Books of 2012 Survey

It's time again for the end-of-the-year book survey hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner! 

1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

YA:

 

Historical fantasy/paranormal: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers and Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin

Dystopian: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Contemporary: Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian and Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

Paranormal: the Vampire Academy series

Magical realism: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness 

NA: Something Like Normal by Trish Doller 

Adult: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (apparently forgetting is a theme here...)

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

I'd heard really glowing things about Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar, but it really didn't do much for me — I found it slow-moving in terms of plot and the progression of the relationship was off. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight also failed to wow me — it's not a bad way to pass a few hours, but doesn't stand out in the sea of contemporary YA. And I thought A Witch in Winter had a premise with promise, but the execution just didn't live up to it.

 

 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?  

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters. I didn't have huge expectations for this one, but it was pretty darn hilarious! 

 4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

 LOL, probably still The Hunger Games.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

The Vampire Academy series (although technically I kind of "discovered" it last year, since I read the first book last December.)  

 6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Robin LaFevers, Siobhan Vivian, and Adele Griffin (she wasn't new to me but she became a favourite author of mine this year), to name a few.

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

Daughter of Smoke & Bone was out of my comfort zone in that it was just so strange. It took me multiple tries to get into, but finally I did and I actually ended up enjoying it for the most part. 

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

 

 Hmmm, this is a tough one. Grave Mercy, Insurgent, and Article 5 all fit the bill here. 

 9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:

I'll probably re-read some of the books in series to prep for the next book that's coming out. So ones like Grave Mercy, Insurgent, Article 5, and Sapphire Blue. 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

Can't pick just one, but here's a few:

11. Most memorable character in 2012? 

It's always really impossible for me to answer this question, so I'm going to change it slightly, and go with books that had narrators with strong/memorable/well-written voices.  

Male character: Travis from Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

Female character: Rose from the Vampire Academy series

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

Crossed by Ally Condie. Also, The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton showcased some fantastic storytelling.

 

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012? 

Hmmm, not sure about this one...maybe A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I felt totally drained after reading that one.

 

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read? 

Again, the Vampire Academy series. 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012? 

I don't tend to keep track of quotes as I read so I'm not sure I can pull out a favourite from this year.

 16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012? 

Shortest: Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral 

Longest: Probably The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 

 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!

The endings of All You Never Wanted and The Forgotten Garden (the second one I actually did talk to my mom about, because she'd already read it!)

 

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Ismae and Duval from Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (and honourable mention to Mary and James from The Traitor in the Tunnel by Y.S. Lee, who have to be one of my favourite historical YA couples ever) 

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously

 

Hmmm, probably either Picture the Dead or All You Never Wanted, both by Adele Griffin. 

 

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

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. I ordered this one in large part due to Nomes' glowing review, and it was a bit more of a gamble for me than some of the books I read because it's adult (and I tend to stick to YA most of the time). But I quite thoroughly enjoyed it, so thank you, Nomes! 

Also, I know multiple bloggers raved about A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, so I put it on my Christmas wishlist last year and received it as a gift. It's a book I likely would not have picked up on my own. I finally got around to reading it recently and was definitely impressed (although it's so sad!). 

What books made it onto your top 2012 list? You can link up your own response to the survey here on Jamie's blog.