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2015 End of Year Book Survey

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It’s that time of the year again!

2015 READING STATS

NUMBER OF BOOKS YOU READ.
Ninety-one (this number includes comic issues, volumes, etc).

NUMBER OF REREADS.
Sixteen.

GENRE YOU READ THE MOST FROM.
Fantasy all the fucking way! Also, way more sci-fi than ever before which makes me very happy.
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2014 End of Year Book Survey

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A survey by Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner

2014 READING STATS

NUMBER OF BOOKS YOU READ.
Currently reading my seventieth book.
NUMBER OF REREADS.
Three (Angelfall by Susan Ee, Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas).
GENRE YOU READ THE MOST FROM.
Fantasy which is surprising because I usually read (and love) YA contemporary more. But then again, I’ve been obsessed with fantasy as of late.

BEST IN BOOKS

I. BEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2014?
I don’t know, man I’m really torn between Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater and Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. I’m choosing both.
II. BOOK YOU WERE EXCITED ABOUT AND THOUGHT YOU’D LOVE BUT DIDN’T?
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I downright loathed the main characters and the plot just made me so smad (sad + mad).
III. MOST SURPRISING (IN A GOOD OR BAD WAY) BOOK YOU READ IN 2014?
Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu. I thought it’ll be same-old, same-old but it explores so many themes from cheating to bullying and secrets. I only have good things to say about this one.
IV. BOOK YOU ‘PUSHED’ THE MOST PEOPLE TO READ (AND THEY DID) IN 2014?
It’s a tie among Vicious by V. E. Schwab, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater and Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I feel victorious.
V. BEST SERIES YOU STARTED IN 2014? BEST SEQUEL OF 2014? BEST SERIES ENDER OF 2014?
Best series I started this year is definitely Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff because it’s so damn good.
Best sequel has to be Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor because so dark (and Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater and Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas).
Best series ender is Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo because so much awesome.
VI. FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR YOU DISCOVERED IN 2014?
Jay Kristoff because Stormdancer made my heart weep.
VII. BEST BOOK FROM A GENRE YOU DON’T TYPICALLY READ/WAS OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE?
Out of the three comic books I managed to read this year, I loved The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1, The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie so hard.
VIII. MOST ACTION-PACKED/THRILLING/UNPUTDOWNABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR?
World After by Susan Ee. I finished it in a day so hell yeah, it was all of the above.
IX. BOOK YOU READ IN 2014 THAT YOU ARE MOST LIKELY TO RE-READ NEXT YEAR?
World After by Susan Ee, Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas and Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater (these two books, man).
X. FAVORITE COVER OF A BOOK YOU READ IN 2014?
I love the cover of Since You’ve Been Gone because it’s so summery and the fonts are fabulous. The cover of The Half Life of Molly Pierce is just so artsy which I love. I still don’t know who that is on the cover of Blue Lily, Lily Blue but I love it so hard anyway.

XI. MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTER OF 2014?
The heir of ash and fire who would fucking bow to no one AKA Celaena Sardothien.
XII. MOST BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK YOU READ IN 2014?
The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno. Dude, that book has words so fucking amazing.
XIII. MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING/LIFE-CHANGING BOOK OF 2014?
Falling into Place by Amy Zhang. The book will make you tear up because it’s about life and cuts really, really deep.
XIV. BOOK YOU CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WAITED UNTIL 2014 TO FINALLY READ?
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline because I always thought it wouldn’t live up to my love for sci-fi but it did and yes.
XV. FAVORITE PASSAGE/QUOTE FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2014?
I’m such a quote lover so here are three.

‘I know when I’m awake and when I’m asleep,’ Ronan Lynch said.
Adam Parrish, curled over himself in a pair of battered, greasy coveralls, asked, ‘Do you?’
‘Maybe I dreamt you,’ he said.
‘Thanks for the straight teeth, then,’ Adam replied. – Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

‘I somehow knew that the particulars didn’t matter. She was my heart, she was half of me, and nothing, certainly not a few measly hundred miles, was ever going to change that.’ – Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

‘Fireheart – why do you cry?’
Because I am lost,’ she whispered onto the earth. ‘And I do not know the way.’ – Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

XVI. SHORTEST AND LONGEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2014?
A whopping 625 pages of Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylot and only 18 pages of The Tailor by Leigh Bardugo because I got curious about Genya (and the Darkling was mentioned so, obvs).
XVII. BOOK THAT SHOCKED YOU THE MOST?
The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1, The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie and all because of Lucifer and that ending!
XVIII. OTP OF THE YEAR (YOU WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP!)
PYNCH. (Ronan, please tell me that you dreamt Adam for reals).
XIX. FAVORITE NON-ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP OF THE YEAR?
Rowan and Celeana because damn, that’s some intense friendship/soul mating.

XX. FAVORITE BOOK YOU READ IN 2014 FROM AN AUTHOR YOU’VE READ PREVIOUSLY?
Well, I don’t think you have to guess the answer to this. Still, The Assassin’s Blade and Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas and Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater.
XXI. BEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2014 THAT YOU READ BASED SOLELY ON A RECOMMENDATION FROM SOMEBODY ELSE?
Asti, Aditi and Fahima pushed Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff on me until I read (and abso-fucking-lutely loved) it.
XXII. NEW FICTIONAL CRUSH FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2014?
STURMHOND. He be so witty and heart-breaking.

XXIII. BEST 2014 DEBUT YOU READ?
Falling into Place by Amy Zhang and The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno.

XXIV. MOST WORLD-BUILDING/MOST VIVID SETTING YOU READ THIS YEAR?
The world of Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas is so vast and breathtaking. I don’t know how she does it. Also, the world of Penryn & End of Days series by Susan Ee is pretty vivid and gruesome and I love it.
XXV. BOOK THAT PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE/WAS THE MOST FUN TO READ?
Just One Night by Gayle Forman. I didn’t even know I needed the feels until I read it.
XXVI. BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY OR NEARLY CRY IN 2014?
That would be a lot (I guess binge-reading series will do that to you). Falling into Place by Amy Zhang, Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff.
XXVII. HIDDEN GEM OF THE YEAR?
More people need to read Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu.

XXVIII. BOOK THAT CRUSHED YOUR SOUL?
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas and to think that Maas says book 4 is the darkest so far. WHAT.

XXIX. MOST UNIQUE BOOK YOU READ IN 2014?
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz which made me realize that I need to include more LGBT books to my to-read list.

XXX. BOOK THAT MADE YOU THE MOST MAD?
Talker 25 by Joshua McCune. Such an infuriating book whyyy.

BLOGGING/BOOKISH LIFE

I. NEW FAVORITE BOOK BLOG YOU DISCOVERED IN 2014?
I’ve discovered so many it’s hard to choose! So I’m not going to.
II. FAVORITE REVIEW THAT YOU WROTE IN 2014?
My review of Vicious by V. E. Schwab which I read in 2013 and am still not over how good the book is.
III. BEST DISCUSSION/NON-REVIEW YOU HAD ON YOUR BLOG?
Most popular discussion was about absent mothers and the female bildungsroman followed by YA adventures in parts (which is basically a discussion about duologies and trilogies).
IV. BEST EVENT THAT YOU PARTICIPATED IN?
I loved taking part in bout of books both times this year; it’s always such a fun event!
V. BEST MOMENT OF BOOKISH/BLOGGING LIFE IN 2014?
I rediscovered instagram and went from full-time instagrammer and part-time bookstagrammer to part-time instagrammer and full-time bookstagrammer. That was hard to type.

VI. MOST POPULAR POST THIS YEAR ON YOUR BLOG?
An electronic playlist. I love me some music. Most popular bookish post was about discovering the tag and browse features of Edelweiss.
VII. POST YOU WISHED GOT A LITTLE MORE LOVE?
All of my discussion posts because I love all the different perspectives!
VIII. BEST BOOKISH DISCOVERY?
Book photography on Instagram! I love it and I love looking at book photos.
IX. DID YOU COMPLETE ANY READING CHALLENGES OR GOALS THAT YOU HAD SET FOR YOURSELF AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR?
Well, I was supposed to read 80 books this year and I’m close to finishing my 70th book. I call that success.

LOOKING AHEAD

I. ONE BOOK YOU DIDN’T GET TO IN 2014 BUT WILL BE YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN 2015?
All the books by Brandon Sanderson, yes.

II. 2015 NON-DEBUT YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING?
The fourth book in Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

III. 2015 DEBUT YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING?
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh which is a somewhat retelling One Thousand and One Arabian Nights.

IV. SERIES ENDING/A SEQUEL YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING IN 2015?
The Raven Cycle #4 by Maggie Stiefvater (!!!), Lion Heart by A. C. Gaughen and End of Days by Susan Ee. Eeep.

V. ONE THING YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH OR DO IN YOUR READING/BLOGGING IN 2015?
I hate that I’ve become so lazy when it comes to writing reviews so I want to change that and I want write more posts instead of just letting the ideas rot in Google Keep.
VI. A 2015 RELEASE YOU’VE ALREADY READ AND RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE? 
I read a 150-page preview of A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab which is as awesome as the title suggests. Also, I’m currently reading Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge and I think it’s a great book!

2013 End of Year Book Survey

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A survey by Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner

BEST IN BOOKS 2013


BEST BOOK OF 2013?
Vicious by V. E. Schwab. A genius, vicious book. Who needs pretty heroes when there are villains with beautiful brains?
BOOK YOU WERE EXCITED ABOUT AND THOUGHT YOU’D LOVE BUT DIDN’T?
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. I’d heard way too many good things about it that I was sure I’d love it but it fell flat for me. George is adorable and Tim is the best of My Life Next Door so I’m pretty excited about his book, The Boy Most Likely To, despite the fact that it’s set to release in 2015.

MOST SURPRISING (IN A GOOD WAY) BOOK OF 2013?
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. This went from what-a-pretty-sight to will-someone-tell-me-what-is-even-happening?! So good.

BOOK YOU RECOMMENDED TO PEOPLE MOST IN 2013?
This one, of course.

BEST SERIES YOU DISCOVERED IN 2013?
Romitri, Pynch and Chaolena which basically means Vampire Academy, The Raven Cycle and Throne of Glass.

FAVORITE AUTHORS YOU DISCOVERED IN 2013?

I made a list of top thirteen authors from which Maggie Stiefvater and Sarah J Mass are at the top.

BEST BOOK THAT WAS OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE OR A NEW GENRE FOR YOU?
Not really out of my comfort zone, but the writing of The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness really set it apart from the books I usually read.
MOST THRILLING, UNPUTDOWNABLE BOOK IN 2013?
All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. My heart was yell-beating throughout the book.

BOOK YOU READ IN 2013 THAT YOU ARE MOST LIKELY TO RE-READ NEXT YEAR:
Divergent by Veronica Roth because it is one hell of a what-did-just-happen book because nervous about Insurgent and Allegiant.

FAVORITE COVER OF A BOOK YOU READ IN 2013?

MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTER IN 2013?
Victor Vale, genius extraordinaire, master of revenge and incredibly devoted.

MOST BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK READ IN 2013?
Golden by Jessi Kirby. I can quote the whole book because the words are so pretty.

BOOK THAT HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOU IN 2013?

Just One Day by Gayle Forman because Allyson is so lost sometimes which happens to the best of us and that’s the beauty of it all.

BOOK YOU CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WAITED UNTIL 2013 TO FINALLY READ?
Probably Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead because Romitri’s the endgame and I would’ve loved to have discovered them earlier. Still, I ship ’em hard.

FAVORITE QUOTE FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2012?

Gansey, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

SHORTEST AND LONGEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2013?
584 pages of Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead and 13 pages of Free Four by Veronica Roth.

BOOK THAT HAD A SCENE IN IT THAT HAD YOU REELING AND DYING TO TALK TO SOMEBODY ABOUT IT?
The birthday scene in Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. Thankfully, I had Eve to talk about it with. Just so you all know, I died countless times reading it.

FAVORITE RELATIONSHIP FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2013.
Ronan and Chainsaw because just look at those two.

Source: cassandrajp

FAVORITE BOOK YOU READ IN 2012 FROM AN AUTHOR YOU READ PREVIOUSLY.
Uprising by Jessica Therrien. I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Oppression because mythology.

BEST BOOK YOU READ THAT YOU READ BASED SOLELY ON A RECOMMENDATION FROM SOMEBODY ELSE:

Vicious by V. E. Schwab which I loved thanks a ton to Brilliant Eve (even though I mention it to her once a week which clearly isn’t enough). (I know you’re flipping your hair, Eve).

GENRE YOU READ THE MOST FROM IN 2013?

YA contemporary because I’m a contemporary girl.

NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH FROM A BOOK YOU’VE READ IN 2013?
Dimitri Belikov because of his beautiful, beautiful words and his deadly, deadly looks.

Victor Vale because the guy’s crazy set on revenge and plays with death.
Prince Kai because well, he’s just so wonderful.
Ronan Lynch because he fist slams first and thinks (and dreams) later. Feeding Chainsaw, racing cars and having OJ at 3 am are his way of a good time.
Chaol Westfall because even though he’s the epitome of moodiness, he sucks it up when he absolutely has to.

BEST 2013 DEBUT I’VE READ?
Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis. Shit, this book’s so good.

MOST VIVID WORLD/IMAGERY IN A BOOK YOU’VE READ IN 2013?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. So very realistic and so very vivid.

BOOK THAT WAS THE MOST FUN TO READ IN 2013?

Between Caymen’s sarcasm and Xander’s coffee-bringing-routine, The Distance Between Us by Kasie West is a fun book.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY/NEARLY CRY IN 2013?
I had a hard time dealing the ending of Shadow Kiss and then the ending of Crown of Midnight was all, no wait, please don’t leave me like this.

BOOK YOU READ IN 2013 THAT YOU THINK GOT OVERLOOKED THIS YEAR OR WHEN IT CAME OUT?

Not exactly overlooked but it is not such a known book when it comes to contemporaries. So I want everyone to read This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales to know what music and Elise are all about.

BOOK BLOGGING/READING LIFE IN 2013


NEW FAVORITE BOOK BLOG YOU DISCOVERED IN 2013?
Well, I discovered a ton and I’m not kidding. I have to mention Eve’s PaperGrey, Asti’s A Bookish Heart, Reem’s I Read and Tell and Hannah’s So Obsessed With.

FAVORITE REVIEW THAT YOU WROTE IN 2013?
Probably my review of Golden by Jessi Kirby because the book do more than just tell a story.

BEST DISCUSSION YOU HAD ON YOUR BLOG?
I posted a discussion about love triangles and how they can and do hurt and it turned out to be pretty popular.

MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING REVIEW OR DISCUSSION YOU READ ON SOMEBODY ELSE’S BLOG?
A lot. The one I remember is Reem’s blogpost on The Different Types of Villains. It is snarky and fun.

BEST EVENT THAT YOU PARTICIPATED IN?
Sci-Fi Month hosted by Rinn in November. So much science fiction and I loved every bit of it.

BEST MOMENT OF BOOK BLOGGING IN 2013?
All my Twitter talks about books with bookish people. Best moments ever.

MOST POPULAR POST THIS YEAR ON YOUR BLOG?
I posted a top ten list of sci-fi covers redesigns that I want to see in print which io9 featured on their website which is why it got 2569 views. Um wow, self.

POST YOU WISHED GOT A LITTLE MORE LOVE?
My interview with Lauren Miller because it goes to show just how much work an author puts in their book. So proud of how Parallel came to be.

BEST BOOKISH DISCOVERY?
Vicious trading cards and how Victoria Schwab offered to send them to me because she’s awesome and because they depict the characters perfectly.

DID YOU COMPLETE ANY READING CHALLENGES OR GOALS THAT YOU HAD SET FOR YOURSELF AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR?
Can I just say no and get it over with? Okay then.

LOOKING AHEAD…


BOOK YOU DIDN’T GET TO IN 2013 BUT WILL BE YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN 2014?
It’s actually The Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo and this is the first series I plan to start in 2014.

2014 NON-DEBUT YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING?
The third books in Throne of Glass and The Raven Cycle series

2014 DEBUT YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING?
The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno because suspense and dissociative identity disorder.

SERIES ENDING YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING IN 2014?

Two words: MARA. DYER.

ONE THING YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH OR DO IN YOUR READING/BLOGGING IN 2014.
Read 100 books (this will be my fourth year of hoping) and be more creative with any feature that I do on the blog.

A to Z Book Survey

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Jamie, from The Perpetual Page-Turner, does it again! She came up with a fun book survey and I’ve been wanting to take part in it ever since I came across it. So here I am.

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Sidney Sheldon. 18 books. I went through this phase when I was probably too young to read his books but I did anyway because I loved them (and still do) so I had to read every last one of them. Naturally.

Best sequel ever:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, the whole book was such a mindfuck  and I wasn’t expecting to go all crazy eyes when I read the last line. I still got the chills.

Currently Reading:

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard. There’s a whole book club going on which is just awesome. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick and Where It Began by Ann Stampler.
Yes, I’m the queen of reading three books at a time but I’d be lucky if I don’t get the urge to pick a fourth one. Go me.

Drink of choice while reading:

Chai tea. Whenever I do feel like having something to drink.

E-reader or Physical book?

Physical! But I don’t mind e-readers.

Fictional character you probably would have dated in high school:
Trevor from Pivot Point by Kasie West. He’s artsy, a little bit of a net, mysterious and just all around someone who I’d have loved to go out with.

Glad you gave this book a chance:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Hidden gem book:
Take Me There by Carolee Dean. I discovered it on a whim, decided to read it and fell in love with it.

Important moment in your reading life:
When I discovered Living Social: Books. It shut down back in 2011 which is why I had to join Goodreads (unwillingly) but it was so great to finally have a bookish platform.

Just finished:
Heist Society by Ally Carter. I’m glad I read this book; it’s good to be goal-oriented.

Kinds of books you won’t read:

I don’t like books that dabble in religion. So not my thing.

Longest book you’ve read:
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. It was more than a 1000 pages long and I was fifteen when I read it.

Major book hangover because of:

Divergent by Veronica Roth. Seriously, the adventurous me goes crazy over all those things. Divergent makes me want to become an adrenaline junkie. Also, Just One Day by Gayle Forman.

Number of bookcases you own:
Bookcases? More like 2 shelves and each cannot hold more than 10 books. I never actually had a proper shelf (there’s this L-shaped huge bookcase that’s always been in the home but I got tired of it fast). But since I moved after doing my BSc I’ve been planning on getting one built. It is going to look beautiful. Oh yes.

One book you have read multiple times:
French Kiss by Sarra Manning. It’s been a long time since I read it last but I was so addicted to it!

Preferred place to read:

My bed. Or my orange beanbag.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:
I’m going to go with a quote from Take Me There by Carolee Dean: “How far can you go down the wrong path before you can’t get back on the right one?” I had tears in my eyes when I read this line, it just broke my heart. Oh, Dylan… Needless to say, I love that book to pieces.

Reading regret:
That I discovered the book blogging so late! But it happened when it was supposed to so I’m fine.

Series you started and need to finish (all books are out in series):
The Matched trilogy by Ally Condie. I’ve yet to read Reached and while, I liked Crossed a lot I’m not that excited for it which is weird.

Three of your all-time favorite books:
I can’t, I just can’t narrow it down to just three because I feel like I’m betraying the others. But oh well. Okay. Take Me There by Carolee Dean, Just One Day by Gayle Forman and Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon.

Unapologetic fangirl for:

Just One Day by Gayle Forman. I can’t even.

Very excited for this release more than all the others:

Just One Year by Gayle Forman. Seriously, give me it.

Worst bookish habit:

Worst bookish habit? You mean I have a worse and a bad one, too? Nah, I’m perfect.

X marks the spot. Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Since all my books are stacked on top each other right now, I got Speechless by Hanna Harrington (which I haven’t read as yet, oops).

Your latest book purchase:
I bought six books last month: If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman, Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, Inferno by Dan Brown and Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis.

Zzz-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):
Just One Day by Gayle Forman. Sigh.

So, do I pass the a to z test? Let me know ha. Also, if you’ve participated in the survey, leave a link. If not, join in the fun!

2012 End of Year Book Survey

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A survey by Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner.

BEST IN BOOKS 2012


BEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2012?
As a reader it’s always hard to choose just one and as a human being it’s impossible. So here how I cheated on the question based on the genres I read most this year.
BOOK YOU WERE EXCITED ABOUT AND THOUGHT YOU’D LOVE BUT DIDN’T?
Silver by Talia Vance, I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t connect to the characters or feel for them in any way unfortunately.

MOST SURPRISING (IN A GOOD WAY) BOOK OF 2012?
Through to You by Emily Hainsworths. I really thought this would be an okay read but the writing as well as the simplistic story took me by surprise and I fell in love with it.

BOOK YOU RECOMMENDED TO PEOPLE MOST IN 2012?

Take Me There by Carolee Dean because it is my favorite book. I just love Dylan Dawson and his story just breaks my heart and puts it together every time I read the book. I also recommended Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry a lot because you just can’t live without ever knowing the Noah Hutchkins and her siren, Echo Emerson.

BEST SERIES YOU DISCOVERED IN 2012?

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Duh.

FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR YOU DISCOVERED IN 2012?

Katie McGarry is definitely a favorite of mine even though I have to read more than a book to decide that. I also completely love Suzanne Collins and John Green is a pretty good author as well. Ada Adams is super talented and awesome, I adore her and her books. Heather Ostler and Jessica Therrien are both awesome authors who write kickass books.

BEST BOOK THAT WAS OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE OR A NEW GENRE FOR YOU?

This year I didn’t pick up much of those because I never felt like it but out of the ones I did, I guess it’d have to be Tundra 37 by Aubrie Dionne because I hardly ever read any sci-fi romance and the book really pulled me in.

MOST THRILLING, UNPUTDOWNABLE BOOK IN 2012?

ExtraNormal by Suze Reese because it had an alien among humans and I just wanted to know so bad what happens and how it will happen. Everything was live with an undercurrent of mystery and apprehensiveness and there were a lot of risks involved when it came to Mira’s job.

BOOK YOU READ IN 2012 THAT YOU ARE MOST LIKELY TO RE-READ NEXT YEAR.

A lot of them actually. I’ll definitely be reading The Hunger Games trilogy, The Fault in Our Stars, Pushing the Limits, From What I Remember…, Matched series and Angel Creek series.


FAVORITE COVER OF A BOOK YOU READ IN 2012?

MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTER IN 2012? 
Definitely Katniss Everdeen and Cinna from The Hunger Games trilogy, Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars, Noah Hutchkins and Echo Emerson from Pushing the Limits, Will Bixby from From What I Remember… and Anya Balanchine from All These Things I’ve Done. Freaking awesome characters.

MOST BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK READ IN 2012?

The bittersweet and dark prose of Pretty In Black by Rae Hachton was very engaging and a girl who hangs out in the cemetery? You just know it will be written beautifully and will be too good to ignore.


BOOK THAT HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOU IN 2012?

Even though I only read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green like two days ago, I know this book is going to stay with me for a long time.

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin also had a great impact on me because of the living conditions of Anya and what she goes through. It’s mind boggling-ly good.

BOOK YOU CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WAITED UNTIL 2012 TO FINALLY READ?

Definitely The Hunger Games trilogy even though I totally had to wait till 2012 because I wanted to read it in print and I couldn’t find it anywhere and when I did find it, I was so busy due to school and all. Sigh.

FAVORITE QUOTE FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2012?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (twatlantis)


SHORTEST AND LONGEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2012?

Longest book I read was From What I Remember… by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas with 480 pages. It’s surprising because I had so much fun reading it.
Shortest book I read was The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer. Even though it is only 46 pages long, it managed to leave an impact on me. I wish it was longer though.

BOOK THAT HAD A SCENE IN IT THAT HAD YOU REELING AND DYING TO TALK TO SOMEBODY ABOUT IT?

The ending of Catching Fire totally caught me by surprise. For a minute there, my mouth was literally hanging open.

FAVORITE RELATIONSHIP FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2012.

I loved the relationship between Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games trilogy, they are just inexplainably just so good together, they got each others’ backs and have a sense of each other’s needs better than their own. I also loved the relationship of Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars, they’re like the best couple ever. I want that for myself sigh.

FAVORITE BOOK YOU READ IN 2012 FROM AN AUTHOR YOU READ PREVIOUSLY.

I read a lot of books by debut and indie authors this year so I didn’t read much of book two and such. However, I loved Crossed by Ally Condie. I wasn’t blown away by Matched but Crossed made me feel all sorts of emotions and it had everything I love in a book. All the time I was hoping and praying that Cassia meets Ky but I wasn’t sure what will happen if they do and how it will all play out. 

BEST BOOK YOU READ THAT YOU READ BASED SOLELY ON A RECOMMENDATION FROM SOMEBODY ELSE:

Inbetween by Tara Fuller because of all the buzz on Twitter about bloggers loving it and I decided to check it out. It’s an amazing read and Finn is pretty swoon-worthy. 

BOOK BLOGGING/READING LIFE IN 2012

NEW FAVORITE BOOK BLOG YOU DISCOVERED IN 2012? 

I started last year in November so I discovered literally a couple hundreds book blogs and out of those I really love Ron’s Stories of my Life, Mandee’s Vegan YA Nerds, Elena’s Novel Sounds, Sam’s Realm of Fiction and Amelia’s The Authoress.

FAVORITE REVIEW THAT YOU WROTE IN 2012? 

I really loved my review of Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs because it just flowed out of my mind and onto the page.


BEST DISCUSSION YOU HAD ON YOUR BLOG?
Sadly, I haven’t had any. I suck.

MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING REVIEW OR DISCUSSION YOU READ ON SOMEBODY ELSE’S BLOG?

A lot! From the top of my head: Amy reviewed Flawed by Kate Avelynn on her blog and I just loved that review so much! Also Vicky’s review of In the Woods by Tana French was totally awesome, I loved her choice of words.

I read several on Anna’s blog Literary Exploration and I loved the one titled ARCs – What they are, how to get them, and what to do with them, it helped me a lot as a newbie blogger. Vicky also posts great discussions and I really liked her post titled Is Blogging Becoming a Popularity Contest?


BEST EVENT THAT YOU PARTICIPATED IN?
I participated in Armchair BEA and Bout of Books 5.0 this year. They were both pretty awesome events and I got to discover a lot of great bloggers.

BEST MOMENT OF BOOK BLOGGING IN 2012?
All the Twitter chats for Bout of Books 5.0 were awesome, I had a lot of fun tweeting about the books I was reading, having bookish discussions and getting to know other Book Bouters.

MOST POPULAR POST THIS YEAR ON YOUR BLOG?
My blogoversary post which got 1200+ views.

POST YOU WISHED GOT A LITTLE MORE LOVE?

All of them! Ha ha no, I just wish more people read my review of Take Me There by Carolee Dean and discover what an awesome book it is!


BEST BOOKISH DISCOVERY?

I discovered the third floor of a bookstore I had been visiting for years and it had YA books! I was shocked because there are never any YA books in my country except for the extremely popular ones like Twilight or Fallen series. I am so glad that now I can read more print books. I don’t mind eBooks but still yay!


DID YOU COMPLETE ANY READING CHALLENGES OR GOALS THAT YOU HAD SET FOR YOURSELF AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR?

I wanted to read 100 books but I got to read 87 so had to reduce my challenge to 85 ha ha. Other than that I finished the YA contemporary as well as the Stand Alone reading challenges.

LOOKING AHEAD…


BOOK YOU DIDN’T GET TO IN 2013 BUT WILL BE YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN 2014?

Get this: Before book blogging there were about a hundred books in my to-read shelf and today there are 500+. But from the top of my head I really want to read Delirium and Divergent series. I need moar dystopia nom nom nom.


BOOK YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING FOR 2013?

A lot. I’ll list a few of them here:


ONE THING YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH OR DO IN YOUR READING/BLOGGING IN 2013.

Cross the one hundred books read mark and bring out more of me in my book blog with spontaneous posts and discussions. Hopefully.