Annual End of the Year Survey | 2018 edition.

This fantastic survey is hosted by Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner. I was part of the 2014 and 2015 edition, so I thought it was time to join again this year. I know  I haven't been the best blogger, but I'm still trying to find a good balance that works for me.  February 2018 will mark my 6th year of blogging and I hope to keep it up no matter how busy I get.

My year of 2017 was filled with amazing events. My boyfriend asked me to marry him, I got my permanent contract, I had my first flight and a I had a lot of quality time with my family and friends. I can only hope 2018 will be just as amazing and blessed, with happiness, health and time with my loved ones.

I will post my November/December wrap at the start of January, so keep an eye out for that if you are interested. I'm also in the progress of writing some bullet journal posts about setting up a new bullet journal and I can't wait to show you some of my new spreads!

Enoug rambling, without further ado, my 2017 in books:


Number Of Books You Read: 
70, but I still have some free days left where I hope to finish 5 more books.

Number of Re-Reads:
6 and I have no plans to have any more re-reads this year.

Genre You Read The Most From:
Fantasy, with 42.9%, followed by fairytales with 18.6%. No one is surprised.
 



1. Best Book You Read In 2017? The years before I had to cheat and break it down in many genres to include all my favorite books. It was easier this year, which is actually sad, because it means I didn't read many mind blowing books.
Laini Taylor – Strange the Dreamer was definitely my favorite book this year. Samantha Shannon – The Song Rising was also really good and I LOVED the conclusion from A Conjuring of Light by V.E Schwab –> one of the best fantasy series for sure.
Meagan Spooner – Hunted is now one of my favorite retellings of Beauty and the Beast.
The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo is, hands down, the best anthology with short stories I have ever read.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Renee Ahdieh – The Flame in the Mist was disappointing. I thought I was going to love it as much as I love The Wrath and the Dawn, but it didn't impress me.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 
The Shadow of What was Lost by James Islington. This was a random buy at the bookstore, because I liked the cover, and I really enjoyed it!

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? Like I said, I wasn't really active on my blog, so I didn't push any books. I did recommend Hunted a few times and I hope people will read it and love is as much as I do.

5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?
Starter: Strange the Dreamer – Laini Taylor.
Sequel: The Song Rising – Samantha Shannon.
Ender: A Conjuring of Light – V.E Schwab!

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017? Meagan Spooner with Hunted. Most of the books I read were from authors I already know.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? I don't read many thrillers, but I really liked Mindy McGinnis – This Darkness Mine.


8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Sarah J. Maas – Tower of Dawn. Despite all the negativity surrounding the author and all the flaws in this series, I couldn't stop reading Tower of Dawn. It had the same feeling of Throne of Glass to me and I loved it (CHAOL IS EVERYTHING)

9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? Strange the Dreamer in anticipation of the sequel.

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

11. Most memorable character of 2017?
Holland by V.E Schwab. His story broke me.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?
The Language of Thorns, because Leigh's writing is made for fairytale like stories.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017?
I don't read many books that will fit this category, but I learned a couple of things from Queer There and Everywhere by Sarah Prager.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read?
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima, because this book has a lot of elements I look for in fantasy.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?
There are many quotes/passages that I loved this year, so I will just pick one as a highlight:
“Anoshe was a word for strangers in the street, and lovers between meetings, for parents and children, friends and family. It softened the blow of leaving. Eased the strain of parting. A careful nod to the certainty of today, the mystery of tomorrow. When a friend left, with little chance of seeing home, they said anoshe. When a loved one was dying, they said anoshe. When corpses were burned, bodies given back to the earth and souls to the stream, those left grieving said anoshe.
Anoshe brought solace. And hope. And the strength to let go.”- A Conjuring of Light by V.E Schwab

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?
The Boy – 6 pages.
A Court of Wings and Ruin – 699.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most
Neil Gaiman – American Gods, because IT IS SO WEIRD AND HORRIBLE. I am amazed by all the reviews.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
All the ships on A Conjuring of Light. My precious characters. 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Wires and Nerves, because I love Iko's friendship with all the other Lunar Chronicles characters.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously Yeah, Strange the Dreamer. I am a big fan of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, so I'm not surprised.

21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
No pressure, but for the book club we read Attachments and that's not a book I would have picked up by myself.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?
No new crushes, as far as I can think of.. A lot of characters I adore, but no crushes.

23. Best 2017 debut you read?
As far as I can tell I didn't pick up any debuts published in 2017.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
I have to pick Strange the Dreamer, again. The whole concept with the Gods was fabulous.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
Tales of the Peculiar was fun! I liked all the strange stories he came up with.


26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?
No crying over here.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
That is definitely The Shadow of What Was Lost.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
That honour is also for Strange the Dreamer. THAT ENDING.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?
This edition from Beauty and the Beast, with interactive elements. It gave a new dimension to the story.

    
4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)? I went to the Dutch version of Yalfest and I was invited by Ditmar for the HarperCollins Book Bonanza.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? Finding a new hobby, haha. A lot of my time is now divided between reading/blogging and bulletjournaling.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? I got a subscription for Fairyloot and it has been the best! Every box is a new present and I love all the little trinkets we get every time.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Yes and No. I started this year with 100 books on Goodreads and quickly set it on 70 – which I completed.
I also participated in the Popsugar challenge. This was meant as something low key and I have 34/52 books so far.



1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018? I vow that I will finally get started in Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)?
SO MANY BOOKS. I have an entire spread sheet dedicated to all the books I am curious about (will make a post about this) One of the first I can think of is The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.


3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? Again, hard question, but one I can think of right away is The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert.


4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018? I can't wait to read The Traitor Prince.


5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2018?
I want to be able to post around 5 posts every month.

6. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable): If I was on top of my review copies I might have been able to answer this question, but I am behind.. so no recommendations this time.

Review | Cat Winters – Odd & True.

Title: Odd & True. 

Author: Cat Winters.
Pages: 358.
Publication: September 12th 2017 by Amulet Books. I received a review copy from the publisher. Thanks!

Trudchen grew up hearing Odette’s stories of their monster-slaying mother and a magician’s curse. But now that Tru’s older, she’s starting to wonder if her older sister’s tales were just comforting lies, especially because there’s nothing fantastic about her own life—permanently disabled and in constant pain from childhood polio.
In 1909, after a two-year absence, Od reappears with a suitcase supposedly full of weapons and a promise to rescue Tru from the monsters on their way to attack her. But it’s Od who seems haunted by something. And when the sisters’ search for their mother leads them to a face-off with the Leeds Devil, a nightmarish beast that’s wreaking havoc in the Mid-Atlantic states, Tru discovers the peculiar possibility that she and her sister—despite their dark pasts and ordinary appearances—might, indeed, have magic after all

RATING:

I've been a fan of Cat Winters even since I read her first book, In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Her other works, including The Cure for Dreaming, The Steep and Thorny way, The Uninvited and Yesternight are all excellent books and now she has added Odd & True to that growing list.

Her prose is beautiful and never fails to deliver. Od & True did not let me down. It is a heart-warming story about two sisters who come together to hunt monsters in America. A disclaimer though: if you are looking for many monsters and bloodshed, this is not the story for you. The whole story is based around the two sisters and the question what kind of monsters they are exactly hunting and whether they excist.

True is the POV that tells about the present. She is crippled by childhood polio, but she is definitely not someone defined by it. Her life at her aunt's house is rather boring and it made her voice less compelling than Od. She has no defined personality to make her stand out against Od, who tells about the past. I loved seeing their family history and how it builds up to their current situation. Od believes in monsters and fairytales, which makes her the 'crazy sister'. True doesn't know whether her sister is telling the truth or if she is being delusional, but she ends up traveling around with Od to find their mother.

There is a subtle, creepy atmosphere in this book. I didn't think her world-building was as good as her other work (those made me feel like I was walking around in history, it is less compelling here), but I loved the plot and pacing. I also love books that center around families and Od/True's relationship was fantastic. We need to have more of these dynamics in YA.

Reading Challenge | Readers Crossing.

The camp will begin run between  Sunday 10/December to Sunday 31/December and is hosted by Aentee from Read at Midnight. (Text is taken from her website as well)

CUTE – First Across: To finish this path, you’ll be reading graphic novels, contemporary fiction, and sweet romance.
SPORTY – First Down: For this path, you’ll be reading about action heroes and adventurers, along with books created by a team of authors.
COOL – Five Down: Everyone who wants to read all the buzzed about books, award winners, and celebrity memoirs or fiction – follow this path.
NATURAL – Five Across: Get in touch with nature with  books set in the wilderness, filled with animals, or your favourite classics, with this particular path.

The blue squares are extra challenges, a combination of reading and performing game-related activities such as getting a shot of your campers reading!

As you can see on my card, I will attempt to read all the books from the Sporty path and I will also try to read several books from the blue squares. Every book you finish will give you +2 EXP (or +3 EXP if you read an #ownvoice book) and you can gain up to 5 EXP from social media.

Sporty:
Graphic Novel/Manga:
Superhero:
Main adventure plot:
Written by 2+ authors:
Set in the wilderniss:

Extra:
Seasonally inspired:
Insect on the cover:
Fruit in the title:
Free space:
Read a book in 24 hours:
Read a book picked by a friend from your TBR:
Set at seas/beach:
Comment on a post:
Shelfie:

Monthly Recap October '17 | Wedding and Reading.

I guess you have noticed based on the fact I hardly posted anything, but my life is really busy at the moment. We are currently looking for the right wedding location and it is taking up a lot of my time – more than I anticipated! We visited two locations in October (and both of them are not in the running anymore) and we went to five more. We are now looking at the + and – points of two locations to figure out which one will be the best fit (but of course I had to see another one that looks interesting..) It is time to make a decision, because 2018 is coming closer.

Another wedding thing I did was attending my first bridal event. There were different stands, like rings, music, photography and wedding planners – and there was a show with wedding dresses. I really enjoyed myself together with my mom, grandmother and sister. Afterwards we went out for dinner and I can't wait to go to some more events if I find the time.

In between everything around my wedding, I also had a busy time at work. I had quite some evenings shifts and two new shifts in the weekend. One where I had to work on the blood cultures and one station with all the most important hospital departments. That shift is nerve-wrecking, because you need to bring the phone with you , because you can be called back until 22:00 by the Microbiologist.
I met Christina (A Reader of Fictions) together with my two book club friends, which was nice.

I had a sleep-over for the 24-hour read-a-thon by Dewey. Another couple came over, so my boyfriend had a game-a-thon with his friend and I read around 12 hours with my friend. I managed to finish 4 books and I could use a good reading sprint, since I was behind on my Goodreads challenge.
I'm trying to hold back when it comes to book buying, but I still got a few pre-orders in the mail.

The first one is Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray, a highly anticipated book. I also got Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson and Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust.
The last two books I received were in the Fairyloot Box. An exclusive cover editon from Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo and Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao. Both books were high on my wish list, so I'm happy to add them to my collection.



1. Kasie West – Love Life and the List. Not as charming as her other books, but I still enjoyed it.
2. Hilary Mantel – Wolf Hall. Audio book that took ages, but interesting story.
3. Jodi Meadows – Before She Ignites. I didn't love it as much as The Orphan Queen, but I do want to read the sequel.
4. Deborah Schaumberg – The Tombs. Not too bad, but a bit on the slow side.
5. Leigh Bardugo – Wonder Woman. Awesome.
6. Cat Winters – Odd & True. Fantastic! What I expect from Winters by this point.
7. Jenni James – Jack and the Beanstalk. A re-read without knowing it.
8. Jenni James – Snow White. Okay.
9. Bobby Crosby – Dreamless. Online comic. I didn't fall in love with it.

TV Shows: We watched two seasons of Shooter and it's not too bad. Some characters are too stupid, just to move the plot, but I like the overall story.
Movies:  
Frankenstein (the one with Daniel Radcliff) and I liked it!
New music:
I love Disney and I love piano music, so I love this collection of different piano Disney songs.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon master post.

This is my master sign-up post where I will update my progress as we go along. I can't remember how many times I have participated in the Dewey read-a-thon, but my guess is somewhere around 5-6 times. It has always been a blast, so I'm stoked about this new edition!

There is something really special about dedicating an entire day to reading. No matter how many hobbies I add to my daily life, reading has a special place. I don't always meet my monthly goals (most of the time I try to aim for 10 books each month, but I 'failed' hard this year) and there are weeks where I hardly touch a book, but it's always fantastic to return to my happy place. Just sitting on the couch, snuggled under the blanket, with a wonderful adventure in my hands.

My goal is to read at least 3 books, but most of all I just want to have fun. We have two friends coming over, my girl friend who loves to read too and her boyfriend who will game with my boyfriend. We also have a movie waiting for us (Pride and Prejudice & Zombies, I'm curious) and lots of snacks, so I'm ready.

I have a few possible books lined up:

The first two books I'm planning to finish though are my ebook from Elle Katherine White - Hearstone (34 pages in/352) and Leigh Bardugo - Wonder Woman (200 pages in/369).

Other places where you can find me updating my progress are:
Instagram: Mel_1704.
Twitter: @DailyProphecy
Goodreads: Mel - Daily Prophecy.

Let the read-a-thon begin! (In about 1.5 hours my time. We start at 14:00 EST here)

Reading tracker:
Total hours read: around 12.

Books read:
-Leigh Bardugo - Wonder Woman.
-Cat Winters - Odd & True.
-Jenni James - Jack and the Beanstalk.
-Jenni James - Snow White.

Pages read:
929.

Hour 0.

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
The Netherlands.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Cat Winters - Odd & True, because for the past two years I've always read a book written by her (and I have loved them)

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
We have the new Peanut & Hazelnut M&M's.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I LOVE Disney. I am a bullet journalist. I hate lady bugs.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
Last time, with my book club, we ended up watching movies instead of reading. This time I'm with someone else and we both want to try to read as much as possible.

10 books in 10 years.
2007 - J.K Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
2008 - Kristin Cashore - Graceling.
2009 - Juliet Marillier - Heart's Blood.
2010 - Jessica Day George - Princess of Glass.
2011 - Heather Dixon - Entwined.
2012 - Robin LaFevers - Grave Mercy.
2013 - Marissa Meyer - Scarlet.
2014 - Rosamund Hodge - Cruel Beauty.
2015 - Victoria Schwab - A Darker Shade of Magic.
2016 - Leigh Bardugo - Crooked Kingdom.
2017 - Meagan Spooner - Hunted.

Monthly Recap September '17 | The Big Book Bonanza.

This was a relative busy month, in a good way!

September started out with a family dinner at a tapas restaurant. It had been a while since we did something with my grandparents. The day after I went to Amsterdam to buy my boyfriend's guitar – my birthday present for him.

We celebrated our engagement with a party that turned out to be bigger than I anticipated, so all the more fun! We had a couple of friends coming over, but mostly family, and we had the best time. We decorated the house with helium balloons (I bought a helium tank) in the theme colors of our upcoming wedding :) A friend, sister and brother-in-law stayed over for the night.

I went on a high tea with my mom and sister. We like to try different places and this was quite successful. I will never be a lover of tea (I did try, but.. nope), but the snacks were delicious!

I went to the Big Book Bonanza with a friend. This event was hosted by HarperCollins and Van Ditmar (one of the biggest English book importers in the Netherlands) after I was invited by Karlijn from Van Ditmar. I'm still flattered I was invited to join this fun event. HarperCollins International even posted a picture of my friend and I on their Instagram.
                    Harper celebrated their 200 years of publicizing and they showcased their upcoming books in a 30 minute video. There were short movie clips and some authors who introduced themselves and their work. I remember Kasie West - Love, Life and the List and Soman Chainani - Quest for Glory They also mentioned Three Dark Crowns, a series from Kendare Blake I really enjoy.
                    This was followed by two skype chats with A.J Finn, about The Woman in the Window, and Karin Slaughter, about The Good Daughter. A.J Finn wrote the book with a character inspired by the fact he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It tells the story of Anna Fox who is alone and unable to venture outside. One day she sees something, but then she isn't sure if it is real or if she imagined it. He has always been a fan of thrillers, so writing one felt natural. His interview was cut off due to technical difficulties, which was a shame.
                    Karin Slaughter was asked if it is easier to write female or male characters. She basically said that it is easy for her as a woman to write both, while she thinks it is harder for a male to write a female character; they often don't get emotions right in certain situations, because they simply can't imagine how it feels like to deal with them as a female. Writing The Good Daughter was both easy and challenging. She has to come up with these new characters, but at the same time, she doesn't have to be afraid she makes them boring by repeating details like with her ongoing series.
                    Laline Paull, author of The Bees, was there to talk about her new book The Ice and her inspiration behind it. She was on a cruise and found out about the melting of the ice. She returned later and decided she wanted to write a book about it.
                    The rest of the afternoon was filled with socializing with people working in different branches of publishing. We were told to 'take as many books as you can carry with you', so we did. I'm stoked about the ones I managed to take with me in my goodie bag! Afterwards we had some tacos at the station before we went home.

We had a random family weekend. First we went to a garden where you can pluck your own fruit and vegetables – and it depends on the season what you can get. This time we went with strawberries (the sweetest I've probably ever had) and string beans. We had such sunny and warm weather, we even sat outside with some fresh made cakes, before going to the beach where we had some fish with fries.

The next day we went to an escape room, a late father's day present, and oh my! It was amazing! I picked on that had 7 different rooms. We were spies who had to break into a laboratory to steal a virus they were planning to use to destroy the world. There was a room filled with lasers and mirrors, where you had to walk like a ninja to avoid the red lights (and yes, there was a really loud annoying alarm if you touched it). There was a laboratory with science puzzles and even a space where we had to crawl through a dark tunnel into the next room, which contained an elevator we had to hack. It was such a blast to do this with our group and I think I made them addicted to escape rooms too.

Bookclub! We read The Flame in the Mist, but in the end I finished it right after our dinner.
 

The first photo is the haul from the Big Book Bonanza. I decided to pick up a copy from The Gunslinger by Stephen King, because I'm curious about the movie. I read Tower of Dawn the moment it arrived (and I loved it) and I got a copy from Warcross for our November bookclub. I am currently reading Wonder Woman.

The September Fairyloot Box! I'm impressed, again. This month was 'All That Sass'

-High Warlock candle from In The Wick of Time, inspired by Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments.
-Rattle The Stars beanie by Reverie and Ink, inspired by Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass.
-Nonsense Tote Bag by Miss Phi, inspired by Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices.
-Bad Ideas Notepad by Alexis Lampley, inspired by Nikolai Lantsov from the Grisha trilogy.
-Hot Chocolate for Sassy Demi-Gods, vegan, from Brontie & Co, inspired by Percy Jackson.
-Solemny Swear Magnet from Ink and Wonder Designs, based on the Weasley twins from Harry Potter.
-Delilah Bard (Shades of Magic) and Carswell Thorne (Lunar Chronicles) prints by Taratjah.
-Even The Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett, signed, interview with the author and a handwritten letter.

Bonus: Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue sampler & Tower of Dawn bookmark.

1. Neil Gaiman – American Gods. 1/5. NO. I hated everything about this book.
2. Heather Ross – Boys: Illustrated Field Guild. 3/5. Adorable book every parent should read with their child(ren)
3. Laline Paull – The Bees. 3/5. Not sure I truly enjoyed it, but it certainly is unique.
4. Sarah J. Maas – Tower of Dawn. 4/5. Loved it! Chaol is everything and this book is more like TOG.
5. Renee Ahdieh – Flame in the Mist. 3/5. A little disappointed, especially because I didn't ship it + Mulan is a far stretch.
6. Jodi Lynn Anderson - Midnight at the Electric. 3/5. Lovely writing, but I wasn't connected to the characters.

 

TV Shows: We finished season 3 from The Blacklist and I still haven't got all my answers. The anticipation is real.
Sense8, the first season. All the love for this show.
Sherlock Holmes, season 4. It felt like everyone was using drugs this season, but I liked the twist.
Black Mirror, season 1 – 3. I still don't know if I like it, but it makes me think. I talked more about this show in my latest Mel in Movieland post | Three new TV shows I am currently watching.
  
Movies:  
La La Land. Disliked most of the songs.. There is one I loved, but all the others didn't do it for me.. 
Masterminds.. yeah, typical comedy. Enjoyable, not memorable.
Rewatched Guardians of the Galaxy and saw part 2 for the first time, finally! Groot <3
Pete's Dragon. Cute children movie. Such a fluffy dragon.
 
New music:
First Aid Kit released their new song from their upcoming album. It's a Shame.
I'm also obsessed with this beautiful, almost haunting, song from Sleeping at Last - Saturn.
  
  What did you do in September?