2012 End of Year Survey

(Credits to this fabulous idea go to The Perpetual Page Turner!)

Best In Books 2012

1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)
Hard question!!! I would say...all in all...the very best book? Partials by Dan Wells. Yeah...probably that one....

Adult fiction: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Contemporary YA: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Dystopian YA: Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Sci-Fi: Partials by Dan Wells
Paranormal: Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margeret Stohl
Fantasy: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Defiance by C.J. Redwine - I absolutely did not get the hype that got me so excited about it :/

 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Partials by Dan Wells
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

 4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?
Divergent, because I think it's so universal. Everyone loves it! I even bought that one for my friend for her birthday :)

 5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
Oh my... The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead (I still have to read books 2-6...), The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare although I only fell in love with this one as I was reading the fourth book and The Belles Series by Jen Calonita.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?
Gosh....I just really started getting into YA this year, so there are many! Maggie Stiefvater, Ally Condie, Cassandra Clare, Dan Wells, Sarah Ockler, Lauren Oliver.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Embrace by Jessica Shirvington. I usually don't like Paranormal Romance but that one was pretty good, I think.

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. I didn't even like that one all that much but I couldn't stop reading until I knew how the story would end.

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:
Quite a few. Especially with all the recaps coming up...The Matched Trilogy, Looking for Alaska by John Green, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins....

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?
Again, such a difficult question!


11. Most memorable character in 2012?
Noah and Echo from Pushing the Limits and Anya from All These Things I've Done!

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - what else?

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?
If I Stay by Gayle Forman - it really taught me to appreciate life more.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen - that book was so brilliant!

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?
“It's just that...I just think that some things are meant to be broken. Imperfect. Chaotic. It's the universe's way of providing contrast, you know? There have to be a few holes in the road. It's how life is.”
― Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever
I really don't know if that one is my favorite, but it sure is a good one.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?
Longest - City of Lost Souls (535) I think. It was worth every page and every second :)
Shortest (I don't count novellas) - Bloom by Elizabeth Scott I think it's good hat it wasn't longer....

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It?
I'm going to go with the end of Delirium, too. That was quite something! Also the ending of Insurgent...because I simply didn't get it...and needed someone to explain it to me :)

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).
Again Noah and Echo from Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits and also Kyle and Lindy from Alex Flinn's Beastly, Halley and Scarlett from  Sarah Dessen's Someone like You, Anya and Win from Gabrielle Zevin's All These Things I've Done.

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously
The Truth About Forever and Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini! I never intended to read that one because I never read Adult Fiction but my aunt got it for me and I loved it!

Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012 (optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012?
365 Days of Reading - her reviews are always to the point and very nicely written!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012?
Phew. I don't know ;) Maybe the one for Delirium? I actually make sense (I believe) in that one...

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
I didn't really have one...I guess. Maybe the one about not judging J.K Rowling's book by its cover?

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?
There were many! But I usually don't bookmark them or anything - and if I do, I don't keep the bookmarks for a long time, so I can't really say :/

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Bout of Books 4.0 - my first Read-a-Thon and so. much. fun! Can't wait for 6.0!

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?
Uh...the day I started my blog. Because I knew - just knew - that this would be one of the best decisions of my short life :)

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
Hehe...by views: My Candy Challenge for Bout of Books 5.0

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
I don't think there were any...I'm always surprised by how many people read and comment on my posts. It's just sometimes that I wish I got more comments on reviews or other more unique posts instead of on the meme posts...

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
Oh my...Bookblogs in general, I think?

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Yup, I planned to read 50 books this year, then changed the goal to 100 and ended up with 105 books :).

Looking Ahead…

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?
Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, books 2-6 from The Vampire Academy Series, Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, Where She Went by Gayle Forman, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?
Dare You To by Katie McGarry, Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, Fragments by Dan Wells.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?
I would like to interact with other bloggers more and make real friends in the blogosphere. I tend to stay to myself which is so sad considering all the great people in the YA community :)
Oh, AND finishing series and trilogies! I have that habit of never reading more than the first book :(

These are the kind of people that intimidate me...

I just started watching this girl's videos...and I'm addicted...but also intimidated. Oh my...these videos are sooo much fun! I like...can't stop grinning and laughing and when I try to do something while watching her videos, I sooner or later stop doing it because I'm laughing so hard!
Whatever...you guys probably already know Polandbananasbooks but just in case you don't - check out her channel! Now! Goodnight!

The 2013 Debut Author Challenge

This challenge has fascinated me ever since I started blogging (not even a yer ago...) and I decided to join for 2013! The goal is to read at least 12 debut novels by YA or MG authors this year, but instead of creating a list beforehand I'm going to decide which books I read spontaneously! 

Are you participating in this challenge, too? Which other challenges do you take part in this year? Do you have any recommendations? Or do you host any challenges? Let me know :D

Bookish: 2013 TBR Pile Challenge

You guys know me. I don't spend a lot of money on one single book. I buy them used. But I buy a ton of them each month - waymore than I can read! So for 2013 I am setting the goal to get through all those books thar are collecting dust on my shelves...to be clear, I am setting the goal to read 11-20 books (A Friendly Hug) simply because that number fits my current TBR pile perfectly :D

1) Graceling by Kristin Cashore

2) Fire by Kristin Cashore

3) The Diviners by Libba Bray

4) Cloaked by Alex Flinn

5) Tempest by Julie Cross

6) Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

7)Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

8) Gone by Michael Grant

9) Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

10) Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

11) The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
12) My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares
13) Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
14) The Boyfriend list by E. Lockhart
15) Love Story by Jennifer Echols
16) The Statistical Probablity of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
17) Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
18) Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
19) Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
20) How To Save a Life by Sarah Zarr
21) The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.
That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.
He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.
We are a sensational team.




Release Date: February 6th, 2012
Series? No
Pages: 452
Publisher: Egmont Press

LONG STORY SHORT:


Code Name Verity was an entertaining, interesting, intriguing, funny novel that I enjoyed reading a great deal but that I was not obsessed with. Honestly, I don't get all the hype. I mean, the premise is awesome, it's something different - especially in YA and - a big plus - has a lot of girl power. But overall, there are just books that got me way more excited...

REVIEW:

I looked forward to reading this one so much. The premise sounded epic - in my opinion, I was looking for something new and refreshing - without all the YA cliches and your typical teen drama around love, romance and jealousy. In a way, that's what I got. But I expected it to be better. I wanted it to be better. That's the thing with high expectations, I guess.

The main characters were both funny narrators, great storytellers and one of them fooled me. Perfectly. Although I somewhat, kind of knew I'd be fooled. It totally caught me off guard. But then, I wasn't like "Woah...no...what...I...It's just". I was more like "Ah. Okay, so that makes sense...". You know it didn't capture me. Nothing in this book really captured me. There was not a lot of suspense, not a lot of action.

The storytelling was awesome, I will give it that. I also think that might be why most other people loved it so much. It's amazing how the author lets two stories flow together and how she makes them seem so real. Also, the stories are heart breaking, raw, they could bring you to tears.
But then again, storytelling is not the only thing I look for in a book and not what I was looking for in this book. I want to identify with the characters, to find myself lost in a world and to feverishly wait for the ending to reveal the big BAM.

Code Name Verity was a good novel, yes. I did enjoy it. I would recommend it. But I also found it dragging a bit and can't really understand the hype....Again, my disappointment is probably caused by my completely different expectations going into this novel.

For people who love: Historical Fiction, heartbreaking stories about friendship

RATING: 2/3 Smarties

2013 Sequel Reading Challenge

Just in case you guys haven't noticed I'm terrible at finishing a series...I always end up with a bunch of sequels that simply overwholm me. So for next year, I thought it was a great idea to participate in this awesome challenge.

Here are a few sequels I want to get read:

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Reached by Ally Condie

Rise by Anna Carey

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Shadowland by Alyson Noel

Entice by Jessica Shirvington

Underworld by Meg Cabot

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Winter White by Jen Calonita

Merry Christmas!

...and Happy Holidays to everyone who refuses to spend their holidays following blogs. I - am pretty sure you will hear fro me on here quite a few times during the Holidays. I mean, I'm a teenager, I don't have any responsibilities. I don't have to cook, clean, take are of the children, wrap presents and if I bake I only do it because I want to :P Wait...what was the point of this again?
Ah, yes! Happy Holidays! I hope you all enjoy these days and make them special.
Greetings,
the Booksmartie