Friday, December 6, 2013

My 2013 End of Year Book Survey


It's that time again! I'm joining Jamie's annual End of Year Book Survey, where I give you all the fun details on what I read over the course of 2013 + some other blog style goodness.  I love participating in this survey because it gives me a chance to really reflect on all the stories I encountered this past year.  It's also when my forever growing TBR pile builds to capacity while perusing others surveys.  If you want to join in the fun, check out Jamie's post right here & be sure to link up at the bottom of her post for an awesome giveaway!


Best Books in 2013

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? 
2013 YA Contemp: GOLDEN by Jessi Kirby [my review] 
Older YA Contemp: JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta [my review]
YA Non-Contemp: CLOCKWORK PRINCESS by Cassandra Clare [goodreads]
Adult: GOD-SHAPED HOLE by Tiffanie DeBartolo [my review]

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
THE MOON AND MORE by Sarah Dessen [my review]

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 
RULES OF SUMMER by Joanna Philbin [my review]

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?
RIDE WITH ME by Ruthie Knox [my review]

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?
SUGAR DADDY (TRAVISES) by Lisa Kleypas [my review]

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?
RUTHIE KNOX (Ride With Me, About Last Night, Truly, Roman Holiday)

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE by Sarah MacLean - my first historical romance that I absolutely LOVED! [goodreads]

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?
CLOCKWORK PRINCESS by Cassandra Clare [goodreads]

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
NOGGIN by John Corey Whaley - Since I read an early copy of this, I can't wait til it pubs in 2014 & I get my hands on a finished copy to do a re-read! [my review/save the date]

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


















11. Most memorable character in 2013? 
WILLEM from JUST ONE YEAR by Gayle Forman [my review]

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?
JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta [my review]

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 
THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS by Sarah Ockler [my review]

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 
JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta [my review]

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013? 
From THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER by Sarah Dessen...

"It's just that...I just think that some things are meant to be broken. Imperfect. Chaotic. It's the universe's way of providing contrast, you know? There have to be a few holes in the road. It's how life is."

"That was the thing. You never got used to it, the idea of someone being gone. Just when you think it's reconciled, accepted, someone points it out to you, and it just hits you all over again, that shocking."

"Sawooon."
[my review]

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?
Shortest:
Longest: CLOCKWORK PRINCESS by Cassandra Clare - 570 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!
ALLEGIANT by Veronica Roth [my review]

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc)?
Family: DEVAN & REECE from THE REECE MALCOLM LIST by Amy Spalding [my review]
Romantic: MAY & BEN from TRULY by Ruthie Knox [my review]
Friendship: ALICE & HARVEY from SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY by Julie Murphy [goodreads]

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously?
WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE by Trish Doller - technically my first read of this was in 2012, but I did a re-read in 2013, so that counts right? [my review]

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else?
GOD-SHAPED HOLE by Tiffanie DeBartolo [my review]

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?
CONTEMPORARY! (More than half of those are ADULT!)

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?
HARDY CATES from BLUE-EYED DEVIL by Lisa Kleypas [my review]

23. Best 2013 debut you read?
THE REECE MALCOLM LIST by Amy Spalding [my review]

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?
NANTUCKET BLUE by Leila Howland - I've never been to New England, but this book put me right there! [my review]

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?
TRULY by Ruthie Knox - Because of the unique reading experiencing offered via wattpad, new chapters released every Monday & then discussing them with friends [my review]

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?
CLOCKWORK PRINCESS by Cassandra Clare [goodreads]

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Kasie West [my review]

Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2013

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013? 
JEN @ Pop! Goes the Reader - Her reviews are always so thoughtful and well-written. She leaves the most sincere comments, too! If you don't know this lady, I highly recommend checking her blog out & following her on twitter.

MAGGIE @ Just a Couple More Pages - We have such similar taste in books, so I know I can always count on her to tell me if I need to read a book or not. She's got a great sense of humor that shows in her reviews/posts and I love her honesty. Definitely check her out!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013?
JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta - [see my review here] It was an unconventional review for me, that I put a lot of emotion in to. I also created some picture quotes to go along with it. 

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
A LETTER TO MY MOTHER [read it here] - On the 10th anniversary of my mother's passing, I got a bit more personal on the blog & shared a letter of things I wish I could say to her now. I was very touched by the responses & love I received from my blog readers.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?
Magan from Rather Be Reading shared a personal post about foster care by tying it in with her thoughts on How to Love [read it here].  Magan is a dear friend, whose story into motherhood I am familiar with. Reading her honest words in this post really touched my heart and reminded me what a beautiful, selfless person she is. If you read anything else today on the web, make sure it's this.

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
AUSTIN TEEN BOOK FEST! I finally got to meet author & friend Trish Doller + got to hang with some of my favorite people!

[with Jess from Gone with the Words]
[Rob Thomas! Creator of Veronica Mars]
[we finally meet! (Trish Doller)]
[crazy good night with Julie Murphy]

6. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?
CAMP NaNoWriMo - I wrote a 30k novel!!! [read about it here]

Seeing my name in the acknowledgements for TWO very special books: WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE by Trish Doller & NOGGIN by John Corey Whaley -- it's an honor to know that I influenced, in some way, these writers' stories. They are both beautiful people & I want everyone to read their words!

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
Review: OPAL by Jennifer L. Armentrout [my review]
Exclusive Cover Reveal: THIS SIDE OF SALVATION by Jeri Smith-Ready [see it here]

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
SWEET SUMMERTIME READS: INGREDIENTS FOR A SUMMER ROMANCE [read it here] - I loved hosting another round of Sweet Summertime Reads with Tara, Estelle + Magan this year.. this post was probably my favorite that I did & think it's worth a visit if you missed it.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
 My library! It's not a new discovery, but it's a bookish outlet I've been trying to be more proactive about using.  So far, so good.

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Back in October I did a REGROUP & REFOCUS post, taking a closer look at my goals for the year [see that post here]. According to my goodreads challenge, I have 5 more books to read to meet my reading goal! Think I can do it? Hope so.

Looking Ahead...

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?
WINGER by Andrew Smith [goodreads]

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?
TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han [goodreads]

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
OPEN ROAD SUMMER by Emery Lord [goodreads]

4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?
IGNITE ME by Tahereh Mafi [goodreads]

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?
Experience a book that takes my breath away & reminds me why I love literature so much -- that feeling can never be replaced, or forgotten & I hope it continues in 2014.

16 comments:

  1. First of all, thank you SO much for naming Pop! Goes The Reader as one of your new favourite book blogs of 2013! That means more to me than I could ever properly express, and your friendship is one of the things I'm most thankful for this year :) I had so much fun brainstorming ideas with you for our Stuff Your Stocking event and can only hope we'll have the chance to work together again in the future! You and a handful of other bloggers have made my first seven months of blogging more fun than I ever could have imagined possible :D

    Golden by Jessi Kirby was easily one of the best books I read all year, and not simply in the young adult contemporary category! It was such a touching story and I was able to identify with Parker so intimately as I was much like her in high school. It's definitely one book that I think should be mandatory reading in school as I would imagine many teens could learn from her experiences in the novel.

    I can't wait to read God-Shaped Hole! I bought it the instant I finished your review and I'm hoping I'll have the time to read it soon. We seem to like many of the same novels so I have a feeling I'll love it just as much as you did :) Fingers crossed! Speaking of, I'll always be thankful that you introduced me to Ruthie Knox! I was extremely sceptical when I saw the cover for Ride With Me, but your review convinced me to give it a try, and I'm so thankful I did. It was easily one of the best adult fiction novels I read all year and I still find myself thinking of it regularly. Now I can't wait to delve into Knox's back catalogue to discover even more gems.

    I know you'll be able to achieve your reading goal for the year! Five books definitely seems doable :) I must admit that I cheated a little with my Goodreads goal - I had initially set it for 150 books in 2013, but lowered it to 125 when I began to feel overwhelmed. Funnily enough, I'm now at 133 read. Who knows, I might make it to 150 books read after all! Lowering my expectations slightly definitely helped to take the pressure off and I'm glad as I was able to enjoy myself more rather than focusing on an arbitrary number.

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  2. Ginger, another year of great books and chatting. I seriously cannot believe it. I love so many of the books you mentioned in the survey (and agree, you have to get to Winger as soon as you can. The book charmed me SO much) and you have no idea how happy it makes me to see that God Shaped Hole affected you so much. It's such a personal favorite, and I have so many memories wrapped up in it and to know that years later, it's still having that effect on people and especially my friends is just so wonderful. Books never fade out; it's nice to know.

    I need to get on the Blue Eyed Devil train, I think. I'm going to go look those up right now and see if I can get them for my Nook. With you and Sharon talking about them... this is a total must! I haven't read anything by Lisa yet.

    Again, thanks for another fantastic year of blogging. From finally "talking" face to face and more great summer memories and book recommendations, I'm so looking forward for more of it in 2014. Maybe we can actually finally meet?! That would be fantastic too. xo

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  3. Oh, goodness. Yes to NINE RULES TO BREAK. That book became a comfort read for me ridiculously fast. And yes to the cover of BLUE-EYED DEVIL. Just YES.

    And of course our weekly TRULY fangirl. Miss those. :)

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  4. I kind of love that after reading your survey I've added nothing new to my TBR list because I've either already read the books you've mentioned (probably because of your recommendation) or already have them on my TBR list (because of your recommendation).

    Thank you so much for the shout out. I'm so happy I found your blog (you have a few mentions in my survey, which I'll probably hit publish on next week, so many links to insert!), not only for all the great suggestions, but also because you've been such a great supporter of my blog, which I really appreciate.

    Winger is so great, I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of it. It's probably my fourth favorite male POV book of 2013 (Sex & Violence, When You Were Here, and Reality Boy are my top three). And I can't wait to read Noggin, hopefully that will be a top POV book for 2014 for me!

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  5. Another year, another set of LOVELY memories and books! <3

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  6. Yay for discovering the library! Everytime I visit your blog I think I need to try Lisa Kleypas's contemporary books. I love her historical romances, and you keep telling me how great her contemps are.

    You've read a lot of adult books, this year, too! I love reading books for all ages, but usually I tend to favor teens. But lately I've been reading adult books, and it's been nice.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Oh, I *loved* WINGER. I would make it a priority and I can't wait to see what you think. :-)

    I felt exactly the same about THE MOON AND MORE (and listed it in the same category).

    I can't believe I haven't read JELLICOE ROAD. Perhaps I need to make that my #1 2014 priority. It's appeared on a few of these End of Year surveys! :-)

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  8. Great post ad clearly I need to read Clockwork Princess :)

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  9. The Truth about forever is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE by Sarah Dessen !! Followed closely by Just listen! Her books are always on my auto buy/read list.. though I agree with you about The Moon and More.. It didn't quite live up :/ ~Chelle http://thepassionatebookworms.com

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  10. I was inspired to see that Clockwork Princess made or nearly made you cry -- this series is next up on my TBR and I keep hearing nothing but the best things about it, so I can't wait! Also, I ADORE the quote that you picked from The Truth About Forever -- that is truly one of my favourite Dessen books, not to mention an overall favourite of ALL TIME.

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  11. I’ve always wanted to read Clockwork Princess and Jellicoe Road. Was Nine Rules to break the first historical romance you read ever, or the first you read that you enjoyed? I have Blue-Eyed Devil to be read at some point. My cat chewed the corner so my cover isn’t so pretty anymore :/.

    Your letter to your mother is so sweet.

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  12. Hooray for good books & fun blog things! I'm so glad that this year has been pretty darn amazing for you, and am sure that 2014 will be even more amazing!

    Golden and Where the Stars Still Shine also both made it into my post for the End of Year Book Survey, so that's awesome! I did love them so. I also love that Blue-Eyed Devil made an appearance on yours because that book ROCKS.

    There are seriously so many titles on here that I haven't read yet, and I think I should get started on that soon! I still love your contemporary novel recommendations, and I love that you're mixing it up with adult stuff too. HOORAY!

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  13. I am so thrilled you decided to read Jellicoe Road this year! I absolutely adore that book. I have to agree that Golden was a fantastic book. I'm hoping to pick up God-Shaped Hole in 2014.

    And yes, you must make Winger a priority in 2014. You'll adore it.

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  14. The letter to your mother was very touching. I almost lost my dad last year and am so happy that I will be able to spend this Christmas with him. The times of unknowing were the worst of my life. Thank you for sharing such a personal letter.

    My End of Year Survey

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  15. I really, really need to read Jellicoe Road. I've heard so many people say such wonderful things about it. Hopefully I'll get around to it next year!

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  16. Great answers! I really want to read Jellicoe Road, my boyfriend just got me it for Christmas and I'm so excited to start it! I am also looking forward to Jenny Han's new book, I adored the Summer series.

    That letter to your mother is beautiful and really touching. I lost my aunt this year, but more importantly my eighteen and ten year old cousins lost their mum. Your letter gives me hope that they will slowly learn to look back on the time they shared with their mum with happiness, without feeling so much anger at how short that time was. Really beautiful, thanks so much for sharing.

    My End of Year Survey.

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