End of the Year Book Survey 2013!

A couple of weeks ago I came across The Perpetual Page-Turner's 4th Annual End of Year Book Survey- 2013 Edition! and immediately thought, "I need to do this!" Then I accidentally forgot all about that post until I saw it in my likes on Bloglovin. Thank goodness for Bloglovin! So here goes...

1. Best Book You Read in 2013?
It's a tough choice, but I'm going to say The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was my favorite book. I read a number of books this year that I would add to my top favorites of all time. I think what puts The Book Thief above others is the combination of story line, writing style/quality, and having death as a narrator. The book has everything going for it and I never wanted it to end. I will definitely be reading more books from Markus Zusak.

2. Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going to Love More but Didn't?
It's a tie between Ender's Game and Franny and Zooey. I was really excited to finally read both books this year, but they ended up only being so/so for me.

3. Most Surprising (in a Good Way!) Book of 2013?
I was really surprised by how much I loved Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. When my friend brought over a stack of books to loan me I took one look at the cover and thought, "nah, definitely not my kind of book." I'm so glad I decided to give this book a chance anyways, because it turned out to be much better than I was expecting.

4. Book You Read in 2013 That You Recommended to People Most in 2013?
The Book Thief, although for the first half of the year I recommended The Art of Racing In the Rain to quite a few people as well.

5. Best Series You Discovered in 2013?
The Shatter Me series.

6. Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2013?
In terms of authors I had no idea existed before this year, I'd say Tahereh Mafi.

7. Best Book That Was Out of Your Comfort Zone or Was a New Genre For You?
I never in my life thought that I would read and enjoy a romance novel, but I actually liked the Losing It series by Cora Carmack.

8. Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book in 2013?
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. 

9. Book You Read in 2013 That You Are Most Likely to Re-read Next Year?
Anna and the French Kiss. I was ready to re-read the book 10 minutes after putting it down, but I am forcing myself to wait until next year. I want to re-read Looking for Alaska as well.

10. Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2013?
I love the cover for The Ocean At The End Of The Lane.

11. Most Memorable Character in 2013?
I think it's a tie between Alaska Young and Hans Hubermann. The feels. Both of these characters had a major impact on me and I was not prepared.

12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2013?
The Book Thief. Not only was Markus Zusak's story writing extraordinary, but his use of language was beautiful. It's like each piece of the puzzle was beautiful on it's own and then he put it together to make something even more dazzling.

13. Book That Had The Greatest Impact on You in 2013?
And no surprise here. The Book Thief, again. Seriously go read the book if you haven't. It's more than just a story about Nazi Germany, it's about family and personal struggle and everything. This book will make you feel all the things.

14. Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2013 to Finally Read?
I read so many books this year that have been on my shelf or my to-read list forever, but I'm really happy I finally got around to reading The Hobbit. I can't believe my mom never read me this book as a kid! I loved it!

And because I can't just pick one book; I also can't believe I waited so long to read Anna and the French Kiss and Looking for Alaska.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From a Book You Read in 2013?

“No matter how careful you are, there's going to be the sense you missed something, the collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn't experience it all. There's that fallen heart feeling that you rushed right through the moments where you should've been paying attention.
Well, get used to that feeling. That's how your whole life will feel some day.
This is all practice.” - Chuck Palahniuk (Invisible Monsters)

16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read in 2013?
Life Without Principle by Henry David Thoreau was the shortest book I read with 48 pages, and Angels and Demons was the longest book I read with 569 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.)
I think Losing It had a lot of wtf moments in it for me or times when I just couldn't stop laughing. *Spoilers* When Bliss first attempts to lose her virginity and uses her non-existant cat as an excuse to get out of the situation last minute, I nearly died. I laughed for a good 10 minutes and immediately texted my friend who had already read the book to discuss it.

18. Favorite Relationship From a Book You Read in 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc.)?
These questions are hard. I'm going with Enzo and Denny because there is something extra special about the relationship between a man and his dog.

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From an Author You've Read Previously?
Looking For Alaska by John Green.

20. Best Book You Read in 2013 That You Read Based Solely on a Recommendation From Somebody Else?
There's a few books that I read for school earlier in the year that I would have never picked up myself. In terms of non-school related books, I don't think I would have ever read Adulting if my friend hadn't recommended it to me.

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?
Does general fiction count? I don't think I read any genre within that category more than another.

22. Newest Fictional Crush From a Book You Read in 2013?
Etienne St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss. It seemed inevitable, besides the fact that I totally envisioned him looking like Olly Murs, St. Clair makes you feel all the emotions. He's the kind of character you want to help, but not the bad boy kind you want to change, the good kind that just need a hug. Plus he's British and i can't help myself.

23. Best 2013 Debut You Read?
Adulting by Kelly Williams Brown. Based off Brown's successful blog, the book is a compilation of steps on how to conduct your life as an adult. The book is perfect for any post-grad and/or anyone who's in their early-20's.

24. Most Vivid World/Imagery in a Book You Read in 2013?
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman contained some fantastic imagery. The story really jumped out at me and I still feel the need to make something artistic based off of the novel.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun to Read in 2013?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was quirky and quick, just what I was expecting. It was a fun read.

26. Book That Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2013?
Oh man, I cry so easily, there's definitely more than one book. Looking For Alaska, Everything is Illuminated, The Art of Racing in the Rain, The Last Lecture, The Book Thief, Faking It, Anna and the French Kiss. I feel like I cried/almost cried during other books, but I really can't remember at this point.

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year or When it Came Out?
None that I can think of. I tend to read books that are/have been popular.

And out of the optional questions...

- New Favorite Book Blog You Discovered in 2013?
I haven't read many book blogs before this year. The Perpetual Page Turner (who made this survey) has probably been my favorite discovery in that genre.

- Did You Complete Any Reading Challenges or Goals You Had For 2013?
Yes! My goal for the 2013 Reading Challenge on Goodreads was 30 books and I've read 34 books at the moment. I'm currently reading The Da Vinci Code and Something Blue, which will both hopefully be finished before the first of January.

A to Z Book Survey

The survey originally comes from The Perpetual Page-Turner and I discovered it thanks to The Daily Simple. I liked the idea of this survey so much I had to try it out myself.

It's currently thunder storming outside so I made myself some coffee and have been curled up with my book for the better part of this morning. It hasn't stormed this hard in a while (at least not during the day when I'm conscious) and the house is literally shaking every time the thunder cracks.

Author you've read the most from:
I believe it's J. K. Rowling.

Best Sequel Ever:
I can't even think of any sequels I've read. I really loved Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets though. Does that count since it's the second book?

Currently Reading:
Angels & Demons. I'm usually reading 4 or 5 different books at once, but I'm trying to finish off my last August TBR before adding anything else.

Drink of Choice While Reading:
Coffee. Tea is close second.

E-reader or Physical Book:
Physical book. I know a lot of people argue that E-readers are so much nicer for travel and less clutter, which I agree are both good points, but I love the feel of a book. I like holding an actual book, seeing books on my bookshelf, and being able to smell books.

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school:
Ron Weasley. He's funny, ginger, and has an English accent.

Glad you gave this book a chance:
The Odyssey. I read this for a Classics Literature class in college and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the story. I want to re-read this again because I feel like I missed a lot while trying to finish it quickly for class.

Hidden Gem Book:
A Rose for Melinda by Lurlene McDaniel. I bought this book back in junior high (maybe elementary school) on a trip downstate for my annual doctors appointment. I remember choosing the book because it had pointe shoes on the cover and I thought the style of the book was interesting (written in a series of emails/letters/journal entries). I spent the whole car ride home reading and silently crying in the backseat. This one is definitely a tear jerker.

Important moment in your reading life:
Deciding to finish the Harry Potter series. The books renewed my love of reading.

Just Finished:
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It was good, but not as amazing as I was expecting. I liked his actual lecture a lot better.

Kinds of books you won't read:
Probably western novels. I've never really been interested in that genre.

Longest Book You've Read:
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (870 pages)

Major book hangover because of:
I hate finishing books. I think the last book that I really had a hard time being done with was Looking for Alaska. I finished the book back in June and still miss being with those characters.

Number of bookcases you own:
I don't own an actual bookcase. I have my books scattered around my room on six different shelves.

One book you have read multiple times:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe/any book from the Chronicles of Narnia series. Because this was one of my Mom's all-time favorite series, these were the books my brother and I were raised on. I have many fond memories of my Mom reading the series to me as a child. I've also read the series/parts of the series multiple times on my own.

Preferred Place to Read:
My bed. I like to be comfortable.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you've read:
“I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have.” From Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Basically anything from this book.

Reading Regret:
Not reading more for my own enjoyment in high school/waiting so long to finish the Harry Potter series. I was so busy with dance in grade school that I didn't have much time to read for pleasure on top of what was assigned for class.

I started Harry Potter when it first came out (I was in elementary school) and read the first 4 books before putting the series on hold. It wasn't until I was in college and the 6th movie was coming out that I decided to read the entire series.

Series you started and need to finish:
Ender's Game. I read the first book earlier this summer and need to read the next one before I forget everything that happened.

Three of your all-time favorite books:
The Catcher In The Rye, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Perks of Being A Wallflower. I think I have a thing for sad and depressing books lol.

Unapologetic Fangirl For:
John Green. Love, love, love everything John Green writes. I had a really hard time picking between Perks and Looking for Alaska for the above favorites.

Very excited for this release more than all the others:
The only book I can think of right now is Allegiant, the next book in Veronica Roth's Divergent series, but I still have yet to read Insurgent.

Worst Bookish Habit:
Reading so many books at once. I get very ADD about my books and can never seem to focus all my energy into finishing one at a time.

X Marks the Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:
I used my "books I own" shelf on goodreads for this one since, like I said before, my books are scattered all around my room. The 27th book on my shelf is The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks. It's still on my to-read list.

Your Latest Book Purchase:
The last book I bought was The Ocean At the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

ZZZ-Snatcher Book (Last book that kept you up way late):
Angels & Demons. I stayed up until 3:30 am the other night reading because I couldn't put this book down.

Well, there you have it. Hope you enjoyed reading through my answers. I encourage all other book lovers to take the survey too!

-S