End Of Year Book Survey – 2012

I didn't read as much as I did in previous years, but I decided to do this survey anyway. I got this one from The Perpetual Page-Turner

Enjoy, and don't forget to go and link up if you do the survey as well. 

Best in Books 2012

1. Best Book You Read In 2012? 

Fiction - A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin.... obviously. 

Nonfiction - Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake. I cannot wait to get pregnant again. Now that I know so much more about my body and the birthing process and how important it is to know what you want before you are in labor. 

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn't?
Lady of the Rivers by Phillipa Gregory. I love me some Phillipa, but this book was just boring to me. It didn't grab me as much as her books usually do. It took forever to get through.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?
Becoming Sister Wives by the Brown Family. I knew that I liked them from their show, but now I feel like I understand them even more, and I love them.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?
The entire Game of Thrones/ Song of Fire and Ice series.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
Hunger Games. At least I think that was this year...

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?
John Green.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
I read a graphic novel for the first time, and it was awesome. I highly recommend Cairo by G Willow Wilson.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin.

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:
If George RR Martin releases the next book, I'll re-read Dance with Dragons. I do plan on re-reading The Hunger Games, but I don't know if I'll do that next year.

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

Cairo by G Willow Wilson & A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.

11. Most memorable character in 2012?
I'm still going with Tyrion Lannister. He's my man what can I say? I did also love the ladies from Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. They were very awesome no-nonsense prim and proper Southern ladies. Also, Arya Stark from Dance with Dragons just became more and more of a badass. I want to BE her.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?
The bane of my existence, George RR Martin has one hell of a way with words.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?
Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake. Like I said above, this book really helped me understand my role in the birthing process. I cannot wait to have another baby.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?
None really.

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

“I am Cersei of House Lannister, a lion of the Rock, the rightful queen of these Seven Kingdoms, trueborn daughter of Tywin Lannister. And hair grows back.” - from A Dance with Dragons. 

I may not like the b*tch, but she is a BAMF.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?
Longest - A Dance with Dragons - 1045 pages
Shortest - Cairo - 160 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!
Every single scene in A Dance with Dragons. Luckily, the hubby had read it so I was able to discuss.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).
Samwell Tarly from A Dance with Dragons and everyone else. He's just the sweetest.

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously?
Sorry, but I have to go with A Dance with Dragons again.

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else: 
I don't think I did this year. Oh wait, I read The Mermaid Chair, one of my sister in law's favorites, and I didn't like it at all. Ooops.

So what were your great reads of 2013? Were you as underwhelmed with the books this year as I was? What books are you looking forward to? 

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12/12/12 - 12 in 12

I am linking up with the Teeny Tiny Teacher and Miss Kindergarten today for the 12 in 12 linky!

12.  Favorite movie you watched
Currently the Hunger Games. However in just a few days, when The Hobbit comes out, I'm sure that'll change.

Mindy and Dr. Castellano

11. Favorite TV series 
I still love Game of Thrones, Supernatural, and Doctor Who. But this year, I have been really loving some of the new comedies. My favorites are New Girl, The Mindy Show, and we watched every season of 30 Rock this year. That was awesome. 

10. Favorite restaurant
Uhmmm... we don't get out much. But I do like this Indian place in Haverhill MA called Royal India. Yum! I also really like D'Angelo's Thanksgiving sub. It's like Thanksgiving in my mouth ALL THE TIME.

9. Favorite New Thing I Tried
Going back to school! Tonight I finished my first graduate school class and I'm pretty sure my end grade is going to be a 96% Woot woot! Holla back youngin, woot woot! 

8. Favorite Gift You Received
I got a Snuggie last night, so that's pretty awesome. :) My mother-in-law took me out for my birthday to buy summer clothes, that was great. 

7. Favorite Thing You Pinned
Wow, way too many. I pin all the things. I can't choose on favorite pin. Go look at all my pins. Lots of pins. I've pinned a lot of toddler activities for CJ School and a ton of great outfits that I wish were in my closet.  
This guy is pretty sexy though. 

Source: flickr.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

6. Favorite blog post
Just yesterday I did my favorite Christmas movies post. Then there's the best children's Christmas books and my only political post of the year. 

5.  Favorite Accomplishment
 Well, I managed to keep the child alive for another year, wahooo! I'm really proud of myself for doing so well in school. 

4. Favorite Picture 
I've taken a ton of pictures of CJ sleeping because I think he is the cutest little angel when he is asleep. At the end of the month, I'll have a picture collage of all my favorite pics this year, but I'll tide you over with Yoda. 

3. Favorite Memory
We had an awesome summer vacation down on Cape Cod this summer. I think just hanging out, exploring Provincetown in the rain, and having stiffies (The Aylward family drink) was the best. 

2. Goal for 2013
Continue going strong with school, get out of the house more, and FINALLY GET MY LICENSE!! CJ and I have things to do and people to see. I need to be able to drive and take him to all the places. 

1. One Little Word 
Family. I would like to take care of mine and hopefully have it grow by one.  Pin It

An Illustrated Year - Picture Book Challenge

 

2012 Picture Book Challenge - completed!!

I probably finished this ages ago. We read about 6 books a day, but I just never sat down and put all the books down after we finished them. I finally started doing that every once in a while, and just tonight, we made it to 27 books. My original goes was 12, but then I upped it to 24. The challenge is still open, if you want to join. Just click on the image above to be taken to An Abundance Of Books.

Here are the picture books CJ and I read. Most of these we read at bedtime.

1. Mr Brown Can Moo
2. 1 Moose 20 Mice
3. Dear Zoo
4. Star Wars ABC
5. One Two Buckle My Shoe
6. Old Hat New Hat
7. Jamberry
8. Hop on Pop
9. Alice in Wonderland Board Book
10. Pride and Prejudice Board Book
11. Jane Eyre Board Book
12. Romeo and Juliet Board Book
13. The Sea of Bath
14. Old MacDonald Had a Farm
15. Are You my Mother?
16. Eyes & Nose Fingers & Toes
17. I am a Bunny
18. Barney's Book of Opposites
19. Sesame Street Who am I?
20. Moo Baa LaLaLa
21. Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks From A to Z
22. Almost Bedtime (Eeebee's Adventures)
23. On the Track...There and Back (Thomas and Friends)
24. How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight?
25. Sharing is Caring
26. Night Night Blessings
27. 10 Minutes Til Bedtime

If you are looking for some great picture books or board books for your toddler, these are all great choices. CJ's favorites are the ones in bold. I hope you find some new goodies!  Pin It

2012 Challenge (8) - Eclectic Reader Challenge

The aim of The Eclectic Reader 2012 Challenge is to push you a little outside your comfort zone by reading up to 12 books during the year from 12 different genres.

Join in:

• The challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st 201. Participants may join at any time up until December 1st 2012

• Create a blog post committing to  your participation in this challenge.

*  If you don’t have a blog you are still welcome to sign up. You can create a shelf for the challenge at Goodreads or LibraryThing or a similar site Just include your name and a link to your shelf.

• Post your name, blog name, and the direct link to your challenge post in the Linky using the link below

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

• Select, read and review a book from each genre listed below during the year for a total of 12 books.

*  You can choose your books as you go or create a list in advance. You may combine this challenge with others if you wish.

*  Where a book is identified by more than one genre eg historical romance, it may only count for either the historical fiction or romantic fiction genres – not both.

Genres

1. Literary Fiction
2. Crime/Mystery Fiction
3. Romantic Fiction
4. Historical Fiction
5. Young Adult
6. Fantasy
7. Science Fiction
8. Non Fiction
9. Horror
10. Thriller /Suspense
11. Classic
12. Your favourite genre

• Each time you read and review a book as part of this challenge, make sure you identify it by adding either a direct statement  and /or the challenge image badge to the post.

• Share your review with other challenge participants by posting your name/blog name and title of the book with a direct link to your review in the Linky.

All participants that complete the challenge by December 31st 2012 will be eligible to win a book of their choice to the value of $15 from bookdepository.com (or paypal funds of  US$10) to be drawn via random.org Jan 1st 2013.

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2012 Challenge (7) - An Abundance of Books' 2012 Picture Book Reading Challenge

This is the last one, I promise!! 

I think since I have a toddler who loves books, this one will be easiest.

Click on the picture to be taken to the sign-up blog.

The Details

• Timeline: January 1, 2012- December 31, 2012
• Select your level:

                     Level 1 - Read 12 picture books

                     Level 2 - Read 16 picture books

                     Level 3 - Read 24 picture books

• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go.  If you do list your books in the beginning, you can always change them later on.
• Crossovers with other challenges count.
• Digital books count
• Re-reads count as long as you read them in 2012 and you post a new review for the book.
• You can join anytime

I'm going for level 2 - Read 16 picture books. I'm pretty sure I can do 24, but I will start with 16.

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2012 Challenge (5) - 2012 TBR Pile

This one is similar to one of the other challenges for 2012. Information and sign-ups can be found here. The goal is to read books that have been on your To-Be-Read list for a long time. There are 5 levels. You can move up a level (read more books than your goal) but you can't move down a level. 
I'm going to go for 12 books off of my to-be-read list, which is the "friendly hug" level. 
This one is a little different as each month there will different themes and giveaways. Click on the button or the link above to see the full details. 
Here's the 12 books I will be attempting to get off of my to-be-read list in 2012.
1. Atonement - Ian McEwan2. Eragon - Christopher Paolini3. Princess Academy - Shannon Hale4. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel - Louise Murphy5. The Unburied - Charles Palliser6. The Alchemist - Paolo Coelho (unless I manage to read it before the end of the year.)7. The Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (Yep, English teacher who hasn't read it. That's me.)8. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult9. The Host - Stephenie Meyer10. The Shack - William P Young11. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman12. American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld13. The Mermaid Chair - Sue Monk Kidd (in case I do finish The Alchemist before 2012.) Pin It

2012 Challenge (4) - Off the Shelf 2012

Go to Bookish Ardour to sign up.

The challenge : Another simple one. Read books that you already have on your bookshelves. They can be audio or e-book shelves as well. There are 7 levels.

Challenge Levels

1. Tempted– Choose 5 books to read
2. Trying – Choose 15 books to read
3. Making A Dint – Choose 30 books to read
4. On A Roll – Choose 50 books to read
5. Flying Off – Choose 75 books to read
6. Hoarder – Choose between 76-135 books to read
7. Buried – Choose between 136-200 books to read

I'm going to go for the 3rd level, "making a dint". Since I already am participating in the weekly TBR Interventions, where you choose one book from your shelf to read, I should be able to read at least 30 books. I might get more, but I want to take into consideration that I have books that I need to read in order to review as well. 

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2012 Challenge (3) - Outdo Yourself

Sign ups are here.

The Challenge: This is a simple one. Just read more books in 2012 than you read in 2011. There are 4 levels: Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books 

     Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books 
     Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books 
     I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

In 2011, I challenged myself to read 52 books. So far, I've read 53. I'm hoping to hit 60 by December 31st. So I'm going to challenge myself to read 75 books in 2011. I am hoping to get to the "breaking a sweat level" of 11-15 more books. It would be awesome if I could get to the "I'm on fire level" too. We shall see! 

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2012 Challenge (2) - YA Mythology Challenge

Sign up at For Those About to Read.

The challenge: Read 10 young adult/middle grade novels that incorporate any type of mythology (Greek, Roman, Norse, etc.) in the story line. 

• The challenge will run from January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012.

• You can join anytime by filling out the form below

• Books must be read in 2012

• If you are a blogger, you must write a sign-up post that links back to this challenge page (Please use the image above in the post).

• If you are not a blogger, just leave a link to your account on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, LibrayThing, etc.

Not sure what to read? Check out the YA Mythology Challenge Goodreads List

I didn't know any books, so I'm stealing them from other participants. Let me know if you know of any good ones!

1. Fury - Elizabeth Miles
2. Abandon - Meg Cabot
3. The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan
4. Oh.My.Gods. - Tera Lynn Childs
5. Nobody's Princess - Esther Freisner
6. The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter
7. Starcrossed - Josephine Angelini (suggested by Tiffany @ For Those About To Read)
8.
9.
10.

I still need 3 more books readers, let me know of some good ones! Pin It

2012 Challenge (1) - Classics Challenge

Since I didn't start this blog until April, I wasn't aware of all the Book Challenges across the blogsophere until it was too late. Well, I will be remedying that next year. I did have one challenge. My goodreads' challenge for this year was to read 52 books. I figured with a baby, I probably wouldn't be able to read as much, so I limited myself to a book a week. I actually managed to finish my challenge last week. Wahooooo! It turns out, it is possible to read while nursing. Or to read while the baby is using your body as his personal pillow/bed. That's how I managed to finish.

The first challenge I will be participating in is the Classics Challenge from November's Autumn. Head over her blog to join. The rules are as follows.

The challenge:
Read seven works of literature in 2012. Only 3 of them may be re-reads.

How it works:
On the 4th of each month, go to November's Autumn and follow the prompt in a blog post. Each prompt will be general enough that you can answer it with whichever book you are reading that month.

For the rest of the rules, check out this post.




My list isn't official yet, but here is what I am going to try to read in 2012. I'm giving myself 12, even though you only have to read 7. I have all of these books on my shelves already, and the starred ones are already on my Nook.

The List
1. Faust - Goethe
2. Alexandria - EM Forster
3. Dubliners - James Joyce
4. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket - Edgar Allen Poe
5. The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baron Orczy
6. The Magician's Nephew - CS Lewis
7. The Borgias - Alexandre Dumas*
8. House of Mirth or Age of Innocence- Edith Wharton*
9. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne*
10. The Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie*
11. The Prince and the Pauper - Mark Twain* (re-read)
12. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett* Pin It