2013 End of the Year Book Survey

Hello!

I still can’t believe that we will be wrapping up 2013 in a matter of a couple of weeks! This year flew by, so I think it is the perfect time to reflect on all the amazing books I’ve read this year :) I discovered The Perpetual Page Turner last January, and ever since, I have been eagerly awaiting my chance to participate in Jamie’s end of the year survey. There’s much to be said, so let’s get started, shall we?

L E T ‘ S   T A L K   B O O K S

1. Best book you read in 2013? {If you have to cheat – you can break it down by genre or 2013 release vs. backlist}

I’m cheating just a little bit by choosing three! :) I thought that Code Name Verity, A Tangle of Knots, and This is What Happy Looks Like were all outstanding and totally worthy of my Best Book of the Year title.

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more, but didn’t?

I’m going to go with Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg. I adore Eulberg’s books, so it was a tough read for me because I could just not get into the story. 

3. Most surprising {in a good way!} book of 2013? 

45 Pounds {More or Less} really surprised me! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the writing and story were both spot-on. I am really hoping for another K.A. Barson book in the next couple of years. {The author was also so sweet enough to be interviewed by me, which you can catch here!}

 4. Book you read that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Ooh! I am always recommending books to people. I think I mentioned most Cinder and Scarlet of the Lunar Chronicles series.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

I didn’t do a lot of series reading this year, unfortunately. However, Kate Messner’s middle grade adventure series, consisting of Capture the Flag and Hide and Seek, was really good!

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Emmy Laybourne, definitely! Her Monument 14 books {reviews here and here} are a favorite of mine now.

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

I think Monument 14 fits this category too! I’m not one to usually go for the dystopian/science fiction stuff, but my gosh, I am hooked on those books. {Even if I do get a bit squeamish while reading them :)}

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2013?

Hmm, this is a tough one. Perhaps United We Spy? I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to all of the Gallagher Girls!

 9. Book you read in 2013 that you are most likely to re-read in 2014?

I’m not much of a re-reader, but I am always up for a good classic, such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I would be happy to read it again for the third time!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

The gorgeous cover of Eleanor & Park had me at first glance.

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

This is another challenging one! I am going to go with Allyson and Willem of Just One Day and Just One Year.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

No competition about it – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

There’s a ton that impacted me in different ways, but Rose Under Fire threw me in a book funk for weeks! There was so much to think about once I read it – it’s definitely a novel that takes time to digest.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 

13 Reasons Why! It was actually one of my summer reading choices this year, and I am so glad I went for it.

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

I don’t really collect/mark quotes, so I can’t really answer this question.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

I wish I knew! I honestly have no idea, and I don’t have an efficient way of finding out.

17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to someone about? {for example, a mind-blowing moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc.} Be careful of spoilers!

Nope! But I had plenty of times when I was shaking my head in disapproval at what was happening in the book. Hehe :)

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013? {be it romantic, friendship, etc.}

Romantically speaking, I think that Izzie and Brayden from the Belles series {catch reviews here and here!}  are too cute together! I also loved the relationship between sisters, Mallory and Ginnie, in Going Vintage.

19. Favorite book you read in 2013 from an author you’ve read previously?

I loved Sarah Strohmeyer’s How Zoe Made Her Dreams {Mostly} Come True. A summer read at it’s finest, right there.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

Poison by Bridget Zinn. SO good!

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

Contemporary YA, my favorite!

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

You’ll have to come back to me on this one. There were LOTS of boyfriend materials in the amount of YA books I read.

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

I felt like That Time I Joined the Circus flew under the radar a bit, but I thought it was such a good debut! I am looking forward to more of J.J. Howard’s novels.

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

I’m going to go with the world of the Lunar Chronicles {Cinder and Scarlet}. It’s really fun to get lost in the surroundings of Cinder.

25. Book that was the most fun to read in 2013?

Robin Benway’s books always make me laugh! Also Known As was such a fun read.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2013?

Elizabeth Wein’s novels, Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire, made me cry, and I never cry while reading books. Those ones hit you hard.

27. Book you read in 2013 that you think got overlooked this year or when it first came out?

I feel like Phoebe Stone’s books as a whole always get overlooked. Romeo Blue, and the preceding book, The Romeo and Juliet Code, are both amazing middle grade reads.

L E T ‘ S   T A L K   B L O G G I N G

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013? 

Gosh, there are so many that I have discovered in the past year! It would be impossible to name them all, and let’s be honest, aren’t they all pretty amazing?!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013? 

Ooh! I loved writing my review for This is What Happy Looks Like.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Since I don’t really do discussion posts, let’s view some of my favorite posts of this year, shall we?

• Top Ten Authors Who Deserve a Shout-Out
• Cozy for the Cold
• An Interview with Nan Marino
• Chocolate Cranberry Scones
• Braid Parade
• and, finally, My Favorite Fonts Part Two!

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

Natalie over at Natflix & Books brought up some really good points about commenting on blogs.

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

I have loved participating in The Broke and the Bookish’s Top Ten Tuesday. It is so nice to find new bloggers through it! I hope to continue doing it into 2014.

6. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?

I think my most favorite part about blogging, besides making friends with other bloggers and readers, would be contributing for guest posts! I am so thankful to both Katie and Alice who let me write up a post for them. You can see my guest posts here and here.

7. Most popular post this year on your blog {whether it be by comments or views}?

Crazily enough, my review of 13 Gifts is my most popular post by views. By comments, it would be my top ten list of shout-out worthy authors.

8. Post you wish got a little more love?

Probably some of my reviews. I mean, I personally think that Spy Camp is an amazing novel, and the poor little book never gets noticed!

9. Best bookish discovery {book related sites, book stores, etc.}?

Goodreads! I started using it a ton this year, and it is so helpful for finding new books that are coming out.

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

I don’t like setting reading goals or challenges with specific numbers, so there’s no definite answer to this one!

L E T ‘ S   T H I N K   A H E A D

1. One book you didn’t get to in 2013 but will be your number one priority in 2014?

Divergent and Anna and the French Kiss are both high on my list.

2. Book you can’t wait for in 2014?

Like I could choose one! My top ten list of 2014 releases sums them all up.

3. 2014 debut you are most anticipating?

I am excited for Under The Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald. It looks awesome!

4. Series ending you are most anticipating in 2014?

None at the moment, thankfully!

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2014?

I have quite a few goals, but we’ll save those for next week. One thing, reading-wise anyways, I know I want to do is to venture out a little more. I read a lot of contemporary YA, but exploring can be fun too! :)

Congrats if you made it this far! It’s a long list, but it was really nice to reflect on all of my reading this year.

Have a wonderful night!

Bella