2015 Wrap-Up: Resolutions, Challenge Results, & More!

2015 Bookish Resolutions

1. Catch up on my ARCs. (And by extension, get my Netgalley up to 80%.)
2. Focus on reading books that I own; I have so many that they've long since overflowed my shelves, so I'd like to read enough of them that I can feel comfortable passing those I no longer want on to other readers. Since I'm an eternal dork, I'm going to be calling this "Project Get Shit on Shelves".
3. Write a cumulative 250,000 words (including book reviews, blog posts, journal entries, and fiction).
4. Read two hundred books.
5. Stick to my planned posting schedule here at Amara's Eden. I have specific things planned for specific days, and I'd like to stay on top of that for as long as possible. The whole year, ideally.
6. Complete both Camp NaNoWriMo 2015 sessions and NaNoWriMo 2015.
7. Complete at least the lowest level of all reading challenges I've signed up for.
8. Complete the transition from Goodreads to Leafmarks (i.e., finish transferring books, shelves, and reviews once and for all).
9. Read (and watch?) more horror this year. Horror is far and away my favorite genre, but I don't intake anywhere near as much of it as I'd like. I think I'd like to make 2015 the year I really delve into the genre!
10. Read five books published in 2015. I'm always excited when the GR Choice Awards come around, except that always involves me staring at a screen full of books I've never heard of, let alone read. I'd like to try to keep up with some trends this year, I think. Maybe check out some 2015 Listopia lists for ideas?

So, How Did I Do?

1. I utterly failed to catch up on my eARCs this year, though I did read a few. My Netgalley score right now is a truly dismal 20%.
2. I completely abandoned the idea of "Project Get Shit on Shelves" within the first month of 2015. I read about twelve books that I own (out of fucking thousands), which is more than 2014 but still utterly pathetic.
3. I think I write about 200,000 words in 2015, almost all of which was actually fiction. It wasn't the 250k I wanted, but I'm satisfied nevertheless.
4. I read only one hundred books in 2015 instead of the two hundred I wished.
5. I utterly failed with Amara's Eden during 2015. I abandoned my schedule altogether, and the blog went on hiatus for the majority of the year.
6. I completed both Camp NaNoWriMo sessions and NaNoWriMo 2015, and I was super happy with everything I produced!
7. I completed at least the lowest level of all my reading challenges in 2015!
8. I still haven't finished transitioning my database from Goodreads to Leafmarks. I may resume my efforts to do so in 2016.
9. I didn't find the time to get back into horror in 2015, though I did check out some horror movies as part of a Halloween binge. There were some great ones, but I'm still not satisfied with the quantity or quality of my horror intake!
10. The only 2015 releases I read in 2015 were the Goodreads Choice Awards nominees for the picture book category. Technically, that means I hit this one, but it wasn't quite what I had in mind.

2016 Resolutions

1. Get my Netgalley rating above 50%. 
2. Read at least twenty books I own. 
3. Read at least one hundred total books. 
4. Complete at least the lowest level of all reading challenges I've signed up for. 
5. Post at Amara's Eden at least twice every month. 
6. Write 750words every day (barring Internet outages). 
7. Write a thousand words of fiction every day. 
8. Complete both Camp NaNoWriMo 2015 sessions and NaNoWriMo 2015. 
9. Write 400,000 total words. 
10. Finish Sparrow.

Reading Challenges

2015 I Love Library Books Reading Challenge

So, How Did I Do? actual # / goal #

1. 2015 Mount TBR Reading Challenge | 13 books / 12 books
2. I Love Picture Books 2015 Reading Challenge | 39 books / 30 books
3. You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2015 | 100 books / 100 books
4. Hardcore Rereading Challenge | 12 books / 12 books
5. What An Animal Reading Challenge 2015 | 30 books / 13 books
6. 2015 Snagged @ the Library Reading Challenge | 75 books / 50 books
7. 2015 Netgalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge | 10 books / 10 books
8. 2015 I Love Library Books Reading Challenge | 75 books / 50 books

End of Year Reading Survey 2015

Number of Books I Read: 100
Number of Rereads: 12
Genre I Read the Most From: Middle Grade
Best Book of the Year: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
Biggest Disappointment: Play Dead (A Dog and His Girl, #1) by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens
Most Surprising: The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory
Most Recommended: The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory
Best New Series: Who Could That Be at This Hour? (All the Wrong Questions, #1) by Lemony Snicket
Best Sequel: Power to the Purple (The Ultra Violets, #2) by Sophie Bell
Favorite New Author: Cleveland Amory
Best Book Outside My Comfort Zone: The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory
Most Thrilling: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
Most Likely to Reread: The Wizard's Apprentice (The Keepers, #2) by Jackie French Koller
Favorite Cover: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
Most Memorable Character: Polar Bear, The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory
Most Beautifully Written: The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye by Jane Yolen
Most Thought-Provoking: Zora and Me by Victoria Bond
I Can't Believe I Waited This Long!: Play Dead (A Dog and His Girl, #1) by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens
Shortest Book: Magic Words: From the Ancient Oral Tradition of the Inuit by Edward Field
Longest Book: Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge by Kathryn Reiss
Most Shocking Book: The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship: Cleveland Amory and Polar Bear, The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory
Favorite Book from an Author I've Read Previously: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
Favorite Book Someone Recommended: Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood
Most Vivid Setting: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
Most Fun Read: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
Most Tear-Jerking: The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye by Jane Yolen
Hidden Gem of the Year: The Wizard's Apprentice (The Keepers, #2) by Jackie French Koller
Most Infuriating: Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper
Favorite Review of 2015: Claudia and Mean Janine (The Baby-sitters Club, #7) by Ann M. Martin
Favorite Non-Review Post of 2015: My Short Story Experience
Best Event or Meme: Cover Characteristic
Best Moment of 2015: Finally posting again at Amara's Eden after my long hiatus!
Most Challenging Thing About Blogging or Reading in 2015: Trying to stop procrastinating and to balance reading/blogging with my other hobbies.
Most Popular Post of 2015: The Haunted Playground by Shaun Tan
Most Neglected Post of 2015: I'm back!
Best Discovery: Kindle App for Android (It's so much better than my shitty Kindle. I can actually bear to read ebooks now!)
Completed Goals and Challenges: See above!
#1 Priority Book(s) of 2016: Zombies: More Recent Dead by Paula Guran, The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2014 by Paula Guran, & The Best Horror of the Year Volume 6 by Ellen Datlow
Most Anticipated Non-Debut: The Tiara on the Terrace (Young and Yang, #2) by Kristen Kittscher
Most Anticipated Debut: The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary