2014 End of Year Book Survey

End of Year Book Survey is hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner

Previously, my 2013 End of Year Book Survey, my 2012 End of Year Book Survey, and my 2011 End of Year Book Survey.

2014 Reading Stats:

Number Of Books You Read: 125!

Number of Re-Reads: 10

Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy, definitely.


Best in Books:

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?
Without a doubt, it has got to be Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. 2014 was the year I fell head over heels for all things Anne, and I've been obsessed ever since. So yes, as you will likely notice from the rest of this survey, 2014 was definitely "The Year of Anne" for me!

2. Book You Were Excited About And Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne. When I first read the synopsis for it, I thought it screamed ME. But no, this one didn't quite work for me.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014?
I was pretty blown away that Jo managed another stunning mystery with The Silkworm, and I was surprised by how intensely gory this book was!

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?
Probably Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Especially the audiobook narrated by Colleen Winton. I know I was regretful that I had waited until 2014 to read this Canadian classic, and I wish someone had pushed this one on me sooner!

5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?
Best series started: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Best sequel: The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2) by Robert Galbraith (Jo)
Best series ender: Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #3) by Laini Taylor

6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2014?
L.M. Montgomery and John Green.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
I tried out some non-fiction reads for the first time in 2014 and was surprised by how much I enjoyed them! Especially, Steve Jobs, the biography by Walter Isaacson - surprising how fascinating I found this book!


8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas.

9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Oh, let's just say Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery because even though I've already read it twice in 2014, it's the perfect pick-me-up book and I could definitely see myself reading it yet again in 2015!

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2014?
Loooove these new covers for the Anne of Green Gables series from Tundra Books!

11. Most memorable character of 2014?
Well, Anne Shirley of course! I want to be bosom friends with her.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. My first ever Melina Marchetta read and I am definitely going back for more.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?
Just One Day by Gayle Forman. This one resonated very deeply with me. AND gave me a major case of wander-lust!

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?
The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan! People had been telling me for ages that I needed to read it!

15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?
Again, Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables says some real gems in that melodramatic way of
hers that is just so endearing:
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
"My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes."
"It is ever so much easier to be good when your clothes are fashionable."
"Red hair is my life long sorrow."
... and I could go on and on. Oh that Anne!!

16. Shortest And Longest Book You Read In 2013?
Shortest has got to be some novella - I read quite a few of them this year. Longest was City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare coming in at 733 pages.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most
The end of Shadow Kissed, the third book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead - did NOT see that coming!! Total game-changer.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe FOREVAR!!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacot from The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (Jo) - love the dynamic here.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Scarlet and Cress by Marissa Meyer were fantastic follow-ups to Cinder, which I read in 2013.

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - okay so, Sara of Just Another Story has been trying to get me to read this one for YEARS! And I'm so glad I finally did!!

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?
Augustus Waters of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

23. Best 2014 debut you read?
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
The Glade in The Maze Runner by James Dashner was pretty intriguing!

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - Anne's melodramatics never fail to coax a smile out of me!

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?
Somehow, my answer to this one is also the book that made me smile the most this year: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - I stayed up quite late to finish this one, and near the end a certain scene nearly KILLED me (you know the one I'm talking about if you've read this book!).


Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?
Guys, I am WAY overdue for a reread of Harry Potter. I'm thinking I'll finally try out the audiobooks!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?
Very curious about A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas!

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
I have my eye on The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey and Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?
Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?
Well now, I read 50 books in 2011, 75 books in 2012, 100 books in 2013, and 125 books in 2014. Dare I challenge myself to read 150 books in 2015??! Errrmm, probably not a good idea considering 2015 is the year I will have to write my thesis. So I guess my #1 Goal for 2015 is just to read WHAT I want and WHEN I want and have FUN doing it! Ditto with blogging.

Muggle Monday: The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2) Review

It's time for Muggle Monday, in which I highlight a significant piece of news from the Harry Potter franchise. This is somewhat inspired by the Mundane Monday posts by The Mundie Moms.

But let's be real as to why I made up this feature: I just want the opportunity to post something about Harry Potter.


This week, I'm reviewing The Silkworm, the second book in J.K. Rowling's adult mystery series, written under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith:

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: June 19, 2014
Pages: 455
Source: Bought
Rating: 5 Stars

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days--as he has done before--and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.
But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives--meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.
When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...

In short: The Silkworm is yet another superbly plotted and unpredictable mystery to add to J.K. Rowling's résumé and I can't wait to read more of Cormoran Strike.

J.K. Rowling was born to write mysteries. She just has this talent for writing intricately plotted, impressive mysteries that always surprise me. She proved unequivocally that she had the talent to run with the best of the mystery writers in The Cuckoo's Calling, the first of the Cormoran Strike Series, written under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith, - in addition to the superb mysteries at the core of the Harry Potter Series - so it was no surprise that she has pulled out another truly fantastic murder mystery for The Silkworm.

In addition to knowing to expect an impressive and unpredictable mystery, with J.K. Rowling we can also count on intricate characterization and genuine characters. Cormoran Strike makes for the perfect lead to a mystery novel. He is gruff and to-the-point as an extremely skilled detective and yet receptive and compassionate to those he cares for and believes in. Robin makes a superb... well, Robin to Strike's Batman, her earnestness as genuine as it is likeable. It's great seeing these two play off each other; they make an excellent team.

You'll have to excuse me for the short review; there really isn't much more to say about this one that I haven't already voiced in my review of The Cuckoo's Calling and without spoiling anything. Just know that The Silkworm has it all: an ingenious and impressively plotted mystery, genuine characters, and of course great writing. J.K. Rowling has already announced that she plans to write more books for the Cormoran Strike Series than she has for the Harry Potter Series - understandable because Cormoran Strike has discrete mysteries rather than an overarching series story - and the prospect of getting to return to these characters time and again for another mystery is one that excites me indeed and is one that I will never get tired of.

Previously, my review of The Cuckoo's Calling.

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