Sarah's 2013 End of Year Survey

1. Best book you read in 2013? Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta. I have been waiting for the finale of this series for a while. This book had one of the most satifiying endings I've ever read. I love love loved it. 

2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn’t? The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker. I always enjoy books about faeries and folklore. However, I do not like books with weak female leads and Nora was weak minded and foolish. I just couldn't take her!
 

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr. I was pleasantly surprised. Typically her books are redundant. She has quite a few books about Faeries and the like and they all seem to have the same story line. I downloaded Carnival of Souls hoping for something different and I got it! I really enjoyed this one. It was very Dark and mysterious! 
 

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013? Divergent Series by Veronica Roth. It's on of the best series I've read since The Hunger Games.
 

5. Best series you discovered in 2013? The Divergent series by Veronica Roth. Simply because there were no other complete series I discovered this year.
 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013? Anna Carey. She wrote the Eve series. I discovered her last year and recently finished the series. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the books. 
 

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you? Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. This is the first memoir I've read. I'm not much for non-fiction but I really loved this book. Mindy Kaling is hilarious!
 

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2013? Stolen by Lucy Christopher. This book was chilling. I couldn't tear my eyes from it. It held me captive. (Pun totally intended.)
 

9. Book you read in 2013 that you are most likely to re-read next year? Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta. I usually read this series once a year anyway. I can't put it down. 
 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013? Rags & Bones (New Twists on Timeless Tales) by Multiple Authors. 

11. Most memorable character in 2013? Quintana from Quintana of Charyn. Girl is totes cray (as my sister, Leah, would say.) But I loved her all the same. I really enjoy strong female characters and Quintana was fierce.

12. Most beautifully written book in 2013? The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. The characters, the backdrop, the story in general ... All so beautiful!

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? Stolen by Lucy Christopher. This book was published in '09 but I just recently added it to my Nook. It's incredibly   intense. When I finished reading it, I thought about it for weeks afterwards. It broke my heart in so many ways. 

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to read? Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. They'd been on my reading list for a long time. I just never got around to reading them. But once Lindsay kept raving about the series I knew it was time to read it! 

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2013? "It's hard to hate someone once you understand them." Stolen by Lucy Christopher

16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2013? Shortest is a toss up between ...

1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane

2. Stolen

3. Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire. 

The longest books were 

1. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.

2. Quintana of Charyn.

3. Carnival of Souls

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.) Hello! Insurgent's big death! Mind.Blown. I totally get it. Did I like it? No. But I get it.

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc.)? Brother and sister, Bartholomew and Hettie Kettle from The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann. The way Bartholomew protects Hettie and loves her is so sweet. It warms my heart.

19. Favorite book you read in 2013 from an author you’ve read previously? Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta. Do I need to say anymore about my love for Melina Marchetta?! 

20. Best book you read in 2013 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from someone else? I'm in the process of reading  Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I only added it to my Nook because of Lindsay's recommendation. So far I LOVE it. 

 

21. Genre you read the most from in 2013? YA. It's my go-to genre. 
 

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013? Ronan Lynch from The Raven Cycle series. I always fall for the dark, brooding bad boys.
 

23. Best 2013 debut you read? Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire by Paul Ramsay. I alway enjoy stumbling upon new authors. I especially enjoy when their debut is a quirky, fun, quick read. 
 

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013? The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater. This is the second book in The Raven Cycle series. It wonderfully written and hugely imaginative. Maggie does an amazing job with the world she creates.     
 

25. Book that was the most fun to read in 2013? Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire by Paul Ramsay. A really fun, interesting and quick read. 
 

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2013? Stolen by Lucy Christopher. So many tears. 
 

27. Book you read in 2013 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out? The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stievfater. This series has me totally hooked and has kept me guessing from the very beginning. Yet I know no one who's read it or even knows what series I'm talking about! Bummer!!!