Saturday, January 3, 2015

The 2014 End of Year Book Survey: 1st Edition


Hey everyone!  I am participating in a new book survey called the "2014 End of Year Book Survey," which is hosted by The Perpetual Page Turner and hopefully, I'll be involved in this survey every year!  

So, even though I didn't reach my goal of reading over 100 books this year, I still read a lot of good books this year, so here's my answers to the survey questions!

 

Number Of Books You Read:  70
Number of Re-Reads:  0
Genre You Read The Most From:  Paranormal Romance

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

I got a lot of favorites this year, so I'll break it down by each category:

1. Young Adult: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor: I just enjoyed Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series and the second book in this series was just as good as the first book!

2. Graphic Novel: Saga Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan: This was such an amazing series that was full of romance, adventure and humor and each volume just keeps getting better than the last!

3. Picture Book: The Pigeon Needs a Bath! by Mo Willems: Honestly, I just love Mo Willems' "Pigeon" series and this newest installment was just as good as the previous books!

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



 Fractured Fables: Since I’m a huge fan of fairy tales and fables in general, I thought I was going to enjoy this graphic novel that actually has modernized versions of the classic fairy tales. But I ended up being disappointed by it due to how average most of the stories were.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014? 



Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (In a good way): I had read many romance novels that has the main couple have their happily ever after in the first book, but I had never read a romance novel where a relationship ended badly in the first book of the series.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?



Saga Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan: This was one graphic novel that I was constantly pushing people to read and surprise, a lot of people actually did check this graphic novel out!

 5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?



 Best series started: Cinder by Marissa Meyer; Best Sequel: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor; Best Series Ender: Locke and Key: Alpha and Omega Volume 6 by Joe Hill

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?



 Laini Taylor!  I seriously can’t believe I waited until now to read any of Laini Taylor’s books and they were amazing!

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?



Cinder by Marissa Meyer: This book came from the steam punk genre and it was the first book I had read that was dealing with that and I surprisingly enjoyed this book!

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?



 Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor: Seriously!  The sequel in the “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” series was even more intense and thrilling than the first book and I was seriously scrambling to finish up this book just to see how everything will end for the characters!

 9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?



 Cinder by Marissa Meyer: I really enjoyed the word building of this book and I might re read this book again next year for old time’s sake!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?



 Hopeless by Colleen Hoover: A truly gorgeous cover!

11. Most memorable character of 2014?






Hero: Jericho Barrons from the “Fever” series: Such a mysterious and awesome character that I can’t wait to unlock his secrets in the future books!

Heroine: Karou from “Daughter of Smoke and Bone:” Such an amazing heroine with a cute personality that made me enjoy her adventures with other chimeras and angels!


 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?



 Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor: Not only are the war sequences very well written, but the romance and the beautiful world of the angels and chimeras was written so beautifully that I found myself immersed in this universe!

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?



Lex Luthor: Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello: I never would have thought that a “Superman” comic book about Superman’s greatest foe, Lex Luthor would actually make me think long and hard about how a villain feels about Superman and how he believes that Superman is a threat to the city.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? 



 The “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” series by Laini Taylor: I seriously can’t believe I waited this long to read this series, especially after hearing so many good things about this series beforehand!
 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?

From "Daughter of Smoke and Bone:"
“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.

It did not end well.”

This is seriously one quote that I thought I would never read about in a romance novel and it definitely has its consequences! 

 16. Book That Shocked You The Most

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor: Everything in this book detailed the war between the Angels and the Chimeras and it was really shocking to me as there were so many twists and deaths happening to the characters! 


17. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Jericho and MacKayla: I just love these two's constant bickering with each other when it's clear that they have feelings for each other and once I get around to the end of the series, I definitely want to see these two together!

18. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year



 Karou and Zuzana from the “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” series: Sigh, there is nothing more awesome than the power of friendship and Karou and Zuzana have definitely shown what true friendship is all about in their adventures in a world where angels and chimeras exist!

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously



 Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning: I’ve read Karen Marie Moning’s books before in the past and reading the fourth book in the “Fever” series “Dreamfever” was definitely a treat to behold!

20. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:


Cinder by Marissa Meyer: This book was actually recommended to me by Lisa on Goodreads and I would like to thank her for recommending me this book as I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would!

21. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?



 Jericho Barrons from the “Fever” series: Seriously, Jericho Barrons is one of my most favorite heroes in paranormal romance novels as he is truly mysterious yet sexy at the same time!

22. Best 2014 debut you read?



 Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis: Let’s see, most of the new books that I've read this year were either set in the middle of a series or is an ending of a series, so this book would be one of the debuts that I did enjoy that takes this spot.

23. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?



Cinder by Marissa Meyer: The fact that this book took place in a futuristic and steampunk setting of New Beijing just really made the setting of this book even more creative and exotic!


24. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?



Saga Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan: Oh man, I had so much fun with this series as the characters were fun to read and the adventures they were on were exciting!

25. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?


Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor: Seriously, just seeing the main couple in this book start out on opposing sides of the war with no chance of them rekindling their relationship has made me nearly cry a few times since I wanted to see this couple have their happy ending.

26. Hidden Gem Of The Year?



 Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Pretty much hidden because it has been in my bookshelf for a while, but I’ve never had the chance to read it until now and now that I did, it has become one of my most favorite romance novels of all time!

27. Book That Crushed Your Soul?



 Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: Oh man, that ending!  I actually read a romance novel where things didn’t end well with the main couple and it nearly tore my heart in two!
 

28. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: A Cinderella story that takes place in a steam punk setting? Seriously, this was probably one of the most creative ideas for a modern day retelling of a fairy tale I had ever read!


1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014? 



 Caffeinated Book Reviewer: I just discovered this blog and it has now become one of my most favorite book blogs to explore!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014? 


My review on “Days of Blood and Starlight” by Laini Taylor, since I really enjoyed that book and I felt that I put a lot of heart into writing that review!

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?



The Sunday Posts, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer: I enjoy participating in this meme and I like giving out news about what is going on in my blog to other book bloggers!

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

The Sunday Post meme by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer: This was the one meme (along with Top Ten Tuesdays) that helped my blog get more notice and I always enjoyed checking out what other people have to say on their own memes!


5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?


On my other blog “Rabbit Ears Productions Blog,” when I got over 22 comments on my “Top 10 Rabbit Ears Stories” since  I had been trying like crazy to get people to notice the Rabbit Ears series and the fact that I got over 22 comments on one topic was something very special to me!

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?


The Sunday Posts:  Anytime I do a Sunday Post on my blog, they tend to get the most attention since I am able to communicate more with other bloggers this way.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?



 Anytime I do a review on a Rabbit Ears book or a graphic novel since I always enjoyed recommending those titles to other readers and it would be great if more people commented on those posts.

9.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?


 Unfortunately, no since I am pretty terrible at completing challenges, but hopefully things will turn out better in 2015 since I will try to be more organized when it comes to challenges.

 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?



 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling: I’ve read the previous Harry Potter books and I actually started this book years ago, but I was never able to finish it due to having so many other books to read.  But I’m definitely making it my priority this year to finish this book (while also rereading the rest of the Harry Potter books in general).


2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?



 Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor: I’ve been enjoying the last two “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” books and I definitely can’t wait to read the finale of this series!
 

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

 Shutter by Courtney Alameda: The cover looks awesome and the reviews for this book seems good so far, so I'm definitely checking this book out!

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?


Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan: I have been loving the Saga series so far and I can’t wait to check out the fourth volume and see whether this ends the series or helps it keep going (I hope this series keeps going)!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?


I hope to complete at least all of the reading challenges I have participated in this year since I’m usually terrible at challenges and hopefully this year will be different.

2 comments:

  1. Ahhh so nice to see so much Laini Taylor love here!! Agreed agreed AGREED. She is just SUCH a talent and I can't wait to read more from her!

    ReplyDelete