7th Annual End of Year Survey

It's that time of year again! Time for the End of Year Book Survey, courtesy of Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner! To be honest, it's past that time of year. But that's ok! I'm still going to post my answers. How was your reading life in 2016? Links will lead to Goodreads (but only the first time I mention the book/author) or, if noted, to my review.

Number Of Books You Read: 103
Number of Re-Reads: 8
Genre You Read The Most From: Adult Contemporary (fiction, chick lit, romance, and so on)

Best in Books 

1. Best Book You Read In 2016?

You can’t expect me to pick just one, right?

Best Reread: Arranged – Catherine McKenzie

Best (Romantic) Suspense: He Will Be My Ruin – KA Tucker (review here)

Best (Adult) Contemporary: Poles Apart – Terry Fallis

Best YA: The Unexpected Everything – Morgan Matson

(Fun fact: almost all of those authors are Canadian!)

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

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin. I’ve been a Giffin fan for years but I just didn’t love this one, even though many others did.

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

It wasn’t so much the book itself that was surprising but the subject matter, which was based on truth. In The German Girl, by Armando Lucas Correa, it’s 1939 and a ship full of Jewish refugees was turned away in Cuba, the USA, and Canada before being forced to head back to Europe. Some people were allowed off and the novel focuses on a fictional girl who stays in Cuba with her pregnant mother but her father is not allowed off the ship. He, like many others, dies in a camp in Europe. I didn’t love love love the book but it made me realize how many stories I just don’t know from history.

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

I reread Arranged by Catherine McKenzie this year because my book club decided to read it (yes, with my urging) and it’s one I’ve pushed on many people over the years.

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

I finally read All Lined Up by Cora Carmack and loved it. I wish my library had the books because I definitely can’t afford to buy the rest of them! 

I also freaking loved Sarah Morgan’s series From Manhattan with Love. A definite must for romance lovers. 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?

Karma Brown. I actually came across her in a way that’s fairly normal for others but not for me. A co-worker was given her book and because she doesn’t read, she passed it off to me. See the blogging life category further down for more on Karma!

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

Literary fiction is not usually my jam but I freaking loved The Hidden Keys by Andre Alexis (he won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2015 for Fifteen Dogs…which is also very good.)

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

He Will Be My Ruin by KA Tucker. I love her writing anyway but she wrote such a suspenseful book that I just could not read fast enough.

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

Arranged was a re-read and I’m likely to re-read that one as it’s one of my all-time favourites. I also imagine I’ll reread the Lucy Maud Montgomery books I read this year. But will any of those get read in 2017? Unlikely.

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

The Regulars by Georgia Clark

11. Most memorable character of 2016?

Most of the characters from We’re All in this Together by Amy Jones were pretty memorable but I think I’ll have to choose Georgia Nicolson from Louise Rennison’s series. I read these back in high school and a blogger friend and I reread them after Rennison’s death earlier this year. Georgia is a bit ridiculous and has so much growing up to do but she definitely qualifies as memorable!

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?

Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery.   

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

Either The Break Katherna Vermette or The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall. Both are must reads.

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

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I know. I had it on my shelf but it took the movie and going to a (very very quick) signing for me to finally read this one.

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

So many parts of Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy had me laughing so hard I was in tears or nodding because I totally understood what she meant. This one is one of the funny ones.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2016?

Longest: The Unexpected Everything – Morgan Matson (Goodreads says 519 pages)
Shortest: Winter Wishes – Karina Halle (Goodreads says 87 pages – it’s a novella)

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

While I read many shocking stories this year, most of them had expected shocking moments. Finding out who the killer is, if the father and pillar of the community really was guilty of sexual abuse, who it really was who raped a young girl (oh yeah, I read some really light books this year)…those are all things you expect to find out through the course of a gripping, suspenseful novel. But I had a literal jaw drop moment when I read Karen Swan’s latest book, of all things. Christmas Under theStars had a few more twists than I had anticipated and I think I was more shocked because I figured out one revelation and then, bam, Swan surprised me with another.

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

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

Georgia and Dave the Laugh from Louise Rennison’s series.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

The friendship between Hannah and Kate in Karma Brown’s The Choices We Make is one of the strongest and best I’ve ever read. 

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

He Will Be My Ruin by KA Tucker

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

I kind of wanted to read it anyway but all the press about The Nest made me look forward to the book. End result? Meh. I do not see what the fuss is about.

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

Blake Crawford from Karina Halle’s Smut. Blake is British, smart, funny (sometimes more on the dry wit and sarcastic side), and good-looking. Sign me up. Plus – Halle’s muse was Sam Claflin. Yum.

23. Best 2016 debut you read?

Technically Amy Jones has been published before but We’re All in This Together is her first novel (and it’s delightful). Also a stretch because it’s not her first book but it is her first novel, The Break by Katherena Vermette. Although, I did read Karma Brown’s debut novel, Come Away With Me, this year even though this wasn’t the year she published it.

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

The Break takes place in Winnipeg, which is a real place and wouldn’t necessarily need a lot of “worldbuilding” but in order for the story to work, Vermette had to paint a picture of what it’s like to live as a Native Canadian. She did and it’s a total gut punch. And a must read.

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

I read a lot of books that are on the lighter side so they have funny and sweet moments throughout so, I think I’ll go with Hot Dudes Reading because, hello.

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

Raise your hand if you’re surprised that it was Me Before You.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Pretty much anything by Karina Halle but Smut and Heat Wave in particular.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. Read it.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016?

I really enjoyed Don’t I Know You? by Marni Jackson. It’s a book of short stories that follow a woman from 16 to 60 as she has the most random encounters with celebrities in her everyday life. You have to suspend your belief a little bit but once you do, it all works and it’s thoroughly enjoyable. Notable celebrity mentions: Leonard Cohen, Taylor Swift, Keith Richards, Meryl Streep, and Bob Dylan.

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

I had an ARC that infuriated me but some of the issues did get resolved so my pick is Falling by Jane Green. It was infuriating and I think tried a little too hard to be like other popular books.

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2016?

Every year I say, “Kaley, make sure you write down which new blogs you’ve discovered otherwise you’ll forget when it’s time to do the end of year survey” and every year I forget. So, I’m going to promo for a friend (who has no idea that I’m going to hehe) Rattle the Stars belongs to a girl I went to university with. She’s just about to celebrate her first blogoversary (so I guess, technically, I did discover it in 2016 lol).

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016?

I’m going to go with my review of Hot Dudes Reading because the book and review meant staring at hot dudes who were reading. You cannot go wrong with that.

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

2016 was my sixth blogoversary, can you believe it? I kind of let it all out in a post celebrating that and I’m glad. We always talk about being yourself and blogging the way you want to blog so I kind of just talked about everything that was good and bad and in between with blogging over the last year.

4. Best event that you participated in?

I finally read Me Before You this year and adored it. I heard Jojo Moyes would be in Toronto (about 1.5 hours away from me) for a signing so made plans to go. It was a bit of a clusterfuck getting there as I didn’t realize until close to the event that it was just a signing, and a fast one at that, and realized the day before that it was at a different Indigo than I thought. I almost didn’t go but having the chance to hang out with Jess from Paper Trail Diary was too good of a chance to pass up. Fast forward to the day of and having to drive into Toronto (shudder) and almost not finding the store and having to buy new copies of the book for Jess and myself because of their stupid rules and not being able to hear any of the Q&A before the signing, we got our copies of Me Before You signed by the lovely Moyes. That doesn’t sound like much fun, right? Well, you’re right. But because of who I was standing with (Terri from Read and Riot), we all got passes to see the movie Me Before You that night – about two weeks before it was released in theatres. VIP theatre (my first experience), free popcorn, water (or pop), magazine, and Kleenex (and yes, it was necessary). It was so much fun and I was so glad I made the trek into the city for the signing!

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

As I mentioned earlier, Karma Brown was a new to me author in 2016. I saw an event coming up where Karma was being interviewed by another author I knew and liked (Marissa Stapley) so I devoured her first book (Come Away with Me, the one I was given) and bought the second (The Choices We Make) at the event. It was a great event – two smart women talking about books and publishing! – and I had a chance to hang out with my Toronto author friend Samantha Stroh Bailey and bumped into author Chantel Guertin too! But that wasn’t the best part of my year with Karma and her books. My book club decided to read Come Away with Me so I tweeted at Karma to tell her that. She ended up coming to our meeting! It was an excellent night and almost everyone in my club was engaged and asked questions. We kept Karma for almost two hours (sorry about that…) but it was a fantastic evening.

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

Fitting in time to blog and being inspired to write were my biggest challenges. I got a lot of reading in but just did not feel like sitting down to write the reviews. Sigh.

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

My post on my blogoversary was well loved (thanks, guys!) but my review of The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson was a popular one, too!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I think everyone needs to read Karina Halle and everyone can because she has something in pretty much every genre. I reviewed a couple of hers this year, and read a few more, but I don’t think enough readers know about her. If you’re a fan of KA Tucker or Colleen Hoover, you should really read Halle.

Review of The Lie and review of Heat Wave 

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

Hamilton Review of Books (not to be confused with the musical…I live near Hamilton the city) just started up a month or so ago and I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with next. The Penguin Shop in Toronto opened this year but I have yet to visit (they’re only open during the week and I’m never in Toronto during the week or, if I am, it’s after the store has closed). Finally, I discovered FirstEdition Tea and have even bought some…I just haven’t tried it yet. Oops. Their packaging is just so fun!

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

I had decided to make my reading goal 75 because I was hopeful I would eventually work full time and would therefore have less time to read. I did get full time but I also managed to read 103 books.

I also reread all of the Georgia Nicolson books with Jessica from Paper Trail Diary. It was a mission and a half (and we may have regretted our decision partway through the year) but we stuck with it. It was really interesting to read YA books from when we were teens and compare them to what teens are reading these days. Let me just say, thank goodness some things are changing.

Looking Ahead

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

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I bought it the day it released (the actual day time…I didn’t do the midnight release) and because of magazine deadlines and other books and life, I just haven’t gotten to it yet.

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

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen (my all-time favourite author!) and Until it Fades by KA Tucker. Oh and Things to Do When It’s Raining by Marissa Stapley! And for a non-fiction choice, Baseball Life Advice by Stacey May Fowles (It looks like Goodreads hasn't updated the listing for the book yet with the right title or new cover but that's the book! You can see the cover here).

3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

This is one of the hardest questions to answer! I’m so bad at knowing what debuts are coming, plus I always find it’s YA debuts that are talked about most in the blogosphere. Not helpful for me. (Even if answers for 2 and 4 make you think otherwise haha)

I did find one article on the interwebs that included The Young Wives Club by Julie Pennell. I have no idea if I’ll get to it this year or not, but it sounds intriguing and it’s her first novel.

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

Always and Forever, Lara Jean (SO EXCITED) by Jenny Han and The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie (that one will be my first read of the year!).

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

Other than recommitting and blogging more, I really really really want to finally redesign my site. There’s so much work involved (design, hosting, etc etc etc) that I’ve been putting it off for awhile now.

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

I beta-read one upcoming novel which I’m really excited about but you’ll just have to wait to hear more about that one.

I did finish Juliet’s Answer: One Man’s Search for Love and the Elusive Cure for Heartbreak by Glenn Dixon, which releases later this month, and it was delightful. 

On Blogging for Six Years

It still hasn't really hit me that today is my sixth blogiversary. Maybe because blogging is such a part of my life that it doesn't register that I've been doing it for so long. Or maybe it's because I haven't been a very good blogger over the past year. Or maybe it's because I tend to want to skip over November...usually it's crummy weather and there isn't much going on in Canada except snow prep and Remembrance Day. But no matter what the reason my anniversary snuck up on me actually is, the fact remains that on this day in 2010 I hit publish on my first Books Etc. post. And that is still so crazy to me.

The past year has been really great and really hard all at the same time. Last year's blogiversary post was scheduled well in advance because I was busy cruising on the ship my sister was working on. Coming back from that vacation set in motion a crazy few months (or year, actually...). I came home to a broken laptop and it took ages to get it sorted out. Being a blogger without a laptop is pretty much impossible. With the Christmas season came a third job as I worked at David's Tea throughout the holiday (I love the company which helped as I gradually began to remember how hellish working in retail at Christmas is) on top of my office job at a souvenir shop and a local library. 2016 brought two of those jobs to an end but I did get full time at the souvenir store in March. Finally! But summer is crazy busy where I work (Niagara Falls) so I felt like I didn't have any time to breathe let alone write. I also review books for a magazine which gets me a bit of extra money but also means about 12 books a year are dedicated to Niagara Life and not Books Etc. Add in visiting the gym as much as possible to make sure my back doesn't get messed up again, weddings, vacations, binge watching various TV shows (Gilmore Girls, baby!!!), and trying to spend time with friends and family, and, well, blogging has took a very sad back seat.

Are these excuses for not blogging nearly enough over the last year? A little bit. I get frustrated at myself almost every day for not taking the time to sit my ass down and write some reviews. I have been reading a lot - I've read 87 books in 2016 so far and read 110 in 2015. Doing cardio on a recumbent bike is super helpful for my back and reading time! It's just putting the time into writing about those books that seems to be hard. I don't know if it's because my brain is so tired by the time I get home from work and the gym that I just want to spend the three-ish hours I have left in my day doing nothing (along with eating and showering and looking after my rabbit). I haven't been able to find that groove of working full time and blogging, if I ever had it to begin with.

One of the things I've been struggling with when it comes to my lack of blogging is how it affects my relationships with publishers and authors. It's not good. I've finally managed to cut down on the number of books I request but that also means a few months could go by when I don't ask for anything from a certain publisher. Have I completely dropped off their radars? I used to have an amazing relationship with one publisher but over the last three years it's been harder and harder to keep a relationship going due to turnover there. And forget face to face events because I never get invited to them any more. (Indulge my "poor me" stories for a bit, ok?) I live just over an hour outside of Toronto. It's easy to get to but I have to really want to make the effort and spend the money to get there. A launch for a book I only kinda want to read or haven't had time to get to yet won't be something I make that effort for. A preview for the upcoming season? Hells yes, I'd go into the city for that. The really insecure part of me sometimes wonders if no one thinks my blog is any good and I suck as a blogger and I'm so rude for not reviewing books on time. (I get it publishers - trust me. I am so mad at myself.) But the other part wonders if it's as simple as they don't invite anyone outside of a certain geographical area. It can be kind of lonely being a book blogger in Niagara these days.

And all of these crazy thoughts don't even include what's happening with book blogging in general. There always seems to be some kind of drama unfolding on social media but it's usually involving the YA side of things which I'm not involved in (and which I sometimes think is why my blog isn't "bigger" than it is). I don't like getting into the drama online so I stay the hell out of it. There are almost always very valid points but they get lost in the knee-jerk reaction tweets that can sometimes make bloggers look petty and unintelligent. (Related: I'm hoping like hell I'm not coming off that way in this rambling post!)

I'm hoping today's blogiversary is the kick in the ass I need to finally get around to writing long overdue reviews and maybe, just maybe, completely overhauling the blog. Books will be the main thing of course (they're my most favourite thing and since I apparently can't find a paying job that allows me to play with them all day, I have to have the blog!) but I'm thinking of expanding a bit. Of course this means research into hosting and designs and budgeting but it's something I've wanted to do for awhile now. A refresh is in order, I think. (And tips are so very welcome!)

Thank you for sticking around until the end of this post and for reading my reviews over the years. I know I am incredibly lucky to be a book blogger and it is so much fun to read books and then flail about them (or, on the rare occasion I hate a book, warn people off it) here and on social media. I'm going to continue reading what I love even if they are genres that get slammed all the time (women's fiction, romance, chick lit, anything contemporary that's not YA) and I will really try to not be bothered that some other blog is getting more books/more invites/more anything because, hello, we're not in high school any more and blogging really shouldn't be a popularity contest. There are enough of us out there (and yes, maybe there are too many of us) that we should embrace what we really love because that will come out in our writing. Again, thank you. And happy reading!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon

It's that time of year again, friends! Fall is clearly here. Thanksgiving is over for us Canadians. The leaves are changing and there's a nip in the air. And book lovers all over the world are hunkering down to read as much as possible in 24 hours. Because we're crazy like that. But Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon is just so much fun!

It's already an hour and a half into the day (I decided I needed to sleep in!) so I'm just going to get started with the opening questions and then get to reading!

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

As I mentioned, I'm Canadian. I live in St. Catharines, Ontario. (If you're unsure where that is, just place me in Niagara Falls. It's only about 20 minutes away.) 

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

As usual, I don't have a stack. I always approach the readathon with an open mind and hope that I'll finish at least one book, if not two. I'm starting with Smoke by Catherine McKenzie (I started it yesterday and am intrigued!). I think I'll also read A Sister's Place by Savannah Page. And probably something else!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? 

Pumpkin beer. I bought some at a craft brewery yesterday in anticipation of the day (and the boyfriend asked me to haha). I'm not sure what else I'll snack on. Likely popcorn. It usually happens during the readathon! Maybe apple crisp if I decide to take the time to make it.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! 

I'm a Blue Jays fan. I've been watching them for only about ten years...since I started dating my boyfriend who is a HUGE baseball fan. I especially have to mention this because later today they have a game. A playoff game. They're playing baseball in October! To my non-Canadian and non-sports fan readers, this is a huge deal. The Jays hadn't made the playoffs in 22 years. So we're pretty excited! They lost last night (boo!) so we're hoping for a win against Kansas City tonight to even up the series. Go Jays Go!

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?

I've been doing these read-a-thons for a while now and it's always a good time. I always sleep in (it starts at 7am in my part of the world. That's too early for a Saturday, thank you very much) and get started reading and just read as much as I can. October is great because I can snuggle in with blankets and tea and feel super cozy. I'm hoping I can find some new bookish friends because that's part of what makes book blogging so much fun...the community!

I'll be posting on Twitter and Instagram throughout the day, too, if you want to say hi over there!

First challenge is complete! The Diversity Shelfie hosted by An Unconventional Librarian.

First #readathon challenge: Diversity #Shelfie. ALL INCLUSIVE features a half South Asian heroine who may be bisexual (she's hesitant at putting a label on it). It has swingers and polyamorous couples and touches on the unfairness to natives in the tourism industry. It's a fantastic read! @pamlovesbooks

A photo posted by Kaley (@kaleys23) on Oct 17, 2015 at 8:13am PDT

I've finished my first book! I received and ARC of Smoke by Catherine McKenzie way back in May at BEA (the best part of my week there was meeting her, finally!). It comes out on Tuesday and it's such a good read. Riveting, would be a word I'd use to describe it. I had already read about a quarter of it yesterday on my lunch break and at the gym. I'm eager to dive into book #2. After I eat lunch. It's almost 1:30 and I haven't eaten anything since those mini wheats!

I'm well into book #2 now, A Sister's Place by Savannah Page. I realized early on that a book about sisters who have grown apart might not be the right thing to read when my sister, three years younger than me, is away working on a cruise ship. Happily, I will see her in just under two weeks! Anyway. The book is lovely. I'm tearing through it. (No surprise, I've loved the other books by Page that I've read.)

I needed a wee bit of a break so I'm taking part in an hour nine (we're now in hour ten...TEN!!) challenge, a book scavenger hunt hosted by Just One More Thing. We had to find words or phrases that corresponded with the prompts given. I decided to include quotes from the book because I think that's more fun than just one word.

Something Hard

“We will, Mom.” I give her a kiss on the side of her head, her auburn, sun-streaked hair dropping just past her shoulders in wide, heavy curls. “This will  pass.”

But it’s too soon,  I want to add. I restrain myself, knowing it won’t make matters any better, only bring my mother to more tears. It will only make the reality of loss that much more palpable.

Something Fast

Getting around home on bike is easiest and quickest, and I love the feeling of freedom and fresh air as I zip along the streets.

Something Sweet

When I came with the third orange, with intentions to give it to Mimi, I also brought another for a snack. The delectable fruit, at its most ripe, was nearly as comforting to my soul as the conversation I had with my grandmother.

Something High

“I haven’t done this since I was a kid,” I shriek as I hold in one hand the plastic yellow handle, made for a child’s small fingers, and gingerly guide the string with the other.
“Kite flying is just as fun for adults,” Cary says. He focuses on the slow-waving and rather steady motions of the kite.

Something Funny

“Excuse me if I’m closed for that kind of business.” I look down at my lap with raised eyebrows, and this gets a laugh from Juliette so loud we actually do turn some heads.

Mid-Event Survey

1) What are you reading right now?

Still working on A Sister's Place. On page 254 of 363.

2) How many books have you read so far?

Just one but I'm creeping closer to two!

3) What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

Thanks to a brilliant suggestion from my author friend Meredith Schorr, I think I'm going to read her upcoming novel Novelista Girl. (It's the sequel to one of my all time favourite books, Blogger Girl.) Unless I check my TBR list and see there's something else that has to be read ASAP. I've been lax on my scheduling lately...

4) Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Not too many. I slept in, did two loads of laundry (though they're still sitting on my, unmade since I washed sheets, bed), ate. The biggest thing has been the Blue Jays game. I mentioned earlier how I'm a fan and there's a playoff game today. They're down 6-3 in the top of the ninth AND I AM SO STRESSED OUT. So I'm drinking pumpkin beer.

5) What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

Not a whole lot, really. Maybe the only thing is that I haven't done nearly as many challenges as I feel like I normally do.

It's 12:17 AM and I have finished my second book! Along with a few beers. And a bowl of popcorn. Sadly, the Blue Jays lost. They're now down 2-0 in the ALCS. But the good news is, I spent today's Readathon reading two really great books. I adored Smoke as well as A Sister's Place. I highly recommend them both! (Links to both are above somewhere!) So this is it. This is when I bid you all good night! I hope those who decide to pull an all nighter have a grand time! For me, it's time to look after my crazy kook of a rabbit and head to bed. Thanks for another great day, fellow readathoners!

Closing Survey

1) Which hour was most daunting for you?

Probably 16/17. That's when it starts to get really late in my time zone and, as much as I love reading, I know that's when I need to call it a night. And because pumpkin beer is always in season during the October readathon, I'm usually quite buzzed by this point! I was also watching a TV show with the boyfriend so I was splitting my mental capacity there too! I was worried I wasn't going to be able to get the second book done but I persevered! 

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Harry Potter, The Lake House by Kate Morton, The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling), Burying Water by K.A. Tucker.

3) Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
It's not so much an improvement but something I noticed...I was tweeting and posting throughout the day and had a few cheerleader tweets but nothing from something like hours 6 on. I know it's hard to get cheerleaders and I know there are a lot of readers...I just found it strange that I had some tweets and then it was radio silence.

4) What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Most everything ticked along as usual this year! Good job, guys.

5) How many books did you read?
Just 2! But that's ok :)

6) What were the names of the books you read?
Smoke by Catherine McKenzie and A Sister's Place by Savannah Page.

7) Which book did you enjoy most?
I honestly can't choose. McKenzie is one of my all time favourite authors and I really liked this one but I adored Page's just as much.

8) Which did you enjoy least?

See above! :)

9) How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

Oh, I'll definitely take part in the next readathons, as long as my schedule allows for it. It's always fun to hunker down with books and spend the day chatting with likeminded people. And it puts a dent in my TBR list. 

Books Etc. is Turning Four!

Image via The Daily Awe

I cannot believe that it's been four years since I started this blog. Between last year's three year blogaversary and now a lot has happened. So, let's get started!

The day before my third blogaversary was one of the best book events I've ever attended...and I helped plan it! Because I was unemployed, I had some time to work with authors Samantha Stroh Bailey and Lydia Laceby on bringing Book Buzz to Toronto. The event was absolutely amazing and I am so proud of what we put together.

Nine amazing chick lit and women's fiction authors...and me.

Work-wise, the past year has been better than the year before. I started a four month grant-funded job in April and then moved straight into a full time position this past September. Things are still a little rocky and I don't know when I'll stop panicking about money but at least now I can breathe a little easier and attend a few more book events! If you've noticed that I've been slacking in posting lately, it's because of this new job. I have a crazy commute and an early morning so blog writing and reading has fallen by the wayside. I'm hoping I figure out a solution soon!

Speaking of book events, I didn't go to many over the past year. In February, friend and fellow blogger Natalie (of Browsing Bookshelves) and I went to our local library to hear a talk about animals and Jane Austen. I also went to my second Emily Giffin event which I loved mostly for the girls night out vibe than actually meeting the author again. A week later I got to meet Jennifer Weiner at a signing and it was amazing. In early September I went to a signing with four awesome Atria authors (K.A. Tucker, Colleen Hoover, Jamie McGuire, and Abbi Glines) and Tucker recognized my name and Twitter/Instagram avatar. Late September had me traveling to Midland to help sell books with my best friend at two Joseph Boyden events. He's amazing.

One of the best books ever. And the nicest authors ever. 

Once again, because I wasn't working, I had a lot of time to read. Silver lining, right? And I've read a lot of great books in the last year: Gayle Forman's Just One Day and Just One Year, three of K.A. Tucker's (Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie, and Burying Water), Just Friends with Benefits by Meredith Schorr, Hard Hats and Doormats by Laura Chapman, and Judy Greer's memoir I Don't Know What You Know Me From, just to name a few.

I finished Allegiant last November (I didn't hate it but I did have a bit of a meltdown after reading it) and watched Divergent on opening night. I finally read The Fault in Our Stars (bawled my eyes out) and watched it on opening night (the theatre was full of sobbing teenagers and the mothers, no lie). All Shailene Woodley, all the time, apparently.

Many tissues were harmed in the reading of this novel.

One of the very best reading decisions of this past year has been rereading the Harry Potter series. There were a bunch of us bloggers who have been wanting to reread the series but hadn't been able to fit it into our reading schedules. We banded together and decided this would be the year we finally reread it (or read it for the first time, in some cases). I will always say that the Harry Potter series is one of my favourites but rereading it reminded me of how amazing it really is.

Two pretty awesome bookish things happened this year. The lovely Lucie Simone contacted me awhile back and asked if I would be willing to read manuscripts for her small press Simon and Fig. Getting a glimpse into the world of an indie publisher has been so cool. The second awesome thing is that I'm now writing book reviews for a real publication! Niagara Life is a magazine published by one of our local newspapers and it comes out every two months. It is a super amazing feeling to be paid for doing what I love - writing about books!

I'm published. Mind. Blown

The very best thing to happen was my trip to Australia. It was a once in a lifetime experience (that I'm really hoping I can have again). I can't even really begin to explain how amazing it was (which is probably why I haven't finished the posts I've been meaning to write for almost six months...) but I can link to the post where I talked about all the bookish parts of my trip. And urge you to visit Australia if you haven't!

Most of the books I read on my trip!

Overall, the last year has been...well, it's been interesting. Some awesome stuff (Australia! Jennifer Weiner! Reviewing for Niagara Life!) and some not so awesome stuff (not having a job for so long). But, I think this year has been more positive than negative. So that's something, right? :) Thank you, so very much, for reading. I think you're awesome, no matter if you've been here from the beginning or are a new follower. I hope I can continue to grow as a blogger and bring you great, honest reviews for many years to come. Here's to another great year!

PS I think it's super cool that I was able to work it that this post is number 600 on Books Etc. I can't even wrap my head around that!