end-of-year book survey for 2014

1. Best book read in 2014?
It's always so hard to choose one book above all others, but choose I must. I think I have to go with Kiera Cass' The One, the ending of the Selection trilogy (who else is crazy excited for The Heir, though?). It was all-in-all such a perfect ending for that series, and for America and Maxon's love story. I adored pretty much every page of it.

2. Book you were excited about and thought you'd love more, but didn't?
Isla and the Happily Ever After fits the bill for me. Despite being lukewarm about Lola, I absolutely adored Anna (along with every other blogger in the known universe) and was hyped up to get back Paris, and St. Clair's friend Josh. But the book fell totally flat for me and I'm impressed that I finished it, honestly.

3. Most pleasantly surprising book of the year?
Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale. One of my friends loaned it to me after I liked The Goose Girl, and I wasn't expecting much from it, honestly. But it was such a feel-good read, so wonderful and warm. I really thoroughly enjoyed it.

4. Book you recommended the most in 2014?
Definitely We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart. I'm not sure how many people I actually got to read it, but I mention it quite enough I think.

5. Best series you discovered in 2014?
Ahahaha. *manic laughter* My amish romance trilogy, for sure. The Temptation series by Karen Ann Hopkins. I only have the last book left to read and it's so addictive and entertaining. The characters are all a bit of a mess, as is the central (entirely problematic, but whatever) relationship, but I just. Love. It. I don't believe in "guilty pleasure" reads, but if I did this would totally fit.

6. Favorite new authors discovered in 2014?
I'm gonna be real honest, guys. Jon Klassen, author of those horrible/wonderful picture books where the animal murders the other animal for stealing his hat (sorry, spoilers!) rocked my world this year. I absolutely LOVE his stories. Another wonderful writer I discovered is Lang Leav, whose love poetry collections speak to my heart. Oh, and Katie Cotugno, of course!

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
I actually read a lot of various genres this year, but one book that was definitely out of my comfort zone was Jane Austen's Emma. Now, I like the classics. I like Jane Austen. But it's always a bit of trial to make it through one of her books and reading Emma this past December felt especially difficult for me.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2014?
Confessions of a Sociopath, by M.E. Thomas. And that's really saying something considering I read Gone Girl this year. But that book was just flat-out fascinating.

9. Book you read in 2014 that you are most likely to reread next year?
How to Love, by Katie Cotugno. Honestly I wanted to reread that book the second I finished it; it's just so good.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?
There are so many amazing covers to choose from! But I'm going to go with We Were Liars because not only is it beautiful and haunting, but it also fits the story really well (which is unlike the equally pretty cover for Don't Call Me Baby). (The cover for How to Love is also wonderful. Choosing is hard.) Hey, how about I include all three and you can decide FOR YOUR OWN SELVES?

 

11. Most memorable character from 2014?

Josie from Love and Other Foreign Words immediately came to mind for me. Smart, caring, and a bit off-kilter and awkward. I loved her.

12. Most beautifully written book you read in 2014?

Choices, choices! But really I think I have to go with Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. With honorable mention to We Were Liars, The Goats, The Infinite Sea, Panic, and Love & Misadventure.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2014?

Erm. Ah. Usually there are quite a selection of books that just felt personal to me, but 2014 was a bit of a barren year for that. I think probably Flora & Ulysses though, just because of when I read it and how warm-hearted it was and all of the really great quotes that pulled me out of the sucky mood I was in. The line, "So many miracles have not yet happened," has really stuck with me this past year.

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

Princess Academy. I passed by that book so many times, in so many libraries, and I don't understand how I didn't read it until now.

15. Favorite passage or quote from a book you read in 2014?

Well, I already mentioned the line from Flora & Ulysses, and to be honest I did a crap job of keeping up with quotes this year, but I will share one from We Were Liars.

The four of us Liars, we have always been.
We will always be.
No matter what happens as we go to college, grow old, build lives for ourselves; no matter if Gat and I are together or not. No matter where we go, we will always be able to line up on the roof of Cuddletown and gaze at the sea. This island is ours. Here, in some way, we are young forever.

16. Shortest and longest books you read in 2014?
Alright, I'm going to not include picture books here if I can help it.
Longest - Gone Girl, at 560 pages.
Shortest - Love & Misadventure, at 176 pages.

17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling, dying to talk to somebody about it? (This can be an epic revelation, a shocking twist, whatever...)
Ugh, so many! I mentioned reading Gone Girl this year, right? Okay okay I'm going to go with that book. I'm going to go with the end of that book. Because !!!!!! I mean, right? !!!!!

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2014?
There are always so many good book relationships. But I really fell for Kathy and Tommy's relationship in Never Let Me Go; it's beautiful and heartbreaking and awkward all at once, and it's never as easy as you think it should be.

19. Favorite book you read in 2014 from an author you'd read previously?
I'll go with Summerland, by Elin Hilderbrand. This was the first book of hers I flat-out ADORED. (And, okay, We Were Liars. But, like, obviously.)

20. Best book that you read based solely on a recommendation from someone else?
Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale.

--LOOKING AHEAD--

21. Book you didn't get to in 2014 but is a high priority for serious now in 2015?

Landline, by Rainbow Rowell. Definitely.

22. Book you are most anticipating for 2015?

The Heir, by Kiera Cass. Ahhhhh!!!! I mean, you know it's serious when SARAH DESSEN has a novel coming out and I'm still looking more forward to another book.

23. One thing you want to do/accomplish in your reading/blogging life in 2015?

Well, I want to blog regularly again. And I have a reading challenge (that I'll blog about later, probably) that I'm excited for.

55 Reading Questions (1-10)

To help myself get back int blogging I'm going to be answering 55 reading questions, from this tumblr over here, starting with the first ten today.

1. Favorite childhood book? 

I have quite a few, but I think if I absolutely positively had to choose one favorite childhood book I'd have to go with Sharon Creech's Bloomability. Although Lynne Rae Perkin's All Alone in the Universe and Katherine Patterson's Bridge to Terabithia are right up there, too. I have such big feelings about these books.

2. What are you reading right now? Nothing. I just finished Balancing Acts, by Zoe Fishman last night though.


3. What books do you have on request at the library? None.


4. Bad book habit?Oh, I don't know. My worst one is that I sometimes finish books I'm not really feeling, but I've gotten a lot better at that in the past year or so.


5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?Nothing.


6. Do you have an e-reader?I have an iPad, but I really don't read ebooks. I had a Kindle but I gave it to my sister because she loves reading on the Kindle and I much much much MUCH prefer paper books.


7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?One at a time. Anyone who reads more than one book at a time is FULL OF CRAZY.


8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?Only in that I'm more aware of what's out there and what I really want to read. It has both broadened my reading horizons and refined what I choose to read.


9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far)?You, Maybe, by Rachel Vail. One of those books that I really wasn't feeling but I just *had* to find out how it ended.


10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?Well, that's nearly impossible. I've had a handful of five-star reads this year and it's so difficult to choose between Jessi Kirby's Golden, Geoff Herbach's I'm With Stupid, and Sarah Dessen's The Moon and More. They were all brilliant and wonderful in their own ways. ("You're both better but different in different but better ways.") So I have to pass on this one, although I'm sure the Dessen novel will be the one I end up rereading most, because I do love Dessen.

end-of-year book survey for 2012

1. Best book read in 2012?
This is a nearly impossible question; there were way too many incredible books this year, three of which really stand out as bests in my mind. I'm trying to choose one favorite, and I think it might have to be Melina Marchetta's Jellicoe Road, which I just finally read this month. Bonus points to anyone who can guess the two runners-up. (Hint: one is YA and the other is regular adult fiction.)

2. Book you were excited about and thought you'd love more, but didn't?
Ah, books that don't live up to expectations are always a bit sad. This year the book that stands out as a disappointment is In Zanesville, by Jo Ann Beard. Numerous people had recommended this one to me yet the whole way through I kept thinking wait, this is it? For me, it was nothing special.

3. Most pleasantly surprising book of the year?
Again I have to mention Fangirl, by Ken Baker. I just was not expecting it to be so good or to suck me in so fully. For a couple of weeks I was absolutely obsessed with this one.

4. Book you recommended the most in 2012?
Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech, for sure. I'm not sure how many people actually took that recommendation, but I did get both of my parents to read it (and they both loved it), so that counts for something.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
Does it count as a series if only the first book is out so far? If so, it's got to be the Ever-Expanding Universe series by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal, which starts with the awesomely funny Mothership. And since there's no series I read more than one book of this year, I'll just also say that the second book in Beth Revis' Across the Universe series (A Million Suns) completely blew me away.

6. Favorite new authors discovered in 2012?
Well, I was awful at reading debut novels this year, but I did manage to discover a few new (or at least new-to-me) authors. The first is Liane Moriarty, who wrote the incredible What Alice Forgot and is (I think) Jaclyn Moriarty's sister. I keep looking for her other books but can't seem to find them -- maybe they're a bit scarce in the US? And the second is Morgan Matson, who I got to meet at ALA and who wrote Second Chance Summer; it was such a solid contemporary YA novel that I can't wait to read more from her (starting with her debut, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour).

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Well, while adult fiction is not my primary genre, I read enough of it that don't consider it out of my comfort zone -- for that I have to go to the book that was truly a new experience for me: Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, the first strictly murder mystery I've probably ever read.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
Beth Revis' A Million Suns, which had me hanging upside down off the couch reading all afternoon, not wanting to set the book aside for anything. I was so floored by how great this one was, especially since I was a bit lukewarm about the first in the series.

9. Book you read in 2012 that you are most likely to re-read next year?
Love and Other Perishable Items, by Laura Buzo. I read this as an ARC and had some mixed feelings on it (even though I sort of loved it), but I really want to buy a finished copy, reread, and see where my feelings and thoughts are after reading it a second time. See if what bothered me the first time around bothers me more or less.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?
Once again I have to choose Love and Other Perishable Items. I mean, just look at it! (That said, Carrie Pilby is a good second place choice.)

11. Most memorable character from 2012?

I'm not sure I can choose. There's Tiger Lily, Carrie Pilby, Elvie Nara, Juliette Ferrars, and they're all so memorable and so great. And of course Felton Reinstein is back in Nothing Special. If forced to choose, though, I'd probably have to go with Tiger Lily's Tiger Lily -- I did name my new iPod after her. But really there were so many truly great characters this year (as there often are) that I feel a little bad choosing only one.

12. Most beautifully written book you read in 2012?

It's a little weird to call this harsh, dark little book "beautiful," but the writing definitely is. Adios, Nirvana, by Conrad Wesselhoeft. It's literary-leaning, wonderfully atmospheric, and so well written.

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

Once again there were three books this year that were huge for me in terms of impact. Walk Two Moons was one of the most beautiful books I've ever read and I can't imagine anyone reading that book and coming away untouched. Jellicoe Road was deeply personal to me because of the relationships in it, especially the group of five. But in terms of books that really made me think and make decisions I have to go with Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot, which made me think even more than I already was about the sort of person I am, the sort of person I want to be, and how I want my life to go. It made me realize how easy it can be, sometimes, to slip away from yourself and the person you thought you were and change into someone else entirely. It sent a little shock through my system and really did impact me in a way that most books don't.

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2012 to finally read?

There are two books, but the one I really can't believe I didn't read until now is Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons. It's a middle grade novel that I didn't get around to until I was twenty-two, and I honestly can't imagine it being any more brilliant if I'd read it at twelve or thirteen. (The other book I can't believe I just now read is, of course, Jellicoe Road.)

15. Favorite passage or quote from a book you read in 2012?

I actually managed to find one quote that kind of does stand out from the rest. It's not the most beautiful or honest or profound or funniest, but it's a cute few lines that make me smile even though it's about something sad. From The Fault In Our Stars, Hazel talking about the oxygen tank she had to sleep with:

I kept thinking that it sounded like a dragon breathing in time with me, like I had this pet dragon who was cuddled up next to me and cared enough about me to time his breaths to mine. (The Fault In Our Stars, pg. 119-120)

16. Shortest and longest books you read in 2012?

Longest - The Help, by Kathryn Stockett comes in at 534 pages, and it weirdly didn't feel too long.

Shortest - Everything On A Waffle, by Polly Horvath comes in at 150 pages. I'm not positive it's the shortest I read this year, but I'm pretty sure.

17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling, dying to talk to somebody about it? (This can be an epic revelation, a shocking twist, whatever...)

Alright, I'm trying to be wary of spoilers here and not give too much away, but there were a couple of scenes/events that had me spinning. The first is the revelation about Kai in For Darkness Shows the Stars -- I so had no idea how to feel or what to think about that one and right now I can't even decide where I landed n the issue. The second is what happened in Sisterhood Everlasting. I feel betrayed, guys. BETRAYED. 

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2012?

There were quite a few couples whose love stories I fell for this year, but in the end I have to go with the five from Jellicoe Road. Despite how sad their stories were from start to finish they're definitely my favorite relationship from a book I read this year.

19. Favorite book you read in 2012 from an author you'd read previously?

Alright, this is kind of a confusing question but I think I get it and there were really too many great books from authors I was already acquainted with this year. Tiger Lily, Jellicoe Road, Walk Two Moons. And that's not even mentioning the books I read by favorite authors like Sarah Ockler, Sara Zarr, Robin Palmer, and Nina LaCour. I just can't choose.

20. Best book that you read based solely on a recommend from someone else?

Again it's The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Becca, thank you for talking me into this one; I never would have read it otherwise and it's so worth reading.

LOOKING AHEAD...

1. Book you didn't get to in 2012 but is a high priority for serious now in 2013?

There are so many, but I'm going to have to go with Trish Doller's Something Like Normal. Big apologies for not having read it yet even though it's been on my radar since before she even had a book deal for it. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH ME? (I think I have this fear like, what if I don't like it? and then it's just easier to not read it at all. You know?)

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2013?

Well, now that I know Mothership's sequel is set to come out I'll go with that one -- A Stranger Thing. (It would be on my list of can't-wait 2013 reads, but when I made the list I didn't know it was set for 2013. Wahoo!)

3. One thing you want to accomplish/do in your reading/blogging life in 2013?

I'd like to find a way to blog more, unlike these last few months.

contemporary ya questions

I found this book survey over at the tumblr Bookshop.Girl (yes, another survey/meme thing okay, I know, I like these).  The topic is YA contemporary (realistic) fiction and it's so impossible for me to choose just one for each of these questions, so I'm going to choose 2-3.

Also, I'm not going to repeat any books (because there are so many good ones), even if a book fits into multiple answers for me.

1. Favorite YA contemporary novel? 
(Please note here that it was really, really hard to narrow this down even to three. But these are the ones that I probably have the deepest love for.)
serafina67 *urgently requires life*, by Susie Day - This one is my absolute favorite YA novel in the sense that I can read it again and again, flip open to random pages and passages, and always end up smiling. I love it.
Sweethearts, by Sara Zarr - In addition to being truly one of the masterpieces of YA lit and character-driven novels this one also has my all-time favorite quote from a novel. (I've mentioned that before.)
The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen - I believe this was probably the first YA novel I read, or at least one of the first, and in reading it I found an incredible author as well as the sort of sweet, emotional, character-driven stories that I wanted to write.

2. Contemporary YA that deserves more recognition?
After the Kiss, by Terra Elan McVoy - This author in general deserves more recognition. Of course I have no idea how many readers are actually reading her books, but it's pretty rare for me to see them on blogs and she's got such a unique voice. After the Kiss is by far my favorite of hers and I'd love to see more people reading it.
What Happens Here, by Tara Altebrando - I just... sigh. I know this one is a few years old (maybe more than a few? I don't know), but it's a brilliant little book and one that I absolutely love. A unique, yet straightforward take on "grief YA" before If I Stay or Twenty Boy Summer came about.
I Now Pronounce You Someone Else, by Erin McCahan - This one is just so different from so much of what's out there. The writing and characters are top-notch and it's got that slightly-literary quality I just love.

3. What contemporary YA novel made you the saddest?
Twenty Boy Summer, by Sarah Ockler - It's rare for me to all-out sob over a book, but this one had me in major tears by page 18. And while it definitely has a lot to do with the specifics of how/why Matt died, it still totally counts. A very personal kind of sadness.
Hold Still, by Nina LaCour - This book went beyond sad. It went deep into the psyche of an incredibly depressed girl and it was just impossible not to feel for her and what she went through.
Fall For Anything, by Courtney Summers - Gut-wrenching is all I can say.

4. Cutest contemporary YA you've ever read?
Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins. Honestly, nothing else even comes close.

5. What contemporary YA made you feel all of the feels?
Love and Other Perishable Items, by Laura Buzo - This one's actually not out yet but OMG, guys. Way more emotion and way more complexness than I was expecting.
We'll Always Have Summer, by Jenny Han - The whole series really, but this last book really tied everything together and brought it to a new level of emotional-ness. Is that a word? I don't know.

6. Who is your favorite character from a contemporary YA?
Kurt Brodsky, from Leverage, by Joshua C. Cohen - THIS GUY IS WAY AMAZING.

7. What character do you relate to the most?
Well, my real answer would be one of the characters from a book I've already mentioned, but since I'm trying not to repeat books I'm going to choose a second choice.
Ari, from Other Words for Love, by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal - Quiet, loyal, etc etc. I saw so much of myself in this character.
Eleanor Crowe, from Pregnant Pause, by Han Nolan - Not her situation (pregnant teen), but certain aspects of Eleanor's personality just reminded me so, so much of myself.

8. What contemporary YA surprised you the most?
Fangirl, by Ken Baker - Another one that's not out yet (October!); I expected a cute story from this one but did not expect it to be so incredibly well-executed or for me to absolutely obsessively love it as much as I do.

9. Why do you enjoy the contemporary fiction genre?
So many reasons. I like finding characters I can relate to, like to see how they handle situations, like getting a glimpse of a life that's maybe not mine but that's real enough that it could be somebody's life. I've always loved reading about people, emotions, and relationships more than anything else, and contemporary YA offers character-driven, emotional stories in spades.

10. What contemporary YA are you most looking forward to being released this year?
Honestly the two books I'm most looking forward to are ones I've already read the ARC of, but I'm also really wanting to get my hands on a copy of:
Meant to Be, by Lauren Morrill - It looks adorable and great in a sort of retro way (this is just from the cover, mind you), and I love the whole idea behind it. High hopes.

a bookish survey

I found this survey over at The Broke and the Bookish and, hey if there's one thing I like it's book surveys! (Actually, there are many things I like and book surveys don't even crack the top 20. But I do like them.)

1. The book I'm currently reading: I'm not! I guess I should quick grab one off the shelf and start reading it, right? Actually I'm 50-something pages into Burn for Burn, but I've already decided to give up on it. Just not my cup of tea, despite how big a fan I am of both of the authors.

2. The last book I finished: Flawless Ruins, by Kieryn Nicolas. A different sort of dystopian. The parents in this one were named after a popular pop culture couple with alliterative names. Any guesses? (No seriously, guess. Winner gets the GLORY OF WINNING.) Review to come on this one.

3. The next book I want to read: I have ARCs of both Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer, and Prodigy, by Marie Lu, that I'm wanting to read. But I'm not sure which I'll pick up first.

4. The last book I bought: I finally found book 9 of The Series of Unfortunate Events at my local used bookstore. And I AM JAZZED. Now I just need number eleven and MY COLLECTION WILL BE COMPLETE, BWAHAHA AND I CAN COMMENCE READING THEM ALL IN ORDER.

5. The last book I was given: Not counting books sent by publishers, of course. The last book I was given was actually four books that my mom got for me while she was in the UK recently. The second and third books of Sophia Bennett's awesome Threads trilogy, The Look, by the same author, and Kiss, Date, Love, Hate, by Luisa Plaja, which was an odd read for me.

As always, I'd love to see your answers.

Faves of 2011 (so far): The Scenes & the Random

SCENES.

1. Best First Chapter: The first chapter of Across the Universe hooked me like no other. So nail-bitey and scary and visceral and intriguing all at once. I kind of just want to reread that first chapter a couple times; forget the rest of the book, just give me the first chapter and I'll be a happy camper.

2. Best Climactic Scene: Again, it seems awkward and weird to award this category to Leverage, but there you have it. The pivotal scene in this book was horribly gruesome, disturbing, on-the-edge-of-your-seat terrifying, and yet... and yet I've never cheered harder for a book than when I read the sentence "Kurt Brodsky goes apeshit." Best. Sentence. Ever.

3. Best Ending: Other Words for Love. Somehow this ending just hit me. It felt calm and satisfying and right and as someone who identified so much with Ari, I absolutely loved it. I talk about this book less than I do other books, but it's safe to say that you should probably go out and read it. I mean, just take a look at that cover/title combo!

4. Best Plot Twist/Revelation: Popular, hands down. Go grab yourself a copy, read it, and then read it again to catch everything you didn't catch the first time around.

5. Most Disturbing Scene: THAT ONE SCENE IN LEVERAGE. I mean, no contest. You wouldn't think it's possible to read a book with your eyes shielded, but somehow that's how I read that scene. Completely freaked out, totally angry and anxious and disturbed. 

6. Best Kiss Award: So probably in adult fiction writers worry about writing sex scenes, but in YA it's all about kissing scenes and somehow the truth or dare kiss in My Life Undecided was kind of weird and awkward and sweet at the same time. (Also it's the only one other than one moment from Anna & the French Kiss that comes to mind.)

7. Best Swoonworthy Moment: I'm just not a swoony kind of girl because honestly no scenes are coming to mind here. Not even the ones that probably are swoony and what not. It's just kind of... meh. SO INSERT YOUR FAVORITE SWOONWORTHY MOMENT HERE!!! (And then tell me what it is.)

8. Biggest Nail-Biting Moment: Again I have to go with Leverage and there were so many moments, but especially the one where Kurt is looking for his cellphone and then one near the end of the novel. 

9. Most HIlarious Scene: I don't have any one particular scene in mind, but it was definitely one from Flirt Club. There's a line (though not a whole scene) where one of the character's dad comes outside and shouts "No kisses for cads!" that just had me laughing like crazy. There were quite a few moments like that, actually.

RANDOM.

1. Favorite First Sentence: This is an incredibly close one, but I think I'm going to have to go with the first sentence of Imaginary Girls (with Like Mandarin as a runner-up). There's just something so great about the line that tells of a promise from Chloe's older sister.

2. Favorite Book Title: There are so many book titles I've loved this year and I'm finding it a bit impossible to choose one favorite. If I must, though, then I think I have to go with The Kid Table. There's something really wonderful about a simple title that can bring up so many memories, that can conjure up such a picture of the book without even knowing what it's about. Love it.

3. Favorite Reading Experience: Remember that time when I gave up blogging because I had a very strong idea (for very good reasons) that I couldn't both review books and attempt to have my own published? It was a horrible month or so. I felt depressed about the fact that my writing wasn't going anywhere, upset that I couldn't continue in this hobby that I loved, and all around just pretty crappy about the state of affairs of my life. So I figured I'd read a book, just any book I'd been looking forward to, and maybe even if it didn't cheer me up it might be a diversion for a little while. The book I chose was Where She Went and it was the best afternoon and evening I've spent reading in so, so long. The book was amazing and emotional and with my own emotions already a mess it fit me perfectly, not to mention that I have such immense respect and admiration for Gayle Forman. This book was enjoyable and incredible and inspired me to persevere in my own writing at a time when I was really having a tough go of it.

4. Book With the Best Food in It: Oh, this is a toughie. One book has tons of descriptions of delicious French treats and the other has... a diner in the middle of the night, which happens to be right up my alley. However, this category is about food, not atmosphere, so I have to go with Anna & the French Kiss for making me crave croissants and hot chocolate like nothing else.

5. Book With the Most Real/Sensual Weather: I have to go with Like Mandarin on this one for one simple reason: the wind. My goodness the wind. The descriptions of the wind here brought me right back to my hometown where, I kid you not, the wind at one point or another: pushed me off of the road and into a ditch as I was walking home from school, lifted poly carts into the air, knocked over full poly carts, and lifted our mailbox out of the ground and carried it down the driveway. And, um, made our two-story house shake.

6. Most Embarrassing Book Cover: Invincible Summer. For one thing the first time I saw this it took me forever to figure out which end was which (I still get confused, honestly), and for another I just feel weird about carrying around a super-confusing girl-in-a-bikini cover. Especially since, apart from the beach aspect, it really has nothing to do wit the book.

7. Can't Believe I Waited This Long to Read the Book: Speak, obviously.

& with this we come to the end of the Faves of 2011 (so far!) survey. It's been ten tons of fun and here are links to parts one (the books!) and two (the characters!) if you're so inclined.

2010 Survey

Started by THIS GIRL.

Note: I only started using Goodreads and keeping track of what I read in June or July, so this is really only the second half of 2010. But still.

Best Book of 2010:

Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. There are some close seconds here, but Mockingjay just broke my brain in the best possible way. I could not stop reading it. I could not get over it. For the first time in the trilogy I kind of actually liked Katniss and I felt like it was really the only way this series could end. Absolutely loved it.

Worst Book of 2010:

For me personally it had to be Stalker Girl, by Rosemary Graham. 

Most Disappointing Book of 2010:

The Duff, by Kody Keplinger. I wanted to like this book so much, but I just really, really didn't. It was disappointing for me in a lot of ways.

Most Surprising (In A Good Way!) Book of 2010:

Tweet Heart, by Elizabeth Rudnick. Surprising because I was so amazed to find a twitter novel on the shelves, especially as I was right in the thick of writing my own Twitter-Facebook-Email story at the time (which, hello, still doing) and I loved that there was something out that was using a similar format. Plus, the book was absolutely adorable. I loved it.

Most Recommended-to-Others Book of 2010:

Probably Sea, by Heidi R. Kling, though I'm not sure anyone actually took my recommendation to heart and read it. Seriously though -- get going! It's wonderful.

Best Series You Discovered in 2010:

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, which I'm sure is on lots of lists. Right before I actually managed to buy the first book I wanted to read this series so much that I was for serious having dreams about it. Like, dreams where someone (Katniss, maybe?) was trying to kill my family and I had to go fight and... gahh, it was ridiculous and intense. And the only time a dream has convinced me to read a book.

Favorite New Authors Discovered in 2010:

Jenny Han, author of the Summer series, of which I've only read the first book but I really need the next two. Are they both out yet? And Suzanne Young, author of the Naughty List trilogy. Cheerleading has never been so espionage-filled. It made the spy girl in me geek out.

Most Hilarious Read of 2010:

Scarlett Fever, by Maureen Johnson, which just barely beats out two other hilarious books. But, come on, this one has SPENCER MARTIN so it has to win.

Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book of 2010:

Again, Mockingjay takes this category by a landslide. Unbelievable.

Most Anticipated Book of 2010:

It sucks to write this one because the book didn't live up to my expectations, but Fixing Delilah, by Sarah Ockler. Her first novel was so incredibly incredible and this one sounded exactly like something I'd love. It had all the right components and I'm so thrilled that so many people love it (even if I didn't).

Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2010:

This one wins on "Beatles-references" alone.

Most Memorable Character in 2010:

Peeta Mellark.

I love him.

Most Beautifully-Written Book of 2010:

Fall For Anything, by Courtney Summers. This one's not out for another week or so but OH MY GOSH. Just.... love.... so much love.

Book That Had the Greatest Impact on You in 2010:

This is a difficult one because I connect on an emotional level to so many books. I've read things this year that were absolutely amazing, that helped me understand myself or the people around me a little better, that made something shift into place in my brain. But by far the book that's had the greatest impact on me is Some Girls Are, by Courtney Summers. I've had a love for "mean girl" type books for a long time and this is one that, despite being more intense by far than anything I've ever been though, I really connected to. It came at a time when I was going through a few toxic friendships of my own and because of that it hit close to home for me. THANK YOU COURTNEY.

Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2010 to Read:

Hm. Most of what I've read either came out this year or I just found out about it this year, so there's not much to choose from in this category but I'll go with Jodi Picoult's The Pact just because I'd been wanting to read it for quite a while and it was pretty amazing.

New Favorite Book Blog You Discovered in 2010:

Forever Young Adult.

Favorite Review That You Wrote in 2010:

I'm not that in love with any of my reviews, though I am proud of them. Choosing a favorite, though, I'd have to go with The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han. It was hard to put my thoughts and feelings about this book into words but I think it turned out well.

Best Discussion On Your Blog in 2010:

I've had some really good discussions lately (all of you who comment are winfaces), but probably the best would have to be Please Be Nicer, the post I did about "weak" characters and "weak" people.

Most Thought-Provoking Review or Discussion On Another Blog in 2010:

I don't know, basically anything on Persnickety Snark?

Best Event You Participated In During 2010:

I went to Heidi R. Kling's informal little book signing/meetup at the bookstore in Downtown Disney this year and it was great. A huge long drive, but I got to meet and hang out with a fabulous author as well as some of my blogger friends (HELLO KHY) and got to meet new people. I love author events; they're my kind of social things. (Also, Comic-Con would TOTALLY WIN THIS CATEGORY except that it's not really book-oriented.)

Best Moment of Book Blogging in 2010:

Still loving it. There's no moment; just the fact that I enjoy this so much after doing it for so long (much longer than this particular blog has been up) is great to me.

Best Bookish Discovery of 2010:

The Bookswap on Goodreads.