End of Year Book Survey

This is my second time participating in the End of Year Book Survey, hosted by Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner.

Best In Books 2012

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

 I gave 22 books a 5/5 rating this year. But I’ve narrowed it down to a few.

Probably my all-time favorite of the year is The Fault in Our Stars. I just think it’s a superb book, destined to be a classic.

For the dystopian category, I really enjoyed Legend. I just fell in love with those characters.

I don’t read a lot of adult fiction, but I can’t narrow my favorite adult books down to one. I listened to both of these audiobooks, and they were awesome!

The Dovekeepers

The Shoemaker’s Wife

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

The Raven Boys. I couldn’t finish it, even though almost everyone says it was great. I just hated the story. It never went anywhere!

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

The Girl of Fire andThorns. The premise sounded so stupid – a gem in her belly?? And, I’m not a huge fantasy fan, but I LOVED the book, and have already read Crown of Embers and loved it too.

 4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

Wonder. I really think it’s a book the EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE should read.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

Throne of Glass. I’m even reading the novellas (which I usually don’t enjoy, but in this case – they are great!)

 6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Sarah J. Maas (Throneof Glass), Rae Carson (The Girl of Fireand Thorns), Laini Taylor (Daughterof Smoke & Bone), and Barry Lyga (I Hunt Killers.)

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

Like I said, Girl of Fireand Thorns was a surprise. I used to read everything Stephen King wrote, but he started getting so wordy, and there were a couple I didn’t really like, so I quit. However, I really enjoyed 11/22/63. Brought back my faith in Steve…

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

A lot of books were unputdownable this year – yea!! The one that first comes to mind, though, is Daughterof Smoke and Bone. I listened to this one on audio, and while the narrator was awesome, I think we all know you can read a lot faster than you can listen. And I wanted SO BADLY to know what was going to happen. It took everything I had not to grab the book off the library shelves and finish it!

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

I’m not a big  re-reader. But I even said in my review for Cleopatra’s Moon that I wanted to re-read this book. This is another one that I listened to on audio (which was excellent) but I think I’d like to read the book. We’ll see if that really happens….

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

I Hunt Killers. The cover is awesome, but the best part is when you remove the dust jacket. Creepy…

11. Most memorable character in 2012?

I’ve already mentioned that I loved Day and June in Legend. Something about their chemistry and they seemed so real. I’ve already read Prodigy, and my love continues. But, I can’t not mention Agustus in The Fault in Our Stars. He is truly unforgettable.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

The Shoemaker’s Wife. Trigiani poured her heart and soul into this one.

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

Beneath a Meth Moon. What a heartbreaking situation. It made me feel so helpless. And, I have to mention Wonder again. After all, if it’s the book you recommend, then it must have had an impact, right?

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

Mockingjay. Finally. I actually just read it.

The Giver. Just never got to it, but when Son came out, I decided it was time. (Still haven’t read Son, though.)

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

Conversation between Hadley and her father in The Statistical Probability of Love at FirstSight.

"I mean, I only knew him for a few hours. It's ridiculous. It makes no sense."

Dad smiles, then reaches up to straighten his crooked bow tie. "That's the  way these things work, kiddo," he says. "Love isn't supposed to make sense. It's completely illogical." (193-194)

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?

Longest — 11/22/63, by Stephen King at 849 pages.

Shortest — (excluding Novellas) Nutcracker by Hoffman at 102 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!

Gone Girl. OMG. Never saw that coming. And the ending…

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

Hadley and Oliver in TheStatistical Probability of Love at First Sight.

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

Well, since I’ve read a lot of John Green, I have to say The Fault in Our Stars.

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

I don’t think I would have ever picked up For Darkness Shows the Stars if not for the recommendations of MANY bloggers.  Recommendations are especially helpful for adult titles, since I’m less familiar. So I’d have to add TheDovekeepers and The Shoemaker’s Wife also.

 Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012 (optional)

 1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012?

I’ve discovered MANY blogs this year. The first one that comes to mind is The Teen Librarian’sToolbox.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012?

I never think my reviews are that great when I write them. But, sometimes when I go back and read one, I think, ‘Wow. You did a good job!” I just don’t remember which reviews those are….

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Do I Have Anything toDiscuss: I Need to Back Off (a post about letting up on my frenetic blogging pace.)

And, I can’t not mention Lovingthe “Next” Button. If you have a Blogger blog, and don’t use this yet, you should read this post. It has totally changed the way I follow and comment.

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

I can’t really think of anything right now. I do enjoy Authors Behaving Badly from Pocketful of Books blog. These posts always make me laugh. Not really that thought-provoking, though.

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

This was the first year that I participated in Armchair BEA, and while I would have rather actually attended BEA, I did enjoy participating in the armchair version. Plus, it’s where I found out about the “Next” button. (see question #3 in this section.)

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?

One week Feature and Follow Friday asked to name a blog or blogs you were thankful for. This was a week I didn’t participate (around Thanksgiving, I think) and I felt bad. But, I was truly honored that two of my favorite blogs mentioned my blog. So I’m going to give them a shout out again, here…

Becky, from Becky's Barmy Book Blog and Curlypow andChristinabean at The Paperback Princesses. Thanks again, you guys. You made my year!

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

According to Google Analytics, my most visited post is my review of The Lincoln Lawyer. Don’t ask me why. (I didn’t even like this book that much.)

According to Blogger, it’s Do I Have Anything to Discuss: iPads and Blogging

I’m not sure how to tell which post got the most comments – does anyone know if you can find this out in Blogger?

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I guess this can be considered a “post,” but I wish more people would have joined my Books You CanRead in a Day challenge. I thought it would be a fun challenge, and I enjoyed it very much myself. I had a couple people participate. I’m going to do it again for 2013 – for myself at least – just to keep track, so think about joining me!

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

I’m not sure when I signed up, but I think it was this year. Edelweiss. At first, I wasn’t that crazy about it because most of the time I got turned down, but lately I’ve been more successful, and have received some really great books from them!

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

I participated in BooksYou Can Read in a Day (hosted by moi.) I read 32 books in a day. Goal achieved.

Also, the SerialKillers Reading Challenge, hosted at Tea Time With Marce. Only read four serial killer books this year. Fail – but not epic fail!

And, the 150+ ReadingChallenge, hosted at My Overstuffed Bookshelf. About half way through, I got really bad about posting my reviews on her site – however, I read 170 books this year – so Goal Achieved!

I also did the 15,000Page Challenge, hosted by Abducted by Books. Since I read about 55,000 pages this year, I’d say Goal Achieved!

You can see details on my 2012 Book Challenges page.

 Looking Ahead…

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

Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest

The Death Cure

Beautiful Creatures

I could go on, but I’ll stop (I obviously can’t follow directions!)

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

OK. I'm really gonna have to break the rules here:

The Eternity Cure, by Julie Kagawa
Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer
Fragments, by Dan Wells
Through the Ever Night, by Veronica Rossi
Requiem, by Lauren Oliver
Boundless, by Cynthia Hand
Game, by Barry Lyga
Isla and the Happily Ever After, by Stephanie Perkins

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

I’m really lazy about author interviews and other extra features. I do a few memes, but other than that, it’s mostly reviews on my blog. Which is exactly what I want it to be, but I still think some extra stuff once in a while would spice it up a bit.

Also, I need a new blog design. I need professional help. I just need to make the commitment and take the time to do it.

Thanks for visiting. Link to your end of year post, so I can check it out!

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2012 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved