2015 Book Survey

Hey everyone!

I did this survey last year and thought I'd do it again this year! I found the survey through Ginger (last year) but originally posted here. :)

Number Of Books You Read: 62
Number of Re-Reads: 16
Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy YA, I think

 

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?
Somehow not as hard this year? I still read a lot this year, but I think most were just OK. I think two of my favorites were Moloka'i by Alan Brennert and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen. I only kept reading because I loved her mom.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2015?
Maybe Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. I read two memoirs by brothers right in a row - Burroughs' brother's first -- Look Me in the Eyes by John Elder Robinson. Robinson has Asperger's syndrome. When I read Burroughs' book second, I was amazed to hear about his childhood and how much his brother didn't notice or didn't include in his own book. It was interesting.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2015?
I strongly suggested Pat and Anna read The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I know Pat did, I don't know if Anna did.

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?
THIS IS SO MUCH AT ONCE. I only started a couple of series in 2015 that I chose to continue reading, so I guess I'd say Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. It has a lot of weird religious stuff in it, but not specifically a certain religion. I thought it was a good "chosen one" type of hero story. I'm going to skip sequel and say the best series ender was probably Bitterblue, finishing the Graceling series by Kristin Cashore. I also like Winter by Marissa Meyer but at the same time thought everything wrapped up too neatly.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?
I was going to say Jojo Moyes but that was technically in the end of 2014. I guess there's no one I really discovered this year whose work I'll seek more of. I really did like The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, but it looks like her only other published work is a series of ten-sentence short stories and I'm not sure I'm into that.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
My True Love Gave to Me is a book of short stories, which I haven't really read since my classes in creative writing. They're all YA contemporary or fantasy, though, which is my normal. Cloud Atlas is out of my normal wheelhouse, I guess.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Winter by Marissa Meyer

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read in 2016?
Harry Potter. Always. ;)

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?
Vivian Apple at the End of the World by Katie Coyle

11. Most memorable character of 2015?
Rachel from Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (I really liked this one!)

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?
Moloka'i was really on my list forever because none of my libraries had it! I also had Life of Pi forever before I read it.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

Nothing sticks out -- I don't think I'm really a note taker.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?
According to Goodreads, and not counting rereads, longest was Winter by Marissa Meyer at 824 pages. Shortest was Delirium Stories, a collection of short stories from characters in Lauren Oliver's Delirium series, 208 pages.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most
Didn't we already do most surprising?

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar = favorite couple pair)
Simon and Baz, I guess? From Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I also really liked lots of the couples in My True Love Gave to Me, edited by Stephanie Perkins

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
I'm not sure I have one for this? Maybe Penny and Simon and Baz, also from Carry On. That's the only friendship that's sticking out.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
I don't think she actually recommended it, but I remember Kate reacted strongly to Girls Like Us by Gail Giles, so I checked that one out

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?
I don't think I have one? Maybe a boy from My True Love Gave to Me. North or Russel, maybe?

23. Best 2015 debut you read?
I don't even know which books I read are debuts. I'm not book-bloggy enough.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
My True Love Gave to Me 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?
Moloka'i, most certain.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Not sure what this question means?

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Made You Up by by Francesca Zappia  and, obviously, Moloka'i

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

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

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I'm going to go ahead and skip this section since I'm not a strictly "book" blog and I was a ish blogger this year. Weeeeeeeeeee!

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
I need to freaking finish two books I started this year and didn't push through - Stephen King's On Writing and I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. Actually, I want to give up on that one, but I've read so much of it already...

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
I don't really know about debuts before they happen

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?
The Raven Boys series

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:
I am not that privileged. 

If you're a big reader -- tell me your answers for a couple of these!

Book review: My Name is Brett

My Name is Brett by Brett Ray

Description from Brett's website (below) can be found here along with other responses from early readers. 

My Name is Brett: Truths from a Trans Christian is the story of a transgender Christian finding his name, voice, and strength. The book holds humorous stories of his upbringing, tough stories of addiction, and the stories of hope he has found in his transition. It centers on his journey toward his name—Brett—and how foundational finding and being called Brett is for “naming” the big truths in his life. A transition is never easy, and the book refuses to water down the difficult complexities of being transgender. But, it simultaneously refuses to deny the continually regenerating hope found in loving family, friends, recovery, and in the ability to tell one’s story honestly and boldly. Most simply put, My Name is Brett: Truths from a Trans Christian is a love story; it’s a love story about a man finally falling in love with himself.

Disclaimer: Brett is a friend of a friend and sent me an advanced reader's copy of his book in exchange for me reviewing it here and on other platforms.

More and more, transgender men and women are stepping into the public eye. Most recently, Caitlyn Jenner famously came out, but before that, the world was already getting to know Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, Geena Rocero and more wonderful transgender celebrities.

I've previously read and reviewed Janet Mock's memoir, but Brett's book, My Name is Brett, is the first I've read from a trans man. I was excited to get to hear his perspective on his transition and his life as a Christian, trans man.

Brett's book is an honest retelling of his thought process throughout much of his transition -- from the day he realized he was transgender, through picking his name, through the days when he would forget his own name and be corrected by friends. This play-by-play of his transition makes My Name is Brett an awesome read for anyone who knows someone transitioning or knows someone who is transgender and wants to understand more what that process feels like.

Though Brett's experiences are only his own, and not truly representative of the entire trans community, his story conveys the importance of supporting trans people in whatever way they need support. His story shows how calling someone by their right, true name can be a life saving act. It allows cis (non-trans) people a peek into the mind of someone transitioning and allows us to have true understanding and empathy for someone going through something we may never experience ourselves.

Brett's story also tackles the tough topic of the physical changes someone may or may not choose to go through as they transition. As you hopefully know, it's rude to ask someone about their physical transition -- it's a very personal topic! -- but Brett shares some of his thoughts and feelings behind his choices.

I was moved by Brett's story, by the affect a supportive person could have on his transition and his mental health, and by his ability to understand and empathize with his family and friends' varied reactions. Although a gender transition is a very foreign experience to any cis person, Brett's story makes it relateable and close to home. His honesty and openness made the emotions of transitioning real to me, even though I've never experienced anything like it.

I would recommend My Name is Brett to anyone who wants to know more about the experience of transitioning -- even if you're not a person of faith, even if you're not transitioning, even if you don't know anyone who has.

My Name is Brett officially comes out (haha... see what I did there?) September 9. If you're in the Durham, NC area, he's having a release party September 8 and you can get an early copy! Brett's book is not officially on Amazon yet, but I'll update this review when it is -- it will be available hard copy and in kindle version.

Thoughtful comments and responses only please! :) I don't worry about my normal readers, but if anyone were to post hateful content, it would be deleted.

Must-read books

I made Pat start reading a book I love love love.

(Ok, so I can't actually make Pat do anything. But I did set it on the table in front of him and say "I think you should read this next" and when he finished his book he started reading it next because I told him to.)

And now I have the same kind of nervousness I did when he asked to watch my favorite movie, You've Got Mail, and I had to sit there and watch it with him and sneak glances and gauge his reaction to all my favorite scenes, lines, facial expressions.

(I do have favorite facial expressions in that movie, thank you very much.)

But today, I was thinking about how you can't really predict what someone will think of a book.

I made the mistake of reading the Goodreads reviews for a book I finished recently. I was hooked on it, gave it four stars, couldn't put it down. And it had about a bajillion negative reviews. Some were on point, just things that hadn't really detracted from my enjoyment -- like, yes, it's a flaw in the book, but I still enjoyed it a lot. And it made me question whether my four stars were overkill and was it really a good book and good lord people have told me they read books just because I've reviewed them and then what if they hate them and what will they think of me??


One more anecdote -- another book I love love love is The Book Thief. Love it. In my second year in grad school, someone made a second attempt at starting a book club. (The first attempt had failed the year before after discussing exactly one book.)

The first book the New Book Club picked was The Book Thief and I was stoked. I reread it in preparation. I went to the discussion meeting, which took place in a bar because duh, and discovered everyone had hated it. Most people didn't even finish reading it.

In my head today, before I started thinking all of this, I was making a list of books I think all people should read, or at least start to read and they can put it down if they want. The book I've asked Pat to read, The Scorpio Races, would be on my list. So would the Harry Potter series, though I know plenty of people who don't really like HP.

What would be on your list? Have you known people who read your faves and hated them? I'm curious!

(Pat has not yet finished the book -- he's studying for the CPA tests and doesn't have much time for reading these days, but he'll likely pick it back up after his tests are done.)

Book review: I Was Here

I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Description from Goodreads (below) can be found here along with other reviews. Add me on Goodreads!

Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

First things first: this book deals with suicide. So, if that's something you shouldn't be reading, don't read this book. And maybe also check this out, if you need to.

And also maybe be careful who you recommend this too. (lookin at you Kate) (not because you wouldn't be careful, just a heads up)

Moving on: I Was Here is the story of Cody, who was left behind and shocked when her best friend committed suicide. She didn't see it coming, even a little bit, and begins to question everything about her friendship with Meg, her life, herself.

Parts of this book are really intense. Cody is so shocked that she takes a lot of steps to understand Meg's mindframe -- to try to find the why of Meg's suicide, and it takes her to really dark places. I related to Cody's questioning of how she could not have known this about her friend, questioning how well she actually knew her friend.

Some parts of the book, though, I felt were too light. The relationships that form in the wake of Meg's suicide felt shallow to me -- I wanted more from their development, wanted to see more how that was happening. I think death can bring people together in weird ways, but I Was Here seemed to make people close really quickly in the way that can happen after a death without acknowledging that it's kind of weird and quick and different from normal. So while a lot of the emotions were really intense for me, I didn't always buy the relationships.

I'm trying not to say too much so I don't give anything away. I liked the book, but I think it could have been better.

Have any of you read I Was Here? What did you think?

App review: Nike Training Club

Hi friends!

A million years ago, Julie from PBFingers posted about the Nike Training Club app, and I immediately downloaded it. Ok, so a million years is an exaggeration, but it is not an exaggeration to say that it took me at least six months before I ever actually did a workout from the app.

Now, though, I've been using it for over a month. Not super consistently -- I've done about 7 workouts on the app -- but enough to know that I should have started using it forever ago. So I wanted to share it with you all in case you're looking for something to up your workout game.

Before I started using the app, I had been out of shape for all of those six months, but I was starting to get base level fitness back on the elliptical and bicycles in my apartment complex's little gym.

(RIP gym. Just found out they're closing it for the next month. So sad.)

I wasn't challenging myself in any way -- I was just putting the time in, but no effort -- and realized pretty quickly it wasn't doing much for me.

So, I tried the Nike Training Club app.

Nike Training Club has several workout categories. When you choose a category, it then asks you to indicate your fitness level. I chose beginner.

After that, you can scroll through workouts. The titles don't really tell you a whole lot, but they do show how long the workout is.

  

Once you choose a workout, it takes you to this screen that shows the time and any equipment you need. You can also click that center icon and see a list of all the exercises. I've found that the equipment list isn't always totally accurate. One of the workouts I've been doing requires a step for tricep dips, and I don't have a step.

When you're looking at the list of exercises, you can edit some of them, not all. So in the picture below, I can choose between burpees and froggers (both are awful) but there's not an alternate for the alternating side lunges.

Each individual exercise has both photos with instructions and a video you can watch to make sure you're doing the exercise right. You can look at all of them ahead of time (I recommend it!) but if you're in the middle of the workout and you forget what the move is, you can watch the video again.

Each individual exercise has a timeframe. There is audio to prompt you from one move to the next. The audio also gives you reminders and hints on how to complete the exercise -- like to keep your weight in your heels on lunges.

It sprinkles in 30-second recovery periods and sometimes gives you 10 seconds in between to get to the next position -- so to go from squats, where you're standing, to pushups, where you need to be on the ground.


OVERALL THOUGHTS
I really enjoy using this app (using the word "enjoy" loosely). Yes, I could do all of these exercises without the app, but the app challenges me to do ones I wouldn't choose myself, it times me, and it makes me do more than I would naturally do in 30 minutes without direction. And it definitely got me to stop just putting in the time and start challenging myself again.

The one complaint I have is the lack of modifications. When I've taken fitness classes, often they'll says something like "If your legs are feeling really tight, bend at the knee a bit more" or "if your lower back is lifting off the ground, stabilize your back with your hands" or anything like that. And, as I said, there are a few where I (surprise!) didn't have the equipment. For most, I can modify on my own -- I've been working out long enough to know a few modifications, and I will sub in weights for a medicine ball, do the exercise without equipment, or sub in a different activity that works the same muscle group. So my experience with this type of workout does help.

There are a couple yoga workouts on here, but you have to have a pretty good grasp of yoga positions to do them, because if you need to watch the video while you're doing the workout, it pauses the workout -- so you can't follow along like you would with a DVD. There's also a 15-minute stretching routine I have yet to try, but might need eventually.

Finally, the biggest endoresement I can give is that these workouts make me sore every day. I think as I'm getting better, I'm able to push myself harder, so that means even though I've been using it a while, it'll keep challenging me -- do more push ups this time. Move from modified push ups to real push ups, etc.



Have any of you used this app or others to expand your workouts? I'd love more recommendations!