Reading Survey

I found this survey floating around on the internet and thought it looked like fun! I just love answering questions about reading and I can't wait to see everyone else's answers!

1) The worst reading experience that you have ever had?

In middle school I always used to bring a book with me to school and read it when I had spare time. Everyone else always used to make fun of me and call me a nerd, needless to say I didn't have many friends.

2) The best reading experience you have ever had?

My best friend loves to read as well and every time we have get together's we spend the entire time reading aloud all our favorite parts of all our favorite books!

3) Which book has affected or influenced you the most so far?

I think Sold by Patricia McCormick is one of the most eye opening books I've ever read. It makes me wonder why we're still debating things like gay marriage when there are 12 year old girls being sold into prostitution.

4) Have you ever read a book that you got really scared of?

I can't think of one, I don't tend to read a lot of scary books.

5) What do you use as a bookmark?

Old receipts, business cards, bobby pins, bits of paper; whatever is closest to me whenever I decide to take a break!

6) When do you usually read? At home, work, while cooking, in the morning, noon, afternoon, before you go to bed...?

I always read when I'm at home, it doesn't matter what time of day it is, if I'm at home I'm reading! I also bring a book with me to work and read on my breaks and on my lunch.

7) Do you remember the first book that you read?

No, but when I was a kid I memorized the words to the book Leo the Late Bloomer and used to turn the pages and say the words aloud even though I couldn't read them.

8) Which do you prefer - paperback or hardcover?

I prefer paperback, as bad as it is I always like to fold back the front/back covers while I'm reading. Besides hardcover is expensive!

9) What are you currently reading? What page are you on?

I'm currently reading Deeper by Blue Ashcroft. It's on my kindle so I don't know what page I'm one, I am at 65% though.

10) Do you ever leave "a mark" (deliberate and/or not deliberate) in your books? For example, write in them, underline quotes, coffeemarks or food crumbs and etc.

I have a habit of correcting mistakes that I find, I just can't stand spelling errors!

11) Does the title, amount of pages and the cover affect you when you are considering a specific book?

They both play a part but I try not to let covers or pages impact whether or not I read a book. I may take a longer time to get around to reading a book that doesn't have a pretty cover or has a lot of pages but I always get to them eventually.

12) Do you ever browse through to the last pages in order find out the ending?

ALWAYS! The one thing I don't like about my Kindle is not being able to flip around. I always read the ending first. Always.

13) Have knowing the ending of a book (example, through spoilers or a movie) ever made you decide whether you will read the book or not?

Yup! When I found out that Clary and Jace from City of Bones weren't actually brother and sister I decided to finally finish the series!

14) Is there a book that you have read more than five times?

Yes! My favorite book in Middle School was The City of Ember and I read that book at least 10 or 12 times. To this day it's one of my favorite books.

15) Have you ever been in an accident where the book was the cause? (for example, almost getting hit by a car when reading while walking, or having stacks of books falling on you from a bookshelf...)

I almost had a heart attack when I found a spider hiding on one of my bookshelves. Spiders are my biggest (and only) fear.

16) Do you sell/give away your books or do you keep them, even though you don't like one of them?

I check out all my books from the library and then I buy all the ones I love!

17) Do you bring with you the book when needing to use the toilet? Do you ever read in the bathroom?

Occasionally, I like reading in the bathtub better!

18) Do you have some kind of book system, where you write down what you are reading, have bought, will read, will buy and etc? (Goodreads doesn't count) 

Nope, I only use Goodreads. I used to make lists but I don't need to anymore.

19) Do you keep a reading diary/journal?

Before I had my blog I religiously wrote down all my thoughts on the books I read. I have notebooks from 2006 with lists of all the books I read. Now that I have my blog I don't write all of that down anymore though.

Leave a comment with your answers!

End of the Year Survey!

I absolutely love surveys and instead of doing something boring for the end of this year, like listing all the books I chose as my monthly favorites, I decided I would do this survey instead! Since my blog is relatively new I thought this would be a good time for me to tell a little more about myself while talking about my favorite thing! This survey is hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner, go check out her awesome website!

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

I don't even know where to start with this one, I read so many good books this year but my all time favorite had to be The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. This book was ultimately what started my blog, the moment I finished it I felt the need to go out in the world and proclaim how wonderful it was, thus Lovely Books Blog was born:)

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

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. I absolutely loved Delirium but something about Pandemonium just didn't do it for me. The characters and the story just felt different, and not in a good way.

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

Everneath by Brodi Ashton! I started this book thinking "ehh I guess I can't avoid it any longer" and ended up LOVING this novel! I don't know why I didn't think it would be good but I started the novel thinking I wouldn't like it and maybe that's why I was so blown away when I fell in love with it. Either way its an amazing novel!

 4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

Again, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. I told everyone I knew to read this book, I told random people at the store to read this book, I begged my whole family to read this book! This novel is the definition of amazing.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

Since I don't really count The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer a series even though it has a sequel I would have to go with the October Daye series. I absolutely love this series and the romance between Toby and Tybalt makes me want to scream and fall on the floor in joy any time something happens between them! This series is amazing, trust me!

 6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Other than the obvious Michelle Hodkin I found that I absolutely love Jodi Meadows (Incarnate) , Gail Carriger (The Parasol Protectorate) , Brodi Ashton (Everneath), Seanan McGuire (October Daye), Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me), and Kady Cross (The Steampunk Chronicles)!

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

You Against Me by Jenny Downham, I rarely read realistic fiction and this novel wasn't just realistic fiction but it was also very SERIOUS realistic fiction. Dealing with serious topics such as rape and betrayal this novel was very different than what I usually read.

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

I'm staring to sound like a broken record but The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer! I read that book in one night, unable to put it down! Some close seconds would be A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, and Incarnate by Jodi Meadows.

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

Oh my god, my obsession with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is starting to get embarrassing. Its feels like its my answer for every question!

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

I just loved the sparkly dress on the cover of Fever! I know books with girls in dresses is a huge fad right now, but still, I just loved it:)

11. Most memorable character in 2012? 

Adrian from Bloodlines and The Golden Lily! Seriously, I'm in love with him. If he wasn't a fictional character...

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, it was so different and that's what made it beautiful. I loved the crossed out words, her writing was absolutely perfect for the story.

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

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin and You Against Me by Jenny Downham. I loved both of these novels and they really made me open my eyes and think. Burning Blue made me think about beauty and what really constitutes as beautiful, while You Against Me made me think about the horrific ramifications of rape and the impact it has not just on the people involved but their friends and families.

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

For sure Supernaturally by Kiersten White, I read Paranormalcy a LONG time ago, right when it came out. I loved it but for some reason I never got around to Supernaturally, which I can't believe because its a part of such a great series!

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

“Wait," I said as Noah slipped a book from a shelf and headed toward the door. "Where are you going?"
"To read?"
But I don't want you to.
"But I need to go home," I said, my eyes meeting his. "My parents are going to kill me."
"Taken care of. You're at Sophie's house."
I loved Sophie.
"So I'm...staying here?"
"Daniel's covering for you."
I loved Daniel.
"Where's Katie?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"Eliza's house."
I loved Eliza.
"And your parents?" I asked.
"Some charity thing."
I loved charity.
"So why are you going to read when I'm right here?”

- The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I just loved Mara, she always made me smile. I loved this book in so many ways and the dialogue between Mara and Noah was one of my favorite things about this book.

 16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012? 

At 584 pages the longest was  definitely Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. I'm fairly certain the shortest was The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell, however that book was so awful it felt like 500 pages not 293...

 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!

When Toby and Tybalt kiss in the beginning of Late Eclipses I couldn't help squealing in excitement. I had to call up my friend who introduced me to the series and fangirl with her for a long time... needless to say we are HUGE Toby/Tybalt fans.

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

This is such a tough one! There's Noah and Mara from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, there's Toby and Tybalt from October Daye, there's Sydney and Adrian from Bloodlines, there's Sam and Ana from Incarnate, there's Matthew and Diana from A Discovery of Witches... I can't pick!! I'm such a sucker for adorable romance's...

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

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead. Words cannot even begin to describe my love for Richelle Mead, seriously, she is hands down one of my favorite authors of all time. Not to mention I'm in love with Adrian so....

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

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I had absolutely no interest in reading this novel but one of my friends kept bugging me about it so I eventually gave in! Its a good thing too because I ended up really liking it!

 Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012 (optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012? 

Such a tough one! I follow so many book blogs its impossible to pick just one!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012? 

My favorite one would have to be my Everneath review. I loved that book so much that I wanted to make the review the best it could be.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Since my blog is fairly new, (only 6 months!) there haven't been any real discussions yet but here's to hoping for 2013!

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

I don't remember who's blog it was on but I read a post on someones blog about how LGBT books were becoming more common for young adults and even children. I'm a huge supporter of equal rights so I was thrilled to find that they were becoming more accepted.

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

Since, as I said, my blog is new I didn't have the  chance to participate in anything this year! But 2013 is right around the corner!

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?

When I got my first request to review someones book! That was a really exciting moment for me, I was so happy that people were so willing to take my blog seriously that they would ask me to review their book! Thank you to everyone who's asked me, its been an honor!

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

Surprisingly it was my post about Anime and Manga and how most people overlook it as good reading material! That one really surprised me. The second most popular one was my review of You Against Me, which also took me by surprise.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

My review of Everneath by Brodi Ashton. I loved that book so much that I slaved over that review until I made it the best it could possibly be, then nobody looked at it!

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

Free Kindle books on Amazon!! I never realized how many free books there were on their Kindle store!

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

I didn't really set any goals for myself this year other than getting my blog up and running, which was successful! I plan on setting a few more goals for 2013:)

Looking Ahead…

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?

The Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Rayborn! I love the Lady Julia Grey series so I don't even know how I fell so behind.. but it will get read!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead! After the way The Golden Lily ended I didn't even know what to do with my life!

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?

I hope I get the chance to read some more diverse books, even though I love all genres I always seem to stick to just one.