2014 End of Year Book Survey

The End of Year Book Survey is hosted by Jamie over at The Perpetual Page-Turner and it's her 5th year doing this!!! So awesome and thanks Jamie!

Last year over 369 people linked up... so without further ado here's my survey :) Bonus if you participate on your Blog/YouTube and link up on Jamie's post by Jan. 10 you'll be entered for a giveaway!

Note: The survey is for books you read throughout the year, no matter when they were published, and is not limited to just books that came out in 2014!!

Number Of Books You Read: 93 +, Since I'm writing this a bit early I know I'll hit my 100 goal!

2014 Reading Challenge

Meghann has

read 93 books toward her goal of 100 books.

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93 of 100 (93%)

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Number of Re-Reads: I don't think I have any... oh, take that back. Divergent, so one.

Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary! I didn't even realize how much contemp I read. About half of the books are some form of contemporary reads.

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

I'm cheating because I can't choose just one!
Favorite contemporary read this year is... Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
Favorite non-contemporary read is... A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Both of these featured strong female leads that I could relate to. The dreamy boys don't hurt. ;)

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

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares 
I had never read Ann before this but had heard SO many good things about the Sisterhood series. However, this just did not pan out for a sci-fi book. I wanted this to be an exciting time travel adventure and instead it just sort of fell flat. :/

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

Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
So I don't really consider myself a fantasy/historical reader but this did me in. I had even read poor reviews of it saying that it was a Star Wars knock off and just bad. I'm so glad I went ahead with reading it anyways. The POVs, guessing game and adventure had me sucked in. I CANNOT wait for book two.

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

I'm not really a book pusher... but if I was I'd want everyone to read When I Was The Greatest by Jason Reynolds. I think this is a grossly underrated book that everyone needs to read!

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

The best series I started is a toss up between The Remnant Chronicles and The Winner's Trilogy.
Best sequel for the year would go to The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey.
Best series ender for me is Into The Still Blue by Veronica Rossi.

So I don't have a lot to choose from in these categories because this is my first year of aggressive reading post graduation and my first year blogging. I'm looking forward to reading more in 2015!

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

I'm not sure if this means "new to me" or "debut author". :/ So... favorite debut author is Martina Boone for Compulsion. Favorite "new to me author" is Claudia Gray with A Thousand Pieces of You.

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

Madam Tussaud's Apprentice by Kathleen Benner Duble

I am NOT a historical fiction person. This is usually where I skip the book and just watch the movie. But alas, there is no movie and the book appeared on my doorstep so I decided to give it a chance. I'm so glad I did. This is an awesome historical fiction book showcasing a very different side of the French Revolution brewing.

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

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
The book opens with action and continues through various alternate dimensions while balancing all of the science, world building and plot amazingly!

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

I don't really re-read books but if I had to choose one it would probably be... The Winner's Curse prior to the release of book two, The Winner's Crime.

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

THIS. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS.

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Needles and Noodles from When I Was The Greatest by Jason Reynolds
So this is cheating but if you know anything about these brothers know that their bond is inspiring. Needles is such a kind soul and to watch the world move around him as Noodles tries so hard to shield him from the world's sharp edges is nothing short of love.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Maybe because I did the audiobook version but I just absolutely loved the writing which often left me feeling like I was in a dream state roaming the halls and rooms of the castle with Nyx.

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

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
This definitely changed my point-of-view on a number of issues but mostly people with physical disabilities and mental disorders. Very deep and thought provoking. I had to let all the words soak in before I was ready to write my review.  

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

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Needless to say... I devoured it! 

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

“I would love you in any shape, in any world, with any past. Never doubt that." - A Thousand Pieces of You

16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2014?

Longest book goes to Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld at 599 pages.
Shortest book goes to the novella Just One Night by Gayle Forman at 40 pages.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

The Kiss of Deception was definitely a shocker once the identities of the Prince and Assassin were revealed. I couldn't believe it or all that followed, including the crazy ending!

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

My OTP of the year... is Macallan and Levi from Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
Probably not a super popular choice but you just had to root for these two. So perfect and real all at the same time. Plus they're hilars and I want that ship so bad!!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Roar and Aria, from the Under the Never Sky Series, are my favorite non-romantic ship! I could write entire fan fiction on these two ending up together. :p More than anything I was just excited such a strong, platonic relationship could exist between a male and female.

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

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell... actually I kind of went on a Rainbow spree. I read Attachments and Landline this year as well. 

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

Probably The Winner's Curse, I felt like everyone had read it and I was the last to be let in on the big secret! I then stayed up all night reading so I'd no longer be left out :p I have no regrets!

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

All the Peter's from A Thousand Pieces of You!!!! He's so interesting in each dimension and I NEED him to be good.

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
Loved it! From the musical theme to make the sidekick friend the protagonist to a lovely boy with tattoos I was all over this! So quotable too! 

24. Best World-building/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

I know I sound like a broken record by now but A Thousand Pieces of You. Claudia Gray is amazing at world building in this novel!! She has crafted several alternative worlds for all the dimension hopping going on here. Every dimension is built so vividly and drastically different from the next I can't wait to see what worlds she builds for book two.

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

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Joshua Sundquist
This is a hilarious memoir on dating attempting to find his first girlfriend. I had soooo many LOL moments and loved it so much I read passages aloud to innocent bystanders.

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

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
So I had seen this book on the shelves over the past year and knew it was a bestseller. What I did not know is the subject matter and ALL. THE. FEELS. that would come with it. So when my number came up at the library I checked it out and read it during my boyfriend's table tennis tournament. Fast forward to mass UGLY CRYING!!! I was a hott mess and so mad that the world had not told me how many feels would come with this book.

Side note: I'm really, really awesome at avoiding spoilers because I have no friends. :p

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Madam Tussaud's Apprentice by Kathleen Benner Duble

I'm not typically a fan of historical fiction so when I picked this up I was sure it would be a DNF. But surprise, surprise I sped through it and loved it all! The French Revolution provided a nice backdrop for this story about nontraditional families and breathed life into such a popular figure.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

There weren't any 2014 releases that made me cry or wrecked me. Be a hater if you want but The Fault In Our Stars ruined me for about a week. If I even think about certain scenes I can cry on command. It's quiet sad actually... my cry ability and the book.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Told from a dozen different viewpoints including a bench and a squirrel, this story navigates a sort-of-romance between two college students. It's unique because you hear from everyone BUT the central pair. It made me LOL and have some feels. If you can keep the storyline straight it's worth the read.

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

Love and Other Theories by Alexis Bass
I got soooo steamed and passionate after this read. You can say I probably went into a feminist rage. Probably the most rage-y I've ever gotten on the blog.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014? 

Easy... all of them! I didn't start reading book blogs regularly until this year.
Some of my favorites are... Cuddlebuggery, The Perpetual Page-Turner and Reading Teen.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014? 

Every one that received a comment! As a newbie blogger this was the greatest joy. To know someone read what I wrote and cared enough to comment. :)

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

My Brown Skin Matters was my favorite discussion type post. It was triggered by an author's Facebook post. Basically it's about the need for diversity in books and why color matters.

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

Hands down attending BEA as a newbie blogger was the best event of the year. I started blogging in February/ March and attended BEA in May. I learned SO much, SO fast! I'm forever thankful for all of the line friends I made, the blogger picnic, and all of the publishers and authors. I can't wait to go again in 2015!

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

Starting Becoming Books! This was a huge move to me and I just dove in like a crazy person. My favorite moment however was receiving my first comment. I felt like someone was "listening" to me and I wasn't just blogging to a vast internet void... haha!

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

Most page views goes to my review of Jessica Brody's Unremembered.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I attempted a feature on Sunday's looking at graphic novels and comics. It doesn't seem anyone was interested but I think I'm going to pick it back up in the new year because I enjoyed it. So stop by in 2015 for Comic Sundays :)

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

Best? Hmmm... does Book Outlet count? Seriously... I've done two sizable orders from there and have zero regrets. Other than this discovering Bloglovin' has been awesome. I read my queue almost everyday :)

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Honestly, I didn't know how this blogging thing was going to go. I didn't know if I'd get approved for any advanced copies, I didn't know if anyone would read posts or any of that. So as far as goals go I've done a handful of reading challenges and read-a-thons. Oh, I'm 99.99% sure I'll complete my Goodreads challenge goal of 100 books read. So yay!

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?

So many of them... but I feel like I'm one of the few that did not read Jandy Nelson's I'll Give You The Sun. I'm told it's jam packed with feels!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?

I Was Here by Gayle Forman

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?

The final book of the Fifth Wave series by Rick Yancey

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?

A lot! I have learned so much over the last year of blogging. I'm working on some resolutions so check back on January 1 to see what I've come up with! :)

6. A 2015 Release You’ve Already Read and Recommend To Everyone:

I haven't been able to skip ahead in my reading... I'm such a plotter.
MUST. FOLLOW. SCHEDULE. :p