Hi readers and Writerly friends!

Before we get into it, I have an announcement! Form this post forward, the Current Faves category on my blog will be called Reader Life. I’ll still put similar content into this category, but I feel like this would be a better name than Current Faves and it will allow me to cover a wider variety of topics! The buttons and new thumbnail headers are going to reflect this change, but all previously published content will remain the same. I’m going to try and update all of my links to match, but if you find a link that isn’t working, please let me know and also comment what kind of things you’d like me to cover in this new category!

This week in Reader Life however, I’m going to be completing the End of The Year Book Survey created by Jamie from PerpetualPageTurner.com! Make sure you check out her post here and share it if you do decide to complete it for yourself!

Note: The survey is for books you read throughout the year, no matter when they were published, and is not limited to just books that came out in 2020!

I’m going to keep my answers fairly succinct because there is a lot of ground to cover. Let’s get into it!

2020 Reading Statistics

Number of books Read:15

Number of Re-Reads:2

Genre read from the most: Paranormal romance

Best in Books

1.       Best Book You Read In 2020?

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Read my review here, and my 21 Bookish Resolutions for 2021 post here.

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

Dirty Pretty Things by Micheal Faudet

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

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I went into this book knowing I might like it (based off of rumors from other readers) and ended up LOVING IT. I typically don’t like dystopic fiction much but I truly enjoyed this read and I am looking forward to reading more from Mandel in the future.

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

Shadows Rising by Madelline Roux. I shared this World of Warcraft read with my WoW friends in our discord book club and several did end up reading it. I also lent my hardcover copy to my bestie and I think she’s still working on it as I write this post. I can’t wait to gush with her about this book when she’s finished reading it.

5.       Best series you started in 2020? Best Sequel? Best Series Ender of 2020?

The best series I read in 2020 hands-down is the Wildefire Trilogy by Karsten Knight. This is easily the best sequel and best series ender as well. It easily surpassed the Angel trilogy by L.A. Weatherly, and since I am not finished with the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast, I don’t think that counts. This trilogy was like the balm to my soul. The writing was incredible, the pacing was excellent, and the premise was right up my alley. Read my review here.

6.       Favorite new author you discovered in 2020?

Emily St. John Mandel

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

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

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

The Wildefire Trilogy by Karsten Knight

9.       Book You Read In 2020 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

The Wildefire Trilogy by Karsten Knight

10.   Favorite cover of a book you read in 2020?

The Wildefire Trilogy by Karsten Knight

11.   Most memorable character of 2020?

Zoey Redbird from the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast

12.   Most beautifully written book read in 2020?

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and the Wildefire Trilogy by Karsten Knight

13.   Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2020?

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

14.   Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2020 to finally read?

The Angel trilogy by L.A. Weatherly

15.   Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2020?

“Hell is the absence of the people you long for.”

—Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven, 144, Para 3.

16.   Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2020?

Shortest: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Longest: Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly

17.   Book that shocked you the most

The Wildefire Trilogy by Karsten Knight—the ending was completely unexpected, but in a good way.

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

Alex and Willow from the Angel trilogy by L.A. Weatherly

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

19.   Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Damien and Zoey from the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast

20.   Favorite Book You Read in 2020 From An Author You’ve Read From Previously

Chosen and Betrayed from the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast (These were my only re-reads in 2020)

21.   Best Book You Read in 2020 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/ Bookstagram, etc.

I am not really sure how to answer this. It seems like all of the books I read this year were recommended to me at one point or another except for Dirty Pretty Things by Micheal Faudet. I suppose I was really motivated to read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel which was recommended to my by Mollie from @Molliereads and Shadows Rising by Madelline Roux which was suggested to me by Amazon, before Shadowlands (the newest World of Warcraft expansion) came out, but other than that, I am not too sure.

22.   Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2020?

Alex Kylar from the Angel trilogy by L.A. Weatherly

23.   Best 2020 debut you read?

I didn’t read any books that came out in 2020!

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

Shadows Burn from the Mooncallers series by Leda C. Muir.

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

Dirty Pretty Things by Micheal Faudet

26.   Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2020?

The Angel trilogy by L.A. Weatherly

27.   Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

28.   Book That Crushed Your Soul?

None of the books I read in 2020 were particularly soul-crushing.

29.   Most Unique Book You Read In 2020?

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

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

None of the books I read in 2020 made me mad or angry, really.

My Blogging/Bookish Life

1.       New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2020?

Merphy Napier and Ariel Bissett on YouTube

2.       Favorite post you wrote in 2020?

It would have to be my Author Interview with Melanie Martins about her book, Blossom In Winter and romantic thrillers. Check that out here.

3.       Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2020?

This one of my copy of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

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

Since pretty much all events were canceled in 2020 (Thank you COVID-19!) I think the only one that really counts for me is my discord book club that I participate in with my World of Warcraft friends.

5.       Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2020?

I got my first comment on one of my blog posts in December 2020.

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

Felling motivated to create content with everything that happened in 2020.

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

Comments: Why Fanfiction is Great Writing Practice and How It Can Teach Writers to Write Well

Pageviews: How To Write Best Friends to Lovers Romance - That Feels Realistic

8.       Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Author Interview: Melanie Martins (Author of Blossom In Winter)

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

I Visited The Full Circle Bookstore In OKC

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

Yes! I completed the Goodreads Reading Challenge! I read 15/12 books in 2020!

Looking ahead

1.       One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2020 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2021?

Marked from the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast, only because I just finished the book that precedes it on the last day of the year, so I really didn’t have time to finish it. However, its next on my list and I will absolutely have it read early January (and possibly even before this post comes out!)

2.       Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2021 (non-debut)?

Hmm. I think I would have to say the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I CANNOT WAIT to get my hands on the rest of this series. I wanted to read it so badly this year, but I made myself refrain from purchasing any more books until I knocked out a few more of my TBR’s that I already own.

3.       2021 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Girls at the Edge of the World by Laura Brooke Robson

4.       Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2021?

Mooncallers Book 3 (Unnamed) by Leda C. Muir. She says she’s been editing this book and it’s due to be finished anytime now, and I am JUST DYING to get this book. I really enjoyed the first two in the series and I truly can’t wait to see what happens next.

5.       One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2021?

I hope to read 52 books in 2021. I think I can really do it. If nothing else, I would like to read at least two books a month. But I am going to try my hardest to meet that one-book-a-week goal.

6.       A 2021 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):

I haven’t read any 2021 releases early, but I’d like to read some eventually!

And that’s it for my 2020 Bookish End Of The Year Survey! Make sure you check out Jamie at Perpetualpageturner.com and fill out the survey for yourself here! Leave me a comment answering one of these questions and if you do decide to fill out the survey, make sure to link it in the comments and share it with Jamie and myself so we can see your results!

—Payton