2012 End of Year Book Survey

Hosted by Jamie over at The Perpetual Page Turner

1. Best book you've read in 2012?

Contemporary: Saving June by Hannah Harrington and My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Sci-Fi: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Paranormal/Supernatural: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, and The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Fantasy: Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta and Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Classic: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love but didn't?
The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa--I really loved The Iron Fey series but ended up with mixed feelings about this spin-off. I will still read the next book though, in hopes that the series will be redeemed because Kagawa is a fantastic writer.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John. This book brought me to tears (in a good way!) and I did not expecting to experience such an emotional response while reading this.

4. Book you recommended most to people in 2012?
Probably Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan because I LOVED that book.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta OH MY GOD. I honestly cannot gush enough about these books.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?
This might be surprising, but my answer is John Green! I read my first book by him this year and fell in love with his writing. And his youtube channel.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky-- I usually try to avoid books that are out of my comfort zone so I'm going to pick a school-mandated book. I found this surprisingly good and ended up really liking the characters.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
Either Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta or The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. I sacrificed so much sleep to finish these books!

9. Book you read in 2012 that you are most likely to re-read next year?
Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred--I am just in love with this story! There's just a timeless feel to it so I know I'm going to be re-reading this one multiple times next year.

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

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce. This may sound weird, but I just love how creepy this looks! Definitely a show-stopper to be displayed on my bookshelf.

11. Most memorable character in 2012?
Oh dear, THERE ARE SO MANY! I'll go with Gansey and Ronan from Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys because I just think they're both such unique characters and I cannot get them out of my head!

12. Most beautifully written book in 2012?
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. There are so many unforgettable and quote-worthy passages in this book! One of my favorites is, "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?
Let's rephrase this into "Books that turned me into an emotional wreck," shall we?
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (primarily because of Will Herondale)

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen--what can I say? I've never been much for classics but holy sweetness this book was just amazing. Will definitely be hunting down more Austen to read.

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2012?
Oh. My. Goodness. Seriously?

"She will fight for light, and he for dark,
Battling through the ages for love's sweet spark.
Wherever two souls adore truly,you will find them, lo,
The brave Juliet and the wicked Romeo."
-Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

"We live and breathe words...It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them. Reading your words, what you wrote, and how you were lonely sometimes and afraid, but always brave; the way you saw the world, its colors and textures and sounds, I felt--I felt the way you thought, hoped, felt, dreamt. I felt I was dreaming and thinking and feeling with you. I dreamed what you dreamed, wanted what you wanted--and then I realized that truly I just wanted you."
-Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."
-The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only Earth we'll have, and I am in love with you."
-The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

"Gansey had once told Adam that he was afraid most people didn't know how to handle Ronan. What he meant by this was that he was worried that one day someone would fall on Ronan and cut themselves."
-The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater


16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2012?

Shortest: Cajun Night Before Christmas by Howard Jacobs (48 pages)

Longest: Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta (596 pages)

17. Book that had s 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!

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin left me with my jaw dropped all the way to the ground because THAT ENDING. THAT FREAKING ENDING. I don't- I can't even- Just- UGHHHHHH.

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan-- the ending of this book simultaneously made me want to curl up and sob and throw the book across the room. In the end, I did neither. I just stared at the last page utterly dumbfounded and SO frustrated.

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2012 (romantic, friendship, etc.)

Favorite sibling relationship: between Mara and Daniel in Michelle Hodkin's Mara Dyer trilogy

Favorite friendship: between Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah in Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys

Favorite romantic relationship: Will and Tessa from Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Prince

19. Favorite book you read in 2012 from an author you read previously:
Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles by the fabulous Melina Marchetta. I just drool over everything this woman writes, I kid you not.

20. Best book you read that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from someone else:
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout-- I normally wouldn't pick up an alien book, but all the glowing reviews convinced me. And I'm so glad I did pick it up because it is awesomesauce.

Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012?
Ahhh! I have so many!
Cuddlebuggery Book Blog- these writers are full of snark and their reviews are hilarious to read.
Vivaciously, Vivian- she always has the most beautifully-written reviews!
Rainy Day Reads- I don't know how she does it so fast, but Christine always has a lot of great reviews of super awesome, up-and-coming books. I swear my TBR list has increased ten-fold because of her recommendations!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012?
Probably my review of Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta because I had a lot of fun incorporating gifs into the review.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
Hmmm. Haven't had many discussions on my blog this year. Must remedy in 2013. One discussion that does come to mind is this post I did on oh so popular love triangle and got to hear about other people's opinions on the subject.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on someone else's blog?
Oh gosh, I'm awful at keeping track of those....
I really love all of the Musing Musers posts from Cuddlebuggery Book Blog and (not sure if this counts) but I think this Sarah Rees Brennan's Q&A was also very interesting to read.

5. Best event you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
~Le sigh. If only I lived in a city big enough to have author signings and events. As it is, I'll say my favorite event is the weekly My Book Boyfriend meme because I have a weakness when it comes to swoon-worthy book boys.


6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?
Probably the reveal of Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare on July 10. It's not only exciting because I was just dying to see the cover, but because it turned into a twitter phenomenon with hundreds of thousands of fans tweeting #ClockworkPrincess to get the cover revealed! You can read about the madness here.

7. Most popular post this year on your blog? (whether it be by comments or by views)
I think that would be my blogoversary post.

8. Post you wish got a little more love?
Probably one of my posts, such as my review of Fateful by Claudia Gray, which was my very first review so I don't think many people know about it.

9. Best bookish discovery?
At a local library sale, I found a signed copy of Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover by Ally Carter. For $1!!!!!! That was a good shopping trip.

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals you had set for yourself at the beginning of the year?
My goal was to read 100 books this year, but I'm a couple books shy of the mark (darn you, college apps!) and I highly doubt I'll make it by the end of the year. Oh well, there's always next year!

Looking ahead

1. One book you didn't get to in 2012 but will be your number 1 priority in 2013?
Ooh, I actually have a few for this....
-Easy byTammara Webber
-The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
-A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

2. Book you are most anticipating in 2013?
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare- which I think we're all eagerly awaiting, and
Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

3. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2013?
Keep on reading and blogging! :)
Maybe even take up booktubing and uploading some video reviews!
And make my personality shine in my blog. I'm still in search of "my review voice" which is a little all over the place right now, but hopefully I'll find it in 2013.