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December Wrap-Up and MY FIRST BLOGOVERSARY! (and a Giveaway!)

Another year come and gone! And it just so happens to be the first year of my blog! That's right - Lost in My Library is one year old!

Wow, that felt really weird to type. I've had this blog for a year. And what a year it's been. Globally, it's been 2016. (Which has been a disaster in and of itself, and I don't think I need to elaborate.) Personally, I finished high school and moved across the country to start college. And throughout that, I've been more-or-less consistently posting my various bookish thoughts here.

So to celebrate my blogoversary, I'm doing a giveaway of any of my top ten books of 2016! (Under $15 US, which I think just excludes The Marvels - I'd love to be able to give that away, but Brian Selznick books are too pricey for me right now.) It's international as long as The Book Depository ships to you, and you can enter at the bottom of the post.

December's been quite the interesting month. I finished my first semester of college! I haven't gotten my grades yet, but I'm pretty sure that I did well on all my finals, which is good. I nearly missed my flight home because of ridiculous security lines, but I made it and I'm home safely now. Consisdering how busy I've been, I think I've had a pretty great reading month.
THE BOOKS 

MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME by Stephanie Perkins: What a perfect way to get into the holiday season! These stories were pretty hit or miss for me, but there were a few that I absolutely adored, especially the ones by Stephanie Perkins and Gayle Forman. It's a great holiday read! ★★★

THE PROFESSOR'S HOUSE by Willa Cather: This was required for my America in 1925 class, and it's probably my least favorite thing we've read all year. It was beautifully written, but there was nothing to really keep me invested. ★★

EVER THE HUNTED by Erin Summerill (Clash of Kingdoms #1): This was a really fun fantasy read! It was pretty predictable, which was disappointing, but it reminded me of a lot of other books that I like, which is a good thing. You can read my full review here. ★★★★

SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows #1): After what seemed like a million years, my holds on this duology at the library finally came in! And WOW, do I get the hype. Fantastically built fantasy world + squad goals + mind-blowing heist plot = amazing book. ★★★★★

CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows #2): I'll admit that I didn't like this one quite as much as the first, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't incredible! And I think it might have destroyed me a bit more. ★★★★★

THE LITTLE GRUMPY CAT THAT WOULDN'T: I picked this up as part of my mom's Chanukah present, but I couldn't resist reading it myself before I gave it to her. It was so cute! Pretty much what I'd expect from a Grumpy Cat book, but good nonetheless. ★★★

MANSFIELD PARK by Jane Austen: This was the monthly read for the Austentatious Book Club, and after being thoroughly disappointed by EMMA last month, I was glad to find that I enjoyed this one much more. It got a bit repetitive and dragged at times, but I loved the characters. ★★★★

A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness: I don't even know what to say about this. I knew from when I started it that it was going to break my heart, but I severely underestimated the extent to which it was going to do so. I was definitely sobbing by the end. I really don't think I'm going to see the movie in theaters, just because I know I'd bawl my eyes out and I don't think I can handle that. On an unrelated note to my emotions, the illustrations were absolutely stunning. ★★★★★

Reread this month (and last month):
  • SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by Becky Albertalli: I completely forgot to put my rereads in my wrap-up last month! So we have two months of rereads in this one. I reread SIMON VS about a week after the election and it made me so happy. I really needed a book like that. ★★★★★
  • THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Another one that I reread last month! This was the second time I've been required to read this book, and good news - I still love it! I feel like I could read this a million times and still get something new out of it every single time. ★★★★★
  • HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE by J.K. Rowling: Onto December now. This was my second time participating in Harry Christmas to You, the month-long read-a-watch-a-long-a-thon of Harry Potter books and movies, and I decided to reread the entire series! I'm pretty sure this is my fourth time reading it. It took some serious cramming in at the end of the month, but I managed. This was just as magical as I remembered. ★★★★★
  • HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS by J.K. Rowling: This used to be my least favorite Harry Potter book, but every time I reread it, it grows on me. I was completely sucked in this time, and it might have moved up a notch in my Harry Potter ranking! ★★★★★
  • HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN by J.K. Rowling: My favorite! I really love this one, and rereading it again only made me love it more. ★★★★★
  • HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE by J.K. Rowling: My second favorite Harry Potter book! And it's a very, very close second. I barely noticed how much longer this one was than the first three because I was loving it so much! ★★★★★
  • HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX by J.K. Rowling: I forgot so much about this book since the last time I read it! Definitely worth the reread. ★★★★★
  • HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE by J.K. Rowling: This is another one that I forgot a lot of - it's probably my least favorite Harry Potter book, but that doesn't mean I didn't love it! ★★★★★
  • HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS by J.K. Rowling: As of this post going up, I haven't finished this reread yet, but I'm confident that I'm going to finish it today. It's such an amazing conclusion to an incredible series. (Cursed Child? What's that?) ★★★★★
READING STATS
  • Total books: 8 new, 7 rereads
  • Longest book: CROOKED KINGDOM, 536 pages
  • Shortest book: THE LITTLE GRUMPY CAT THAT WOULDN'T, 24 pages
  • Favorite book: SIX OF CROWS
  • Least favorite book: THE PROFESSOR'S HOUSE
  • Diverse books: 3 (MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME, SIX OF CROWS, and CROOKED KINGDOM)
  • Comics/Graphic Novels/Picture Books: 1 (THE LITTLE GRUMPY CAT THAT WOULDN'T)
BLOG POSTS
GIVEAWAY TIME!
For a list of the books you can choose, click here. A couple of minor points about the giveaway:
  • A few of the books on my list are sequels, so I'm also open to giving away the first books in each of those series.
  • I unfortunately couldn't find anywhere that sells a new copy of THE MARVELS for less than $15, but if you win and you really want that one, I'll see what I can do about giving you a $15 gift card to contribute to that. I haven't looked into it yet, so I'm not completely sure how that would work, but it's an option!
 
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How was your 2016? Did you have a good reading year? A good blogging year? What were some of your favorite books? Tell me in the comments!
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Comments

  1. Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction AddictionDecember 31, 2016 at 9:23 AM

    First of all, happy, happy, happy blogoversary!! Your first year is quite an accomplishment!

    I really want to read A Monster Calls, and your comments here make me even more eager. I need to see the movie, but I've got to read it first!

    Feel free to link this and your year-end wrap-ups to the Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SkyDecember 31, 2016 at 9:32 AM

      I'm the one that made her read A Monster Calls. You NEEEDDDDD to read it. It will absolutely destroy you, but you'll love every minute of it. SOOOO good.

      Delete
    2. ClaraDecember 31, 2016 at 12:07 PM

      Thanks - I can't believe it's been a year!

      A Monster Calls was so good. It's just so beautifully written that it sucks you in, and it fits so much into such a small book. And Sky's right - it will probably destroy you.

      Delete
  2. CillaDecember 31, 2016 at 2:12 PM

    Happy first blogoversary Clara! That's so exciting, and it seems that you've had a great year of blogging and reading. Also, I'm glad you made it home safely - I hope you're enjoying your time there before you have to go back to college! I haven't read A Monster Calls, but I've made plans to go to an advanced screening in January. Based on your comments, it seems like I'll have to stock up on tissues for it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraDecember 31, 2016 at 6:33 PM

      Thanks! Being home is good - really, I think I've missed my cat more than anything, and I'm really sad I can't take her with me and just have her live in my dorm room! And absolutely stock up on tissues for A Monster Calls. I can't even imagine how much more I would cry actually seeing it instead of just reading it!

      Delete
  3. Adalyn @ Glittering ReadsJanuary 1, 2017 at 1:51 PM

    YAY! Congrats on one year! My True Love Gave to Me is such a cute book, but it wasn't the best. I think I gave it three stars, too? Sadly I didn't like Ever the Hunted. I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKED SIX OF CROWS! Those are my favorite books EVER :D I still have to read Simon vs. though. Happy New Year's, Clara!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraJanuary 1, 2017 at 2:19 PM

      Thanks!! My True Love Gave to Me is a lot like other anthologies that I've read in that I either LOVE the stories or I just don't care about them. Overall, though, it was a really good holiday read. How could I NOT like Six of Crows?? It was so amazing! I'm so glad I finally read it, but now I'm sad that it's over. And you NEED to read Simon Vs.! It was my favorite book of 2015. It was so cute and perfect and everything I could have possibly hoped for.

      Delete
  4. Dena @ Batch of BooksJanuary 6, 2017 at 6:13 PM

    Happy blogoversary!

    I haven't read, but really want to read, Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, and A Monster Calls. Especially before the AMC movie comes out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraJanuary 8, 2017 at 4:01 PM

      Thanks! I LOVED all three of those, so I hope you enjoy them when you get to them!

      Delete
  5. Becky BakerJanuary 8, 2017 at 1:06 AM

    Happy blogoversary, has it really been a year? That's very impressive considering you've had big changes like going to college! I read My True Love Gave To Me a couple of years ago and isn't just so nice? It's got some stories I didn't like as much, but some of them are just fab which makes up for it. The Laini Taylor one at the end was just perfect, I wanted more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraJanuary 8, 2017 at 4:02 PM

      Thanks - I can't believe it's been a year! I really liked Laini Taylor's story in My True Love Gave to Me, but I was kind of confused by the ending and I really wish it had been longer. I want to know more about that world!

      Delete
  6. Kit @ Metaphors and MoonlightJanuary 8, 2017 at 9:46 PM

    Happy blogoversary! And congrats on finishing your first semester of college! That's impressive that you managed to keep your blog going even while moving across the country and starting college. That Grumpy Cat book looks hilarious, haha, and Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite HP book too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraJanuary 9, 2017 at 2:14 PM

      Thanks! I definitely struggled a bit with my blogging schedule in the college transition, but I'm back on track now! (Well, mostly.) The Grumpy Cat book was pretty funny, and so cute! I'm really glad I found it.

      Delete
  7. Danielle H.January 25, 2017 at 7:57 AM

    Congrats on one year and on finishing your first semester! I hope I like Ever the Hunted as I received this as a gift (the cover is gorgeous!). I think I'm going to pick up a Monster Calls based on your notes here and read the book instead of heading to the theater (I'm more a book person than TV/movies anyway). Grumpy Cat is so cute. My first cat was part long-hair Persian and always looked grumpy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraJanuary 25, 2017 at 6:25 PM

      Thanks! I know people have had a lot of mixed feelings about Ever the Hunted, but I think it's a fun read. And I'm really glad you're going to read A Monster Calls! I've heard that the movie is great, but I think the book is almost always better.

      Delete

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