Another year, another bookish survey! I love the questions that The Perpetual Page Turner has put together… let’s all take a look at the best in books of 2013!

Best in Books 2013

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

GAH. Ok… this is a tough one. I REALLY want to say Outpost by Ann Aguirre… but then I think about Scarlet by Marissa Meyer and Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs and These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner… and suddenly I’ve forgotten the question.

 

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

Probably Blue-Blooded Vamp (Sabina Kane, #5) by Jaye Wells. I adored the first 4 books in the series, but the finale was a let down… not bad, but not as kick-ass as the first books. Oh, also The Rising by Kelley Armstrong. I had been looking forward to that book for THREE YEARS and it just didn’t live up to any of my expectations.

 

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

Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2) by Katie McGarry for sure. I REALLY didn’t expect to enjoy this book – I thought it would be too New Adulty and would get my feminist hackles raised. So glad it didn’t and SO GLAD I picked it up!

 

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

Probably The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I really loved this book (of course) but the reason I recced it so much was visibility. It is on so many 3-for-2 tables and display windows, it is always easy to point out to people for a recommendation.

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

Again, GAH. I loved the Heist Society series by Ally Carter and the Pushing the Limits series by Katie McGarry… but I am going to have to go for Susan Ee’s Penryn and the End of Days (Angelfall). Love Love Love her take on the angelic apocalypse!

 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

The lovely Ally Carter gets this honour. This year, I’ve read a whopping SIX of her novels, interviewed her on the blog and met her in person… so needless to say, I have very quickly become a big fan!

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

The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks was my very first pure comic book. I had read graphic novel adaptations before, but those don’t really count as you already know the character. The Adventures of Superhero Girl was completely out of my comfort zone but I adored it. It gave me a whole new respect for the genre.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Hmm… no book really comes to mind when I think  “thrilling”… but for “unputdownable” I am going again with Dare You To by Katie McGarry. I read that thing in a single 6 hour sitting!

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

I am not a good re-reader. I always WANT to but… there are so many good books out there! So: none. 🙂

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

Gorgeous doesn’t even BEGIN to describe this cover. I mean, I normally hate prom dress covers but this one is so stunning (and relevant to the plot!) that I am willing to be forgiving.

11. Most memorable character in 2013?

I am going to go with my name sake: the star of Ally Carter’s Heist Society novels, Kat! She’s one of the smartest characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and certainly deserves a nod in this survey.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

I’d have to say Alice Hoffman’s Survival Lessons. This is a beautiful non-fiction book that probably won’t appeal to everyone… but if you’ve recently had a struggle with health issues or perhaps suffered a loss of some sort, you will appreciate it. It’s a beautifully constructed little life saver.

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

Hmm… I stepped away from this question for a good two days as I had no idea how to answer… but then I thought of Jackson Pearce’s Sweetly. I had been so vehemently opposed to her book Sisters Red, it had rather put me off of fairytale retellings altogether. But Sweetly was beautiful and completely changed my mind. So, biggest impact? I’d say so!

  

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

Endgame by Ann Aguirre, for sure! I read a lot of last-in-the-series books this year, but this one? OMG it was amazing. I can’t believe I waited so long!

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

Ahem, I’m going to have to say…

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Longest: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead – 594 pages

Shortest: Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman – 83 pages

 

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!

This is going to win as the weirdest answer ever, but the overwhelming amount of sexism and racism in the Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of Four had me ranting at everyone. I was going around quoting bits of it to people in shock, waiting for them to share their disgust with me… which never happened. Apparently I’m not supposed to get worked up about these things in books over 100 years old. I’ll tell you what I told them: Jane Austen never resorted to these stereotypes. And neither did Oscar bloody Wilde. For shame, ACD, for shame.

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

Wolf and Scarlet (Scarlet by Marissa Meyer) win this award. Yes, Katie McGarry would be an obvious choice for relationships but Meyer’s take on these two just hit home for me. I was clutching this book to my chest and swooning, I kid you not.

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

Outpost by Ann Aguirre! It had been over 2 years since I’d read the first book in her AMAZING Razorland trilogy, but I walked right back into the verse like it was yesterday.

 

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

Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman – I never, ever would have picked this up had I not been so convincingly pitched it at BEA. Blogger + Blogger + Word of Mouth Rec = Must Read.

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

YA!

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

Zach from Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girl series. I’m only 3 books in but… eep! He’s completely crushworthy, and I can totally see why everyone loves him.

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

I’ll go with Amanda Sun’s Ink for this one. It was a really lovely to see a completely different culture portrayed so faithfully in a mainstream YA novel. Very unique.

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

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman wins this one! I ADORED the verse: it was like Doctor Who meets Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. For such a short children’s novel, it packed a big punch.

 

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

Heist Society wins again! This book was an absolute treat. It was like Ocean’s Eleven only with more adorableness.

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

I am so boring: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green made me cry about, er, 10 times? It was glorious torture.

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

I think Ann Aguirre’s Razorland Series – Enclave, Outpost and Horde – doesn’t get anywhere near enough recognition. READ IT PEOPLE!

I hope you are all having a very very Happy Christmas today. I, for one, am at my mother’s for the holiday, enjoying some homemade mulled wine with her and sharing my Christmas lunch with my hounds! Wherever you are, I hope you’re enjoying the holiday just as much.

In bookish news: I seem to have stumbled into a Gallager Girl marathon (Ally Carter)! I may just finish the entire series this month… *gasp*

Lots of love,

Kay