2013 End of Year Book Survey - Part 2

In case you missed it, yesterday, I started the 2013 End of Year Book Survey that the fabulous Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner makes and hosts. That part of the survey consisted of the 2013 best in books. You can read it here. Today is part two so enjoy!

 

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013? 

How can anybody do this without having a panic attack afterwards? I tried to list only one blog and then I realized that I have discovered so many wonderful and amazing and fantastic blogs and bloggers out there. I listed important ones near and dear to my heart along with blogs with great humor, but then afterwards, I panicked that I forgot somebody. So I'll just say YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Or at least, I hope you do.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013? 

I'm not sure if it's my favorite, but I did have a lot of fun writing my review for The Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce because I was basically fangirling all around. 

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Back in January, I discussed the groan-worthy trope of love triangles, but with a twist. Instead of having the stereotypical two guys fighting over one girl, what about if it's two girls over one guy? And wouldn't be unfair since usually that girl is the main character so we automatically hate the other girl and we have biased feelings? You all responded with great comments and I loved reading them. My post can be found here. 

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

Once again, I can't do this. I have read so many amazing discussions this past year that made me think or laugh. Off the top of my head, I instantly think of the glorious Gillian and the lovely Lauren. 

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

I went to my first ever author signing this year that had my favorite author, Ally Carter, so that will always be remembered. I also met fabulous authors at the Fierce Reads tour.

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

Now this is just cruel. How can I ever remember all of them and then actually pick the best? I loved getting my first ARC, Harper whitelisting me on Edelweiss, squealing with authors, and becoming closer with bloggers. All the little things add up to make a great 2013.

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

Surprisingly like REALLY surprisingly, the most pageviews were for Book Blogger Confessions #1, which is a meme I stopped doing. I don't think it happens anymore (I searched for it on the host's site and there didn't seem to be any new ones), but maybe I should do something similar?

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I'd probably have to say any review because those always take so much time to write and when you don't receive many comments, it can be a bit deflating, although I know people do lurk (I know I do).

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

Uh, Better World Books (which offers great used book sales), maybe?

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

I didn't set any goals until December, but I did mostly complete that one. I participated in a read-a-thon and finished most of the books I set out to read. I think I missed one or two, but I added in a couple that I didn't set out to read so I think that I compensated for it.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales since everyone and their mother seems to enjoy this one.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

I'm just going to give you all a previous list and add in that I'll completely fangirl when I have Ruin and Rising and the sequel to All Our Yesterdays 

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Do I have to pick just one? At least I limited myself. 

 

4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

YES, PLEASE.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

I think the most fanciful one would be attend BEA. The most important would be to not be too concerned with stats and to not let school bog my reading down.

And that's my 2013—of sorts—for you! On Tuesday, I'll be talking more about my 2014 goals.

2013 End of Year Book Survey - Part 1

The lovely Jamie over at The Perpetual Page-turner creates a survey each year and this year, I'm actually able to participate! I know that I probably forgot a better answer or repeated a book title way too many times, but it was fun to answer Jamie's questions. I think 2013 was a fantastic reading year. I'll be splitting this up into two parts with part two coming tomorrow. So be sure to check back! 

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Contemporary – United We Spy by Ally Carter and Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic – Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi

Historical Fiction – Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, and Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anna Blankman

Paranormal — Parallel by Lauren Miller and The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Science Fiction — All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill and These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Fantasy — Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Other than YA: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

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

It's sad that I had quite a few titles pop in my head when I read this question. The book that really wins this title though is A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan. I was expecting another beloved retelling, but ended up really annoyed. Such a disappointment.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

 

For some reason, I was surprised by Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and its complete awesomeness. I do not doubt Bardugo any longer.

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

Probably The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I read it and went completely fangirl on it.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

I take this to mean that I read more than one book in the series and if that's the case, the problem is that many series I discovered has its sequels coming out next year or my other problem is that I loved the first book and haven't been able to get to its sequel yet. I knew about it before, but I finally read The Song of the Lioness series and finally started the Graceling series and the Throne of Glass series.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

I have a whole list about it here. Someone who isn't on the list: Cristin Terrill because I read her afterwards and her book was AMAZING.

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

Nothing is ever really out of my comfort zone nowadays, but Dark Triumph was pretty bleak and uncomfortable with its, uh, familial relationships.

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Hands down, All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. I read 200 pages in one night and then woke up and read the rest in the morning.

 9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

 The Program by Suzanne Young, probably. The sequel comes out next year, woohoo!

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

The cover of Fangirl makes me happy.

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

This is an extremely difficult question so I'll break it up by girl, boy, antagonist, and secondary into an incomprehensive list.

Girl: Audrey from Audrey, Wait! and Celaena from Throne of Glass
Boy: Cole from Everbound and Zach from United We Spy
Antagonist: Reinhard from Prisoner of Night and Fog and d'Albert from Dark Triumph
Secondary: Thorne from Scarlet and Gabrielle from Perfect Scoundrels

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

Was there any question about it?

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

This is hard for me because I feel that many books have some sort of impact on me. But Parallel made me really question things. I've always what-iffed everything to death and this made me think about it in a deeper way. What if one tiny choice can change your whole life?

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

 

The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce! I (audio)book binged on that and regret not starting sooner.

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

Chapter 62 of Unravel Me! Chapter 62! Oh, I should actually quote a passage or a quote that's non-spoilery? This may be the hardest question because I don't do well with remembering quotes. I know there are certain ones I love or laugh with or cry with or brings out some kind of emotion. So I'll just pull another quote from Unravel Me instead and then later be aggravated that I didn't think of so-and-so's quote that another blogger highlighted.

"As far as I can tell, you've got food in your mouth and clothes on your back and a place to pee in peace whenever you feel like it. Those aren't problems. That's called living like a king. And I'd really appreciate it if you'd grow the hell up and stop walking around like the world crapped on your only roll of toilet paper. Because it's stupid," he says, barely reining in his temper. "It's stupid, and it's ungrateful. You don't have a clue what everyone else in the world is going through right now. You don't have a clue, Juliette." —Kenji from Unravel Me

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

According to Goodreads, the longest was Graceling by Kristin Cashore at 471 pages. As for the shortest, possibly In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce at 262 pages because I'm not counting novellas.

 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!

It's probably tiring to see these books coming up so many times, but I can't lie...Parallel for the ending, All Our Yesterdays for the same reason (thankfully I had my sister and Lauren), These Broken Stars for THAT PART, and Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones for a frustrating love triangle.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Romance – Cath and Levi from Fangirl, Rob and Scarlet from Scarlet, and MANY more.

Friendship – Maddie and "Verity" from Code Name Verity

Familial — Penny and her family from The Lonely Hearts Club

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Unless sequels count, which is a whole different ballgame.

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

Solely? See, I take my time and weigh many people's opinions. But maybe The Naturals because of Ally Carter's recommendation or The Song of the Lioness because Gillian PRESSURES.

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

I'm taking a guess here and saying fantasy type books? 

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

Levi from Fangirl, Tarver from These Broken Stars, Xander from The Distance Between Us, George from The Song of the Lioness, Sturmhond from Siege and Storm, Po from Graceling, Finn from All Our Yesterdays...can I keep going?

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, but you probably knew that already, didn't you?

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

Again.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt was super cute and really fun to read. It was also my first ARC! I smiled throughout Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell as well.  

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

I don't cry in books, but Code Name Verity was a heartbreaking read.

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards because personally, I barely heard about it through the blogosphere.

~*~

Check back in tomorrow for part two of the survey!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books That I've Read So Far in 2013

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I just want to start off shouting/exclaiming/shockingly gasping out saying that it's already the end of June. The end. That means it's already partway through the summer, partway through the year, and more than partway to the anniversary of this blog. Ridiculous is what I say. So far, I have read some amazing books in 2013 and hopefully I don't forget the important ones.

In no particular order: 

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Okay, it's no particular order except for THIS ONE. This one is probably the best book I've read this year and probably will remain that way for the rest of the year (except for United We Spy). I had high expectations for it and the outcome smashed through those expectations and kept on-a-going. My review will come soon, but I'm testing my patience by holding it off until closer to the release date. 

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Mal. The Darkling. Strong Alana. The fantasy world. The writing. The whole book is just amazing and is why fantasy comes from fantastic. I have the sequel waiting for me on my shelf and am dying to book binge on it. So it's very probable that next week or so, Siege and Storm will also mentally be on this list. 

52 Reasons Why I Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

No, I didn't put this on here because I am absolute BFFS with the author (it's true, it's so true), but because this was so much fun to read. I'm not a fan of the title (I love my daddy), but I am a fan of the characters and the plot. I love finding and reading books that aren't complete fluff books, but aren't serious either. It was all-around enjoyable. 

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

I can't remember if I read this late December or early January, but since I posted a review on it in early January, I'll go with that. Nun assassins, romance, GREAT secondary characters, lovely writing, and just look at that cover. My only regret is that I waited so long. 

Audrey, Wait! and The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway

Adding one of these books and not the other seems like a no-no to me. Once again, I posted this in early January and don't know when I actually read and finished these so I'll just go by the post date. Both of these are fun and light and made me sleep deprived. All those qualities are what I love in books, especially the last one. 

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

The third book in the amazing series by my favorite author so it was already made to be awesome. The plotting, the story, the writing, the characters...I had love for it all. 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles is a great series, not only because of the characters, but because I love the dystopian world. I love the plots, I love the different main characters, and I love the retellings!

The Rules by Stacey Kade

While it had a couple flaws (what books doesn't?), I ultimately really liked this one. It hooked me. I stayed up late reading it, gasped nearly every five seconds at the end, and wanted the sequel in my hands right away. 

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

It's more adult than YA, I know. But it really was one of the best books I've read so far. I knew it'd be good (it involves pen-paling, an orphan, and a guy who calls himself Mr. Knightley, come on), but it exceeded my expectations. I book binged. Of course, you know the "mystery" (even though I think it was meant to be obvious), but this book was so enjoyable that I still stayed up way later than I should have to finish it. Thank you, Mom. 

I thought I would have a bigger list, but I'm drawing up blanks, so unfortunately I'll stop there. However, I do know that I cannot wait until this post comes up again at the end of the year because this summer and fall, I have so many WONDERFUL books on my list to read. I'm giddy at the prospect. 

What are some books you've read so far in 2013?

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2013

Property of The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where bloggers who enjoy lists (like myself) can participate every Tuesday in making a list that goes in accordance with the topic for that week. Go to their site for more info, to participate, or to look at who else is participating!

This week is Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013. In no particular order:

1. Go to an author signing/book conference. 
Actually, my sister and I are already planning to go to one in February! I also would LOVE to go to BEA, but alas, that is out of my control. Up to my sister and parents. 

2. Have more giveaways. 
Unlike most teenagers, I actually WANT a job. However, unlike most parents, my mom keeps telling me to cool it since I already have too much on my plate. So right now, I'm saving for trips (like BEA) and pinching every penny. I resolve to be more generous though. 

3. Give more books to people I know in person (including suggestions/borrowing). 
This goes hand-in-hand with #2 above. 

4. Participate in a reading challenge. 
Or, you know, just make sure I read a minimum of 100 books this year. 

5. Get on top of my reviews! 
I have this awful habit of waiting too long to review a book (like I'm doing right now with one) or simply don't write a review because of the procrastinating. Read more. Review more. 

6. Do an author interview. 
Although it might be stressful, you don't know how much I want to interview someone, especially an author! But it's not really up to me. I have to boost those follower numbers! 

7. Trim down my TBR pile. 
By no means is it as big as others' piles, but there are a few books on there that have had a place on the list for a while. They have also been published for a while. I need to get on it (which is basically with #4)

8. Reach 500 followers minimum. 
Most of you guys have probably skimmed over this or just gone down to the comments already to put in your link so you might not have even SEEN this. But really, although it's a major goal for me, I hate to put it on here. I hate to put anything about followers on here. Why? Well, if I don't reach any goal I have with followers, I don't want people to think, "Wow, she couldn't do THAT? She had a year." Oh well, I turn my cheek on those people. 

9. Finish The Thief series. 
If you know my sister, Shelver, at all, you would know that she's Megan Whale Turner's and The Thief's BIGGEST fan. Nonstop nagging to finish the series (I have book #1 as a bribe from her) and get on to reading The Queen of Attolia. I know, I know. 

10. Make my blog better. 
So broad and generic, right? Well, as I mentioned in my post about how pretty my blog looks yesterday, I mentioned how I want EVERYTHING on my blog to be way BETTER. Everything. I hope with some of these points on the list, it will make that happen. I also have to work on myself so that I can improve what I want to improve...if that makes sense. 

Can I add a bonus one? 

11. "Meet" new bloggers/readers/authors. 
I put meet in quotes because I don't think I'll ever actually meet every single one of you out there. I DO want to actually meet some of you (it'd be awesome if it's this year. Hint, hint, at BEA), but I also want to read about new authors, interact with more readers, and visit new blogs! 

What are some of your bookish goals this year?