The Perpetual Page Turner's Annual End of Year Book Survey

It's once again that time of year!  December is always a month of snow and family time for me, for it's the perfect time to fill out Jamie's 4th Annual End of Year Book Survey!  I've done a lot of reading this year (more so I think than years past..) and I'll be posting my favorite reads of 2013 towards the end of the month.  But I wanted to take some time to fill out this fun survey.  I may not answer every question, so if you want to participate, make sure you head over to Jamie's blog to get the entire survey!

1. Best Book You Read in 2013: Now that's a tough one.  I'm generally pretty picky when it comes to what I read, so I end up loving most of it!  I'm going to choose 3 in no particular order (and I'm not including any books coming out in 2014 that I've already read and adored.  I'll post about those in the future!)
-The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
-The Shining by Stephen King
-The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

2. Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going to Love More But Didn't: The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry.  I still liked it a lot, but I had very high expectations.  It also focused a good deal on Parkinson's, which my favorite singer for years and years recently announced he was diagnosed with, and I'm not ready to think about what that means for the future.  I didn't realize Parkinson's played such a big role in the book and I picked it up literally just a few months after hearing the news so I wasn't happy.

3. Most Surprising (in a good way) Book of 2013? I'm going to go with The Shining because I thought for some odd reason that I'd never like anything by Stephen King.  And I ended up adoring it.

4. Book You Read in 2013 That You Recommended to People Most in 2013? The Night Circus, Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCaffery, and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

5. Best Series You Discovered in 2013? I don't read many series, but I'll go with Sloppy Firsts.  It was hilarious and so relatable.  The main character reminds me so much of my little sister.

6. Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2013: Probably Jessica Keener.  I read a short story collection, Women in Bed, and then a novel Night Swim, both of which I was crazy about.  She's one author I'll be looking out for.  I know I'll want to read everything she writes from now on.

7. Best Book That Was Out of Your Comfort Zone or was a New Genre For You: Red Hill by Jamie McGuire.  I love anything Halloween-esque, but zombies have never really been my thing.  I ended up really loving Red Hill though!

8. Most Thrilling Unputdownable Book: I'm going to have to go with The Shining again.  I feel like I've read nothing this year because I keep picking it.

9. Book You Read in 2013 that You Are Most Likely to Re-read in 2014: The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen.  This was such a fun read and put me right into the Fall mood.  I have a feeling I'll be reading it a lot once the leaves start turning.

10. Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2013: I'm very partial to This House is Haunted by John Boyne.  It had that creepy old house feel to it.

11. Most Memorable Character: There are few who come to mind: Amy from Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, Jessica Darling from Sloppy Firsts, Patience Murphy from The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman, Aubrey from The Wishing Thread.

12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2013: The Night Circus, hands down.

13. Book That Had the Greatest Impact on You in 2013: Night Swim

14. Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2013 to Read: Once again, I'm going to have to go with The Shining.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read in 2013: Well it would help if I wrote these down in a journal.  That's a great idea actually.  I'm going to buy a new notebook (because everyone needs a whole stack right?!) and use it only for quotes I like from books.  I always underline, dogear, or take margin notes, but that doesn't help once the book is back on the shelf.

16. Shortest and Longest Books You Read in 2013: I'm not sure.  Maybe the shortest was Coraline by Neil Gaiman, but I'm not sure what the longest one was.

17. Book That Had a Scene in it That Had You Reeling And Dying to Talk to Someone About: Probably Gone Girl.  Nothing else is coming to mind right now.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read in 2013: Well that one's easy.  The friendship between Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger in The Wind in the Willows!

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You've Read Previously: The Handmaid's Tale

20. Best Book You Read in 2013 Based on a Recommendation From Someone Else: The Night Circus.  I remember I read like 40 or 50 pages and wasn't that into it.  Then my coworker read it and wouldn't stop raving, so I picked it up again and fell completely head over heels for it.

21. Genre You Read the Most: Fiction, literary, I guess? 

22. Newest Fictional Crush: I'm going to have to jump on the bandwagon here and say Marcus Flutie from Sloppy Firsts.

23. Best 2013 Debut You Read: Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley

24. Most Vivid World/Imagery in a Book You Read in 2013: The Night Circus.  Also, because Margaret Atwood is so fantastic: The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake

25. Book That Was the Most Fun to Read: The Wind in the Willows, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Coraline.

26. Book That Made You Cry or Nearly Cry: Night Swim by Jessica Keener.  Also Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year or When It Came Out: I'd have to say The Wishing Thread, Enchantments, and then by Paul Murray-Skippy Dies.  I loved them all but didn't see much about them in the blog world when they were originally released.  Of course I may not have been paying attention.

28. One Book You Didn't Get To in 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014? Well I still have to finish Les Mis.  I'm about 300 pages in and pick it up here and there but I really need to just buckle down and work on actually finishing it.

29. Book You Are Most Anticipating for 2014 (non debut): The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

30. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating: Wake by Anna Hope

31. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating: I don't really read many series.  I guess the last Tradd Street book by Karen White?  I have to read the last 2 first though!

32. One Thing You Wish to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading/Blogging in 2014: Keep up what I'm doing.  I'm enjoying my reading and blogging because I'm focusing on having fun.  When I first started the blog, it was so that I had a place to write about my thoughts on what I was reading, because my family never wanted me to give any tiny little detail away!  I still use the blog for that same purpose.  I also still read what I want to read.  I read the occasional ARC or egalley, but only if I really want to read it.  I think that doing this has been great because I never feel pressured like I know some bloggers do.  I'd also like in the new year to get to know other bloggers more :)