Annual End of Year Book Survey | 2014

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image source: here. edited by me.

Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating!

It's nearing the end of the year, and I guess it's time to wrap-up my reading this whole year. So I thought it would be easier to just join the Annual End of Year Book Survey originated by Jamie @ Perpetual Page-Turner. The survey consists of numerous questions related with books that I'll have to answer. I'm actually really bad at picking favorites; so when the question only asked for 1 book, I gave 3-4 books as an answer. But I guess it's all right, I'll just change the rules a little bit ㅎㅎ. On Jamie's blog, she also provided a linky where everyone can join the survey and link their own posts. Which means I can stalk their favorite books this year, and maybe I'll want to read some of those books. If you want to join in, feel free to copy-paste the questions from my blog and post your own! Share your links in the comment as well, so I can check your answers out! ;) Anyway, let's get straight to the answers! (You can also click on the book titles I mentioned to see my review on it :))

Number Of Books You Read: 75
Number of Re-Reads: 0
Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary Romance, Young-Adult

1. Best Book(s) You Read In 2014? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Will reveal the answer on my 'Top Ten Books I Read in 2014' post :)

2. Book(s) You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley & The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Well this doesn't necessarily means I disliked the book, because I gave it 3.5 and 4 stars respectively. But the question described my feelings about these two very well. I had a really high expectation because I heard so many great things about them, but for me personally, these books didn't fulfill my hopes/expectation.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014?
The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry (1 | 2 | 3 | 4). This series definitely surprised me in a good way; because I didn't expect much from such a thin book. However, the story blew my mind, and it pushed me to marathon the whole series. Even though the second book was pretty slow-paced, it was overall a great read.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?
The Maze Runner series by James Dashner (0 | 1 | 2 | 3). Well, I didn't pushed a lot of people to read this book, just one of my friends who watched the movie adaptation with me. She also likes to read, so I told her the book is just as good as the movie (or probably better!). And she did finish the trilogy a while ago :))))

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

The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry (1 | 2 | 3 | 4).

The Maze Runner series by James Dashner (0 | 1 | 2 | 3). Winner.

The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan (1 | 2). Just started this one. Hopefully I can finish the whole series early next year :))

Bumi by Tere-Liye.This is the first book in a new series by Tere-Liye, one of my favorite Indonesian authors. It's a fantasy young-adult fiction, which involves a group of teenagers having superpowers—and have to fight enemies. Looking forward to the next book in the series :)

6. Favorite new author(s) you discovered in 2014?
George R.R. Martin
Markus Zusak
James Dashner
Gillian Flynn
Lois Lowry
Rainbow Rowell
*Also listed them in my Top Six New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2014 post along with the reasons :))

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Mystery, Thriller). Totally out of my comfort zone, but I absolutely love how twisted it gets with this book.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book(s) of the year?
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (0 | 1 | 2 | 3). Very very action-packed and I definitely didn't want to put it down.
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. Also a very action-packed adventure with our demigods.

9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Umm... in case you didn't know, I have about 700 books on my TBR list. I have no time for re-reads ㅠㅠ

10. Favorite cover of a book(s) you read in 2014? 
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin

11. Most memorable character(s) of 2014?
Minho from The Maze Runner by James Dashner (0 | 1 | 2 | 3). He's got a sassy personality. And I love how he's loyal to his friend, brave, and strong too :'))
Tyrion Lannister from A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Another sassy character with incredible wisdom and wit. Even though he's not as strong as the other characters in the book, he can fight against others with his brain. And he read books! How can I not love him?

12. Most beautifully written book(s) read in 2014?
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Interlude by Windry Ramadhina
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book(s) of 2014?
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. There are a lot of issues included in this book, and these things made think a lot.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. And this one, is a life-changing read for me. I will hold the characters of this book very dearly in my heart. Because I love them that much.

14. Book(s) you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?
Cheeky Romance by Kim Eun-Jeong. I already bought the first edition back in 2012, but I waited until I got the newer edition from the publisher before I finally read it! Unbelievable! Because this book is so much fun. I don't know why I waited that long to read it.
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. As for this one, I wished I had read it sooner. Oh the laughter it has given me. I think this book made me laughed the most from my reads this year.

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

• “I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”― Liesel Meminger (The Book Thief by Markus Zusak)

• "All it will beget is regret, I tell myself, and what good is regret? It brings back nothing. What we have lost is irretrievable." (And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini)

• "J'aurais dû être plus gentille―I should have been more kind. That is something a person will never regret. You will never say to yourself when you are old, Ah, I wish I was not good to that person. You will never think that." (And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini)

• “My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer and I have my mind...and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep its edge. That's why I read so much Jon Snow."―Tyrion Lannister (A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin)

• You may think, "There is absolutely no reason for God to love me," and you are absolutely right. But God does love you. He chooses to do so, and because He is God, He has every right to do so.... God loves us because He wants to, not because we deserve it. (God is Not Mad at You by Joyce Meyer)

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2014?
Shortest: Just One Night (Just One Day, #2.5) by Gayle Forman (40 pages)
Longest: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin (835 pages)

17. Book That Shocked You The Most (Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flinn. Oh yes, this book drove me crazy. Totally left me hanging with my mouth wide open several times.

18. OTP(s) OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) (OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)
Hanna & Kai (Interlude by Windry Ramadhina)
Dawson & Amanda (The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks)
Eleanor & Park (Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell)

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Minho and Thomas (The Maze Runner series by James Dashner (0 | 1 | 2 | 3).) My favorite bromance of the year.

20. Favorite Book(s) You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Beautiful Liar by Dyah Rinni
God is Not Mad at You by Joyce Meyer
Interlude by Windry Ramadhina
Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
I don't know, can't really think of one.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?
Minho (The Maze Runner series by James Dashner (0 | 1 | 2 | 3).) Does this even need an explanation. I just love this character and the man who portrayed him in the movie adaptation. Totally my crush.

23. Best 2014 debut you read?
People Like Us by Yosephine Monica. I don't read much debut this year, but so far this one is the best :) Expecting more works from her as well.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. I love Westeros. Incredible setting with great details :)

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella.
The Chronicles of Audy: 21 by Orizuka.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
God is Not Mad at You by Joyce Meyer.
Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
I'm a pretty mainstream reader, so I didn't find any hidden gem this year.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Totally crushed me and left me heartbroken at the end. I mentioned this book so many times in this survey, but I guess this book deserved it.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Mentioned this one multiple times as well. But it definitely made me mad and drove me crazy, like I said earlier.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014?
I discovered so many blogs but I don't remember which are the ones I just discovered this year. But I might do a book-blogger shoutout someday to share my favorite book-blogs :) However, i will mention one, theprettybooks.wordpress.com, because it's serious book-porn going on in here. The book pictures are SO PRETTY. Literally the blog name.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014?

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. I don't know, maybe because I'm just so proud of myself for being able to finish my review on that chunky book. It's also very exciting to write because I get to think back on all the awesomeness and also the diverse characters in the story :))

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

Probably How I Read tag, which is a survey about how I started reading and some of my reading habits. And also my Reading Distractions post, in which I talked about all the things that can distract me from reading.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

My first ever read-a-thon (Book Club ID's 1st Read-a-Thon), which was so much fun! I also joined in Top 5 Wednesday & Top 10 Tuesday, even though I skipped quite a lot of difficult topics. And lastly, I hosted Blog Tours for the first time! I'm very honored Penerbit Haru gave me a chance to be involved :))

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?

I was offered to join BOOM Community, which led me to bigger opportunities in the future for my blog (hopefully) :)). And I also read lots of great series this year :))

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

[Blog Tour] Book Review: People Like Us by Yosephine Monica + Giveaway: 2606 Views & 85 Comments.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

How I Rate the Books I Read by Bookie-Looker. I didn't wish more love for this post, I just want people who read my reviews to understand my rating system. Because in the past, several people asked me why I keep giving good ratings to books. And I hope this post can explain why.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Booktube! I don't even remember when's the first time I started watching, but now I'm subscribed to so many Booktubers and kept watching their videos. It's a great way to find out new released books, and also discover more interesting books to read. I love Epic Reads, they're so funny and relatable.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I did complete my Goodreads Reading Challenge; I think I changed the number of books I planned to read several times (because I had a very limited time to read). But in the end I set it to 75, and I'm glad I managed to complete it! It wasn't a very ambitious goal, but I'm pretty satisfied :)

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?
I wanted to finish the Hannibal Lecter series in 2014, but fall short because I didn't get to read the last book! I will definitely read this soon and check it off my to-be-read-series list.

2. Book(s) You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?
I Was Here by Gayle Forman & Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan! Super excited for these books! ♥♥ Two of my favorite authors ♥♥

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?
The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson. This is the sequel to The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles), and it has a really interesting premise. I hope the series will end soon, because I can't wait to marathon all of them :)

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?
Read more English books, and of course decreasing my TBR pile!

6. A 2015 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:
Haven't read any yet.

Okayyy, I'm finally finished with the survey! If you kept reading until the very end, I think you're amazing, because this is a seriously long post. Even though it took me a very long time to write my answers, I think this survey is a really good way to look back at my reading journey this whole year. And like I've said at the beginning of this post, feel free to take this survey and copy the questions from my blog :)) I'm also very interested to see what amazing books you read this year :)) Alright, see you in the next post! Bye! ;)

by.stefaniesugia♥ .