Survey 2013

This is a survey created by Jamie of The Perpetual Page-Turner. You can click on the button (as in, the logo directly above) to see her filled in survey. Make sure to check out her blog while you're over 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)

Probably The Scorpio Races. I found it by through the recommendation of a friend in one of my classes (I do actually have friends, believe it or not) when we were talking about books and horses. 

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

I had high hopes for The Madman's Daughter, but they didn't really pan out for me.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I'm pretty picky about my contemporaries (I guess this is a contemporary, right?), but I enjoyed this one.

 4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Hmm... maybe Cinder? I don't actually remember, to be honest.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

I love The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (two of the four books have been released). Also, I'm really enjoying The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan (the last book comes out in 2014).

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Maggie Stiefvater. All three of the books that I've read are some of my favourites from this year, and I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the Raven Cycle when the other books come out.

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

The Omnivore's Dilemma. I (obviously) read mostly fiction, and this was my first time reading a non-fiction food book. I believe the genre would be called food science?

This was something that I wanted to read for a while- food science and food ecology and such are another one of my interests. I have a strange taste in things... In any event, this one proved to be a really enjoyable read, especially the part about sustainable farming. I actually read another book that I really enjoyed that talked about permaculture and urban gardening, called Paradise Lot.

It seems that I enjoy books and plants, and I'm looking forward to reading more books on the subject of urban agriculture and sustainable agriculture.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

The 100. I picked it up meaning to read a couple of chapters before I started working. I then proceeded to read through the entire book in one morning. There were constantly new revaluations, and the suspense between the alternating points of view really pulled me through the novel quickly.

 9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Probably a lot. I am a chronic re-reader. Definitely the books from The Raven Cycle that are out so far. Most likely, Clockwork Princess since I seem to re-read that a lot. And The Scorpio Races. I'll stop here, but I re-read almost as often as I read books- or I re-read bits of books.

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

I'm going to have to cheat on this one....

It's a lovely piece as a piece of art, and it suits the books really well.

All of the covers for this series are lovely for an aesthetic standpoint.

I'm very hit and miss on photo-covers, but I really like this one. It's such an atmospheric photograph, and the colouring is beautiful too, and you can't really tell if she's being drowned or saved from drowning. It's a bit strange, but so is the book. 

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

Probably Gansey from The Raven Cycle. It was just very comfortable to slip into his mind (In case you weren't tired of that series showing up in this post...). Also, most of the main cast from The Lynburn Legacy.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

 I really enjoyed the writing in Vessel. I tend to go for very fantasy storyteller styled writing, and I really enjoyed how this one was told. I also really enjoyed Sorrow's Knot for the same reason.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?

...Oh goodness... I don't know.

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read?

Airman by Eoin Colfer. I have had the book for years, but I never seriously sat down and read it. I loved his Artemis Fowl series, but I wasn't as able to get into this one when I first got it. However, I sat down and read it in the last few days of December, and I enjoyed it.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013? 

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Shortest:  An Abundance of Katherines by John Green at 229 pages

Longest: The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima at 598 pages

17. A Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About?

That one revelation at the end of The 100 (not the "we are not alone" one, I called that, but the one about why the ship is damaged...). A friend of mine and I got a lot of mileage out of Clockwork Princess as well (especially genealogies and Shadowhunter genetics... because we're science nerds).

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship etc.)

I thought this one over quite a lot, and I still can't figure it out. I have a lot of favourite relationships for a lot of different reasons- realistic ones, larger-than-life ones, romantic, familial, friendship any combination thereof. If I spend any more time trying to figure this out, I won't be posting this until Mid-February, and I would really like to get it up, so I'm going to bow out of this one for this year. (What a pointlessly long explanation).

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You've Read Previously?

Probably Airman. (As something that is not a part of a series that I am already reading.) I really enjoy Eoin Colfer's writing.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Base SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else?

I only picked up For Darkness Shows the Stars because there were several bloggers I follow that raved about it, and was really glad I did. I think part of my aversion to it was how much it was pitched as a romance, when I feel like there was more to the story. More on that later, though.

21. Genre You Read The Most From In 2013?

Young adult fantasy, though a lot of it bordered a line between fantasy and science fiction, or was historical fantasy. I basically read a lot of books in the broader fantasy genre.

22. Newest Fictional Crush From A Book You Read In 2013?

I've never really had one... which somehow is more awkward than having one. (?)

23. Best 2013 Debut You Read?

The 100. I know some people had mixed feelings about it, but I found it captivating and really suspenseful- I couldn't put it down.

24. Most Vivid World/Imagery In A Book You Read In 2013?

What comes to mind immediately to mind is Sorrow's Knot. I found it to be beautifully written.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read In 2013?

I know what I enjoyed reading, but having fun reading something seems different. Hmm... actually, probably Unspoken or Untold. I know that a lot of people cried over these, but I found them really fun to read. Of course, they had their not-fun moments, but overall, I think I had the most fun with these. But talk about a cliffhanger at the end of Untold.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry In 2013?

Lets see... Clockwork Princess, Sorrow's Knot and The Scorpio Races. 

27. Book You Read In 2013 That You Think Go Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

I can really only attest to this year, since book blogging is something that I only recently rediscovered, and the community was pretty new to me before this year. Hello community *waves*. One book from a while ago that I don't know anyone else to have read (admittedly, I am still pretty new to this stuff, so maybe you're all in hiding...) is Nation. I really liked it, though maybe I'm a sucker for islands... and it was such a wonderful sci-fantasy-adventure story (that is totally a genre). That one came out a while ago, though. If anyone has read it, drop me a line.

1. One Book You Didn't Get To In 2013, But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority In 2014?

World After by Susan Ee. Also, These Broken Stars, Cinders and Sapphires and Splintered.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating In 2014 (non-debut)?

 One from an author that I have never read is The Uninvited. From authors that I have read, (mostly series continuations) Cress by Marissa Meyer (who isn't?) and book 3 of The Raven Cycle (hitherto unnamed, in fact, I'm eagerly anticipating a synopsis) by Maggie Stiefvater. I could go on... but I think I have cheated enough for one question. I have a list.

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Either Trust Me, I'm Lying, or All That Glows. 

4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating In 2014?

So many. Rivals in the City (Mary Quinn Mysteries #4) is a big one for me. Y.S. Lee recently blogged that she had finished a major editing/re-write. As well as Umade by Sarah Rees Brennan.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

Become more consistent with the blogging, and be a little more diverse (not just reviews). More at this post.