End of Year Book Survey – 2013

One of my favorite bloggers, Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner, hosts a wonderful thing called the End of Year Book Survey. I had an absolute blast completing the survey for 2012 so I was excited to hop on board for the 2013 END OF YEAR BOOK SURVEY!

As usual, all links will take you to my reviews for these books so if you see something you’re curious about, check out my reviews!

BEST IN BOOKS 2013

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)
HAHA okay, for sure I have to cheat. There is no way I can one ONE favorite. Cheating all around!!!
Fantasy (and book of the year #1)Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) – Leigh Bardugo
Not actually published in 2013 (and book of the year #2… or #1 haha): Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) – Marissa Meyer
Contemporary: Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell,
Historical Fiction: Code Name Verity – Elizabeth Wein
Re-Read: Where She Went (If I Stay #2) – Gayle Forman
A Little Bit of EVERYTHING: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress (review to come!) by Marissa Meyer

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Chantress (Chantress Trilogy #1) – Amy Butler Greenfield: I was SO SO excited for the premise for this one but I just was not getting into it at all and ended up not finishing it. It wasn’t BAD but it just totally was not for me. I actually wrote a DNF review for it because I had a lot of things I felt I needed to say about why I chose not to finish!

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?
I’m actually going to say A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin. I was curious about A Game of Thrones once the series started but with the length and the fact that I still wasn’t 100% sure about fantasy, I was SUPER hesitant to start it. Thanks to the #SOIFRA read along that I was happy to host with a few other awesome ladies, I ended up REALLY getting invested in this series and A Storm of Swords really blew me away! 

 4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?
Definitely The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler. I FELL IN LOVE with this book and I’ve been recommending it to everyone I can.

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?
Hands down, The Lunar Chronicles. I read Cinder at the very beginning of the year, read Scarlet not too long after, and devoured my ARC of Cress the other month. I even wrote a post about how The Lunar Chronicles is My Latest Bookish Addiction! (Love you, Marissa Meyer!)

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?
Marissa Meyer. She’s just so amazing!

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I was craving a really great Halloween read and Alyssa recommended this book, being a big Neil Gaiman fan. She was SO right. I listened to the audio narrated by Neil himself and it was fantastic 

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?
Oooh. Tie between Siege and Storm and Cress!

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Oh wow, that’s hard. I actually did a TON of re-reads this year (Catching Fire, Mockingjay, Harry Potter 1 and 2, If I Stay, Where She Went, and Just One Day) sooooo. I actually don’t have a lot that I’m meaning to re-read anymore except for ones that I haven’t read in 2013 haha. I want to re-read Anna and the French Kiss for SURE and continue re-reading Harry Potter on audio!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?
I think it’s actually Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger. I liked the book, but it wasn’t my favorite… I did LOVE the cover though. My favorite thing about it was that I knew the EXACT spot in the book that this moment on the cover happened and it really helped me get a much better picture for everything too! I heard Shannon Messenger talk about her cover art and she actually got to work with the artists on it. She even changed a minor description of Audra in order to match this exact moment so everything would be just perfect… and it really was!

Let the Sky Fall

11. Most memorable character in 2013?
Captain Carswell Thorne (swoon!)

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?
The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves by Maggie Steifvater: I honestly just love Maggie’s writing and her writing style feels so unique.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?
I know it was a re-read but Just One Day by Gayle Forman still absolutely killed me. It was a HUGE inspiration for me as I was writing my WIP during NaNoWriMo this year and her books always hit me hard!

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read?
Legend by Marie Lu! Me and dystopians and everyone loving it… How did I not read this sooner!!!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?
Oh, those are always so hard because I’m so bad at keeping track of them! *checks Goodreads*
Yep, cheating again. Just One Day again. Because the best quotes. Ever.
“We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.”

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?
Shortest (novella/short story): The Queen’s Army (The Lunar Chronicles #1.5) – Marissa Meyer
Shortest (non-novella/short story): Fortunately, The Milk – Neil Gaiman
Longest: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) – George R.R. Martin

 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!
Basically the entire time I was reading Cress. GOD can people read this yet!? I’m dying here!!!! (Want non-spoilery reactions? Check out my mini-review/ravings!)

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).
Friendship: I just finished Roomies by Tara Altebrando and Sara Zarr and I loved how that friendship evolved.
Romantic: Everything in Cress? Yes.

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Okay, I CANNOT say Cress again. (As much as I want to.)  HMMM. Well, there’s always Siege and Storm hahaha. It’s SO HARD not to repeat! Okay. Then I will say The Dream Thieves (The Raven Boys #2) by Maggie Stiefvater.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:
Oh! I already said it, but SOLELY on a recommendation was The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 🙂 Thanks, Alyssa!

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?
OOOOH good question. I’m sure Goodreads has a way to figure that out. BA-BAM! To the stats we go!
It looks like contemporary! Which that almost surprises me but it doesn’t. I’ve been reading and enjoying a lot of contemps this year!

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?
Captain Carswell Thorne (Scarlet, Cress). HANDS OFF, LADIES. HE’S MINE.

23. Best 2013 debut you read?
Oh phew! Something I can’t answer a sequel a for!! Haha. Darn, even still that’s hard. I’m gonna say he Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider or Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith.

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?
Cress? AHHH I’M SORRY. Okay, I’m also going to say Harry Potter because I re-read it in 2013 and it’s actually amazing the amount of world building that JK Rowling has in these books! I was really amazed. It was the first time I’ve re-read Harry Potter since I started blogging and I look at books in a totally different way. It was quite fabulous!

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?
Cress!?! AHH this is too hard. I’m not even joking. It’s that good to answer for every question, but honestly. I’m trying.
Okay, Siege and Storm HAHAHA.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?
I BAWLED reading The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler. Seriously ugly crying. 

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?
I think The Summer I Became A Nerd by Leah Rae Miller probably deserves WAY more mention than it has. It was so adorable and one of my favorite contemps this year!

 

Book Blogging/Reading Life 2013

 

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013?
WOW, that’s hard. There are so many amazing blogs out there and 2013 was a long year haha! It’s actually really hard to say who was new to me in 2013… I’m trying to remember who I didn’t know before! I think The Quiet Concert was a new-to-me book blog in 2013 and I LOVE these girls and feel like we often have similar tastes! Stormy, did we know each other in 2012? If not, I’m counting Book.Blog.Bake. because Stormy is an awesome person and we ALSO have very similar tastes! We’ve also had some really awesome discussions — both through our blogs and on Twitter! And of course Maggie from Just a Couple More Pages! I feel like we’ve really gotten to know each other this year and I’ve loved getting to know her and her blog!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013?
Again — IMPOSSIBLE. Hmmmm.
I actually think my review of Siege and Storm really was my favorite. I had so much to gush about and I was super excited to give away my ARC for someone else to read! I had a blast writing that review.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
I really enjoyed my “How to Make Goodreads Work For You” post that I did for a Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge. I feel like I had a few good discussion posts! My Best-Friend-Turned-Boyfriend-Romance wasn’t really a discussion but it’s what gets me the most search hits so I’m super thankful for that!
Also (not discussions?) but ones that I really, really, really loved were my “Guides”: Contemporary and Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Paranormal

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?
Oh, wow. I don’t do blogging world recap posts so unfortunately I honestly don’t remember. Maybe I’ll make a note to remember next year (although I’m sure I said the same thing last year haha). 

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
I was SO SO thrilled to be the “featured blogger” at the Fierce Reads event this past November! I got to hang out with the authors and interview them and do an awesome giveaway thanks to Fierce Reads and Macmillan!
Also BEA (recap here!). Hellooooo. Best thing of my blogging life. (Or regular life.)

6. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?
I’d have to say… see above! Fierce Reads, BEA… Oh, let’s see. Winning an ARC of Cress (HAHA, you saw that coming, amirite?) and honestly, I did a happy dance and a huge squee when I was offered the chance to take a peek at Macmillan’s winter/spring catalog and request ARCs from it! I felt like I had finally “made it” so to speak haha! Working with Macmillan on various events and projects has been PRETTY fantastic!

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
Definitely The Best-Friend-Turned-Boyfriend-Romance. It was popular when it first was posted but every day it’s pretty much a popular post because it gets a lot of hits from people searching for something similar. Thank you, SEOs! After that, it was my Book Addict’s GUIDE to Contemporary which makes me SO happy because I absolutely LOVED that post! 

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
Hmmm, that’s hard to say. Really anything that got little to no comments, I always hope for a little more love, but such is blogging life! Not every review or post will have a ton of comments!

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
Well, after Google Reader shut down, I did kind of fall in love with Bloglovin’! I’m so happy to be able to organize things haha. 
I ALSO just started self-hosting my blog this year so just that whole experience (WordPress.org, hosting with Bluehost, etc) has all been a blast! And a special thanks to the forums on WordPress.org for helping me out with CSS when Google didn’t do it. I consulted them many times!! 

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I actually had to take my Goodreads challenge down by a few books BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT I checked the page count and I’ve already read more pages this year than last year. I did read the first four books in A Song of Ice and Fire so honestly. That’s totally the reason why I’m not meeting my book count goal this year. I read four 900-1000+ page books with those so that’s really why!
I started out participating in the Debut Author Challenge and the YA Contemporary Challenge and abandoned them after a few months. I think the one thing I’ve learned this year is not to take on too much. I CAN do a lot but then I miss a lot of things I want to do for myself because I have so many commitments. I quickly tired of keeping track of things for a yearly challenge, ya know?
I actually was proud that I did so many re-reads this year! I felt like I was going to do none and I ended up re-reading If I Stay, Where She Went, and Just One Day by Gayle Forman; Catching Fire and Mockingjay; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.
I think if I were to set a goal for myself in 2014, it’s to take on less commitments and to read more on my time. I ended up dropping a book club, dropping challenges, and getting frustrated with read alongs (although I don’t regret doing them — just the amount that I took on all at the same time hahah) because I was doing too many things at once!

LOOKING AHEAD

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?
OOOH well. I actually have a shelf of books I wanted to read this year and yep. They’re still sitting there. A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard and Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor are definitely ones I wanted to get to. Also, The Distance Between Us by Kasie West!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?
Time to go to Goodreads again! 
RUIN AND RISING! Wait, is Winter 2014 or 2015? 2015, right? Yeah, Ruin and Rising!!!!!

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
Probably Dorothy Must Die and The Murder Complex!

4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?
OHHH yep. The Grisha Trilogy. AHHH I’m so excited! I’m so scared!!!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?
I mostly want to start reading “for myself” again. I still want to keep on a general schedule for ARCs and whatnot, but I want to get a good mix of ARCs and older releases in again. I’ve been reading a lot of new releases and I enjoy that of course but there are still so many books that I want to read that are still new to me that I haven’t discovered yet!
I also really, really, really want to commit to fewer things. I think I spread myself pretty thin this year and although I really did enjoy everything that I did this year, it’s been a lot! I need to not do as many read alongs haha. I did quite a few blog tours last year too which I enjoy but I’ve started to be a bit pickier about which ones I’m a part of now.
I’m hoping to catch up with my reviews again! I used to write a review almost right after I finished a book because let’s be honest. I have a terrible short-term memory sometimes so I start to lose details immediately after I finish. I haven’t been reviewing right after I finish my books lately so when I write reviews days or even weeks later, they’re just not as good as they should be. I want to get back on top of things!

Thanks again to Jamie for this awesome survey! So much fun and a great way to look back at the year!

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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14 thoughts on “End of Year Book Survey – 2013

  1. Estelle

    I think you may have liked Cress? Like… a little bit?

    HA.

    Other than that, I am totally understanding the “take on less” idea. I am ALWAYS impressed with how you do, but you definitely should make yourself happy and not frustrated by those things, ya know? This is just a fun thing. I do think I took on too much this year too and I want to be more choosy about what I do and work a little bit more on connecting personally with the community and readers and also being a bit more personal on the blog too. If you feel you are going to say yes to so many things, come tell me and I will yell at you. I hope that fixes things 😉

    A great year of reading! I’m so happy we connected through blogging and also psyched you loved Book of Broken Hearts. I cried a lot reading that too 😉

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth

    I also have been trying to stay on top of my reviews lately… if I don’t write them within a week or so of finishing a book, they’re just not as good and are more frustrating to write. That seems like a fairly reasonable goal for next year.

    And geez, you should get credit for 2 or 3 books towards your Goodreads goal for each Game of Thrones book you’ve read. They are beasts. Maybe I will try one next year. I am still so so intimidated by their size. And also all the deaths. And the fact that fantasy is only a once in a while genre for me. Basically, I am a big wimp.

    Reply
  3. Hollie @ Music, Books and Tea

    I really need to pick up The Dream Thieves, I loved The Raven Boys last year and have totally failed on picking up the sequel this year. I’m definitely due a re-read of Harry Potter next year, I haven’t read the whole series in ages so I’d like to do that next year for sure. The Murder Complex sounds like a great book, I can’t wait to read that one either!

    Reply
  4. acps927

    Lots of love for Cress; definitely looking forward to reading it! The Lunar Chronicles was definitely a great discovery for me this year as well; I love the world Marissa Meyer created!

    Reply
  5. Stormy

    Awww, I have all warm & fuzzies now! I think I did actually discover your blog in 2012, but I don’t think we started really talking until this year, since I started blogging last December! And yay! And I was laughing at how much you responded Cress & Thorne to everything! You reminded me I really need to read Code Name Verity as well–I think that’s the only one from your “best of” list I haven’t read yet(well, besides Cress, but that one’s not released yet). And I agree that your Goodreads post was wonderful! It was the first time I had learned that I could make shelves exclusive other than the standard to-read, reading, and have read shelves. Now I have a DNF shelf and a maybe shelf, and it works so much better than trying to incorporate them into other shelves!

    Reply
  6. Nicole

    SO MUCH TO COMMENT ON! I WILL read A Book of Broken Hearts! I am obsessed with The Lunar Chronicles too (well at least what I’ve read of it so far). Hahaha I love how you answer Cress for so many questions – I can’t wait to read this book! Ronan <333 #23 I haven't read EITHER of these debuts!! (but plan to!)

    ME ME ME ME ME! 😀 *blushes* I feel super honored to make this list. I am SO HAPPY we got to meet through blogging. Seriously you and your blog are the best and I just love this community and I have a big stupid smile on my face AND CAN WE MEET UP AT BEA THIS YEAR!? 😀

    I should probably keep going.. 🙂 I LOVED Your Guides, seriously BEST THINGS EVER, and your Goodreads post was super helpful too! I have to go read the Boyfriend one!! Love #6 and CONGRATS that is HUGE! I abandoned my non-goodreads reading challenges as well. I think I met them but I gave up trying to track them.

    LOVED TDBU! RUIN AND RISING!!!! Umm #3 YES YES YES to both. And I SERIOUSLY need to write reviews right after I finish books. This is my biggest problem. I also want to start keeping a reading journal!

    I still have to complete my book survey. It overwhelms me every time I open it up haha. It's on my to-do list once I finish this semester.

    Sorry this comment is all over the place 🙂
    Nicole @ The Quiet Concert

    Reply
  7. Maggie @ Just a Couple More Pages

    I have so many comments (as usual)…

    First, obviously, thank you so much for including me in the blogs you discovered this year!

    Second, I love all your mentions of The Book of Broken Hearts. After liking, but not loving, Twenty Boy Summer I was worried about The Book of Broken Hearts, but I loved it so much. Yet, I kind of feel like it’s fallen to the back of my mind. I’d love to re-read that one.

    Third, I’m so excited to read Roomies, I was before, but after hearing you and Estelle say such good things I’m even more excited.

    Fourth, I also really liked your How to Make Goodreads Work For You post. I had forgotten about it (like you I’m not good at keeping track of other people’s discussion posts) but it reminded me about the private comments feature which I use all the time now so thank you!

    Fifth, I’m glad you’ve had all these cool opportunities with Macmillan. You got to work with Mary Van Akin as the publicist for the Fierce Reads tour, right? I can’t remember if we’ve talked about this before or not, but she’s my old roommate and a good friend and it’s cool when my worlds collide like that.

    Reply
    1. Brittany Post author

      Ohhh I think you did mention that (and typical me, I totally forgot) Mary was your roommate! I forgot all about that! YES!! I did get to meet her on the Fierce Reads tour and she is so stinkin’ sweet! So happy I got to work with her on that and she was just wonderful to work with 😀

      Reply
  8. Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook

    I’m so glad that you LOVED Cress. It makes me even more excited to read it (and I was already super excited!)

    I also started DAC, but gave up after a few months. I would rather just read what I want to read, and set my own goals.

    Reply
  9. Rebecca @ The Library Canary

    Crown of Midnight was my Cress for this survey. Lol. I can’t wait to get my hands on Cress!!! I signed up for the LitLush ARC tour so hopefully I get a spot!! I’m dying. All your raving is not helping me be patient… So I guess I need to read Cress, The Grisha trilogy, and The Raven Boys. 🙂 I’ll get on it.

    Reply
  10. Jan

    That’s it, I’ve really got to start reading the Lunar Chronicles! I keep saying that but it really has to be a top priority in 2014! I’ve heard soo many good things about it!

    Reply

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