2014 End of Year Book Survey | Twelve Days of Christmas!

2014 became the year that I really became a blogger. I still have a long way to go on this blogging adventure, but I've updated my blog regularly throughout the year - something I always struggled with before - and I've found so many wonderful blogs (and bloggers!) that have made the whole experience a lot of fun.

So to celebrate my first proper year as a blogger, I'm going to take part in The Perpetual Page-Turner's end of year book survey!

2014 Reading Stats

Number of Books You Read: 53 so far!

Number of Rereads: 2

Genre You Read the Most From: Historical fiction. I think.

Best In Books

1. Best Book You Read in 2014?

Feed by Mira Grant. So much love for that book. (Reviewed here!)

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn't?

The Giver by Lois Lowry was a huge disappointment for me. (Reviewed here!)

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

Grave Mercy was a very pleasant surprise. I thought it was going to be just okay, but I actually really enjoyed it!

4. Book you "pushed" the most people to read (and they did) in 2014?

I've basically been telling everyone to read Feed since I finished it, and I've managed to get one of my friends to at least start it - although that could be because I bought her the trilogy for her birthday...

5. Best series you started in 2014? Best sequel of 2014? Best series ender of 2014? 

For the sake of mentioning three different series, I'd have to say that the His Fair Assassin trilogy was the best series I started, Cress was the best sequel, and Blackout was the best series ender. Even though I haven't actually finished reading it yet...

(And shout out to the Rosie Hopkins series for helping me out of my reading slump and cheering me up!)

6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2014?

 Daphne du Maurier. She isn't a new author by any means, but I read her for the first time this year and fell absolutely in love with her. I wrote a post about my favourite new authors of 2014 here if you'd like to check it out.

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

I don't tend to read a lot of poetry (even though I should!) but one of the best books I read this year was The Undressed by Jemma L. King, and I want to read more of King's work in future.

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

Feed. Loved it. It was amazing. Read it. (I should warn you now that Feed is probably going to be mentioned a lot.)

9. Book you read in 2014 that you are most likely to reread in 2015?

Probably Cress! I loved it, and Winter isn't coming out until November.

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

I love the covers for The Lunar Chronicles.

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Georgia Mason, star of Feed and my baby.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. Stunning book.

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2014?

Again, Feed. I really, really loved this book.

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2014 to finally read?

Honestly I'm pretty ashamed that it took me until 2014 to cross Rebecca off my TBR.

15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2014?

"This is the truth: We are a nation accustomed to being afraid. If I’m being honest, not just with you but with myself, it’s not just the nation, and it’s not just something we’ve grown used to. It’s the world, and it’s an addiction. People crave fear. Fear justifies everything. Fear makes it okay to have surrendered freedom after freedom, until our every move is tracked and recorded in a dozen databases the average man will never have access to. Fear creates, defines, and shapes our world, and without it, most of us would have no idea what to do with ourselves. Our ancestors dreamed of a world without boundaries, while we dream new boundaries to put around our homes, our children, and ourselves. We limit our potential day after day in the name of a safety that we refuse to ever achieve. We took a world that was huge with possibility, and we made it as small as we could." - Feed by Mira Grant

16. Shortest and Longest Book you read in 2014?

The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was the shortest, and American Gods by Neil Gaiman was the longest.

17. Book that shocked you the most?

That would have to be Feed.

18. OTP of the year

Cinder and Kai from The Lunar Chronicles, Lilian and Henry from the Rosie Hopkins books, and Sybella and Beast in Dark Triumph. Sorry, I couldn't choose only one.

19. Favourite non-romantic relationship of the year?

I will forever love the bromance between Cinder and Thorne.

20. Favourite book you read in 2014 from an author you've read previously?

That would have to be The Graveyard Book. I ended up reading a lot of Gaiman this year, having previously read Neverwhere and Smoke and Mirrors, and even though I adored American Gods, which was the first book I read this year, I think I love The Graveyard Book just a little more. I don't know what it is about this book, it's just enchanting.

21. Best book you read in 2014 based solely on recommendations

Uh... I honestly don't know.

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

I have to admit I'm sort of attracted to Skinner Sweet from American Vampire, but I also love Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles and Beast from His Fair Assassin.

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

I haven't read any because I'm a terrible person book blogger. I'm hoping to cross Half Bad and Red Rising off my TBR before the end of the year, though!

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year?

I know I keep mentioning it, but I loved how Mira Grant imagined the future in the Newsflesh trilogy. Everything felt so well thought out; it's the most realistic zombie story I've come across.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most fun to read?

Cress, I think. I smiled a lot.

26. Book that made you cry/nearly cry in 2014? 

Glitches, Feed, Deadline, The Graveyard Book and Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop all made me cry because I'm a huge cry baby and I get very emotional about characters I love.

27. Hidden gem of the year?

I think I have to say The Undressed again. So far I'm the only person who's rated it on Goodreads and it's such a great poetry collection that needs a lot more love!

28. Book that crushed your soul?

Feed. It's just going to keep popping up.

29. Most unique book you read in 2014?

I really enjoyed my reread of Tim Burton's The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories. It's such a bizarre little collection.

30. Book that made you the most mad?

The Withered Root by Rhys Davies. I just really hated it.

Your Blogging/Bookish life

1. New favourite book blog you discovered in 2014?

This is the first year I've properly blogged, so pretty much all the blogs I've followed have been my new favourites. But I will say some special shout outs to Mallory, Chrissi, Leah, Shannon, Mel, Rinn, Deanna and Cecily who all have great blogs and are also lovely people.

2. Favourite review that you wrote in 2014?

I really enjoyed writing my review of Rainbow Rowell's Attachments.

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

I've loved writing my Classics & Contemporaries posts, so much so that instead of limiting myself to a specific number like I was originally going to I'm just going to keep making them as and when I feel like making them!

I've also really enjoyed writing my Stories & Songs posts.

4. Best event that you participated in?

I think that'd have to be Sci-Fi November, hosted by Rinn Reads and Oh, The Books - it was a lot of fun! But this year I've also really enjoyed taking part in blog hops like Top Ten Tuesday and What's Up Wednesday.

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

For me the fact that I have been posting regularly has been a real success for me, because it's something I could never do when I tried to get into blogging in the past.

6. Most popular post this year on your blog?

I honestly don't know. Probably one of my Top Ten Tuesday or What's Up Wednesday posts!

7. Post you wished got a little more love?

Any of my Classics & Contemporaries posts. :)

8. Best bookish discovery?

This year I discovered that I do actually like sci-fi!

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

I'm two books away from completing this year's Goodreads challenge!

Looking Ahead

1. One book you didn't get to in 2014 that will be your top priority in 2015?

Lamentation by C. J. Sansom - I can't wait for the paperback release!

2. Non-debut you are most anticipating in 2015?

The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milán

3. 2015 debut you are most anticipating?

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

4. Series ending/sequel you are most anticipating in 2015?

Winter by Marissa Meyer. I'm so excited!

5. One thing you hope to accomplish/do in your reading/blogging life in 2015?

I'd love to see if I can complete ten series in 2015!

6. A 2015 release you've already read and recommend to everyone

I haven't read any - I'm not special enough. ;)