I'm participating in the Perpetual Page-Turner's end-of-year survey once again! I've filled out her annual survey each year; it's a lot of fun! If you want to join in, click on the previous link to get to Jamie's original post and link up there.
1. Best book you read in 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)
Click here to view my list.
2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn’t?
Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink
I loved the first two books in this trilogy (Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate), but this one was really lackluster.
3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?
Destined by Aprilynne Pike - I wasn't expecting Destined to be so dark and bittersweet. It was significantly more action-packed than the previous books of the series while keeping elements of the previous books in the spotlight, and I loved it.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Like I mentioned in my classics review, I didn't expect to like this book because it's always referred to as some epitome of the American Dream, which made me think of The Grapes of Wrath. Fortunately, The Great Gatsby was fantastic and painted a much better picture than my initial expectations.
4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
5. Best series you discovered in 2013?
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?
None, really. I think I have the potential to really love F. Scott Fitzgerald, but it's too early to tell since I haven't read anything else except The Great Gatsby, his most popular novel.
7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Well, I read El Cid by Marcel Charles Andrade, and it's a tiny little Spanish book. I'm a native English speaker, and reading something in a language that isn't your first is always a little out of the comfort bubble.
8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Sailor Moon 6-12 by: Naoko Takeuchi
9. Book you read in 2013 that you are most likely to re-read next year?
Sailor Moon 12 and Sailor Moon 6-8 by: Naoko Takeuchi
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?
Across the Universe by: Beth Revis
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
11. Most memorable character in 2013?
Hotaru Tomoe (Sailor Saturn) from the Sailor Moon series by Naoko Takeuchi.
Pi from Life of Pi by Yann Martel. It's hard to forget a character so innocently devoted to religion.
Pi from Life of Pi by Yann Martel. It's hard to forget a character so innocently devoted to religion.
Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte... I initially felt really bad for him, but my gosh, he became mean with age.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2013?
"...we accept the love we think we deserve." - Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
"I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth." - Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
"All right, then, I'll go to hell." - Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
16. Shortest & longest book you read in 2013?
Shortest - El Cid by Marcel Charles Andrade
Longest - Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
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!
PART THREE OF LIFE OF PI. OH. MY GOSH.
Not to mention the end of The Perks of Being a Wallflower! Talk about a slap in the face!
18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).
Friendship: Huck Finn and Jim from Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Hotaru Tomeo and Chibiusa from Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon series.
19. Favorite book you read in 2013 from an author you’ve read previously.
Destined by Aprilynne Pike
And, of course, the rest of the Sailor Moon manga.
20. Best book you read in 2013 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else:
I only read one book I picked up due to recommendations, and I wasn't a fan, so I don't have a pick for this category.
21. Genre you read the most from in 2013?
Manga and YA (although I don't consider either a genre as much as a classification).
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?
None, actually. How unexciting.
23. Best 2013 debut you read?
I didn't read any. WTH?
24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?
Destined by Aprilynne Pike: Avalon
Life of Pi by Yann Martel: The Pacific Ocean
Sailor Moon 12 by Noako Takeuchi: Travelling through space and the Galaxy Cauldron
25. Book that was the most fun to read in 2013?
Destined by Aprilynne Pike
Hidden by: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Sailor Moon 6-12 by: Naoko Takeuchi
26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2013?
Life of Pi and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. RIVER OF TEARS.
27. Book you read in 2013 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out?
Destined. Why did people give up on this series?
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I'm only going to do a portion of the Book Blogging/Reading Life and Looking Ahead sections.
Best discussion you had on your blog?
There haven't really been a lot of discussion posts on this blog this year, just a lot of unabashed fangirling.
Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?
I really enjoy Jamie's reviews and discussions at her blog, The Perpetual Page-Turner (the blog that hosts these cool surveys).
Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
Out of my 40-ish posts this year, here are the top (five) most viewed this year:
1. The Great Gatsby (movie review)
2. Classics: Wuthering Heights
3. Hallelujah! Floor Jansen is Staying in Nightwish
4. Top Ten Series I'd Like to Start but Haven't Yet
5. Requiem for the Indifferent | Epica
The results surprised me! My movie reviews usually never get any attention!
Post you wished got a little more love?
My Favorite Television Shows... It took forever for me to put this together, and then no one looked at it.
Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Well, I finished the rereleased Sailor Moon series, and I guess that was a goal.
One book you didn’t get to in 2013 but will be your number 1 priority in 2014?
A Million Suns by Beth Revis and The Dark and Hallow Places by Carrie Ryan... you know what? Hold the phone. I have a feeling that I said something very similar last year on the 2012 survey...
Yep, I did. I said The Dark and Hallow Places would be a priority for this past year along with Across the Universe... And I said that Across the Universe would be my number one priority back in the 2011 survey too.
2011 survey: Across the Universe
2012 survey: Across the Universe and The Dark and Hallow Places
2013 survey: A Million Suns and The Dark and Hallow Places
Apparently I can't get my priorities straight; the books I prioritize the most are the ones that take me two years to get to. I'm so logical.
Series ending you are most anticipating in 2014?
Redeemed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. I know a lot of people are 'excited' for this series to end simply for the sake of it being finished, but I actually really love this series. I wasn't the biggest fan of the first three books (and then Hunted and Tempted weren't exactly the best), so I'd understand why people wouldn't like it if the series was still going in that direction, but it isn't. The series has really improved, in my opinion. It's taken a long time for it to end, but it's been a lot of fun for me.
One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2014?
I didn't post nearly as many book reviews as I wanted to this year. It's not that I wasn't reading, it's that a lot of the books I read weren't really review-able. A lot of them have been out for a while, so I didn't see the point. However, I don't want to read books simply to review them. I don't want to stop delving into thicker books or books that have been out for a while. And I also don't want to refrain from rereading. There are so many books I'd like to reread... The Harry Potter series, The Host, Jane Eyre... But there are just too many books in the world that I need to read. Hopefully I find equilibrium in 2014.
I also plan to put up an About Me page instead of having that little paragraph in my sidebar. (Obviously the page would be a bit more elaborate than the paragraph I've had for about the entire time this blog has existed.) Maybe I'll even put up a cute selfie. I don't know yet.
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...Pretty long survey, eh? These are always a ton of fun to fill out and reflect upon the past year in books. I didn't read as much as I wanted to, but that's alright. My TBR is humungous for 2014, but I guess that isn't surprising. When you want to read everything, the TBR tends to be ridiculous. I hope you all have a great new year... I can't believe it's 2014 already...And, as always, thanks for reading.
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