This is a yearly survey hosted and conceived by the ever fabulous Jamie of The Perpetual Page Turner. All the gorgeous graphics are hers!
1. Best Books I Read in 2013 (By Genre)
See THIS POST, aka my top 27 reads of the year!
2. Book I Was Excited About and Thought I'd Love But Didn't
How to Love by Katie Cotugno, The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle, Red by Alison Cherry, Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin, Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts, Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield, Taken by Erin Bowman, Prophecy by Ellen Oh
3. Surprising in a good way book of 2013
Gorgeous by Paul Rudnik, Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
3.5. Surprising in a very bad not good way at ALL
Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz. This book deserves its own category of bad.
4. Book I Read in 2013 That I Recommended to People the Most in 2013
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard, Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo.
5. Best Series I Discovered in 2013
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard, The Lotus Wars by Jay Kristoff, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.
6. Favorite Authors I Discovered in 2013
Rainbow Rowell, Kasie West, Stephanie Perkins, Susan Dennard,Veronica Rossi
7. Best Book That Was Out of My Comfort Zone or in a new genre
Dare You To by Katie McGarry. I read basically all genres of YA, but I don't tend to gravitate towards the sexy swoony contemporaries. This one, however, totally rocked.
8. Most Thrilling, Un-Put-Down-able Book in 2013
Cress by Marissa Meyer, Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi. These were all burning-the-midnight-oil, nothing-is-left-of-my-feels, WHAT'S-GONNA-HAPPEN reads!
9. Book I Read in 2013 That I'm Most Likely to Re-Read Next Year
Cress by Marissa Meyer, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, the first half of Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas before my heart gets completely obliterared, Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi, Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein.
10. Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2013
11. Most Memorable Character in 2013
Thorne from Scarlet and Cress by Marissa Meyer, Sturmhond from Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, Kenji from Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi, Roar from the Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi trilogy, Celaena from Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, Scarlet from Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, Hayley and Finn from The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson, Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Hector from The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson, and a whole lot more. Characters are the reason I LOVE a book.
12. Most Beautifully Wrtten Book Read in 2013
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson, Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi, Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, The Archived by Victoria Schwab, The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater, Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan, Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein.
13. Book That Had the Greatest Impact On Me In 2013
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Hands down.
14. Book I Can't Believe I Waited Until 2013 to Finally Read
Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From a Book I Read in 2013
Arrrgh, I never remember quotes. Here's one from Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan (only accessible to me at this moment since I put in my review. I AM A GENIUS):
"Things are not magical because they've been conjured for us by some outside force. They are magical because we create them, and then deem them so."
16. Shortest and Longest Book I Read in 2013
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan: 208 pages
Cress by Marissa Meyer: 560 pages
17. Book That Had a Scene In It That Had Me Reeling and Dying to Talk to Somebody About It
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (THAT MOMENT. WHAT THE WHAT), Allegiant by Veronica Roth (That... um... moment, also), Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi (NOOOOOOO!).
18. Favorite Relationship From A Book I Read in 2013
Cath and Levi from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Thorne and Cress from Cress by Marissa Meyer, Thorne and Cinder (non-romantic boy/girl friendship!) from Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, Aria and Roar (I friendship them SO MUCH) from Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi, Rose and Roza in Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, Chaol and Celaena from Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, I literally could go on forever, I need to stop.
19. Favorite Book I Read in 2013 From an Author I've Read Previously
Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund, Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi, The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
20. Best Book I Read in 2013 That I Read Based SOLELY on a Recommendation from Somebody Else:
The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen, recommended by Lili
21. Genre I Read the Most from 2013
Fantasy? I think? I'm sorry, but I'm way too lazy to math it right now.
22. Newest Fictional Crush From a Book I Read in 2013
STURMHOND, Levi, Thorne, Roar, Nikolai. Sturmhond. Extra Sturmhond. Plus Sturmhond.
I think I might have forgotten to mention Sturmhond.
23. Best 2013 Debut I Read
Pivot Point by Kasie West
24. Most Vivid World/Imagery In A Book I Read in 2013
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson
25. Book That Was the Most Fun to Read in 2013
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Cress by Marissa Meyer, Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diane Peterfreund
26. Book That Made Me Cry in 2013
SO MANY books make me cry. I ugly-sobbed reading Allegiant by Veronica Roth. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner also made me break out the heaving snivelly sobs. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein made me incredibly misty. I'M A CRIER, OKAY.
27. Book I Read in 2013 That I Think Got Overlooked This Year or When It Came Out
Dark Star by Bethany Frenette is a totally great urban fantasy with interesting mythology, a funny and fiesty heroine, a great mother/daughter dynamic, a platonic boy/girl friendship, and an adorable and bantery love interest. More people should read this series!
45 Pounds by K.A. Barson is funny, honest, heartbreaking, and wonderful. It's about a teen girl struggling with her identity, her weight, and her self esteem. Ann is totally my homegirl. Get thee to a bookstore so you can meet this crazy awesome chick.
1. New favorite book blog I discovered in 2013
This is so tricky, because I discovered ALL THE BLOGS in 2013! I technically started my blog in 2012, but I didn't really become part of the blogosphere until 2013. So I'm just going to list, like, a million people in alphabetical order: Angie, Alexa, Ashleigh, Ashley, Bekka, Bonnie, Blythe, Christianna, Christina, Debby, Ellis, Gaby, the fabulous Jamie, Jess, Jessie, Judith, Kara, Katie, Lili, Molli, Pixie, Rachel, Renae, Shae, Steph and Meg from Cuddlebuggery, Sunny, and Wendy and Kate from The Midnight Garden. I'm so pleased to have gotten to know and love you guys. And that's just the tip of the awesome blogger iceberg.
2. Favorite review I wrote in 2013
I really like my positive reviews for Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (which was the post that got nominated for a Bloggy for Most Hilarious Review!) , Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce to kick off PierceFest,
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West, Faking It by Cora Carmack, The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson, Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
I really like my negative reviews for Warrior by Ellen Oh, Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles, Defy by Sara B. Larson, and, of course, Frozen by Melissa De la Cruz and Michael Johnston
3. Best discussion I had on the blog
How to Go on a Book Binge
20 Signs You're From the Harry Potter Generation
Insta-Love: An Insta-Turn Off
Gender-Bending and Why It's Awesome
Keep Romance in Oven Until Fully Baked: Or, Why I Love Slow Burn Romance
4. Best Event That I Participated In
BEA!!!!!!!!! Having lunch with Marie Lu! PierceFest! BEAAAAAAAA!!!!!
5. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?
Lili and Christina both came to stay this year, I got nominated for a Bloggy, I passed 100,000 views (and then 150,000!!!). Penguin invited me to have lunch with Marie Lu. I got to meet more of you guys online!
6. Top Ten Most Popular Posts This Year On My Blog by Page Views (As of a Couple Weeks Ago Because I'm Too Lazy Too Re-Check)
Lending People Books
Classic Books Everyone Should Read
Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass
Negative Reviews: Why I Write Them and Why I Read Them
How to Convert a YA Doubter into a YA Believer
March Fantasy Month Review: The Thief
YA Trend Watch
Review: Matched by Ally Condie
Baking the Books: Cinder Fortune Cookies
Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars
1. One Book I Didn't Get to in 2013 But Will Be My Number 1 Priority in 2014
The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak (bad llama), Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
2. Book I'm Most Anticipating for 2014 (non-debut)
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, The Unbound by Victoria Schwab, Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo.
3. 2014 Debut I'm Most Anticipating
Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout (HI KATIE), Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne, The Nethergrim, Sekret by Lindsay Smith, Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman, Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas, A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller.
4. Series Ending I'm Most Anticipating in 2014
Isla and the Happily Ever After, Ignite Me, Ruin and Rising, The One (JUST TELL ME WHO SHE PICKS, GOD DAMN IT, I DON'T EVEN LIKE THESE BOOKS)
5. One Thing I Hope to Accomplish or Do in My Reading/Blogging in 2014
Read more of the books I say I'll read. Make more bookish friends. Write more of my own stuff! AND READ!
Posts
Yay! Someone else who really likes the Lotus War series! I also agree with you, I thought I would love Taken by Erin Bowman but I just hated it. Great post! I can't believe you had lunch with Marie Lu! It must have been awesome.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I've been wondering about DARK STAR; fun to see it here! Perhaps I shall try it in 2014 after all. (And BIG YES to FANGIRL and DANGEROUS GIRLS, and I cannot *wait* for more people to read SEKRET - it is afreakingmazing.)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about those covers. So gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteSad to say, I've read hardly any of those books on your list. (Did read Fangirl, though. Yay.) Oh well, maybe next year!
I had so much fun visiting you!!!! <3 We have to try to do it again this summer! Hopefully! Fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I'm so scared about reading Crown of Midnight now because my heart cannot handle obliteration! STURMHOND. Oh, see, I meant to keep coming back and comment on stuff throughout this post, but I was too busy remembering all the titles or nodding my head too much. And that bloggy mention <333
ReplyDeleteAhhhh. Long and awesome list :D Thank you so much for sharing Gillian. <3 Loved reading it. Lots of amazing books. CRESS. So gorgeous. Best book, best cover. Hih. And The Raven Boys. So good. Loved a lot of the books in this post :)
ReplyDeleteGAH, I don't even know what to say to this post except YES YES AND OH YEAH, YES. STURMHONNNNNND. KENJI.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to Isla so much you don't even KNOW, Gilly. SO MUCH. And Ruin and Rising, which will probably kill my feels and I'll have to take off work and rest, to recover, and just cry, and eat chocolate, and sleep, and cry. *mourns in advance* AND AND Ignite Me, and gah.
I am so happy I discovered you and your blog this year. <3 <3 <3
Oh. You included me. Oh. MY HEARTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
ReplyDeleteI am so honored to be included on that list!!! It's been so fun getting to know you (and gushing over all our favorite authors) (Disney) (ships), and I look forward to more hangouts come BEA 2014 ;)
ReplyDeleteEw, Red. Hahaha, Tumble & Fall. Unamused dog forever. Extra ew, Prophecy. Ooh, Gorgeous. Your review of that one was hilarious. Lul, Frozen. (I know, my comments are so thoughtful and insightful. I apologise.)
ReplyDeleteSCARLET <3
(Side note: I love how you're so Gillian about this and give ten books where the question only asks for one. Please don't ever change.)
Hahaha, I also discovered all the blogs in 2013. Thank you for mentioning me! You're so sweet! Just look at it! I'm squished between Debby and Gaby! I'm clearly in awesome company.
I also think your post on how to turn ninnies into YA believers deserves a place in this list.
Super jelz about you meeting Marie Lu and sharing face-space with her and getting advice from Mikhail. Especially that last one.
DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. You have not read?!? (I actually knew this so I'm being an asshole about this, again, but I think you'll really like it.) I also think it might give you inspiration for your The Art of Young Adult Tumblr. Because, you know, that serves as a legit motivation nowadays, you disgustingly talented person.