end of year book insanity

I discovered this linkup while wandering around the web a few weeks ago and thought heck, why not? Perhaps I'll make some new friends. :) At the very least, it's a good way to wrap up the year.

1. What was your overall favourite book this year? (Yes. Pick one.)
Oh, what a terrible question. Especially to start with. DragonSpell, if I must choose. Technically a re-read, but I received the next three books in the series for Christmas, so naturally I had to refresh my memory. And it was the book that launched me into a full-blown obsession with Donita K. Paul.

2. Favourite debut(s)? (Author must have been first published in 2013.)
Burning Sky, by Lori Benton. Followed closely by The Guardian (C.L. McCourt) and its sequel, The Channel. The first is a Christian historical romance--gasp! yes, I do dislike romances as a whole--and the other two are fantasy novels. No surprise there. :)

3. Which books did you re-read this year?
Ahem. Clearly I didn't read all the questions before starting to write. DragonSpell, First Light (Bodie and Brock Thoene) and Misty of Chincoteague (Marguerite Henry). Oh, and I recently finished Catching Fire again... I couldn't help myself after watching the movie.

4. Favourite cover(s) this year!
Dragons of the Watch (Donita K. Paul), Burning Sky, Auralia's Colors (Jeffrey Overstreet) and Strangers at My Door (Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove).

 

5. Worst cover(s)?
I'm going to skip this one.

6. What self-published books did you read this year?
I'm not really sure, but if I were to guess, I'd say Fire Storm, Palace of the Twelve Pillars (Christina Weigand), The Guardian and The Gifted. Don't quote me on that. I suppose I could actually go back and check, but I've already spent so much time fighting to get the cover images aligned correctly in #4...

7. Which book(s) gave you a massive hangover?
To Liv From the Ruin (Adrienne Stewart Patton), Burning Sky, Silence (Shusaku Endo) and some, if not all, of the Donita K. Paul books--I read eight of them. I told you I was obsessed.

8. Best standalone you read?
Well, that narrows it down to the nonfiction books and Silence... I have to go with The Jesus I Never Knew (Philip Yancey). Go read it. Now.

9. Biggest book(s) you've read this year?
Pffft. The Eye of the World (Robert Jordan). Seriously, every book in The Wheel of Time is MASSIVE.

10. Book(s) you followed the hype for and then loved!
That would have been The Hunger Games last year... Um, I guess I followed the hype of my church book study group and read Silence, which was pretty fantastic. By which I mean horribly amazing. Or amazingly horrible. Basically, a terrible topic beautifully written. I gave it five leaves.

11. Most disappointing book(s) you read this year?
I really really really wanted to love The Eye of the World. Mostly because every (paperback) book in the series is perfectly sized, by which I mean huge. And because I have six of the books sitting on my shelf, and the fifth one is gorgeously ginormous. Anywho, it was a decent read, but not as amazing as the hoards of fans would have me believe.

12. Favourite leading-female character?
I'm going to make this easy and go with Kale, from DragonSpell.

13. Favourite leading-male character?
Peeta, from Catching Fire (He's not the leading character, but definitely the leading male character... does that count? It totally counts. Because I say so :D )

14. Best romance(s)?
The only true romance I read was Burning Sky, and it was pretty good.

15. What book(s) hit the DNF list? (Did not finish.)
The Ten Challenges by Leonard Felder. Very dry, and too psychological--not spiritual enough.

16. What book(s) did you read out of your comfort-zone?
Silence is at the top of this list. By far. Then, in no particular order: To Liv From the Ruin, Snow (Kathryn Hewitt), Maerlin's Storm (Nav Logan) and Auralia's Colors. Some covered different/uncomfortable topics, some had a different writing style and some fit both these categories. None of them received below a three-leaf rating, though.

17. Which author did you read the most from?
Can you guess? Donita K. Paul. Eight books. Sadly, I think I only reviewed one of them, since I only just started writing reviews a few months ago.

18. Top 5 books you'd recommend from all the books you've read this year?
The Jesus I Never Knew, DragonSpell, A Timbered Choir (Wendell Berry), First Light and... Silence or Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen)--I can't decide between uncomfortably heavy important matter, or hilarious satire.

19. How many books did you read this year all up?
33--I surpassed my Goodread's challenge. Woohoo! :)

20. What's a book you're hugely excited for coming out in 2014?
Guess what?! Donita K. Paul is coming out with One Realm Beyond next month, and it's the start of a new series. :D