5th Annual End of the Year Book Survey: 2014 Edition

Happy New Year's Eve! 

Since we are about to say goodbye to 2014, and hello to 2015, I figured 

this would be the perfect time to put up my end of year book survey. 

2014 has just flown by and I can't wait to join all you book fiends as we re-cap our bookish year! 

This fun and not so little survey (including the pretty graphics,) is made possible by Jamie @ Perpetual Page Turner! If you haven't got a chance to fill yours out and link up yet, there is still plenty of time! Follow the link above and hop on over to her blog where you'll find all the info you need to participate!  

Number Of Books You Read: 63 documented, although I know there are misc. reads floating around in space ...

Number of Re-Reads: 1! The Neverending Story

Genre You Read The Most From: Young Adult. Subgenre = Sci-fi & Fantasy

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014? Nikki and Keira @ Lazy Book Lovers! They rock, go visit them!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014? The Summer of Letting Go By Gae Polisner. I received the sweetest thank you email from the author after my review went up!

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? Paula Stokes' holiday guest post. Her characters from The Art of Lainey discussed their favorite holiday films!

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)? I attended ALAAC 2014! So amazing... so many books and signings and chats with authors & publishers! Plus Vegas... self-explanatory.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014? Helping to create new YA book displays and making bookish themed wall murals at my local library. And of course ALA 2014! Can't wait for June 2015 ^^

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? Several came close in view count. My big giveaway of the year and the Art of Lainey post I did with Paula Stokes were at the top.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? Maybe my Book 2 Movie Talk posts? I have a guest blogger that co-authors these posts with me, and they are really interesting! You can check out the list of the ones that have happened so far, HERE.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? My city got a new Central Library. Its gorgeous! They added a rare books section which was so awesome to browse through!

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? I always participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge. My goal was low this year at 50 books. I read 12 over.

(I picked my favorite questions to answer, 30 was too many for my fingers!)

Best Book You Read In 2014? Trial By Fire By Josephine Angelini! YES, YES, YES!

Favorite new author you discovered in 2014? Sara Beth Durst. She wrote The Lost which is the first in a planned trilogy. 

Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? The Miniaturist By Jessie Burton. Not only was it an adult fiction novel, but it was historical fiction! I read very little of both genres.

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014? Made For You By Melissa Marr!

Most memorable character of 2014? Cinder from Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles. She's a cyborb, what can I say. I probably babble most about this series.

Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward! Seriously... where has this series been all my life. This is a total guilty pleasure read, I'm sure many agree. It is so necessary for all.

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

“I… What are you saying, Zsadist?" she stammered, even though she'd heard every word.
He glanced back down at the pencil in his hand and then turned to the table. Flipping the spiral notebook to a new page, he bent way over and labored on top of the paper for quite a while. Then he ripped the sheet free.
His hand was shaking as he held it out. "It's messy."
Bella took the paper. In a child's uneven block letters there were three words: I LOVE YOU
Her lips flattened tight as her eyes stung. The handwriting got wavy and then disappeared.
"Maybe you can't read it," he said in a small voice. "I can do it over."
She shook her head. "I can read it just fine. It's… beautiful."
"I don't expect anything back. I mean… I know that you don't… feel that for me anymore. But I wanted you to know. It's important that you knew.” 
― J.R. Ward, Lover Awakened

Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014? The Summer of Letting Go By Gae Polisner. Definitely got teary at the end of this one. This story has feels.

Hidden Gem Of The Year? Butter By Erin Jade Lange.

Most Unique Book You Read In 2014? Horrorstor By Grady Hendrix. This book was published by Quirk, and they always have the most unique books! 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your #1 Priority in 2015? Compulsion By Martina Boone and Salt & Storm By Kendall Kulper. Compulsion has been sitting by my bed since ALA... and I was not able to get an ARC of Salt & Storm, but will be breaking down and acquiring my own copy ASAP.  

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)? The Shadows By JR Ward! This will be the 13th installment in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, which is big news

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? Shutter By Courtney Alameda!

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015? Fairest By Marissa Meyer, and thank goodness is comes out January 27!! And this is not releasing in 2015, it came out summer of 2014, but I have been dying to read Idols By Margaret Stohl and keep forgetting. Oh! Also, Wicked Will Rise By Danielle Paige, (sequel to Dorothy Must Die.)

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015? Well... I have high hopes that this year will be much more fluid. 2014 was all up in the air and so many things kept falling out of place, I really fell behind in review writing, blogging and reading in general. For the new year I want to post regularly, at least three reviews a week. I also want to participate in blog events and memes, which is something I have never really done since starting my blog in 2012. 

6. A 2015 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone: Liars, Inc. By Paula Stokes!! This lady is awesome, read her books! Also, All the Bright Places By Jennifer Nivven. I got an ARC at ALA and this book is intense and a brilliant read.

I hope everyone has an amazing start to the New Year! Good thoughts go out to all of you. Keep reading and blogging and just being bookish ^^

Now go recap your year and link up so I can check it out, or leave me a comment with a link to your post!

Mainstream Review: Made For You By Melissa Marr

Made For You By Melissa Marr

Published September 2014 HarperCollins

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

ADD ON GOODREADS

My Review

I'm sure we are all familiar with Melissa Marr. She is the bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and is known for her delectably fluid writing style. She has established herself as a fantasy author, however her newest novel, Made For You, falls in the contemporary genre. I read Wicked Lovely some time ago, but did not continue with the series. (This was during my less serious reading days.) However, I was very interested to see what this author had up her sleeve in the realm of a contemporary story-line. Made For You did not disappoint, and I am sure Melissa's die hard fans will be extremely pleased with the result. This book delivered the same edgy and slightly dark writing style as her fantasy work, while also excelling in its realism. Knowing that the plot of this story is possible, definitely had me cringing. Made For You is creepy folks. Just plain creepy. And once you start reading the compelling nature of this book will have you up late. 

If I ever have a chance to attend one of Marr's signings, there is one question I just have to ask her. Were you picturing Collin Hanks in his role as Travis Marshall when constructing the Judge's character? The Judge is the antagonist of the story, or a.k.a., really crazy-obsessed killer. In fact he has his own mini chapters. So, you really get to see just how loony-bin this person is. Multiple POVs is something that worked really well for this book. The majority of the chapters are from Eva's point of view, but you also get to see the story from her best friend's perspective and, of course, from the aforementioned bad guy, The Judge. For most of the time you do not know who The Judge is. This person could be anyone. There are clues along the way, and I really enjoyed being able to play the guessing game.

Marr really did a superb job with these characters. Eva is the star of Made For You. The princess of her town. She could have an inflated ego, and be a snot, but she isn't. This made me really happy. Her love interest, Nate, is a stand up guy. They fit together like ham and havarti. And THE JUDGE. If I haven't made my point yet, this character is CREEPY. And, as far as the romance goes, I loved it. It has a presence and gives readers just the right amount of sweet without overtaking the fact that this is a THRILLER. 

There is not a whole lot I would change about Made For You. The story is well fleshed out and really gives readers that darkness we sometimes crave. I suppose I would have liked to see things from Nate's perspective. In fact, Grace's POVs could be switched for Nate's entirely. Not that I didn't like Grace's character, I did. But Nate has a more prominent role to play. I would also say that the ending, as a whole, is a bit anti-climactic. Or maybe abrupt would be a better word. There is so much build up to the big reveal, yet when you get there, you really do not have much time to marinade in it. The book is over a couple short chapters later. I think I wanted a bit more for the grand finale. Or at least an epilogue? 

This was supposed to be a "mini-review." Guess that didn't happen. As you can see, I really enjoyed this book! GO READ IT. 

Top Ten of 2014: Top 10 Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2015

Day 5 of the Top 10 of 2014 Event! Hosted by Two Chicks On Books

Reading YA Rocks / Fiktshun /  Tales of a Ravenous Reader

All I Want in the New Year is... Top 10 Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2015

What are you most looking forward to in the New Year?
Leave a comment and let me know! 
Don't forget to hop on over to the host sites to see all the other blogs that linked up! 

Top Ten of 2014: Best Book Boyfriends of 2014

Day 4 of the Top 10 of 2014 Event! Hosted by Two Chicks On Books

Reading YA Rocks / Fiktshun /  Tales of a Ravenous Reader

Merry Christmas all you bookish people! I hope everyone enjoys their holiday.

Today's list is all about book boyfriends. It's what we really want for Christmas anyways, right? ^^ However... I really don't have ten from this year. So, Top 5 will have to do. Yup. Here we go...

#1  Zsadist from The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series: Lover Awakened

This series is my guilty pleasure read. I have honestly never picked up another steamy romance novel in my life. But, oh man. Once you get into J.R. Ward's world of gorgeous vampire warriors and super swoony romances, this becomes an instant binge reading series. Out of all the brothers, Zsadist is my favorite. He is dark and dangerous, full of past demons and in a constant battle to accept himself. When he finds his mate in Lover Awakened, you get to experience his loyal and passionate side. The perfect vampire partner, if I was to ever have one. That is what makes him my top pick for book boyfriends this year.

#2 Gabe from A Little Something Different By Sandy Hall

Gabe! What to say about him. I LOVED his character. Even compared a handful of guys I know to him, and let's just say they fell short. Gabe is the right amount of awkward/shy for me. He is one of the most realistic male characters I've read about this year. Plus he's clearly not perfect and is working on himself. I find that to be an admirable characteristic. I'm just not into those, "Hey look at me, I don't have to work on anything," types. So, yea. Move over Lea. You may have been a match for him in the book, but if he exists out here in the real world... MINE. 

#3 Four from Four (tehe) By Veronica Roth

How could I not throw Four on this list. He is a long standing book crush. Just brimming with awesome, but also makes me irritated... ALOT. And yea, he's dauntless. I like that. Four's got that whole overcoming the daddy issues thing on his side too. I enjoyed reading this collection more than Allegiant. Four was always my favorite character from the Divergent series, and you get to know him a lot more through these stories, than you did in the books. And I'm sure many of you agree, jumping off trains with him is a YES. No, there is no hidden meaning in that, geez. Ohhhh anddd... I can totally get behind Theo James as Four in the movie. *Points* Look at that face! 

#4 Cass from Anna Dressed in Blood By Kendare Blake

Fights ghosts, falls in love with one, is totally the coolest. Definitely doesn't judge a girl... Will go to hell and back for love. Enough said. <3

#5 Rowan from Trial By Fire By Josephine Angelini

Okay, I just finished this book and had to come make an edit to my list! Trial By Fire starts off with Tristan who you think will be the instant boy favorite. Then you realize that you HATE him and quickly move on to the real favorite of the story, Rowan. And even then you just aren't sure in the beginning. There's so much chaos you don't get to know him right away. As his story unfolds, you LOVE him. He's layered and pretty much perfect. 

I guess I just don't fawn over book bfs as much as I used to. Or maybe the right one just hasn't come along yet. Sometimes I think, "Damn you Draco Malfoy! It is your fault all my book crush energy is forever drained!" Don't forget to share your book boyfriends in the comments below, and have an amazing Christmas!

Cat Thursday Christmas Edition

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats!

Hosted by THE TRUE BOOK ADDICT

MERRY CHRISTMAS and all other HOLIDAYS!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day, whether you are with family, friends or simply curled up with a delectable book. I know I will be ending my day with a warm and fuzzy read CAT, (the book is only if they permit it.)

I tried really hard to take some festive kitty pictures, but it failed. So, instead I thought I would share my favorite DIY pet projects! Both of these make great gifts for your feline friends and fellow cat lovers.

Homemade Cheese Treats:

(Yield: 2 Dozen / Total Time: 40 Mins.)

My kitties love cheese! I'm sure many of yours do too. These are a healthy and yummy way for your cat to get a cheesy snack. You will need:

3/4 cup white flour (I use a GF flour)

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

5 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/4 cup cornmeal

What you do: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the cheeses and yogurt. Add flour and cornmeal. You may need to add a teaspoon or two of water in order to make the dough easier to work with. Knead dough into a ball and roll out to 1 inch thick. Using fun holiday cookie cutters, cut into shapes and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Let your kitty enjoy!

DIY Knotty Spider Cat Toy (From Friskies!):

This toy is super easy to make, not to mention cheap! My kitties just love things that squiggle and you can make several of these at a time, so they have a replacement as soon as one gets lost in that under-the-stove abyss. What you need:

A plastic ring from a milk jug

Scissors

A square of felt 

What you do: Cut the felt into 12-14 strips. Tie the strips onto the milk ring using a double knot. Keep tying until all the strips are on! That's it! You can use different colors to make them super cute. I tie on some colored cotton balls (the crafting kind) for extra bouncy fun. These make great stocking stuffers and gifts for your friends.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Stu-man

Top 10 of 2014: Best Debut Novels of 2014

Day 3 of the Top 10 of 2014 Event! Hosted by Two Chicks On Books
Reading YA Rocks / Fiktshun /  Tales of a Ravenous Reader

I am always on the hunt for new authors! So, I get grabby hands for debuts, especially those in the YA genre. This year gave us some really great first-timers, although I still have quite a few left on my TBR, (can you say TBR clean-up challenge anyone?) So, here are my... 

Best Debut Novels of 2014
*In no particular order*

#1 The Miniaturist By Jessie Burton: Such an intriguing work of historical fiction, this is one of the few adult novels I read this year. I will definitely be looking for more by her.

#2 Rooms By Lauren Oliver: Although this is not Oliver's first time at bat, Rooms is her first step into the world of adult fiction.

#3 Dorothy Must Die By Danielle Paige: Fun, original, makes you want to go back to OZ... well maybe once the war is over...

#4 Say What You Will By Cammie McGovern: Cammie has previously written three adult fiction novels, Say What You Will is her first book for teens.

#5 Between By Megan Whitmer: A really great fantasy first for this indie author!

#6 A Little Something Different By Sandy Hall: Not only is Sandy Hall a debut author, but her book was the first published by Swoon Reads.

#7 The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August By Claire North: I LOVED this adult fiction sci-fi novel! Claire has a new novel coming out in February 2015.

#8 Hungry By H.A. Swain: This was one of my favorite dystopians this year. No eating food?! Crazy talk. 

#9 Queen of the Tearling By Erika Johansen: Fun Fact! This is going to be a movie starring Emma Watson!

#10 Control By Lydia Kang: If you like X-men, this story is right up your alley. Serious readers beware. This is purely a fun, take your mind off things type book.

I could probably throw a few more in here, but I'm really trying to follow the rules and stick to just ten... So, what debuts did you read and love this year? Leave me a comment and share your favorites! 

Top 10 of 2014: Best Book Covers of 2014

Day 2 of the Top 10 of 2014 event! Hosted by Two Chicks On Books
Reading YA Rocks / Fiktshun /  Tales of a Ravenous Reader

I have always been such a sucker for a beautiful cover! In fact I'm notorious for hoarding books based solely on the outside wrapper, no matter how much I believe it's what's on the inside that counts. So, here are (in my opinion,) the most stunning covers of the year... 

 

~ Honorable Mentions ~

So? Which ones do you love? Leave me a comment and share the covers you LOVE from this year!