This is a fun survey from Jamie over on The Perpetual Page Turner!

Best In Books 2012

*When relevant, the links will take you to my review.

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

EEP! Possibly the hardest question…I will make it easy on myself and just give you a Middle-Grade choice and a Young-Adult choice that were published IN 2012 (I had to make a pro/con list for this, btw):

MG: The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy – This one made me immeasurably happy while reading it. A favorite book overall, for sure!

YA: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson – This was a hard pick but this book made me feel ALL OF THE FEELINGS. It was just beautiful.

Honorable mentions: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer – This one was bumped from the list because it is actually being published in 2013 and Seraphina by Rachel Hartman – Another beautiful story and it has dragons!

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

Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby – This was a whole circus theme and it was actually one of my most anticipated reads of 2012 but unfortunately, it seriously fell short. I actually didn’t like it at all, it felt like it had no substance and I was rather bored through the whole thing. What saved the book as a DNF for me was the fact that the premise was extremely interesting, how can a circus novel be boring?!

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

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. This book was PHENOMENAL! I won’t lie to you, I hated the cover (yeah, I am judgy like that) and I was so not into the whole cyborg thing but I read it because Heidi promised I’d like it and I LOVED IT!! I was lucky enough to obtain a copy of Scarlet and OHHHH WOLFIE ❤ (not sure when, if ever, I will stop singing that to you) I loved it even more than book one!!

 4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

Probably Seraphina by Rachel Hartman or The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy. Both books reminded me of how much I love reading and how fun it is. Sometimes it is important to take a step back from the things you “need” to do (like read certain titles for the blog) and just become overjoyed and enveloped in a story.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

OMG so many..I suppose if I HAD to choose then I will pick The Wintercraft series by Jenna Burtenshaw. The reason that this one trumps the others is because 1. OH HAI SILAS!!! and 2. I actually went to amazonuk to purchase book 3 just so I could finish the series. This was also one of those series that I just randomly happened upon at my local library instead of finding it through reviews of fellow bloggers. Don’t get me wrong, I ADORE finding new authors through bloggers but it is even more exciting when it is a random find!

 6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Again, there are so many! Marissa Meyer, Christopher Healy, Kelly Moore, A.C. Gaughen ,Marissa Burt, Laini Taylor..New to ME authors: Neil Gaiman (hands down), Jessica Day George, R.L. LaFevers, Jenna Burtenshaw, and Janet Lee Carey.

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

You know what, I was NOT a lover of Middle Grade novels before this year…I have read some PHENOMENAL titles and now sign me up for MG any day!

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

The Hunger Games! Yes I know I took forever to read it but the first one really kept my attention. If I had to choose new titles from 2012 I would go with Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor or The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom – I finished both books in one day (and they weren’t small!)

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

Daughter of Smoke and Bone and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer are two that  I will DEFINITELY be re-reading so that I can read both Days of Blood and Starlight and The Evolution of Mara Dyer (which I own, thanks to Brittany!)  Also I am definitely re-reading Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series over again so I can read Flame of Sevenwaters with the series fresh in my mind.

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

Seraphina, hands down it is one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen.

11. Most memorable character in 2012? 

Hmm this is a hard one as well…I really enjoyed Scarlet from Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, she was a tough cookie!

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

I think I will go with Seraphina by Rachel Hartman for this one (again). I love the intricate world and character building. The characters both in the novel and in Seraphina’s head were just imaginative and wonderful. The writing itself was lyrical and flowed beautifully through my mind.

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

This might sound strange (Unless you are Amy or Jamie,) but I think Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson takes the cake for this one. For some reason this book just left a resounding impression on me and I found myself reading lines over and over again to allow myself to continue to feel ALL THE FEELINGS! The last few pages just killed me, I cried ugly tears for real.

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

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins!! The beau had to read this one first to even get me to pick it up! I am totally one of those people who doesn’t want to read a book because everyone else is reading and obsessing over it! Though I ADORED the series I think that the fact that I waited to long and heard the hype was part of the reason it didn’t leave as big of an impression on me as some others.

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

Are ya kidding me with this question?? I guess if I have to choose I will go with:

“Watch that boy,” she said. “You’re stronger in many ways, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take you apart.” OR She was fierce, to be sure, but she had a girl’s heart, after all.” Both from Tiger Lily

 16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012? 

Oh, Outlander. You win again! LONGEST. BOOK. EVER. The shortest books would have to be Fables by Bill Willingham.

 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!

The ending of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was mindblowing for me as was a pretty big revelation in Daughter of Smoke and Bone…I kept reading it over and over again!

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

Again, are ya serious? Can I say every romantic relationship in every Juliet Marillier book that I read, as well as Fiacha and Ciaran? Ohh and Liesl and Po, Seraphina and Orma, and ::sobs:: Buttercup and Prim! Scarlet and Rob! Tiger Lily and Tink! Ismae and Duval! Cinder and Iko! Kas and Anna! I could go on and on….

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

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz – that one made me SQUEEEE out loud at BEA and I almost keeled over when Heidi gave me a signed copy for my birthday!

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

Definitely Cinder by Marissa Meyer (thanks, Heidi!) also The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, from multiple Twitter recommendations, that one really got to me.

 Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012 (optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012? 

Well…my blog is barely a year old so really you are all fantastical and I love you to the moon. However, if you are making me choose I would have to say Heidi’s blog is an obvious choice because as you all know I have a major girl crush on the chick and her reviews are always thought provoking and hilarious. I actually almost forgot to add her on here because to me it feels like we have been bff4e and I felt like she has had her blog prior to 2012 but nope! Also I can’t forget about my two girls Brittany from The Book Addict’s Guide  and  Kiki (otherwise known as Maggie) from Gone Pecan ! I feel very lucky to have found them this year, we talk daily about all things…book and life related! Honestly, many days they are what kept me sane!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012? 

I really enjoyed writing my review for The Hero’s Guide and Tiger Lily but one of my favorite posts to write was during our Fortnight of Fright event about villains and another post about The Book Barn.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Umm yeahh I think I need more discussion posts!

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

I think Candice has very good discussion posts. I was also very interested in all of the posts on plagiarism that popped up a few months back..

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

BEA FOR THE WIN!!! It was epic and I can’t wait until next year because I am sure that it will be even more amazing!!

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?

When I switched over to WordPress…no, really! Also when certain authors Tweet me in response to a review I wrote about their book I just about keel over. You should have heard the squealing and seen the jumping on the bed when Christopher Healy thanked me!

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

The Fortnight of Fright posts and the Christmas posts this month have been getting a lot of traffic!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

How about this post on haunted places?

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

I never knew about threadless.com! Or Etsy! I also found a few great bookstores in Ithaca when we went this year!

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

Guys…I failed ALL THE CHALLENGES!! Like…every. single. one. Part of me is like wow girl you suck and part of me feels elated because the reason I failed is because I decided that I wasn’t going to choose books based on books that I “needed” to read for reviews and so on. I felt much better after I made this decision but still part of me cringes a bit when I look at my challenges page on the blog.. >.<

Looking Ahead…

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?

The Evolution of Mara Dyer! Days of Blood and Starlight! Game of Thrones! Flame of Sevenwaters!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

Hands down: Raven Flight by Juliet Marillier and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

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

Number one priority is to schedule more. Scheduling is key. I slack off when I am all “Oh next week I will post that review maybe..” I also want to have more awesome bloggers and MAYBE even an author or two…EEP!! I feel like since my blog is one year old (aww) I have gotten the hang of things and now that I looovee WordPress I can make my blog as awesome as I want! (No pressure though, can’t psych myself out over here..)