Ratings by Publisher

Not sure if anyone else will have an interest in this, but recently I was curious (and clearly procrastinating on writing my thesis) about what my average rating per publisher would be. In my mind, I have my favourite publishers that are always coming out with books that I WANT NEED - but if I was to calculate the average of the ratings I've given books by these publishers, would they end up with a higher overall rating than the other publishers? Surprisingly, no. The publisher that I was expecting to be my highest average rated publisher was actually my least well rated publisher overall. And the publisher that had the highest overall rating was a pleasant surprise because I wasn't expecting it to rank so high. Anyways, I thought I would share the results of my findings in case anyone else was interested:

Note: My focus here is on the major publishing houses because I had a greater sample size to work with. For a lot of the smaller independent publishing houses, I had only read a few books from each of them and so I was unable to perform thorough analyses. If you're interested though, out of the smaller publishing houses, Candlewick Press came out on top with a solid 5 out of 5 average rating - all down to my love of Patrick Ness.

Penguin

Overall Average Rating: 4.13

Penguin is part of Penguin Random House now, but most of my ratings on this blog are from the time when Penguin and Random House were separate entities so I will be treating them as separate here as well. When separated from Random House, Penguin has my overall highest rating! I was a little surprised by this, but pleasantly so. When looking at my highest rated books from Penguin over the years, most of them are contemporary, which is even more surprising considering I wouldn't consider that my favourite genre at all. Then again, Stephanie Perkins, John Green, and Gayle Forman are all based out of Penguin and I've loved all of their books so far, so maybe it's not so surprising after all.

Hachette Book Group

Overall Average Rating: 4.09

Hachette Book Group was my second overall highest rated publisher. This makes sense to me as I know that some of my most favourite books have come from them over the years. Namely, the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor and Queen Jo's three adult books The Casual Vacancy, The Cuckoo's Calling, and The Silkworm.

Macmillan

Overall Average Rating: 4.05

Macmillan has a pretty high overall rating and of course it would, being the home of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and The Grisha by Leigh Bardugo - definite faves!!

Random House

Overall Average Rating: 3.83

When separated from Penguin, Random House has a relatively low overall rating. Then again, Random House has also published two of my most heartbreakingly favourite books of all time: The Road by Cormac McCarthy and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, so they're still in my good books.

Simon & Schuster

Overall Average Rating: 3.81

Simon & Schuster Publishers is the second least overall rated publisher. It's too bad because once upon a time, I used to think this publisher was the bees knees, until I hit a string of duds from them which has made me a bit more wary of them. Simon & Schuster is the publisher of one of my all-time favourite series, the amazingly well written The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. Without the inclusion of this series, my overall rating for Simon & Schuster would be quite a bit lower.

HarperCollins

Overall Average Rating: 3.80

HarperCollins Publishers was my lowest overall rated publisher. Definitely a shocker because I swear HarperCollins books are always the ones that I get MOST excited about. I often have a hard time narrowing down my top choices when I do my quarterly HarperCollins Waiting on Wednesday Catalogue feature. Maybe it's BECAUSE my HarperCollins TBR is always the biggest and I read the most from them that I end up with a few more duds, whereas I am more selective when it comes to the other publishers? I don't know.


I would be interested to hear what you think about this! Have you ever broken down your average ratings by publisher before? Which publisher would you expect to come out on top? I was surprised with my results!

The Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Megan Whalen Turner - 4 Books

Own 4 and Read 0 Megan Whalen Turner books. Need to get to The Queen's Thief Series!

J.R.R. Tolkien - 4 Books

Own 4 and Read 4 J.R.R. Tolkien books. Classic.

Rick Yancey - 5 Books

Own 5 and Read 4 Rick Yancey books. Still need to finish up one of my favourite series, The Monstrumologist!

Patrick Ness - 5 Books

Own 5 and Read 4 Patrick Ness books. Still need to read More Than This and I'm excited because Patrick Ness is definitely a fave!

Rick Riordan - 5 Books

Own 5 and Read 5 Rick Riordan books. I binge read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series earlier on this year. I had fun with these!

John Green - 5 Books

Own 5 and Read 5 John Green books. I binge read his books in May in what I have dubbed The Great John Green Read of 2014. It was a great experience!

Meg Cabot - 6 Books

Own 6 and Read 0 Meg Cabot books. I picked up the entire Mediator Series second-hand a number of years ago and I'm just waiting for a good opportunity to binge read them.

Richelle Mead - 6 Books

Own 6 and Read 1 Richelle Mead books. There was a great deal on the Vampire Academy boxset back when the movie was released, so of course I snapped it up. I have only read the first book so far, but I'm looking forward to getting back into the series!

Cassandra Clare - 9 Books

Own 9 and Read 9 Cassandra Clare books. The Mortal Instruments Series was only completed a couple months ago, but Cassie already has a number of new Shadowhunter trilogies planned to add to this list. Something to look forward to!

J.K. Rowling - 13 Books

Own 13 and Read 13 J.K. Rowling books. Well, obviously! You guys know I will buy and read (and LOVE) anything Queen Jo writes, no matter what it is.

Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: September 15, 2011
Pages: 206
Source: For Review from Candlewick Press
Rating: 5 Stars

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...
This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.

In short: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is simultaneously one of the most devastatingly heartbreaking and rousingly beautiful books I have ever read.

A Monster Calls tells the story of thirteen-year-old Conor who has a recurring nightmare in which a monster comes to visit him at 12:07 every night. The monster tells him three stories and in return, Conor must tell the monster the story of his truth. But A Monster Calls isn't a story about a monster who visits a boy in his dreams. It's a story about dealing with the devastating impacts of cancer. It's a story that cuts you to the core and leaves you breathless and emotionally drained. But it is also painfully beautiful and completely worthwhile.

Patrick Ness relays in a stark and brutal way the emotions and grief that one endures when having to deal with the influence of cancer in a loved one. And who among us hasn't been affected by the destructive effects of cancer at some point in our lives? Siobhan Dowd, the author who conceived the idea behind A Monster Calls, herself had the disease. And, in a most tragic turn of events, Siobhan Dowd succumbed to her illness before she could write this novel. Patrick Ness stepped in to write it and see her masterpiece to publication.

A Monster Calls is simultaneously one of the most devastatingly heartbreaking and rousingly beautiful books I have ever read. I have said it already in my reviews of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking Trilogy, but Patrick Ness is simply a genius with words. I would read anything he writes and will be guaranteed to love it, purely based off his ability to craft emotional prose, complex characters, and deeply moving themes. You are missing out if you haven't read his books yet!

Other Reviews:
Call Me Crazy Reviews
Courtney Reads A Lot
The Dancing Reader

Author Links:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

2012 End of Year Book Survey

Hi! It's that time of the year again - the End of Year Book Survey hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner! I participated in it last year, as well, and it was a lot of fun.

1. Best book(s) you read in 2012?
The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness, The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, Blood Red Road by Moira Young, and Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. I loved these books for pretty much the same reason: while they were all emotionally taxing books, the payoff was SO worth it - gorgeous writing, unforgettable characters, and truly powerful messages are present in all three.

Worst book read in 2012:
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James - I read this book on a dare... I mean, what can I say that hasn't already been said? Never have I done so much eye-rolling while reading before. And as for the egotistical and misogynistic sadist, Christian Grey? I would rather make out with a Dementor.

2. Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
I thought I was going to love Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin and Black City by Elizabeth Richards (probably based on the covers, not going to lie), but the characters annoyed the crap out of me.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?
No one does surprise twists like Beth Revis in her Across the Universe Trilogy.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?
Probably the Chaos Walking Trilogy and The Casual Vacancy.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor and the Dust Lands Trilogy by Moira Young. Can't believe I didn't read these sooner!

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?
Ditto: Laini Taylor and Moira Young.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
I ventured into the world of contemporary issue books with What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton... and actually really loved it and its emotional impact. Ditto to The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, which I am reading now.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
Blood Red Road by Moira Young! Did not want that book to end.

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
I don't have any planned at the moment, but if I do I will probably reread books whose sequels are coming out next year to reacquaint myself with the story.

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

I'm all for gorgeous, distinctive fonts, a hint of the setting, and no characters on my covers!

11. Most memorable character in 2012?
Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - I just adored him, his awkwardness, his sensitivity, and his thoughtfulness.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?
Same as my answer for Best Books of 2012: the Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Casual Vacancy, Blood Red Road, and Days of Blood and Starlight - That's why I loved them so!

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. This book made me feel ALL THE FEELINGS and really made me rethink how I view certain things and people. It was an excellent social commentary. And I am still reeling from that ending.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?
Blood Red Road by Moira Young and Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?
"We accept the love we think we deserve." - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2012?
Shortest: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (213 Pages)
Longest: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (608 Pages)

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!
Days of Blood and Starlight had a lot of those!

18. Favourite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc)?
Well, Maddie and Verity from Code Name Verity obviously! What a beautiful poignant friendship they had. Also, the friendship between Krystal Weedon and Sukhvinder Jawanda from The Casual Vacancy comes to mind for some reason. It was such an unexpected friendship, and yet, a powerful one.

19. Favourite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously?
The last two books in the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness (I read the first one in 2011) and The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else?
Okay, I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but you get the idea: the Chaos Walking Trilogy, Blood Red Road, the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy.

Looking Ahead...
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Also, I really need to read John Green's books and Melina Marchetta's...

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?
I'm definitely looking forward to some hotly anticipated sequels: Shades of Earth by Beth Revis, Requiem by Lauren Oliver, Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare, and Divergent #3 by Veronica Roth, among others.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?
Well, I hope to return to school in 2013 (I am applying to grad school to get my Master's Degree at the moment), so I have no doubt that my reading and blogging will go down in amount for the latter half of 2013 if I am accepted, but I do hope to keep up a good pace despite that. Also, I think I said this last year as well and it didn't really happen, but I would like to not get so caught up in the newest, hottest releases of 2013 and completely forget about the books I had sworn I'd read before. There are a ton of older books on my TBR that need some love, too!

Winner!

It's time to announce the winner of the The Knife of Never Letting Go (or anything else by Patrick Ness)!

Congrats, Jeanne!

I hope you'll come to fall in love with the Chaos Walking Trilogy as much as I did! Please email me with your full name and address and which Patrick Ness book you would like to receive within the next 48 hours at ayleejaine(at)gmail(dot)com.

Update: Unfortunately, the winner failed to send me an email within the given timeframe. Stay tuned for more giveaways instead!

Review: The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking #2 and #3) by Patrick Ness

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Published: September 8, 2009/September 28, 2010

Pages: 519/603

Source: Bought

Rating: 6 STARS

The Ask and the Answer:
Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...

Monsters of Men:
"War," says the Mayor. "At last." Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they're so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge.

In short: The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness are emotionally taxing reads, but the payoff is so worth it - beautifully written, tremendously complex in plot, and powerfully inspiring in message.

I've decided to combine my reviews for the second and third book in the Chaos Walking Trilogy (The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men) because I realized there was so little I could tell you without revealing some major aspects of the plot. If that isn't a testament to how dynamic and surprising the plot of these final two books is, than I don't know what is.

One of the most fascinating aspects of The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men is the introduction of some very complex politics and character dynamics. A Mockingjay-esque situation is introduced in which there are two power-hungry leaders on opposing sides, one of them acting under the guise of the "good guy". The character complexities are so well done that in the span of chapters, I would change my mind about the alleged goodness and badness of these characters and then back again. Who is the relative good guy in this situation? Who is really telling the truth? Who should Todd trust?

The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men take a decidedly darker turn in the story (and anyone who's read The Knife of Never Letting Go knows that it wasn't exactly a light read either). War, genocide, and torture are major themes in these last two books making for a heavy, emotional read. It took me quite a long to make it through them - not only because of the mammoth page numbers - but also because of the depth of the subject matter.

Ultimately though, despite the seemingly helpless situation, there is one thing that is always present in The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men that keeps you reading - hope. It would've been difficult to make it through these books without the promise of a happy ending. There was hope that peace would win out in the end. There was hope in one of the most inspiring and powerful romances I have ever read. And there was hope that Todd would never completely compromise his morality in situations when almost every other character did. He is, after all, The Boy Who Can't Kill.

Read this series.

Previously, my review of The Knife of Never Letting Go.

Other Reviews:
All of Everything
Tahleen's Mixed Up Files
Teen Readers' Diary

Author Links:
Website
Twitter

The Knife of Never Letting Go Giveaway

So, you may have seen my 6 Star review of The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (and my extreme fangirling and my intense love for Manchee, the talking dog).  I can't recommend this book highly enough and I really, REALLY want other people to read it if you haven't yet. So I'm having a giveaway.

One person will win a copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go from The Book Depository!

Alternatively, if you already own or have read The Knife of Letting Go and you would like to win either of the last two books in the Chaos Walking trilogy (The Ask and the Answer or Monsters of Men), or even Patrick Ness' latest book A Monster Calls, then that can absolutely be arranged! Really, I just want people to discover the brilliance of Patrick Ness if you haven't done so yet!

Rules
1. To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below
2. Open Internationally as long as The Book Depository delivers to your country
3. Ends February 29, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST
4. Entrants must be at least 13 years old
5. The winner will be announced on the blog and will have 48 hours to send me an email with their address.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) by Patrick Ness

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Published: January 1, 2008

Pages: 479

Source: Bought

Rating: 6 STARS

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

In short: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness was an outstanding novel with inspiring, heart-breaking prose and an utterly fascinating premise.

So, I'm giving this book 6 Stars. I know that's kind of cheating my rating system, but I need some way to indicate how much I LOVED this book more than anything else I have reviewed on this blog without resorting to rerating every other book one star lower. I'm going to say this, and I don't say it lightly: The Knife of Never Letting Go is one of the best books I've ever read, second only to Harry Potter. Those that know me - and have eyes and know what my blog is all about - know how truly significant that statement is.

Noise, as depicted in the Chaos Walking Trilogy

The Knife of Never Letting Go is so difficult to describe without revealing too much about the plot. But I'll give it a shot: Todd lives on a strange new planet in which men's thoughts can be heard by everyone - an effect known as "Noise". He lives in a town that is populated only by men after the events of a war with the native alien species, called Spackle. One month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd must escape his town when it is made apparent that the men who run everything are after him for a terrible reason. So, what genre is this? Sci fi, dystopian, fantasy? I think it's somehow all three. This aspect is what makes The Knife of Never Letting Go so utterly bizarre - and yet so utterly awesome, as well.

Patrick Ness' writing is just achingly beautiful. Written in a sort of flow of consciousness of Todd's thoughts with limited grammar and phonetic spellings, it is meant to reflect the ever constant Noise that men on the planet have. I was nervous a bit about the style of writing at first, thinking I would find it hard to get into and it would feel awkward. But the reverse of that couldn't be more true: the flow of consciousness of thoughts made the writing flow quickly and smoothly. I also felt that it had the effect of making me feel very deeply for everything Todd goes through. The Knife of Never Letting Go was an extremely emotional read for me because of this. There was one scene in particular in which I had to stop reading and I did not continue, nor read anything else, for a few days until I had calmed down.

This review wouldn't be complete without mentioning one more thing: Manchee, Todd's talking dog. You heard right: animals on this planet also have Noise, so they can, in essence, talk. I can't adequately express the deep love I felt for Manchee. He is a legit dog who says things a dog would actually say - none of that ridiculous sarcastic talking dog stereotype that seems so prevalent in our culture to be had here. Think Dug from Up.

Overall, The Knife of Never Letting Go was the best, most interesting, and most heart-breaking book I read in 2011. I'm not sure I did a good enough job in this review describing how truly incredible this book was - I find it's hardest with the books that you are most affected by. But I hope that doesn't deter you from reading it. Also, don't be afraid of the page count! I found the plot to be very fast paced. I highly recommend adding The Knife of Never Letting Go to your TBR pile.

Other Reviews:
365 Days of Reading
Tahleen's Mixed-Up Files
Tina's Book Reviews

Author Links:
Website
Twitter

2011 End of Year Book Survey

Jamie of The Perpetual Page-Turner has put together an End of Year Book Survey. Here are my answers:

Note: I reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this year but have decided to exclude it from the running of this survey because I could pretty much use it to answer every question.

1. Best Book You Read In 2011?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. This was the last book I read in 2011, and also the best, most heart-breaking, and most interesting. I'm going to say this, and I don't say it lightly: The Knife of Never Letting Go is the best book I've ever read, after Harry Potter. Those that know me - and have eyes and know what my blog is all about - know how truly significant that statement is.

2. Most Disappointing Book/Book You Wish You Loved More Than You Did?
I didn't love Possession by Elana Johnson, Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney, and XVI by Julia Karr. Premises with great promise, all of them, but ultimately, they weren't the books for me.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2011?
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. Who knew I could ever love an all out horror story with that much gore?

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2011?
Same book it's been for the past few years now: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Finally, pretty much everyone I know has read it now, so I can move on.

5. Best series you discovered in 2011?
The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness and The Monstrumologist Series by Rick Yancey.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2011?
Patrick Ness and Rick Yancey (seeing a pattern here?).

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I don't do contemporary, I don't do romance, and most definitely DO NOT do contemporary romance. But I loved this.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?
Across the Universe by Beth Revis and Divergent by Veronica Roth. Addictive.

9. Book you most anticipated in 2011?
Divergent by Veronica Roth. So much hype and thankfully, for me, it lived up to it.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2011?

Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I would love to see more reversible covers in 2012.

11. Most memorable character in 2011?
Manchee, the talking dog, from The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness! Manchee is a legit dog who says things a dog would actually say - none of that ridiculous sarcastic talking dog stereotype to be had here.
Also, Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. A fascinating enigma, and the only real interesting part of the Millennium Trilogy in my opinion, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Lisbeth giving all the men who ever abused and raped her their rightful comeuppance. Dang girl. Good on you!

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2011?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness and The Monstrumologist Series by Rick Yancey. A large part of the reason I love them so.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I had to stop reading at one particular moment in this book and I did not continue, nor read anything else, for a few days until I had calmed down. A huge impact.

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2011 to finally read?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. This was recommended to me as my ideal book years ago. I should have listened.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2011?
Can I just put the entirety of The Monstrumologist Series by Rick Yancey in this space here? Every single sentence was a masterpiece.

16. Book That You Read In 2011 That Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2012?
Delirium by Lauren Oliver. It was the first book that I read in 2011 and as such, the least fresh in my mind. Plus, I adored it.

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 ending of Delirium by Lauren Oliver!

Looking Ahead...
1. One Book You Didn't Get To In 2011 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2012?
The last two books in The Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men, by Patrick Ness, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, and Blood Red Road by Moira Young.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2012?
Lots. Probably Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, Insurgent by Veronica Roth, and Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare the most.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2012?
Reading: I would like to not get so caught up in the newest, hottest releases of 2012 and completely forget about the books I had sworn I'd read before. Also, I would like to read at my own pace and not feel so frantic all the time to get as much reading done in every spare moment because I tried that and I found it very stressful.
Blogging: Similarly, I would like to keep blogging at a good pace, bearing in mind my busy schedule, but not ever feel too pressured or stressed. Because then blogging would become a chore for me and I don't ever want it to be that. 2011 was a great blogging year: I passed two major milestones (though never posted about them) - my one year Blogoversary and reaching 1,000 GFC Followers. Thank you to anyone who ever took the time to stop by my blog and read a review, comment, or just browse around in 2011. Here's to another great year in 2012!