2012 End of Year Book Survey!

I am undertaking the humongous book survey hosted by Jamie at Perpetual Page Turner! I enjoy a good survey and remembering all the books that were read in 2012!
Best In Books 2012

1. Best Book You Read in 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

Adult fiction: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer and The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling
Contemporary YA: This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Dystopian YA: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Sci-fi/supernatural/paranormal-ish (big lumping together): The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Fantasy: The  Name of the Windby Patrick Rothfuss

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

I was really loving the Fantasy this year, and was really looking forward to Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas because it had mainly rave reviews on Goodreads, and looked and sounded like a meaty slice of YA Fantasy awesomeness. Sadly, it was terrible.

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

I didn't have high hopes for The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkowskibecause the cover and premise didn't really seem to be anything new. In fact, it kind of sounded like a Twilight rip-off. Then I read it and laughed, cried, sat on the edge of my seat and enjoyed it immensely!

 4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

Definitely Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I go on about it so much on my blog and tell everyone to read it- I don't think it'll be everyone's cup of tea but if it is, you will love it forever.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

I LOVE The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss- Fantasy at its best. I also loved the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness and Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn- brilliant YA classics.

 6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Authors I discovered who are now all time favourites of mine are Jonathan Safran Foer and Patrick Rothfuss. I am also looking forward to reading more Julie Kagawa and Leigh Bardugo.

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

Hmm I don't really feel like I have a comfort zone- I will pretty much read anything and any genre. I think Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov would make anyone uncomfortable so I guess that one- brilliant but utterly disgusting.

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

I'd probably have to say Divergent by Veronica Roth It is a pretty chunky book but I defy anyone not to read that in one sitting.

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

I really want to read Divergent again, so I can read Insurgent! When I read books quickly I tend to forget a lot about them. I would also love to re-read Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo...have been craving it recently!

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

I love this cover for Seraphina by Rachel Hartman I think Fantasy covers can be really dark, boring and uninspiring so it was really refreshing to see a light coloured, illustrated, medieval-esque cover that fits the book perfectly!

11. Most memorable character in 2012? 

Kvothe from The Name of the Wind. The Darkling from Shadow and Bone. Bilbo from The Hobbit (obviously). 

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

Definitely Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. So pretty!

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

Hmm aside from the JSF books, I'm gonna go with This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers. It was so moving and not at all what I expected- it came out of nowhere!

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

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein. What was I doing!? It was so brilliant.

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

'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita. ' - Lolita byVladimir Nabokov "I wanted to touch him, to tell him that even if everyone left everyone, I would never leave him, he talked and talked, his words fell through him, trying to find the floor to his sadness...." 

-Extremely Loud and Incredibly Closeby Jonathan Safran Foer 'If there is no love in the world, we will make a new world, and we will give it walls, and we will furnish it with soft, red interiors, from the inside out, and give it a knocker that resonates like a diamond falling to a jeweller's felt so that we should never hear it. Love me, because love doesn't exist, and I have tried everything that does.'

- Everything is IlluminatedbyJonathan Safran Foer 'Where did you go to, if I may ask?' said Thorin to Gandalf as they rode along.
To look ahead,' said he.
And what brought you back in the nick of time?'
Looking behind,' said he.'  -The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien 'Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.'
-The Name of the WindbyPatrick Rothfuss 'There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.' -The Wise Man's FearbyPatrick Rothfuss

 16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012? 

Longest — The Wise Man's Fear was one of the longest books I have ever read coming in at 994 pages. I am hoping for over 1000 for the next in the series! Shortest — Home by Toni Morrison was pretty short at 147 pages. I try not to read books any shorter than 150 pages because I never feel like it's enough. Home didn't impress me as much as I hoped it would.

 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!

Ahh The Darkling in Shadow and Bone...eeee! The hints in A Wise Man's Fear had me wanting to talk and talk about them. 

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

Romantic- Mal and Alina from Shadow and Bone. It just got to me! Darcy and Conn from The Shadow Society...oh yes. Otieno and Suzume/Yue from Shadows on the Moon- total cuteness!
Friendship- I love the friend group of Darcy's in The Shadow Society. They are all fun and silly but not too overly annoying and 'quirky'. I loved Denna and Kvothe in The Kingkiller Chronicles although I'm scared for Denna. 

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

This is probably silly, but I loved Grass for His Pillow which is the sequel to Across the Nightingale Floor; obviously both are by Lian Hearn. It is rare for me to like a sequel as much as the first one but in this case I did!

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

I read a lot of books based on recommendations from other bloggers or they get on my radar because a blogger I trust has given it really high praise. Shadows on the Moon was rated by Heidi @ Bunbury in the Stacks and Misty @ The Book Rat who are two of my favorite bloggers so I gave it a go...and loved it!  Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012 (optional) 1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012?  This was my first year of blogging so I found all my favorite book blogs this year! As previously mentioned, I love Bunbury in the Stacks and The Book Rat, as well as Vegan YA Nerds, The Book Smugglers, The Readventurer, Cuddlebuggery Book Blog and Novel Sounds.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012? 

I really enjoyed writing my review of The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling because I read it as soon as it came out and I hadn't been influenced be anyone else's reviews because there weren't many around! The review is here.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

My Authors Behaving Badly posts always attract a lot of discussion and it is fun to read through them! The comments on this one were a highlight.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

Hmm I remember the conversation on Parajunkee a few weeks ago that got pretty heated and interesting. It was on a post about Book Bloggers not being original and all posting the same promo stuff. I found the post interesting, even though I do think book bloggers can do whatever they want with their blog. 

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

I wish I had managed to participate, but I live in the UK and there's not too much going on here (we are having Leaky Con next year though so....yeah.) Also, I am not a very sociable blogger...I wish I was but I never seem to have ANY TIME! Seriously, how can you guys read, chat, tweet and blog and have jobs!? I am just a shit multi tasker and I love sleep. 6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012? This is my first year book blogging, and I have loved being part of this awesome community and speaking to some amazing bloggers. I have loved doing Authors Behaving Badly, however controversial, and will be doing much more of that in the New Year!

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

My Authors Behaving Badly 13 had so many views, it went insane. 

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

To be honest, I am always surprised when people read and comment on things I write, so I am happy with any amount of love really!

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

My Kindle. Not really a discovery but I discovered how convenient an e-reader is and how you can whip it out anywhere- in queues, on the bus, in the rain holding an umbrella, while eating dinner. Much easier than a book! Books will always smell nicer though.

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

The only one I had was my Goodreads Challenge which I set at 100 books. I failed! I only read 92. I was going to cheat at the end and read some kids books but I decided to just admit defeat and try better next year! Looking Ahead… 1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013? Lord of the Rings. I am reading that beast. It will be conquered.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

Strands of Bronze and Gold looks really awesome, and I have an ARC of Sister Assassins lined up to read!

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?

I need to be a better blogger. I need to comment on more blog and be more sociable! I need to post more regularly (I got really lazy in November and December) and post better stuff. I need to write my reviews more quickly (or at least jot down notes in a draft blog post) after I've finished the book so I don't forget my thoughts! Really, I need to generally be better and still enjoy doing it!