This survey is hosted every year by Jamie
2014 Reading Stats
Number of books you read: 75? (It keeps going up!)
Number of re-reads: 0 ( I just don’t re-read things!)
Genre you read the most from: I was super eclectic this year. I read a lot of contemporary romance, fantasy, and mystery.
Best In Books
1. Best books you read in 2014?
YA Paranormal: Captivate by Vanessa Gardner
YA Contemporary Romance: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord, Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae
YA Dystopia: Cress by Marissa Meyer
YA Fantasy: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo, The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
YA Mystery: Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
New Adult: Boomerang by Noelle August
2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn’t?
My True Love Gave to Me by a ton of great YA authors. This book made me sad. I loved a couple of the stories (Rainbow’s and Stephanie’s), but the others were not very uplifting or cheerful.
Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper sounded like it was going to be very atmospheric and magical, but it was rather boring and even upsetting to me in places.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014?
I had NO idea what an amazing ride I was in for with Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas! LOVED it.
Boomerang by Noelle August made me re-consider the NA genre.
I finally started the Harry Potter series, and loved Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone more than I thought I would!
4. Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did) In 2014?
Ummm… Pretty sure it was The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. I pushed it on a lot of people while waiting in Mary’s signing line at ALA, and I shoved my ARC of it on one of my friends and she’s STILL hungover!
5. Best series you started in 2014? Best sequel of 2014? 
Best series-ender of 2014?
Series I started: The Selection by Kiera Kass
Sequel: Cress by Marissa Meyer
Series-ender: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo and Infinite by Jodi Meadows
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?
Jennifer L. Armentrout! I loved Don’t Look Back, and want to read more of her books!
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
I kind of fell out of the historical romance genre (I loved it when I was younger), but Julie Ann Long’s What I Did for a Duke was wonderful and made me crave more of her books and more historical romances in general!
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
DEFINITELY Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas. Holy crap.
9. Book you read in 2014 that you are most likely to re-read in the future?
I don’t re-read books, but I could see myself reading Harry Potter with my future children!
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. I’m not usually a fan of girls in dresses, but I love this cover! Ruin and Rising‘s is pretty out of this world as well!
11. Most memorable character of 2014?
Captain Carswell Thorne from Cress by Marissa Meyer stole my heart again! I had no idea I could love him more than I did before!
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?
Captivate by Vanessa Garden, Infinite by Jodi Meadows, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2014?
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George had me thinking so much about what I would do if I went a lived on a mountain all by myself! I’d be terrified!
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier! While I did not ADORE it like I expected, I’m amazed at how long it took me to finally read it.
15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2014?
“I spent my life folded between the pages of books. In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction.”
– Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
16. Shortest & longest book you read in 2013?
Ugh. If I count textbooks, the longest book I read was my cataloging textbook, Reference and Information Services: An Introduction by Kay Ann Cassell. Worst. Book. Ever. It’s like I was reading Japanese.
Not counting textbooks, the longest was Rebecca by Daphne at 448 pages.
The shortest I read was Just One Night by Gayle Forman at 40 pages.
17. Book that shocked you the most?
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo broke my heart. Very shocking.
And The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson has a major plot twist/reveal!
18. OTP of the year (you will go down with this ship!)
Captain Carswell Thorne and Cress! And Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge and Genevieve Eversea from What I Did for a Duke by Julie Ann Long.
19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year?
Reagan O’Neill and Lilah Montgomery, best friends from Open Road Summer by Emery Lord.
20. Favorite book you read in 2014 from an author you’ve read previously?
AHH. I don’t know! I love all the authors! I’ll mention one that has not been mentioned yet, though, since things are getting redundant. I loved Also Known As by Robin Benway!
21. Best book you read in 2014 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else?
The Selection by Kiera Kass. Andi said it’s book crack, so I read it. And she was right!
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?
Finn from Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White. Finn is super swoony. He’s 19, but not. And he’s so proper and romantic. And chivalrous. With these proper mannerisms and personality traits, though, he was not incredibly open with his feelings, which was a bit disappointing. He reminded me a tiny bit of Mr. Darcy. But just a tiny bit.
Paul Markov from A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray is another. Oh, my heart.
23. Best 2014 debut you read?
I’m sorry! I can’t do this! As host of the Debut Author Challenge, I’ve worked with a ton of debut authors and am friends with them! I can’t choose!
24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year?
Atlantia by Ally Condie! Atlantia is a beautiful, self-sustaining, world under the sea that actually sounds a lot like Venice, believe it or not. They have canals and gondolas, and the city is colorful with lots of shops and places to visit. There’s a market in the depths of the city
25. Book that was the most FUN to read?
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. Ally Carter is an amazing storyteller. She writes books that read like movies, and her plots are always full of excitement, humor, and even some tenderness.
26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2014?
I don’t read books that make me cry! But I was upset by Salt & Storm that I almost cried. A bad cry. A mad cry.
And oh my. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray massacred me. Someone could have warned me about this!
27. Hidden gem of the year?
Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White is highly underrated. And I can understand why some might not like it, but it has stuck with me for months!
28. Book that crushed your soul?
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo for spoilery reasons. And A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray.
29. Most unique book you read in 2014?
Forbidden by Kimberly Griffiths Little. It takes place in the Mesopotamian desert, which never happens. It’s about belly dancers, which is super unique. It depicts a unique world and cultures.
30. Book that made you the most mad?
Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper. Sorry, but I hated it.
Your Blogging/Bookish Life
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014?
What Sarah Read. Sarah is so sweet, and I love chatting with her on Twitter!
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014?
None of my reviews stick out in my head as being particularly fun to write. *shrug*
3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
There were some good ones this year! I talked about my decision to get a master’s degree, my goal to read what I love instead of what I feel obligated to read, how book blogging is a lot like online dating, and how library books scare me!
4. Best event that you participated in?
I went to ALA Annual in Las Vegas, which was fun! I met some cool authors, was recognized by people I wasn’t expecting (Mary E. Pearson screamed my name and jumped up to hug me! We hadn’t ever met before!) I was also Macmillan’s official blogger for Sandy Hall’s signing in Salt Lake City, so I got to interview her before the event. That was a fun opportunity. :) OH, and I took over the Debut Author Challenge!
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?
Getting asked to be the official blogger is pretty awesome! And I found out I got my first blurb in a book (Monarch by Belle Whittington)!! And my blog’s name was put in Siege and Storm and Exquisite Captive!!
7. Most popular post this year on your blog?
My plans to read what I love instead of what I feel obligated to read received the most comments, except for Marissa Meyer’s guest post on why Cress was named “Arugala” originally.
8. Post you wish got a little more love?
My Christmas posts have gotten less attention than I had hoped for.
9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
I just found out about BookOutlet.com, and while I have not bought anything there yet, the prices are amazing! And one of my friends told me about Fishpond.com, which enabled me to buy an Aussie book I’ve been really wanting!
10. Did you complete any reading challenges or reach any goals you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I completed my Goodreads reading challenge, completely surpassing my goal! So proud of myself.
Looking Ahead
1. One book you didn’t get to in 2014 but will be your number 1 priority in 2015?
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas!
2. Book you are most anticipating for 2015 (non-debut)?
Fairest by Marissa Meyer!
3. 2015 debut you are most anticipating?
There are SO MANY. I’m really excited about The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall, A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas, The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace, and Love, Fortunes, and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius.
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?
Winter by Marissa Meyer!
5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2015?
I really want this Debut Author Challenge to explode and be a huge success! I’d love to get another blurb or my name in another book. And I’d love to find more 5-star reads!
6. A 2015 release you’ve already read & recommend to everyone?
Love, Lucy by April Lindner. It’s PERFECTION. Takes place in Florence, Italy!!!
So, let’s chat! Do you agree with any of my choices? Do you disagree? What have some of your favorite books of 2014 been? What reading/blogging successes have you had? What are you looking forward to in 2015?
