Year in Books meme
The first book you read in 2016:
Republic of Thieves. That feels like more than a year ago.
The last book you finished in 2016:
Interesting Times. Fitting, no?
The first book you will finish (or did finish!) in 2017:
Hamilton: The Revolution
How many books read in 2016?
60.
Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
Just the one about the Irish famine.
Male/Female authors?
12 men and 23 women.
Most books read by one author this year?
Terry Pratchett with 17. Then Brust with 6 and L. M. Montgomery with 5.
Favorite books read?
Wyrd Sisters and Venetia
Best books you read in 2016?
Men at Arms. I also reread Frindle by Andrew Clements because it won the Phoenix Award and I enjoyed it.
Least favorite?
Although it saddens me to say so, An Old-Fashioned Girl doesn't hold up.
Most disappointing book/Book you wished you loved more than you did?
Lisa Yee's story “Everyone But You” in the Geekocracy anthology. I heard years ago that the main character was a baton twirler who moved to Hawaii and was dismayed that her new school didn't have a marching band, but the story had barely any baton twirling in it.
Best series you discovered in 2016?
Discworld, of course!
Favorite new author you discovered this year?
Stacey Lee, author of the YA western Under a Painted Sky. I'm very interested in her book about the San Francisco Earthquake.
Oldest book read?
Doctor Faustus by Kit Marlowe, published in 1592.
Newest?
Manners and Mutiny, Nov 2015
Longest book title?
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: The Kingdom on the Waves
Shortest title?
Dzur, Mort, and Eric, if you ignore the crossed-out Faust of the last one.
How many re-reads?
20 out of 60. What a nice even number and it wasn't deliberate!
Any in translation?
Two. Faust Part I translated by Bayard Taylor and Around the World in 80 Days translated by George Makepeace Towle.
How many of this year's books were from the library?
41, both ebooks and hard copies.
Book that most changed my perspective:
The Great Irish Famine by Christine Kinealy. A lot of interesting stuff about the famine and its impact. Also the decriptions of the music in Cowboy Feng's - I never played an instrument before and I didn't know what playing in a band is like. I only knew seven or eight of the songs mentioned in the book, including I'll Tell Me Ma, which I use for the song in Athyra.
Favorite character:
SYBIL VIMES! I want to be her when I grow up. Death is love and Ponder Stibbons is a beautiful perfect cinnamon roll. Outside of Pratchett, I also liked Venetia and Damerel, and Frederica and Alverstoke. And Passepartout was so cute.
Most memorable character:
Sam Vimes - I had gotten the impression from fandom of Vimes the perfect cop who protects the streets and goes home to read his son a bedtime story, and the alcoholic ne'er do well at the beginning of GG took me by surprise. But I still liked him. And Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, obviously. The third Cormoran Strike book has a memorable villain.
Favorite scene:
-The rude mechanicals in Lords and Ladies
-Magrat vs. the Elf Queen
-the Balustrian Hound scene in Frederica. I know I spelled that wrong.
-Libby's flashback in Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille. To have a character like her come from an abusive household was such a delightful surprise.
-The opening of Wyrd Sisters: “When shall we three meet again?” “Well, I can do next Tuesday.”
-When Damerel's trying to propose to Venetia and various family members keep interrupting him
-The climax of Moving Pictures. When I realized the Librarian was there for the King Kong parody I laughed.
-Susan and Ridcully in Soul Music
Favorite quote:
Under a Painted Sky: “Better to have no daddy at all than a daddy like that.”
“But the biggest thing she ever did,” said Nanny, ignoring the interruption, “was to send a whole palace to sleep for a hundred years until . . .” She hesitated. “Can't remember. Was there rose bushes involved, or was it spinning wheels in that one? I think some princess had to finger . . . no, there was a prince. That was it.”
“Finger a prince?” said Magrat, uneasily.
Most inspirational in terms of own writing?
I don't think of inspiration when I'm reading.
How many you'd actually read again?
Wyrd Sisters, Lords and Ladies, Soul Music, both Watch books, Pyramids, Career of Evil, Cowboy Feng's, both the Heyers, Under a Painted Sky.
A book that you never want to read again:
I doubt I'll read Marlowe's Faust anytime soon. Goethe's Faust, maybe.
Book you recommended most to others in 2016?
The only book I recall recommending is Lovers' Vows to a friend who was about to reread Mansfield Park.
The book series you read the most volumes of in 2016:
Take a guess :)
The genre you read the most in 2016:
I was going to say fantasy, but then I counted and there are 33 non-sff books, counting the Fausts as non-sff.
Your favorite "classic" you read in 2016:
Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom were fun. Around the World in 80 Days and A Wrinkle in Time were interesting, but I didn't quite fall in love with them.
Most surprising (in a good way) book of the year?
None of them surprised me in a good way. The understanding of domestic violence in Career of Evil might have if I hadn't read The Casual Vacancy.
The hardest book you read in 2016 (topic or writing style):
Small Gods because I had a hard time understanding what was happening. More due to my mental state than the book itself.
The funniest book you read in 2016:
Wyrd Sisters.
The saddest book you read in 2016:
Rilla of Ingleside.
The shortest book you read in 2016:
Marlowe's Faust.
The longest book that you read in 2016:
Goodreads says Career of Evil.
Best book that was outside your comfort zone/a new genre for you?
Cowboy Feng's was actually the first novel-length non-dystopia science fiction that I have ever read.
Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2016?
Thirteen Reasons Why has a low-key sort of suspense.
Most beautifully written book in 2016?
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing.
Book you most anticipated in 2016?
Thorn of Emberlain except it didn't come out.
Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?
Under a Painted Sky. The paperback has a different cover but IDK why!
Book that had the greatest impact on you this year?
Ten months later I'm still thinking about the line in Thirteen Reasons Why about the bus being free at night. How on earth does that make sense?
Book you can't believe you waited till 2016 to finally read?
A Wrinkle in Time
Book that had a scene that left you reeling and dying to talk to someone about it?
The cliffhanger ending of Career of Evil.
Looking Ahead:
One book you didn't read this year that will be your #1 priority in 2017?
There are quite a few books I want to read, but I don't prioritize. Naomi Novik's Uprooted, all the Frances Hardinge books I haven't read, The Incrementalists by Brust and Skyler White.
New book you are most anticipating for 2017?
Thorn of Emberlain
The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein
Vallista, probably
The book Avi mentioned with Henry VII as a character, possibly
This entry was originally posted at http://nocowardsoul.dreamwidth.org/34665.html
Republic of Thieves. That feels like more than a year ago.
The last book you finished in 2016:
Interesting Times. Fitting, no?
The first book you will finish (or did finish!) in 2017:
Hamilton: The Revolution
How many books read in 2016?
60.
Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
Just the one about the Irish famine.
Male/Female authors?
12 men and 23 women.
Most books read by one author this year?
Terry Pratchett with 17. Then Brust with 6 and L. M. Montgomery with 5.
Favorite books read?
Wyrd Sisters and Venetia
Best books you read in 2016?
Men at Arms. I also reread Frindle by Andrew Clements because it won the Phoenix Award and I enjoyed it.
Least favorite?
Although it saddens me to say so, An Old-Fashioned Girl doesn't hold up.
Most disappointing book/Book you wished you loved more than you did?
Lisa Yee's story “Everyone But You” in the Geekocracy anthology. I heard years ago that the main character was a baton twirler who moved to Hawaii and was dismayed that her new school didn't have a marching band, but the story had barely any baton twirling in it.
Best series you discovered in 2016?
Discworld, of course!
Favorite new author you discovered this year?
Stacey Lee, author of the YA western Under a Painted Sky. I'm very interested in her book about the San Francisco Earthquake.
Oldest book read?
Doctor Faustus by Kit Marlowe, published in 1592.
Newest?
Manners and Mutiny, Nov 2015
Longest book title?
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: The Kingdom on the Waves
Shortest title?
Dzur, Mort, and Eric, if you ignore the crossed-out Faust of the last one.
How many re-reads?
20 out of 60. What a nice even number and it wasn't deliberate!
Any in translation?
Two. Faust Part I translated by Bayard Taylor and Around the World in 80 Days translated by George Makepeace Towle.
How many of this year's books were from the library?
41, both ebooks and hard copies.
Book that most changed my perspective:
The Great Irish Famine by Christine Kinealy. A lot of interesting stuff about the famine and its impact. Also the decriptions of the music in Cowboy Feng's - I never played an instrument before and I didn't know what playing in a band is like. I only knew seven or eight of the songs mentioned in the book, including I'll Tell Me Ma, which I use for the song in Athyra.
Favorite character:
SYBIL VIMES! I want to be her when I grow up. Death is love and Ponder Stibbons is a beautiful perfect cinnamon roll. Outside of Pratchett, I also liked Venetia and Damerel, and Frederica and Alverstoke. And Passepartout was so cute.
Most memorable character:
Sam Vimes - I had gotten the impression from fandom of Vimes the perfect cop who protects the streets and goes home to read his son a bedtime story, and the alcoholic ne'er do well at the beginning of GG took me by surprise. But I still liked him. And Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, obviously. The third Cormoran Strike book has a memorable villain.
Favorite scene:
-The rude mechanicals in Lords and Ladies
-Magrat vs. the Elf Queen
-the Balustrian Hound scene in Frederica. I know I spelled that wrong.
-Libby's flashback in Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille. To have a character like her come from an abusive household was such a delightful surprise.
-The opening of Wyrd Sisters: “When shall we three meet again?” “Well, I can do next Tuesday.”
-When Damerel's trying to propose to Venetia and various family members keep interrupting him
-The climax of Moving Pictures. When I realized the Librarian was there for the King Kong parody I laughed.
-Susan and Ridcully in Soul Music
Favorite quote:
Under a Painted Sky: “Better to have no daddy at all than a daddy like that.”
“But the biggest thing she ever did,” said Nanny, ignoring the interruption, “was to send a whole palace to sleep for a hundred years until . . .” She hesitated. “Can't remember. Was there rose bushes involved, or was it spinning wheels in that one? I think some princess had to finger . . . no, there was a prince. That was it.”
“Finger a prince?” said Magrat, uneasily.
Most inspirational in terms of own writing?
I don't think of inspiration when I'm reading.
How many you'd actually read again?
Wyrd Sisters, Lords and Ladies, Soul Music, both Watch books, Pyramids, Career of Evil, Cowboy Feng's, both the Heyers, Under a Painted Sky.
A book that you never want to read again:
I doubt I'll read Marlowe's Faust anytime soon. Goethe's Faust, maybe.
Book you recommended most to others in 2016?
The only book I recall recommending is Lovers' Vows to a friend who was about to reread Mansfield Park.
The book series you read the most volumes of in 2016:
Take a guess :)
The genre you read the most in 2016:
I was going to say fantasy, but then I counted and there are 33 non-sff books, counting the Fausts as non-sff.
Your favorite "classic" you read in 2016:
Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom were fun. Around the World in 80 Days and A Wrinkle in Time were interesting, but I didn't quite fall in love with them.
Most surprising (in a good way) book of the year?
None of them surprised me in a good way. The understanding of domestic violence in Career of Evil might have if I hadn't read The Casual Vacancy.
The hardest book you read in 2016 (topic or writing style):
Small Gods because I had a hard time understanding what was happening. More due to my mental state than the book itself.
The funniest book you read in 2016:
Wyrd Sisters.
The saddest book you read in 2016:
Rilla of Ingleside.
The shortest book you read in 2016:
Marlowe's Faust.
The longest book that you read in 2016:
Goodreads says Career of Evil.
Best book that was outside your comfort zone/a new genre for you?
Cowboy Feng's was actually the first novel-length non-dystopia science fiction that I have ever read.
Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2016?
Thirteen Reasons Why has a low-key sort of suspense.
Most beautifully written book in 2016?
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing.
Book you most anticipated in 2016?
Thorn of Emberlain except it didn't come out.
Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?
Under a Painted Sky. The paperback has a different cover but IDK why!
Book that had the greatest impact on you this year?
Ten months later I'm still thinking about the line in Thirteen Reasons Why about the bus being free at night. How on earth does that make sense?
Book you can't believe you waited till 2016 to finally read?
A Wrinkle in Time
Book that had a scene that left you reeling and dying to talk to someone about it?
The cliffhanger ending of Career of Evil.
Looking Ahead:
One book you didn't read this year that will be your #1 priority in 2017?
There are quite a few books I want to read, but I don't prioritize. Naomi Novik's Uprooted, all the Frances Hardinge books I haven't read, The Incrementalists by Brust and Skyler White.
New book you are most anticipating for 2017?
Thorn of Emberlain
The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein
Vallista, probably
The book Avi mentioned with Henry VII as a character, possibly
This entry was originally posted at http://nocowardsoul.dreamwidth.org/34665.html