Annual End of Year Book Survey – 2013 Edition!

This is the third time I’ve done Jamie’s End of Year Book Survey.  I really enjoy it.  I like looking back each year at my life in books. I've been above normal busy, so my answers might not be as long as normal, but it’s still fun.  If you do a survey, leave a message in the comments so I can come visit!  Make sure to visit Jamie's site, filled with links to more book surveys!

1. Best Book You Read In 2013?

This one is so difficult.  I read some amazing books in 2013.  I’m going to list five that I loved.... Redshirts, by John Scalzi; The Deception of Livvy Higgs, by Donna Morrissey; Prodigy, by Marie Lu; MaddAddam, by Margaret Atwood; The Little Sisters of Eluria, by Stephen King.

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

This one is actually more difficult than the first question.  I loved everything I read this year.  I was surprised by a lot of books, but none of them disappointed me.  You can check out my Goodreads list for 2013.  All except one book is four or five stars.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

I was surprised by how much I loved Soak, by Kerri Cull.  It’s a short book of poetry, and it had a coherence I didn’t expect.

 4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

I’m going to do a three-way tie for this one: Redshirts, by John Scalzi; The Deception of Livvy Higgs, by Donna Morrissey; Horns, by Joe Hill

 5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

Legend, by Marie Lu.  I just got a copy of Champion and I can’t wait to read it!

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

I’m cheating again: Marie Lu, John Scalzi & Morgan Rhodes.

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

The poetry I read this year was out of my comfort zone, Sonnets From The Portuguese, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Soak, by Kerri Cull.  Both have really encouraged me to read more poetry.  The God Box, by Mary Lou Quinlan was also out of my comfort zone as I don’t read a lot of non-fiction or religious material, but I found the feminist angle in the second half of the book interesting.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

I’m going to echo Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner and say Prodigy, by Marie Lu (and Legend too!)... and Redshirts... and All The Wrong Questions.... and The Cuckoo’s Calling ... I’ll stop now.

 9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I don’t re-read a lot, but if I did I’d read... Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel, by Seth Grahme-Smith

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

Everything’s Eventual, by Stephen King

11. Most memorable character in 2013?

June, from the Legend series

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

The Deception of Livvy Higgs, by Donna Morrissey & Villette, by Charlotte Bronte

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?

All of them?

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read?

Emma, by Jane Austen

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

“…as the online world became more and more pre-edited and slicked up, and as even its so-called reality sites raised questions about authenticity in the minds of the viewers, the rough, unpolished physical world was taking on a mystic allure.” (pg 169, MaddAddam)

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Shortest: The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams

Longest: Villette, by Charlotte Bronte

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!

Allegiant, by Veronica Roth – ‘nuff said.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Livvy Higgs & Gen from The Deception of Livvy Higgs

Toby & Blackbeard from MaddAddam

19. Favourite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

MaddAddam, by Margaret Atwood & Carrie, by Stephen King

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

Falling Kingdoms, by Morgan Rhodes

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

I think fantasy, in one form or another.  YA, Adult, Urban, High....

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

I don’t think I have a new fictional crush.  All my loves are still the same...

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith.

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

Newfoundland & Nova Scotia during WWII in The Deception of Livvy Higgs.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Redshirts!!

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

And The Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseinni

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

Falling Kingdoms, by Morgan Rhodes.   I just didn’t get the same level of buzz about it as some other YA novels.

2014-books

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

Since I just read When Did You See Her Last?, I think I’m focused on the next book in the All The Wrong Questions series.

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

I don’t know... none? All?

 4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

Ignite Me, by Taherah Mafi

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

I hope to find a better reading/writing/life balance.

Thanks for making it through the whole survey!  What are your answers to these very important questions? Let me know if you’ve completed this survey or have any other end-of-year posts.  Happy Holidays!

Soak

Kerri Cull seems like she'd be an interesting person to know in real life.  I'm not thinking this just from the poems in Soak, but also from the "Discussion Questions" and the "Recommended Soundtrack" found at the end of the collection. I might like those things at the beginning of the book or maybe a contents page indicating they are included at the end of the book.  It would give the reader something to look out for or listen to as they read the poems.  One day I can see myself rereading the poems with the questions in mind and some Tragically Hip playing in the background...

I won Soak from The 49th Shelf, a bookish website that is all about Canadian literature.  Though it took a while to get here, I'm glad that I won this little book of poetry.  It was a great and quick read. I think it's another positive step towards me reading poetry again regularly.

Each poem in Soak seems to be an event in the author's time line, her life.  Is it all her?  Are these the poems of a character she has created?  Could be either.. or both. I find the idea interesting and I liked that the poems together told a story.  I'm not sure if I'd have felt the same impact if I wasn't reading the collection as a whole.

I also felt that many of the titles of the poems seem more like the first line, but not all of them. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maybe I'd like consistency since the collection tells a story.

If you want to sample Kerri Cull's poems, and I recommend you do, click the link below.  You will get to read a poem from each of the three sections (stages of life).

http://saltyink.com/2012/03/14/a-perfect-introduction-to-kerri-culls-soak-from-kerri-herself/

I'm very glad I won Kerri Cull's collection of poems.  I think they're great if your not sure about reading poetry or if you're not sure where to start.  The poems form a narrative that's easy to enjoy.