Reading with ABC

The End of the Year Survey is a hop created by Jamie at the Perpetual Page Turner

Note: The survey is for books you read and is not limited to just books that came out in 2012!!

This is a fun survey that I participated on last year, I can't believe that another year has gone by!

Best In Books 2012

1. Best Book You Read In 2012?

Since Jamie cheats on this question, so will I :) It is almost impossible to settle on just one!

One of my favorite books this years (and probably ever!) is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Adult fiction: Contemporary YA: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Dystopian YA: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

New Adult: Easy by Tammara Webber

Sci-fi/supernatural/paranormal: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Fantasy: The Girl of Fire & Thorns by Rae Carson, and Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

Horror: The Monstrumologist (books 1-3) by Rick Yancey

Steampunk: The Leviathan Series by Scott Westerfeld

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

I think the biggest disappointment for me was Wrecked by Anna Davis – The cover is beautiful and the story (a re-telling of The Little Mermaid) promised to be good, but I couldn’t get passed the insta-love, the rushed scenes, the lack of characterization and the weirdness of it all.

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

Hmm, probably Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday.  This book is so funny!  This series is a combination of mystery and humor and for me it’s a big hit.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, The Iron Fey series by Julia Kagawa and Easy by Tammara Webber.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

The Elemental Series by Brigit Kemmerer, this series is a combination of paranormal action, teenage angst, and romance.

 6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Jonh Green, Julianne Donaldson, Sarah Maas, Mary Amato, Tammara Webber, Katie McGarry, Wendy Higgins, and so on and so forth…

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

The Monstrumologist is a series full of monsters (human and otherwise), genius, macabre and gross things that go ‘bump’ in the night.  I would NEVER watch an horror movie, but somehow I’m fascinated by this series.  Can’t wait for the last book coming out this year!

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey fascinated me, I just couldn’t stop reading!  Too bad I have to wait until 2014 for the sequel!  (That must be a crime somewhere, right?)

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

I don’t have time to re-read a lot of books anymore, but I’ve already found myself re-reading certain parts of Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson  already.  A guaranteed new favorite :)

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

Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers, I find this cover amazingly beautiful  in an ass-kick-awesome-heroine kind of way.

11. Most memorable character in 2012?

Celaena from Throne of Glass, I don’t know how a human being that has been through so much can still smile or be so candid. She is so feminine and spoiled, an assassin with a heart of gold.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Every Day by David Levithan, both are masters of the written world.

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

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (see a pattern here?) and Easy by Tammara Webber, I still think about both of them all the time.

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

The Summer series by Jenny Han; although I had the first two books in my shelves, I hadn’t read them until a friend recommended them to me, I really enjoy them.

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

“Something had happened – of that I was certain. Where before I had been partially empty, now I felt somehow full inside – complete. It was a feeling as buoyant as sunlight. Examining my heart, I found that there were pieces of me that had gone missing in Bath, that I had found again, today, with Philip. And they were pieces of happiness.”  - from Edenbrooke

“Some late-night show is on and I should have been in

bed long ago, but I want to hear someone’s real voice.

The voice of someone who loves me (is there anyone?)

Not just Jay Leno or Jimmy Fallon.”  - from Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams

“’Here’s my Thrum Theory. I think every soul vibrates at a certain frequency’, he explains. ‘It’s sort of like each soul has a sound that is its signature – and your soul just wants to feel the vibrations of this sound. I think the vibrations of my soul and the vibrations of the guitar match each other, which is why it feels so right for me to play it’.” – from Guitar Notes by Mary Amato

“What loves means

1. Risk.

2. Being honest with yourself and the person you love.

3. Accepting someone for who they are.

4. Courage to reveal your true self to people.

5. Total truth.” – from Which I Could Have Said Goodbye by  Shari A. Brady

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?

Longest — Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers, it was 549 pages.

Shortest — The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, it was 236 pages (but amazing!)

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!

Probably several scenes from Goliath, book #3 of the Leviathan series by Scott  Westerfeld have me jumping up and down, finally Alec! Fans should check the bonus short story on Mr. Westerfeld’s website!

Also, all of Iron’s Prophecy (Iron Fey #4.5) by Julie Kagawa had me sighing and mooning over it.

Oh!  And the end of the Wings series by Aprilynne Pike, Destined was full of surprises.

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

I have to say that this one is a hard question.  I’ll probably stick with my answer and pick Hazel and Augustus from The Fault on Our Stars, they are so unique and together they are amazing.

Another contender are Lyla and Tripp from Guitar Notes, they have an amazing friendship that makes the whole better than its parts.

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

I think this one is a tie between A Million Suns by Beth Revis, (even better than the first!) and Until I Die by Amy Plum, what a cliffhanger!

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

I read The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey after I read Maggie Stiefvater’s review of the book, it was so funny and quirky (just like her!) that I couldn’t help but want to read it.

If you want to join the fun, head over to Jamie's blog and sign up!

What are a few of your favorites?