2016 Book Survey

This tag – about the books that I read in the year 2016 – is a little late, I know, but I needed the time to think it out.

2016 wasn’t a good year at all for me, as far as reading books was concerned. I read 10 to 12 books lesser in 2016 than I normally read in a year, and most of the books I read failed to win me over.

Here’s my book survey for 2016, with the hope that 2017 is a better ‘reading year’ for me.

2016 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 22
Number of Re-Reads: None
Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary fiction

Best In Books

1. Best Book You Read In 2016?

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton. This book made me feel so many feelings, and think a whole lot! It had me hooked from the beginning to the end.

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

 A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I had heard rave, rave, rave reviews about the book, and the premise sounded so very interesting, too. Sadly, though, I was disappointed with it.

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

Yiddish Yoga: Ruthie’s Adventures In Love, Loss, And The Lotus Position by Lisa Grunberger. I was expecting it to be a light-hearted read about how yoga is for everyone, but it turned out to be a book full of witticisms, thoughts and feelings of a first-time yoga doer. I could relate to Ruth, the book’s heroine, so well!

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

I did urge a lot of people to read The Wednesday Sisters, but I am not sure if they did.

5. Best series you started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016?

I didn’t read any book that was part of a series, in 2016. I read only one sequel this year, After You, which was an utter disappointment after Me Before You.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?

I think I rediscovered my love of reading Marlena de Blasi’s books this year. In 2016, I read her The Umbrian Thursday Supper Club and Amandine, and I quite enjoyed reading them, though they aren’t the best of the author, as per me.

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

I was always short of time and mind space for reading through 2016, thanks to a whole lot of stressors and an active toddler who can’t sit still for more than two minutes at a time. As a result, all the books I read this year belonged to genres that I am used to, nothing out of my comfort zone, really.

The only slightly different-from-usual book that I read was Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, a manual on leading a creative life. I don’t commonly read self-help books or manuals these days, so it was a tad different from rote, but not entirely out of the way either.

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

The Wednesday Sisters

9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I don’t usually re-read books, so this question isn’t applicable to me.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?

Sadly, most of the books I read this year were on the Kindle, as I read while the bub was sleeping. So, not much gawping at covers happened this year.

11. Most memorable character of 2016?

To be honest, none. 😦

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?

Amandine and The Umbrian Thursday Supper Club

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016?

The Wednesday Sisters

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read? 

After You. I loved Me Before You so much (I read it in 2014!) that I wanted to read the sequel as soon as I got to know there was one out. But then, I heard quite a few negative reviews about the sequel, and didn’t want to spoil the magic of Me Before You in my mind, so I waited it out till I was ready to read the next installment.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2016?

This quote, from Joy For Beginners.

I think love is kind of like those waves out there,” she said. “You ride one in to the beach, and it’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever felt. But at some point the water goes back out; it has to. And maybe you’re lucky – maybe you’re both too busy to do anything drastic. Maybe you’re good as friends, so you stay. And then something happens – maybe it’s something as big as a baby, or as small as him unloading the dishwasher – and the wave comes back in again. And it does that, over and over. I just think sometimes people forget to wait.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2016?

I think Amandine was the longest one, while Ruth Reichl’s For You, Mom, Finally was the shortest.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Amandine. Some parts of the book were quite hard-hitting, tough to read, fiction but ringed with truth. Parts of The Wednesday Sisters were disturbing, too.

18. OTP Of The Year (OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

Elizabeth and her partner in Milly Johnson’s The Yorkshire Pudding Club. They were just too cute together!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

That between Ove and Parvaneh in A Man Called Ove. I loved how she was angry with him and loved him in turns, and how she saw through him in spite of his hard shell.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

The Umbrian Thursday Supper Club

21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure

All the books I read in 2016, I read because I wanted to read them, not out of peer pressure of any kind. Of these, two books came with very high recommendations – A Man Called Ove and Big Magic. Both disappointed, sadly.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016?

Elizabeth’s partner in The Yorkshire Pudding Club. The guy was cute!

23. Best 2016 debut you read?

Yiddish Yoga: Ruthie’s Adventures In Love, Loss And The Lotus Position

24. Best World-building/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

The Wednesday Sisters, The Umbrian Thursday Supper Club, and Amandine

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

Yiddish Yoga: Ruthie’s Adventures In Love, Loss And the Lotus Position

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016?

The Wednesday Sisters

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

The Wednesday Sisters

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

The Wednesday Sisters

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016?

Yiddish Yoga: Ruthie’s Adventures In Love, Loss And the Lotus Position

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

A Man Called Ove. I kept on expecting to like it till the very end, but just couldn’t feel any love, neither for the protagonist nor the book.

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2016?

I haven’t been reading book blogs at all. In fact, there are hardly any blogs, on any subject, that I regularly read in 2016.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016?

That of Big Magic. I didn’t like the book at all, and I think I managed to convey the same without putting the author down.

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

A conversation with Erica Bauermeister, one of my favourite authors

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

Sadly, I didn’t participate in any literature-related events in 2016. I would definitely like that to change in 2017.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016?

The opportunity to interview Erica Bauermeister, and the learning I received from the conversation with her, I think.

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

I just wasn’t able to get into proper reading, thanks to a whole lot of stressors on my mind all the time. I didn’t connect with many of the books I read in 2016. I do hope this changes in 2017.

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

The interview with Erica Bauermeister was much loved, I think.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

This one. I was expecting this post to open up an exciting discussion about the books me and my readers wanted to read in 2017, our hopes for the year to come. Sadly, that didn’t happen.

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

Nothing as such, really.

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

I didn’t participate in any reading challenges in 2016. Neither do I have any such challenges or goals lined up for 2017.

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2016 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017?

I don’t really have any set goals or fixed TBR list for 2017, like I said earlier. These, however, are some books that have attracted my attention, and I would definitely love to read these this year.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)?

I am not really anticipating any books. I want to read a decent number of books in 2017, most of which will sate my heart, and that is about it. I will let the books come to me.

3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Nothing as such.

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017?

None.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017?

Read more than I did in 2016, and read better.

6. A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone?

None.

That’s that for now! Do feel free to take up this bookish meme if it interests you. This meme is hosted by The Perpetual Page Turner.

What were the best books you read in 2016? What books would you recommend to me, based on my tastes and preferences?

What are the books you are looking forward to reading in 2017?