The End of Year Book Survey

2012 is almost over! We made it!


It may be a little early to start declaring my favorites and not-so-favorites of 2012, but I never get much reading done during the holidays, since I am part elf and spend most of my time baking and crafting and SPREADING JOY and the like. And since The Perpetual Page-Turner is hosting it's 3rd Annual End of Year Book Survey, I figured I'd better hop on board now, when the time is right and before the Apocalypse occurs.

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

THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION.

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

THE LIST by Siobhan Vivian *sad face*

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

BLACKWOOD by Gwenda Bond. The book was totally different than I expected, but I loved it!

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

Probably UNSPOKEN by Sarah Rees Brennan, because it needs all the LOVE and SUPPORT it can get! Not enough 

 people are reading this book when they should.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

Discovering THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS series was a momentous thing.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Oh, man. Leigh Bardugo, Sarah Rees Brennan, Marissa Meyer, Rae Carson, C.J. Redwine, Sarah J. Maas… and on and on and on. SO MANY GOOD AUTHORS OUT THERE.

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

I gave ENDANGERED, a contemporary book with a young protagonist set in the Congo, a shot, because I received a review copy. I like contemporary, but this was an ISSUE book, set in a war-torn third world country, advertizing the plight of the endangered bonobo. I love animals, and I love the news, but not usually in my literature. I prefer pure escapism, really. BUT OH BOY. THIS BOOK. It's amazing. No wonder it was nominated for the National Book Award.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

I’ll go with DEFIANCE by C.J. Redwine, but there were many, many others. That book was always moving, changing directions every couple scenes, in the best way possible.

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

SERAPHINA by Rachel Hartman. I could live inside that book. So rich and full of detail.

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

 

11. Most memorable character in 2012? 

Hector from THE CROWN OF EMBERS, Kami from UNSPOKEN, Celaena from THRONE OF GLASS, and my precious Mal from SHADOW AND BONE.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi. Unequivocally.

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

ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer had me bawling like a baby.

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

ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy. They revoke your English major badge at my school if you don’t read Tolstoy at some point. Plus I wanted to read it before I saw the movie.

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

From SHATTER ME:

“I always wonder about raindrops.
I wonder about how they’re always falling down, tripping over their own feet, breaking their legs and forgetting their parachutes as they tumble right out of the sky toward an uncertain end. It’s like someone is emptying their pockets over the earth and doesn’t seem to care where the contents fall, doesn’t seem to care that the raindrops burst when they hit the ground, that they shatter when they fall to the floor, that people curse the days the drops dare to tap on their doors.”

Bonus:

“My head is on the seat, his frame hovering over me, his hands gripping my hips from under my tattered dress and I’m licked by a million flames of wanting so desperate I can hardly inhale. He’s a hot bath, a short breath, 5 days of summer pressed into 5 fingers writing stories on my body.”

 16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012? 

ANNA KARENINA is long so long the longest the absolute longest thing ever. The shortest book? I moved this year, so I uncovered a lot of Gillian Detritus left behind in my old home, including the very first story I ever wrote at the age of 5. I present it to you in its entirety:

Once upon a time there was a whale named Martha. She was very sad because she didn’t have kids. One day she had a child named Susan.

THE END.

That was a fail whale of a story.

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!

The last Throne of Glass novella. I CURSED the HEAVENS at that one. Also the end of UNSPOKEN and the end of CROWN OF EMBERS (yes I keep picking the same books over and over but guys I seriously love those books. Deal).

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

Warner and Juliette's relationship from SHATTER ME and DESTROY ME. It's twisted, epic, deep, confusing, painful. Oh the FEELS. I love literary relationships that aren't black and white or even necessarily healthy. Also Mal and Alina from SHADOW AND BONE and Alina and the Darkling. I'm a pan-shipper, guys. I like when hearts get tangled.

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

Finally started reading THE INFERNAL DEVICES series by Cassandra Clare after loving THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS.

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

A friend told me to read VALKYRIE RISING because it was tons of fun and she was extremely right.

 Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012 (optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012? 

ALL THE BOOK BLOGS. I only joined the book blogging world at the end of September, and I seriously love them all. They are all brand new discoveries and I’m honored to be a part of this awesome community. Special shout out to Bookshelvers Anonymous, Lili’s Reflections, and Blue Sky Bookshelf, for being my particular blogging buds! But seriously, you should check out every blog that links back to Perpetual Page-Turner main page. They're all worthwhile.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012? 

Um... you tell me? I don't know. I have fun with the negative ones because I like to keep my claws sharp, so reviewing THE SELECTION was kind of fun. But I also love to rave and swoon and tell people about books that will change their lives, so I guess I also like my gushing reviews. Must pay particular love to my non-review posts, like Pixar's Rules of Story-telling and, wow, my total favorite that i forgot about until just now, WHY I LOVE YA!

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

It was a short discussion, but definitely the one about Boys in YA. Another good and longer one was about The Ten Worst Ways to End a Book (warning: gif overload ahead).

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

Malinda Lo, author of ADAPTATION, talking about hetero-normativity in BITTERBLUE. Very well articulated.

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

I got to go to a REALLY great discussion about Gender in Fantasy at UCLA, where Leigh Bardugo, Cecil Castelluci, Javi Grillo-Marxuach, and Amber Benson all presided. They sat around saying alternately hilarious and profound things. I took copious notes, so one day a post will go up sharing all the WISDOM I gained that wondrous night, but it will have to wait till I'm not completely swamped (and can learn to decipher my own abysmal handwriting).

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?

Winning bookish prizes! Also GIVING bookish prizes! People love free books. A whole bunch.

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

Obviously my BIG MEGA HOLIDAYGIVEAWAY (open until Thursday, December 6) was the most popular by both comments and views, but the next one was Top Ten Most Anticipated Books of 2013. Followed very closely by Top Ten literary Characters I Want to Marry (this one gets alllll the Google searches for Bookish Boyfriends).

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

THIS ONE. Love it, guys, give it some loooooove.

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

Book Soup, a bookstore in the WestHollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. GO THERE AND BUY THINGS. GO THERE NOW.

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

To start a book blog! 

Looking Ahead…

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

GRACELING. I. Will. Read. It. I promise. I now own a copy. It will happen. (Also DIVERGENT)

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

CINDER by Marissa Meyer. SIEGE AND STORM by Leigh Bardugo. UNTOLD by Sarah Rees Brennan. JUST READ THIS POST.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2012?

Make more blogging friends! *waves at blogging friends with scary amount of enthusiasm* And more reading friends! *hugs reading friends uncomfortably close*

That's right... join me... join my bookish cult.