Year End Book Survey 2012

This is the third of this awesome year end survey and the second year that I've participated. It's HARD! If you want to stress yourself out too, you can find the questions and the link up for the survey over at Jamie's Perpetual Page-Tuner Blog 

Best In Books 2012

1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

Best YA Contemporary: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Best YA Fantasy: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Best YA Paranormal: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Best YA Romance: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Best Ya Dystopian: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Best YA Science Fiction: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
Best Adult Fantasy: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Best Adult Historical Fiction: The House at Tynford by Natasha Solomons
Best Adult Paranormal: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Best Adult Romance: Edenbrooke by Julieanne Donaldson
Best Adult Horror: The Hollow City by Dan Wells

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

I really expected more from Insurgent (by Veronica Roth.) I looked forward to reading it all year long, and finally got to it just last month and meh... I wasn't very much impressed. It was quite boring for me.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?

I think I was quite surprised at how Under the Never Sky (by Veronica Rossi) totally took me over! I was expecting a normal YA, but it blew me away with its coolness and uniqueness and I loved it!

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

I think I recommended For Darkness Shows the Stars (by Diana Peterfreund) a lot this year. What an awesome unique story! Even if it is a re-telling!

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

I'm in love with the series by Melina Marchetta that starts with Finnikin of the Rock and has the sequel Froi of the Exiles. I'm assuming there's a third coming. But yes, I love this fantasy story. I'm so into the characters, it's a little scary.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Julianne Donaldson
Jennifer A. Nielsen
Diana Peterfreund
Sarah Waters

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

Hmmm... didn't read many out of my comfort zone this year. Most everything is in that zone these days! Well, I guess I did read The Bone Collector (Jeffery Deaver) but yeah, I didn't especially love it. It was okay though!

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

I would have to say that The Hollow City by Dan Wells, with all its messing with your head and perception of reality, was the most thrilling of the year. Read it.

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:

You know, it took me awhile to get into The Scorpio Races (by Maggie Stiefvater) and I only rated it 4 stars on Goodreads at first, but I think it needs to be upgraded to a big fat FIVE and I'm dying to re-read it in order to catch all the beauty that I missed the first time around for worrying about the story itself.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

I'm not that much into covers, and in looking over the covers of the books I read (using Goodreads) I, you know, like them all! But here's a couple:

11. Most memorable character in 2012?

Ah, so I'm not much into covers, but I AM into characters and I can't do just one! Can I make a list please?

Sean Kendrick from The Scorpio Races
Perry from Under the Never Sky
Froi from Froi of the Exiles
Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door
Queenie from Code Name Verity
Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars
All the boys in Raven Boys.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

I would have to say The Scorpio Races again!

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?

Ugh, I can't come up with an answer for this one! I mean, what do you mean by IMPACT? Nothing changed my life really. There's many many that stuck with me (see the favorites list above) so I guess you could count those.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?

It's weird to me that I'd never heard of, or read, Precious Bane by Mary Webb, before now. Because of book club, that's now fixed and you can add me to the list of those who love this book!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?

From A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens:

"I think you were sent to me by Heaven."

"Or you to me," says Sydney Carten. "Keep your eyes upon me, dear child and mind no other object." 

"I mind nothing while I hold your hand. I shall mind nothing when I let it go, if they are rapid."

"They will be rapid. Fear not!"

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?

Longest: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfoss at 994 pages.
Shortest (not counting a picture book): A novella called Defty Dunne and the Keys of Death by Carmen Wye at 58 pages.

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Oh my there's so many, but the one I've settled on is the horse riding scene in The Scorpio Races. Wow, that was so intense and breathtaking!

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

I really loved the slow burn relationship that developed between Aria and Perry in Under the Never Sky.

For a non-romantic relationship, I'd have to say Queenie and Maddie in Code Name Verity. The very definition of true friendship, yes?

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously

Seriously? How do I answer this question??? Pretty much all the favorite books listed above. Unless they were a new to me author, listed in question 6! :)

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

The House at Tynford (by Natasha Solomons) fits this category. Everyone was saying it's like Downton Abbey, so... I read it! And yes, it kind of was. Awesome story.

Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012


1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012?

There's so many, but one that comes to mind first is Flowers of Quiet Happiness. Kara is such a positive upbeat new blogger! I've been terrible at commenting there though, and everywhere else actually! So sorry everyone!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012?

I had a lot of fun writing a review for The Hollow City by Dan Wells.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

We had a pretty good discussion about the Kindle recently when I pondered life with a Kindle six months later.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

Jenny from Alternate Readality had lots of great discussions on her blog this year, but one I especially loved was YA is Rotting My Brain!

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

Co-hosting Bloggiesta twice this year was pretty memorable! Crazy fun both times! Going to LTUE in February was lots of fun too. And just all the author signings that have been happening these last few months.  So fun. I'll have another post on my top ten bookish moments of the year where I'll highlight some of these things further.

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?

Having the guts, as scary as it was, to host my own "week" and highlight Markus Zusak. It was also a pretty big moment to decided to take over Bloggiesta from Natasha at Maw Books, and get it going again, along with Danielle from There's a Book. Scary but fun and a big part of my blogging year this year.


7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

The most viewed post, just like last year, is the post listing what our plans are for book club. I think people search A LOT for book club book suggestions and often my post will come up. Cool.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I wanted all of my Markus Zusak week posts to get more love, but especially this one: Getting to Know Markus Zusak. 

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Since I finally got a Kindle this year, NetGalley has been a pretty fun discovery!

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I completed  Melissa's Double Classics Challenge (click here to sign up for next year!) I did NOT get to my Goodreads 100 books goal, but close, sort of. I did pretty good on the Classics Challenge too I suppose!


Looking Ahead…

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?

Oh my word, ALL OF THEM! Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Fire, Clockwork Prince, etc.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

More Raven Boys, more Partials (Fragments), more Perry (Through the Ever Night), to name a few.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?

More classics (thus the Classics Club and list) and more commenting on other blogs, and more of the same from this past year because it's been great!

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Mostly this survey makes me realize how many really awesome books I read this year! So hard to choose between them all. I can't wait to get going for next year. I've been in a pretty bad slump the past few weeks, so wow, I hope I can find the groove again.