2015 YEAR-END REVIEW: Gaby

It’s that time of the year! When we review 2015’s reading experience…

GABY

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR: 

“Sutphin Boulevard” by Santino Hassell

There’s something incredibly attractive about gritty and real characters that live like anyone else does. I mean, the struggles and the difficulties that they have to go by. The little things that they encounter day by day and have to fight with. I could feel Michael’s pain,and his struggle. I understood his fears and the things that held him back. And I adored Nunzio and his very one of a kind type of unconditional love. But what I loved the most about this book was that there was no knight in shinning armor. Michael is his own savior. While Nunzio is a big part of this, in the end it was Michael himself who put an end to what needed to be ended and found his way out. Nunzio was always there, waiting, hoping, holding his hand, and trusting. I think that in RL we save ourselves. I think that there is no way that other person can get our head out of our ass if we don’t want to. We are our true heroes. If we’re lucky enough to share that ride with someone like Nunzio, well, then, that’s a double win, y’know?

4.5 & 5 STAR BOOKS READ IN 2015:

UNDERHYPED BOOK OF THE YEAR

(Why haven’t more people read this?):

I have a few for this. One is Mocker Of Ravens, by Jordan L. Hawk, which, in any case should go hand by hand with the first series: SPECTRE. I simply found this series to be AMAZNG. I still have a demon crush on Grey, after all this time. *sigh*

Another one is Spell Bound by Jacob Z. Flores (and the whole series so far, really). The magic element is wonderful, and I love the world he created.

This is not a 2015 release, but, I think more people need to read Mnevermind by Jordan Castillo Price. She’s a brilliant writer, and she always writes fantastic and super original stories, but this one is my favorite by her. The writing is beautiful and the characters are beautiful.

OVERHYPED BOOK OF THE YEAR

(What’s all the fuss about?):

I think that for me that would have to be Pent Up by Damon Suede. I waited so long for it, and then when I read it, I found myself struggling with it. And the thing is, this is NOT a bad book, but the overhype made my expectations go up and dance on the clouds, so when I read it, it wasn’t quite what I expected it to be.

BEST SURPRISE OF THE YEAR

(didn’t know what to expect or the story caught you off guard or anything that just…surprised you…):

I think that for this one it would be two surprises. The first one is Sunset Park, by Santino Hassell. See, I am used to gritty Santino. I am used to a painfully addictive amount of angst, and reading something that was so easy, and that the flow was pretty much uncomplicated (for Santino, anyway), was an extremely pleasant surprise. The book has a lovely easy banter between the MCs and it’s simply fantastic. And… um… sexy.

The second one would be Keira Andrew’s Gay Amish Romance Series (yes, all three of them). You see, I generally don’t do well with books with a religious focus, but I was so very surprised to have loved this. The chemistry between the MCs is just beautiful, and everything in the books came across clean, and clear in a simple way that I loved.

AUTO-BUY AUTHORS

(I’d buy anything these authors write, without a doubt):

In no particular order:

Jordan Castillo Price
Santino Hassell
Jordan L. Hawk
GB Gordon
Ais
Joanna Chambers
TJ Klune
Jay Northcote
Eli Easton
Aleksandr Voinov

MY READING EXPERIENCE IN 2015:

Ah… This year was… Like a roller coaster, I guess. There was just too much going on everywhere and hitting me in and from every direction. Both RL and Online life became a bit of a mess and at some point it became difficult to take it all and stand up.

I made wonderful friends this year, and became closer to those that I was already friends with. It wasn’t all perfect. I spent many days feeling down and… yeah, well, sad. It took a lot to get up and try to go on and decide that changes needed to be done so I could get better. I realized that I needed to prioritize things, and avoid losing focus of what truly matters.

All of this affected my reading journey. At times I didn’t feel like reading at all, but as usual, once I picked up a book I got totally lost in it and it was all good again. I think this was something that was in repeat mode for half of the year. Books saved me though. Whoever says that books do not save people, need to come and have a chat with me.

Thanks to the blog I got to discover fantastic authors and books. Some of those stories hit me so hard, and deep, that became a part of me. That is the beauty of reading. Not only do we get to travel to different places, and live different lives, but we get to make them ours in a way. If I find a book that speaks to me, that book is sure to stay in my heart for a long time. So, as a reader, I’d like to thank all those wonderful authors that put all of themselves in the stories they write so we can read them and live them. Your job is very appreciated. THANK YOU.

As part of a community to which I’m still new to, I think I grew up a lot. There was so much going on. And sometimes it was painful to see, and difficult to grasp. But all of that helped me grow. I think that when I first came here, I wasn’t very aware of a lot of things that I am now. Or maybe I was, but I wasn’t sure how to help. Or even if I could. Seeing so many authors stand together and fight for what’s right was extremely inspring. It wasn’t always pretty, no. But I guess that when you fight for the truth and for what it should be it isn’t always pretty. The journey, I mean. All of those voices of bloggers, readers, writers, played a huge part in my year, and unknowingly contributed to who I am today. A bit broken. A bit lost. A bit confused about trying to find my own voice, and my own role (if I have one), but everything I’ve read has helped me see. And has made me aware of myself. And for that, I am very grateful.

What I’m looking forward to in my 2016 reading journey:

I’m hoping for the best. I’m hoping for a year full of awesome. I’m hoping for enriching experiences and meeting more amazing people. I’m hoping for more love and understanding. I’m hoping for more people sharing their happiness and their dreams. I’m hoping to see my friends succeed and be every bit of awesome that they already are.

I’m hoping to be surprised again. I’m hoping to see a community that grows stronger, and where we all walk in the same direction.

I’m hoping for brilliant stories. For characters that will show me a part of myself and will amaze me because of that. I’m hoping to add 2847382 book boyfriends to my list, and another 827293743 book girlfriends too.

Peace and love for everyone – did I just pull a Cliché here? Ugh… Well, I don’t care… Peace and love are timeless. They never go out of style ;)

Happy New Year, y’all. May the next year bring the best for each one of you. Thank you for being part of this experience.

About Gaby

Mexican. Caffeine addict. Book lover. Early mornings enemy. Wanna be cook.

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