The Year That Has Passed and The Year That is to Come 2017 Edition

So 2017 hasn’t been the best year for me personally but let’s just forget about that for a moment and focus on the good things because there were some!!

2017:

Graduation+Prom: I graduated from high school!!! Though it’s been over six months I’m still in shock and it’s still not completely registering that I will never go back to high school ever again. While it’s mostly a good riddance type of feeling, there are times that I kind of miss it but never for too long because damn high school sucked. I also went to prom which is something that I never thought that I’d do but I did and it was pretty fun!! I’m really glad I went.

Started college: so Quebec is dumb and weird and instead of having grade 12 they have this two year program called CEGEP that is more specific than high school and sort of a preparation for university. TBH I’m kind of disappointed in the whole experience but it is a nice change from high school and I hope that it’ll start to get better. There are some sub parts of CEGEP that have been enjoyable.

• Got published in a literary magazine: I submitted one of my short stories into my college’s literary magazine and it got accepted!! It felt so weird to see my name in print

Took a public speaking class: I know, I know a public speaking class sounds like the worst type of class possible but it was actually really fun!! I mean I did cry during my first speech but I actually improved a lot. There was a mini little competition and I was chosen as the top nine which was exciting. I also met some really dope people ( shoutout to Sirima- the coolest Doctor Who nerd I know. If you’re reading this: you’re the best!!) The anxiety never really went away while speaking but it did help me feel more confident.

Finished another rounds of edits for my novel: I edited my novel yet another time and it’s really starting to shape up. I also got some beta readers and it’s really helped me get some perspective. There’s still a lot to be done but I’m really starting to like what I have so far.

2018

Potentially finish editing my novel and start to think about querying: I’m not putting any pressure on myself but I’d like to really start to think about querying it in the next few years.

Be more diligent with review writing: I’m always super behind writing reviews for the arcs I get so I’m going to try to be more diligent when it comes to writing reviews and making sure I don’t leave the writing too long after I’ve read it because it’s much more difficult to read it then.

Turning 18: I’m going to turn 18 on January 8th which is pretty exciting. I’m officially an adult( it sure doesn’t feel like it)

How was your year and what are your plans for 2018?

Top Ten Favorite Books of 2017

I can’t believe 2017 is already over, it seems like only yesterday that it was starting. 2017 was a pretty good year book wise and I read some really amazing books.

1. Simon VS The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I can’t believe this book took me so long to get to because damn this book was amazing. It was adorable and beautiful and completely perfect. I am so excited for Love Simon and can’t wait to read her other books.

2. History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

While this one wasn’t quite as good as More Happy Than Not it was still beautiful and heartbreaking. Are you really reading a Silvera novel if your heart doesn’t get ripped apart? He really captured grief and mental illness beautifully and it was such a raw read. Review

3. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.

This was the most intense book I read in 2017. It had me at the edge of my seat and kept me guessing until the very end. The characters were so interesting and the way the author built the suspense was really done and the entire plot and conflict between the characters was so petty I loved it. I’m not sure if I should watch the tv show tho, I’m scared that it will ruin the way I view the book.

4. Meg and Linus by Hanna Nowinski

This book was so wonderful and fluffy and had great platonic and romantic relationships. Also all the nerdy references made it a 100x better. Review

5.How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

This was such a beautiful book that had the perfect balance between fluff and serious topics. I loved the bi rep and all the characters were so precious. All the relationships were very nuanced and it was one of those books that caused you to have a roller coaster of emotions Review

6. Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman

This was the perfect summer read but it’s also great for any time of the year. The setting was wonderful, the family dynamics really interested and the love interest totally swoon-worthy. Also the diversity was so seamlessly integrated

7. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.

There seems to be a reoccurring theme with my favorites of the year because yet again a cute fluffy read. Aghhhh this book was adorable and I’m still not over how cute it was. This book is beautiful inside and out. There wasn’t a single moment that wasn’t cute. This book NEEDS to be a movie, it would be amazing. Review

8.Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormbsee

This book means so much to me, it’s the first book I’ve read with ace rep and it was just so nice to see that type of representation. The world needs a hundred books like this. Not only was the ace rep great but also the general premise was really interesting and I really liked the idea of a book focusing around a web series. I’m still in disbelief that this book exists and I hope that this book will help teenagers.

9.Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

Everything about the book was wonderful- the romance, the friendships and the family dynamics. It was the perfect contemporary and I really didn’t expect to like it as much as I did but I loved it so much. It’s one of the rare books that contained the perfect balance of platonic and romantic relationships. Review

10. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

I never thought that I’d put a John Green on a favorites list after my phase when I was like 13 but he really surprised me. He’s really grown as an author and this book was so good and had amazing mental health representation. I’m really impressed and I can’t wait to see what else he comes up with.

What were your favorite books of 2017?

End of Year Book Survey

So the perpetualpageturner creates this end of year survey every year so I thought this would be a great way to talk about 2017 in terms of books

Number Of Books You Read: 112

Number of Re-Reads: 2

Genre You Read The Most From: I don’t know honestly- probably contemporary

1. Best Book You Read In 2017?

I loved a lot of books but probably Simon Vs The Homo Sapians Agenda by Becky Albertalli

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? Internet Famous by Danika Stone

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

Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriatey- damn that book was unexpectedly good.

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

I don’t really push anyone to read anything because I know there’s no point expect for my sister- I recommended her a bunch of books and she read them. Like When Dimple Met Rishi—she really liked that book

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

I didn’t really read any series this year expect for the Red Rising trilogy: I read that and it was so great. I really didn’t expect to like it as much as I did but it was such an interesting read

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?

Anne Marie Mclemore- Wild Beauty was phenomenal

 

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

 The Goldfinch wasn’t quite like anything I’ve read. It was a little hard to read but very good overall.

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

Definitely Big Littles Lies

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

Simon Vs the Homo Sapians Agenda: I’ll probably reread it before I watch the movie

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

 

11. Most memorable character of 2017?

 Gideon from Foolish Hearts- man that boy is a catch

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?

 I mean I reread my favorite book of all time so if don’t say The Book Thief who am I?

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

 Probably The Book of Negroes

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

I know I’ve used this book so many times but Simon Vs the Homo Sapians Agenda- it was just so god damn good

 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?

Idk honestly- nothing really sticks out

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?

 Longest: Under the Dome by Stephen King

Shortest: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

The Duke of Bannerman Prep

 

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

BLUE AND SIMON(as you can tell I am obsessed)

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

 I really loved the friendship between Meg and Linus.

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

 History is All You Left Me

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

 The Street Sweeper

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

 I don’t really get fictional book crushes

23. Best 2017 debut you read?

 Girl out of Water by Laura Silverman

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

 Timekeeper by Tara Sim

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

Brooding YA Hero— so hilarious!!

 

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

 I really can’t think of anything honestly. It’s funny because I am the most emotional person ever but books don’t make me cry

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

The Wrong Side of Right- really didn’t expect to like it but it was soooo good!!

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

 How to Make a Wish.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?

 Sleeping Giants- that book was so weird and I’m still not sure what I read.

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

The Cruelty- that book was horrible and I can’t believe something like that can get published

 

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017?

 Don’t have a favorite but I love Mariam’s blog and Avery’s

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?

I have trouble choosing but I like the review I wrote for Tash Hearts Tolstoy

 

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

 I like this post about the representation that would mean the most to me.

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

 I can’t really think of anything

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017?

Hmm again I really can’t think of anything

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

Not reading as much because of college

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

My The Cruelty Review

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

All of them lol.

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

I found this bookstore near my college that does these monthly Book talk sessions!!

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

Did the goodreads challenge and completed my goal of reading 100 books!!!

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

 All of them but hmmm I really want to finish the Chaos Walking Trilogy and the Raven Boys series

 

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

 I think the Becky albertalli and Adam silvers is coming out next year so if so then that one!!

3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

I honestly can’t think of anything on the top of my head. My knowledge of 2018 releases aren’t that extensive.

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

Again I really can’t think of anything.

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

 I want to try to like maybe reach 400 followers by the end of 2018?? Idk a girl can dream

6. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):

Emergency Contact is rlly good!!!!

What about you? Did you do an end of year of book survey? What would be some of your answers if you did?

Reading Diverse Books in 2017

Okay so this time last year I wrote a post about reading diversely. I talked about how in 2016 I read 113 books but only 25 of those were diverse which was about 25% and how I wanted to up the amount of diverse books I read in 2017. Let’s see how 2017 was for reading diversely!!

Okay so in 2017 I’ve read 108 books as of yet and out of those books I read 44 diverse books! That’s 41 percent of the books I’ve read which is definitely better than last year. I can definitely improve the amount of diverse books but this year I made a conscious effort to read more diversely and I really thought about each and every book that I read in terms of representation. I read some really great books and I hope to continue to find more diverse books in 2018. Now I’ll talk about my top five favorite diverse books of 2017.

Damn this book was beautiful and just everything I could ever dream for in a novel and it was so nice to get on the page ace rep. I hope there will be many more books with characters on the asexual spectrum in the coming years because this was amazing and I want more books like it.

THIS BOOOK!!!!!!!!! I can’t believe it took me this long to read it but I’m so glad I did because it is the cutest thing ever. I love simon so much and just everything about this book is perfect. I can’t wait for the movie to come out, I watch the trailer like everyday it’s going to be amazing

2017 seems to be the year where I just read cute books because damn this was adorable!! Like I knew the moment I saw this cover that it would be great and I am so glad I was right. It was wonderful and Dimple and Rishi are total relationship goals

Surprise surprise another cute one!! I read this book at the beginning of the year and don’t remember much about it but I do remember it being adorable as fuck and loving the friendship and romance.

I know I know I’m just as surprised as you are. I never thought that 17 year old Hannah would put a John Green novel on any favorites list but damn this was fucking amazing. The depiction of Asa’s mental illness was phenomenal and very relatable and I just loved everything about this book. I think he’s really growing as a writer and I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next.

Did you read a lot of diverse books in 2017? What were your favorites?

The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz Book Review

Goodreads Review:

When the music stops, the dance begins.

Seventeen-year-old Penny is a lead dancer at the Grande Teatro, a finishing school where she and eleven other young women are training to become the finest ballerinas in Italy. Tucked deep into the woods, the school is overseen by the mysterious and handsome young Master who keeps the girls ensconced in the estate – and in the only life Penny has never known.

But when flashes of memories, memories of a life very different from the one she thinks she’s been leading, start to appear, Penny begins to question the Grand Teatro and the motivations of the Master. With a kind and attractive kitchen boy, Cricket, at her side, Penny vows to escape the confines of her school and the strict rules that dictate every step she takes. But at every turn, the Master finds a way to stop her, and Penny must find a way to escape the school and uncover the secrets of her past before it’s too late.

My rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Disclaimer:I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts:

I’m still unsure on how I feel about this book. On one hand the concept was really interesting and there were parts of the story that really captivated but on the other hand there was something missing- I’m just not exactly sure what.

One thing that I really liked about this book was the gothic mood it had as well as this Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling vibe which is a story that I love( though I’ll admit my only knowledge comes from the Barbie movie- don’t judge.) The vibe was definitely my part of the book, one thing that I also found interesting was how ambiguous the setting/ time period was. It was really unclear as to when and where the book took place and while I would have liked just a little more world building, I also found that it added to the atmosphere of the story.

I think one of the reasons why my feelings are so mixed is because I didn’t find that we got enough insight in the main character’s, Peggy, personality. All of these horrible things were happening to her and the people around her but I could barely bring myself to care. Characters are the most important of a story, at least in my opinion. They are what make or break a story and they’re the reason that you like a book. Obviously an intriguing plot is important to the experience of reading but if we know nothing about the character’s what’s the point? Admittedly it is kind of hard for her to have a personality when she’s being basically controlled but i would’ve liked some inkling of a passion or something like that. I wanted to desperately care about what was going on but I couldn’t because I didn’t feel much more Penny.

I also found that the story ended a little too neatly, the ending felt almost anti-climatic and it was disappointing. I think this book could’ve profited from a least a hundred more pages to really flesh out the characters and emotions and also make the ending not so abrupt. It had the potential to be a great book but there was just too many things that fell flat for me to readily enjoy it.

Protected by Claire Zorn Book Review

I have three months left to call Katie my older sister. Then the gap will close and I will pass her. I will get older. But Katie will always be fifteen, eleven months and twenty-one days old.

Hannah’s world is in pieces and she doesn’t need the school counsellor to tell her she has deep-seated psychological issues. With a seriously depressed mum, an injured dad and a dead sister, who wouldn’t have problems?

Hannah should feel terrible but for the first time in ages, she feels a glimmer of hope and isn’t afraid anymore. Is it because the elusive Josh is taking an interest in her? Or does it run deeper than that?

In a family torn apart by grief and guilt, one girl’s struggle to come to terms with years of torment shows just how long old wounds can take to heal.

My rating: 4/5 Stars

Disclaimer:I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Whenever I read books about bullying I am always skeptical. “People can’t possibly be this mean,” I tell myself but then I have to remind myself that I went to a high school with 100 people where everybody knew everyone so my perspective of the world is pretty sheltered. I feel like everyone is tired of hearing about bullying but it’s an important issue that I believe to be still pertinent. It’s especially relevant now because bullies grow up and they suddenly have this enormous amount of power which is just terrifying.

Books like Protected aren’t easy to read and there were more than one moment throughout the novel where I needed to put it down in order to take a little book because damn this book is intense. It’s a very emotional read so definitely be prepared for that. There’s so many interesting layers to the story and everything is addressed wonderfully. You have Hannah’s unbearable grief after her sister dies and her having to deal with the fact that Katie’s her sister- has actually made her life better as the bullying has stopped. There’s also some great family dynamics, not just with her sister but with her mother and father and how Katie’s death has affected them all differently.

I thought it was really interesting to see Hannah’s grief played out. In all the flashbacks,I really hated Katie and honestly there were no redeemable qualities about her but nonetheless her death was really sad and heartbreaking. I think it was a really unique take on grief and I really enjoyed watching Hannah’s conflicting feelings play out.

One thing that I really liked about the book was the character of Josh. From reading the synopsis, it sounded like he would play the role of “love interest who cures her and makes all her problems go away.” but it wasn’t like that at all. He definitely was an important part of the story but he didn’t overtake the story nor did he overtake Hannah. Their friendship and the possibility of something more was adorable but the author left the ending really opening so there was no implication of them falling in love and living happily ever after for the rest of their lives which was so nice. I also found that he was a really different type of love interest- I don’t really know how to explain it but he wasn’t quite like anything I’ve ever seen and it was very refreshing.