I'm rambling again.  Point is: I am resolving to write everyday again this year.  I am applying everything that I learned over 2013 and 2014 to hopefully make this a little bit less stressful, more organized, and do everything that I want it to do! I will be sharing them as I go along on a couple of different places.  To start with I will be sharing things: here, my Twitter feed, and my new Facebook page!  Yes, this blog has a Facebook page. :) Please go like it!  And check back for the next posts--hopefully I don't regret doing this again!

Top 10 Books that Inspire Me

I was nominated on Facebook to list the 10 books that inspire me.  I thought this would be a good blog post for the end of the week.

1. Book of Mormon from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
       This book needs to be number one--because it is the most important book in my life.

2. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
      This is my favorite novel when I have to pick.  I actually used this with my students in our five things about you in a bag assignment and one thing had to be something that inspired you. The quote that I love from this is about how if you can stand to be in someone's company for more than 30 minutes you can be best friends for life--and it works!

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    An amazing story of courage, determination, and it is just so well written.

4. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

    I love this story! I love the romance, the history, the sacrifice--my favorite Dickens book

5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

    This is the first book that I threw against the wall...I was so mad about Laurie and Jo--but that really influenced me in what it meant to write about your life.

6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

    I loved this story---it was so well written and beautiful story. It reminds us to take every moment and just live!

7. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

    Quite the ethical dilemma--and it really makes you think!

8. The Chamber by John Grisham

    It was one of the first moments in which you really start to think about the death penalty....along with a book I just finished by him called Confession

9. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

   As someone who finds the negative in a lot of things...this book spoke to me as a young child and it still does--it is great to commiserate with Alexander once in a while!

10. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

  My favorite book in high school, and it really influenced what I viewed was a friendship prior to a dating relationship.

The Crazy Week that Has Been Bout of Books

Bout of Books

So....I mentioned that I was going to do Bout of Books.  But to really participate....I would needed to have posted goals, posted progress from day to day, and do lots of reading.  However, if you remember I told you that school started this week.  And holy crap busy!!!! I came home late every night and was so tired that there were a couple of days where I didn't even open my home computer never mind a book.

So today I thought that I would mention that it isn't that I forgot about the challenge--it is just that life got in the way. I have been able to listen to my audio book a lot more because of the increased commute and I have gotten a lot farther.  I am currently listening to The Confession by John Grisham.  On Monday, I was on disc 4.  Today I am on disc 10 out of 12.  I really want to finish it in the next few days so that I can get a new book in the car not that it isn't good--but that I have lots to read.  And I really want to know how it ends! So I will let you know in the review.

Bout of Books!

It is time again for Bout of Books! I am excited for the new week to try to get some reading done.  As I mentioned in my last post--I have a lot of books that need to be gotten through!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

 The first day of school is that Wednesday so I hope that my reading ends up being more than just the audio book in the car on the way back and forth. I will post goals later in the week, I hope to have a better idea of what next week brings before I set those.

Right Now I Am....

So as promised...life update time.  As I was thinking about how I wanted to do this I thought of how one of my favorite bloggers Trish does it (Check her out at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity).  I messed with the order a little so that the two things people really need/want to hear about are at the top, but the headings are all her.

Feeling: Better. This is the most often question that I'm getting from people right now which is why I put it first. I had surgery last week of July to hopefully deal with the pain I have been dealing with since April last year. We haven't had a diagnosis really until now--possibly endometriosis.  I have taken a while to heal but I am pushing through thanks to pain killers.  The nice thing about still healing is that the pills work better and I am in less pain longer.

Yep coming home with boxes was not in the plan
This is only half of them too

Loving: The time off...so in part of my life update I must update everyone that I no longer work at Cedar Ridge Academy. I will be starting at Vernal Middle School teaching 7th grade English in just a few days--first day of school is about a week away. I really needed the time off....though not as early as CRA wanted me to be. They decided to lay me off a month ahead of time. Prompted me to have to pack up my room late at night and not having closure with the students. Just liked to remind me why I was leaving--I was done not being treated like a professional or a person.

Listening To: Almost done with City of Bones--two discs left.  Will probably put it in when I get done with this. Also listening to The Confession by John Grisham and enjoying it.  It has been awhile since I've read a Grisham novel.

Reading: I have a lot of books juggling right now.  The Classics Club spin book was #17---so for me Fahrenheit 451. I also want to get in on Austen in August--so I'm going to read Lady Susan because it is also on my TBR Pile List....though I really need to start it!  Still reading Fablehaven #5--current really wanting to get through it so I can move on.  Just been busy with other things and not in too much of a reading mood.  And I need to start Gone Girl for book club.

Watching: Lots since I have been in bed or on the couch for about a week and a half. I got through two seasons of How I Met Your Mother.  I have loved seeing how well they really set us up for the series finale....and the connections to Friends.  Maybe one of these days I will devote a blog post to it....since I did when the series finale came up.

Eating: Anything that sounds good....I was cooking more in July because I was home and then I lost my appetite and I bet a couple of pounds after surgery.  Appetite back to normal so that's good.  Hopefully going to do some freezer meals in the next few days for the school year.

Making: I am knitting a great purple blanket....can't wait to show it to you. I finished a yellow one earlier this summer that will be featured in a new blog post to come.

My awesome planner :)

Planning: Mentally constantly writing to-do lists and then writing them down--I have my planner that I bought at the beginning of the year and I am using it more now than I did at my job--more time to write again.  I am re-evaluating what I want...plans for the blog, plans for writing more, planning ideas for school...I think my brain is more active now that I'm not at school but easier to shut it off when I go to sleep.

Hope that fills everyone in...as always I am a pretty much open book so ask away :)