2014 End of Year Book Survey

 1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

• 2014 Debut- Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
• 2014 Young Adult Contemporary- Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan and To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
• 2014 Young Adult Fantasy- Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi
• 2014 Young Adult Historical Fiction - Forbidden by Kimberley G. Little and Brazen by Katherine Longshore
• 2013 or older YA Fiction- Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2) by Rae Carson, Blythewood by Carol Goodman and Looking for Alaska by John Green
• 2013 or older Adult Fiction- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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

Fly Away by Kristin Hannah was so utterly depressing. Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot and Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper were both a bit disappointing for me.

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

 I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, The Heiresses by Sara Shepard and Undone by Cat Clarke. All three of these books were awesome in their own way and took me by surprise.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?

Oh, man. I pushed Outlander SO HARD and on so many people. I know my some family members read it and my best friend read it after my recommendation. I also pushed Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan - this book is brilliant and needs more attention!

 5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?

• Best Series I Started: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
• Best Sequel of 2014: Nantucket Red (Nantucket #2) by Leila Howland
• Best Series Ender of 2014: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

• Favorite New-To-Me Author: Diana Gabaldon, Erin McCahan, Tahereh Mafi, and Rae Carson
• Favorite Debut Author of 2014: Kimberley G. Little, Martina Boone, and Emery Lord

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

I love biographies and memoirs, but I don't read them often. The Kennedy Wives by Amber Hunt and David Batcher was so, so good. 

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

• 2014 release: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• 2013 or older: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

 9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I don't often re-read book unless they are my absolute favorites (Harry Potter, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc) but I could totally see me re-reading Looking for Alaska by John Green.

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

Compulsion by Martina Boone, Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper, and Tempting Fate by Jane Green are my favorite covers of 2014.

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Claire Randall by Outlander and Lara Jean from To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han are two of my most favorite characters. 

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

Hmmm. This is tough. I'm going to go with Looking for Alaska by John Green and To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. There is something special about both of these authors. I adore their writing styles and often find their writing to be extremely quotable. 

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?

The Kennedy Wives by Amber Hunt and David Batcher - This was an eye-opening and inspirational read for me. 

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? 

I hate to say it again, but Outlander by Diana Gabladon is pretty high up on that list. There's also Looking for Alaska by John Green.  I definitely wish I read that one sooner! Lastly, I wish I read Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy a lot sooner. I love it! I still need to read the last book and am looking forward to it! 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?

"Margot doesn't see the point in wondering.  This is our life; there's no use in asking what if.  No one could ever give you the answers. I try, I really do, but it's hard for me to accept this way of thinking. I'm always wondering about the what-ifs, about the road not taken."  (To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han)

"Thomas Edison's last words were 'It's very beautiful over there'. I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful." (Looking for Alaska by John Green)

“I stood still, vision blurring, and in that moment, I heard my heart break. It was a small, clean sound, like the snapping of a flower's stem.” (Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon)

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

• Longest: Voyager (Outlander #3) - 870 pages
• Shortest: Something Like Normal by Trish Doller - 224 pages

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - That book takes the cake. Seriously. 

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Apparently OTP means One True Pairing, so I'm going to go with: Claire and Jamie from Outlander (duh, you saw that coming!) 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Josie and her family in Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg, Looking for Alaska by John Green and To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord was recommended to me by Leanna from Daisy Chain Book Reviews…I knew I had to read it since we have the same taste and of course, I loved it!  

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

Well, of course, there's Jamie Fraser from Outlander, but I am also a big fan of Matt Finch from Open Road Summer by Emery Lord and Hector from Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns series.

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns series and The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

The Heiresses by Sara Shepard was a lot of fun…perfect for the beach! But with regards to putting a smile on my face, I'd have to go with Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan.

6. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?

• Looking For Alaska by John Green
• Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
• Undone by Cat Clarke - This book had me sobbing uncontrollably!!!

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan was such an awesome book. I think it deserves more attention for sure.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn made me hating life.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi is so unique as Mafi has a really interesting writing style. Regarding unique as in the story is original would have to go to Gone Girl. The whole unreliable narrator and plot twists…oh, man. I am STILL recovering.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

There are two books which stand out for me. Undone by Cat Clarke---I LOVED this book, but I wanted things to work out differently for the characters and I felt strongly about that. This book made me cry so hard…very reminiscent of my reaction to If I Stay.
Also, there were some events in Outlander by Diana Gabaldon that were so brutal. I was fuming for days.

Well, there you have it! Another year of blogging has come to an end and I am so glad I read some new-to-me authors, debut authors, and finally checked out some oldie-but-goodies.   I'll be posting my "Looking Ahead" portion in January.

Let me know if you completed the End of Year Book Survey; I'll be sure to check yours out! This survey is hosted by Jamie at the Perpetual Page Turner.  Happy Holidays!