Monday, December 28, 2015

A Wrap-Up for 2015




I can't believe it's already the last week of 2015. Where did this year even go? It feels like just yesterday I was welcoming the first day of 2015, and here I am writing a wrap up post for said year.

I know 2015 was a difficult year for a lot of people. Between the attacks in Paris, the flooding in parts of the US, and general personal issues, I saw many people struggling this year, myself included. But now 2016 is almost here, and I have a feeling that it's going to be an amazing year. I myself already have some plans cooking up, and I can't wait to see them play out.

Here's a look at my 2015 from my blogging pov...



Top Eleven Books of 2015

2015 was a pretty great year for YA, so this was a hard list to come up with.

Here are my top eleven books of 2015...



11.
Title: Return to the Dark House (Dark House #2)
Author: Laurie Stolarz
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Format Read: Hardback
Reviewed: Tomorrow's Review!
Rating: 5 Stars


10.

Title: Nil Unlocked (NIL #20
Author: Lynne Matson
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: May 12, 2015
Format Read: Hardback
Reviewed: YES
Rating: 5 Stars

9.

Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Format Read: Hardback
Reviewed: YES
Rating: 5 Stars

8.

Title: Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1)
Author: Heather W. Petty
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Format Read: Hardback
Reviewed: YES
Rating: 4.5 Stars


7.

Title: Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood #2)
Author: Victoria Scott
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Format Read: ARC
Reviewed: YES
Rating: 5 Stars

6.

Title: Vengeance Road
Author: Erin Bowman
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Format Read: ARC
Reviewed: YES
Rating: 5 Stars

5.

Title: Shutter (Shutter #1)
Author: Courtney Alameda
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Format Read: Hardback
Reviewed: YES
Rating: 5 Stars

4.

Title: Red Queen (Red Queen #1)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Format Read: Hardback
Reviewed: YES
Rating: 5 Stars

3.

Title: The Heir (The Selection #4)
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Format Read: Hardback
Reviewed: No, I review The Selection in sets. 1-3 and then 4-5, and 5 hasn't come out yet
Rating: 5 Stars

2.

Title: The Last Time We Say Goodbye
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Format Read: Hardback
Reviewed: YES
Rating: 4 Stars

1. 

Title: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)
Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Knopf books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 20, 2015
Reviewed: YES
Rating: 5 Stars




Authors Met in 2015

Victoria Aveyard
Cynthia Hand
 Jasmine Warga
Veronica Roth
Adi Alsaid
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Heather Brewer
Patrick Carman
Lindsay Cummings
Elizabeth Eulberg
Tessa Gratton
A.G. Howard
Julie Kagawa
Shannon Messenger
Lauren Myracle
Natalie C. Parker
Stephanie Perkins
Carrie Ryan
Victoria Scott
Sherry Thomas
April Tucholke
Rachel Vincent
Alexandra Sirowy
Antony John
Colleen Houck
Danielle Vega
David Arnold
James Dashner
Emma Mills
Gary D. Schmidt
Heather Petty
Huntley Fitzpatrick
Jackie Lee Sommers
Josephine Angelini
Leila Sales
Marie Lu
Michael Grant
Michelle Falkoff
Morgan Rhodes
Nicola Yoon
Peter Kujawinski
Shaun David Hutchinson
Margaret Stohl
Demetria Lunetta
Kate Karyus Quinn
Mindy McGinnis
Kelly Fiore
Lydia Kang
Lenore Appelhans
Duff Goldman
Chris Van Allsburg


Major Events Attended in 2015

North Texas Teen Book Festival
Anderson's YA Literature Conference
Anderson's YA Fandom Frenzy


Books Read in 2015

This year, I won't take up a bunch of your time by listing them all (Mostly because I'm out of state and left my reading journal back home... #fail), but I will tell you that I branched out a bit this year. I discovered Percy Jackson, and Lena Duchannes, and even a few classics. I even discovered a love for YA Horror that I never knew I had.

And I did read more this year than last year. In 2014, I read 71 books, and if I had to estimate 2015's total, I'd say 80-85. 

I'll let you know when I get back home.


Giveaway

To usher in the New Year, I want to give you the chance to win my top two books of the year. Due to the size and weight, I won't be able to ship international on this one, so US Only, please!


Happily,
Stephanie

6 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh. the amount of authors you met. serious envy. did you go to an event or just happen to be super free at all times in the year? but ahhhH! hope you had an amazing time.

    boooooooks! i loved illuminae and everything everything. illuminae actually made my list too. i just think the writing style is so interesting and i appreciate how long it probably took to write that novel because of the amount of different text forms that took place.

    2015 was certainly eventful and i cannot wait for the amazingness that will be the next year <3

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    1. Wow, sorry, somehow I just now saw this! There were a lot of events near me in 2015, and I did go to two different festivals as well, so that's how my author list ended up being so long.

      YES. ILLUMINAE and EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING were just fantastic. I too have a deep respect for Amie and Jay, and how long it must have taken to get the story and details set perfectly. I'm so glad that they took the time to do it this way.

      I definitely feel the same way!

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  2. My favorite read of 2015 would be Everyday by David Levithan. Such an inspiring read :)

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  3. My favorite book of 2015 was Illuminae!! I adore that book so much!

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    Replies
    1. YAS! It was such a unique reading experience, I can't even deal.

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