This is a swap on Swap Bot, so I thought I’d go ahead and make it a post as well. Why not? It’s questions centered around what I read in 2014. I already posted about my reading goals of 2014, so some of this might be a re-read, if you read that post.

2014 Reading stats:
78 books read
30 Re-read
Fantasy most common genre, followed by YA
Longest book: Cress, 550 pages
Shortest book: The Laundry Dragons, 24 pages

Ratings on Goodreads:
13 5 star reviews
32 4 star reviews
27 3 star reviews
6 2 star reviews

30 Questions about your reading of 2014:

1 Best Book You Read In 2014?
Discounting re-reads, I would give best book to The Testing, by Joelle Charbonneau. The book caught me off guard with how good it was. Very much a Hunger Games styled book, but fresh and interesting. The sequel was terrible.

2 Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern. I really, really, wanted to like it, but I didn’t. It’s a beautiful book, with descriptions that will cause your brain to overheat (in a good way) but the story is so slow.

3 Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014?
The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb. I read a writing book by her, and from how she described the book, I expected it to be awesome. It was boring and dull.

4 Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Thankfully, people have a lot of 80s nostalgia, so it’s right up that alley.

5 Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?
I only read a couple series in 2014, and one of them was the In Death series, which I was re-reading. So I didn’t really start any new series.
Best sequel? Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead. Can’t wait for the last book next month.
Best series ender? The One by Kiera Cass. It was actually a really good book, all things considered

6 Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?
Marissa Meyer was my favorite author I read this year that I hadn’t read before. So while she might not be a “new” author she’s new to me.

7 Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Under The Blade by Matt Serafini. See #8 for an explanation.

8 Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Under The Blade by Matt Serafini. I’m not usually a horror/thriller kind of person, because I get nightmares, but this book intrigued me. And I won a copy on Goodreads, so I gave it a shot. I couldn’t put it down. It was a non stop read pretty much start to finish, I just devoured it. It’s gory and bloody, but it was a lot of fun. I have a full review you can see on this page.

9 Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I still pull it out when I’m bored, and pick a random section to read.

10 Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?
The One by Kiera Cass. It’s an absolutely stunning cover. Probably one of my favorite covers ever.

11 Most memorable character of 2014?
Vanyel Ashkeron, of the Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. It’s a re-read, but I love those books, and I love Vanyel because he’s such a woobie.

12 Most beautifully written book read in 2014?
The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern. You can get lost in the descriptions of the Night Circus itself, and it made me want to be a patron so badly.

13 Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?
Didn’t have one. I don’t generally read those sorts of books. Very few books have a profound impact one me. I will remember books a long time, and re-read them, but not generally find my life changed.

14 Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. I finally decided to give it a go, since I love the movie in all its terrible glory. Book and movie are definitely different animals, but the book is enjoyable.

15 Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?
“You could shove it up your ass and pretend you’re a corn dog.” ― Wade Watts
Ready Player One

16 Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2014?
Longest book: Cress, 550 pages
Shortest book: The Laundry Dragons, 24 pages

17 Book That Shocked You The Most
Wool by Hugh Howey. The end of the first novella of the book shocked the hell out of me.

18 Favorite Romantic Relationship of the Year
Tristan and Wolf from Fish and Ghosts by Rhys Ford. They’re so cute together!

19 Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Colonel Jack O’Neill and Major Samantha Carter from the Stargate SG-1 book A Matter of Honor. They’re one of my favorite non romantic couples from a tv show.

20 Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead. Her Bloodlines series is one of my favorite series, and this book did not disappoint. Sydney Sage is awesome.

21 Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
The Night Circus, but it only narrowly beats out The Fault in Our Stars. I didn’t love either book, but they were ok.

22 Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?
No crushes. I enjoy characters, but no crushes.

23 Best 2014 debut you read?
I don’t think I had a 2014 debut in my reading list. I tend to find out about books a year or two after they’re published, which makes me really behind.

24 Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
The Night Circus by far. The descriptions make you ache to go visit the circus. It just sounded so magical.

25 Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
The Laundry Dragons by M. Hogarth. It’s a children’s book, so it’s a quick, fun read, and the illustrations are beyond cute and so darn colourful. I couldn’t help but smile while reading it.

26 Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?
None. My medication was finally sorted out, so I don’t have random crying spurts anymore. That, and I wasn’t invested deeply in any books this year.

27 Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Fish and Ghosts by Rhys Ford. Unexpectedly cute, sweet, and made me go “aaww” a lot.

28 Book That Crushed Your Soul?
I hate the phrase “crushed your soul” and thankfully, there weren’t any really heartbreaking books in my reading pile this year. The Fault In Our Stars was the saddest, but I just wasn’t that into it.

29 Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?
Absence by PJ Bayliss. It’s the only poetry book I read this year, and possibly the only poetry book I’ve ever read. Not my cup of tea, but not terrible.

30 Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
Cress, by Marissa Meyer. I thought the rest of the Lunar Chronicles were fantastic, even the shorts, but Cress left me empty. And that’s probably the most maddening thing. But, actually mad, or pissed off? Nothing.

Looking Ahead to 2015

1 One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?
I plan on reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest this year, but it’s not my #1 priority.

2 Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?
The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead. It’s the last book in the Bloodlines series, and it’s out in less than a month. I think this might be her best series to date, the characters are f antastic.

3 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
None, I’m not even aware of any new, debut 2015 books.

4 Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?
The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead, answer’s in #2.

5 One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?
I set a goal for another 60 books read this year, and I hope I keep it. I’m 4 books in so far, so it’s a good start.