This is the first time I'm doing a recap of my entire year, bookish and personal, on this blog. It's tremendously exciting to be able to share what my 2013 looked like with this little (visual) walk down memory lane.


January 2013: The cold weather enticed me into staying home most of the time where it was warm and cozy. There were a lot of marathons (Supernatural, which I have yet to finish, and old episodes of CSI), and a lot of binging on junk food. The only times I ventured out of the house were for work,  church, helping out my friend Joe by walking his dog Anthony and the big New Year's party.


February 2013: One of the first things that happened this month? I attended the Teen Flights of Fancy event at Books of Wonder, where I finally met Jodi Meadows. Other than that, I flew home to the Philippines for two wonderful weeks. I got the opportunity to catch up with my family and best friends and my then-fiance/now-husband. It was a nice reprieve from the weather, particularly that snowstorm that arrived hours after my flight took off. My friends were all wonderful about getting together and celebrating my trip with me. I also co-hosted the Book Blogger Love-a-Thon with Katelyn, where the hashtag (#LoveAThon) was trending on the day I flew back to the US. [P.S. Watch out for the 2014 edition of the Love-a-Thon!]


March 2013: The weather was a bit testy, but that didn't stop me from enjoying myself! I had random dinners with friends, special St. Patrick's Day treats, movie dates, a birthday celebration for my best friend Pat, and finally got to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. The biggest event of my March, by far, was attending various events for the NYC Teen Author Festival, where I got to meet a lot of authors, and hang out with a lot of my book friends too.


April 2013: The weather was clearly more spring than winter. You know what that means for me? ALLERGY SEASON. Sadly, I was cooped up at home recovering from being really sick a lot of the time. In all fairness, that definitely helped me read a lot of books, experiment with nail polish and talk to the loved ones I left back home in the Philippines. When I did venture out into the springtime, I appreciated the beautiful colors that were starting to seep into all the scenery little by little.



June 2013: Lots of fun things happened in June! BEA was one of the big ones, including the awesome Book Blogger Picnic I organized with Katelyn, Andrea and Jen. [Look out for the 2014 picnic!] I also hung out a lot with friends, bookish and real life, particularly going on food trips. It was also an honor to be the official blogger for the NYC stop of the Fierce Reads tour! But one of my favorite memories of this month has to be getting to see Demi Lovato perform live during the Good Morning America summer concert series with Rachel.


July 2013: With summer comes more shenanigans, and July was no different. I watched Matilda the Musical with Rachel, and the show was pretty phenomenal. I also watched First Date and Peter and the Star Catcher, which completed my Broadway trio for the month. There were also lots of food trips with friends, a beach trip with some fellow bloggers, a mini-bachelorette party and a fabulous send-off for me with my blogger friends!


August 2013: I flew home to the Philippines in order to be there a month before my wedding (!). It was nice to have some time to relax and spend quality time with friends and family (which obviously involved a lot of food, as you can see in my collage). My sister Mel and I also got it into our heads to organize our personal library in our parents' house (which took us two days, mind you). I celebrated my 24th birthday in my hometown of Bacolod, filmed my pre-nup video and had an awesome travel-themed bridal shower!



September 2013: I just had to make two collages for this month, because I thought my wedding deserved a separate one. Anyway, one of the earliest things that occurred in September was the wedding weekend, which we all affectionately call "Our Greatest Story". (You can check the #ourgreateststory hashtag on Instagram for photos and videos!). We had a welcome dinner, a beer pong party and a despedida de soltera to start. But my wedding day was just incredibly magical and beautiful and even more wonderful than I could have imagined!

September is also the month that I went on a Tagaytay trip with the instabarkada (which roughly translates to "instant group of friends") and family, moved in with my husband (and discovered he does marble nails beautifully), stayed in Astoria Suites for a week during which there was a sleepover, watch Rihanna's Diamonds World Tour and went to Singapore for my honeymoon.


October 2013: Half of my October was spent in the Philippines. There was a second trip to Bacolod, where I mostly hung out with friends! We went up to the mountains, off to the beach and just ate a lot of good food. In Manila, Macky's church threw us a wedding reception for the people who couldn't make it to Bacolod, and it was lovely. I spent lots of time hanging out with my family this month, mostly because I knew that mid-month, it was time to say goodbye! My sister and I flew back to New York together. One of the first things we did was go pumpkin picking at Demarest Farms and celebrate Halloween, followed by a visit to Central Park.


November 2013: Fall was fully upon us come November! I loved the colors of the leaves. My sister and I attended Ed Sheeran's Madison Square Garden concert; it was phenomenal because he's just so talented. We also supported my friend Kristi when her indie film aired at Tribeca Cinemas, and I took Mel to see First Date on Broadway. We ate more yummy food, and hung out a lot in New Jersey (for Thanksgiving, in particular). The best part of November? Seeing my friend/college roommate Rachel in the Big Apple!


December 2013: It got seriously cold in December, with temperatures dipping into the negatives based on the Celcius scale. Still, the snow was beautiful! Plus, it's hard not to be all warm and fuzzy when you get the opportunity to hang out with amazing friends and family. My 2013 is drawing to a close with extreme levels of awesome because my family (mom, dad and my baby sister Rachel) have joined Mel and I in New York for the holidays! There has been shopping and eating, shenanigans and shows, road trips and dinners to boot. We've been having so much fun together, and I really wish time would just slow down and not move by so fast.

Thanks for joining me on my walk down memory lane! Stay tuned to find out what my to-do list/goals/dreams for 2014 look like in a separate post that will be going up at some point this week.

YOUR TURN - What are your favorite memories of 2013? Is there any particularly awesome event that you'd like to share with me?

Alexa: I can imagine that having the pressure of readers anticipating your next novel would definitely affect how you write it. Moving on, why don't you tell my readers a little bit about Where the Stars Still Shine? (Bonus challenge: Do it in 1 sentence!)

Trish: It's the story of a broken girl who comes home to a family she doesn't remember and must learn about family, forgiveness and love.

Alexa: Awesome! You did a great job summing it up. What are you currently reading? And what do you plan on reading before the year ends?

Trish: I'm not reading anything right now because I'm on a tight deadline for my third book, but I have a TBR mountain for December that includes We Were Liars, Bright Before Sunrise, Open Road Summer, The Killing Woods, Dangerous Girls, and a couple of new adult titles from Sophie Jordan and Viv Daniels.

Thank you so much for dropping by my blog (again) today, Trish! It was a pleasure to interview you again, and to be able to chat a little more about your current and future projects. I'm sure everyone (myself included) is anticipating them all now! If you want to find out more about Trish, you can check her official website, her Twitter, her Tumblr, her Facebook page or her Pinterest!

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication Date: September 24, 2013

Where the Stars Still Shine is one of the most incredible books of this year. Callie's story is heartbreaking, but also hopeful; I was completely invested in it from start to finish. What makes this novel moving is how Doller skillfully tackles things that many of us might face in real life: shifting family dynamics, new friendships, and the promise of romance. Underneath all this, of course, is the heart of the book: Callie's journey towards making peace with her past, her present and her possible future.

For Kellie Brooks, family has always been a tough word to define. Combine her hippie mom and tattooist stepdad, her adopted overachieving sister, her younger half brother, and her tough-love dad, and average Kellie’s the one stuck in the middle, overlooked and impermanent. When Kellie’s sister finally meets her birth mother and her best friend starts hanging with a cooler crowd, the feeling only grows stronger.

But then she reconnects with Oliver, the sweet and sensitive college guy she had a near hookup with last year. Oliver is intense and attractive, and she’s sure he’s totally out of her league. But as she discovers that maybe intensity isn’t always a good thing, it’s yet another relationship she feels is spiraling out of her control.

It’ll take a new role on the school newspaper and a new job at her mom’s tattoo shop for Kellie to realize that defining herself both outside and within her family is what can finally allow her to feel permanent, just like a tattoo. (from Goodreads)

During a recent Twitter chat, I mused how I wanted more contemporary books that emphasized family and friendship. Ink is Thicker Than Water is precisely the kind I meant, offering up a story that focuses primarily on Kellie and her family, even as she also has friendships and romance to deal with. Even though the book didn't necessarily get my attention right off the bat, it won me over eventually.

Kellie's story is fairly typical of contemporary novels. She's at an age where she's discovering more about herself, and what she likes, and the things that she enjoys to do. She's also at an age where vulnerability is harder to admit to, she's let in on all the adult issues families often deal with and she experiences the first buds of romance. It's a confusing mess of a time (based on my own experience), and I really think that Spalding did an excellent job of capturing that in this novel. It felt like a snapshot of a specific part of Kellie's life, which I'll mention again later on.

It twisted my heart and squeezed a little too hard to witness Kellie's family's new situation. It was like from a place where everything was settled, things were just thrown into uproar when Kellie's sister Sara meets her birth mother. That singular event cascaded into a whole bunch, and watching it happen was really heartbreaking. I recognized that feeling so well, particularly because I've been through a version of it myself, and I think Spalding was spot on in writing it. She managed to handle the various reactions -- Kellie's feeling of distance with her sister, her worrying over her mom's attempts to put on a brave face, trying to please her dad and compete with Sara's stellar achievements -- deftly, convincing me that Kellie's story was extremely real. I loved this; it was just what I craved in YA.

I like that Spalding was able to weave in the friendship and the romance, albeit having more success with the friendship. Kellie's relationship with her best friend Kaitlyn is tested by the fact that they're starting to embrace separate interests; her new interests, such as the school newspaper, lead to new friendships that broaden her perspective. The easy flow between dealing with the hardship of allowing a friendship to grow as the two people involved do and the entrance of new friends was well-done. 

The romance, on the other hand, was pretty much a secondary part of this novel. While it seemed pretty sweet to have Kellie distracted by the attraction and attention she receives from Oliver, it also seemed a bit too instant to me. I wasn't a particularly big fan of how it played a role in this novel, but I can understand getting swept up in all those feelings when you're overwhelmed in real life.

Ink is Thicker Than Water hit the spot when it came to providing me with an authentic teen's story, filled with family, friendship, romance and topped off with discovering herself. I think using the tattoos to make a point, or paint a metaphor, was quite clever. It added a bit of character to the story, and also made me think of ways that it could prove to be symbolic about this period in Kellie's life. Even though I do wish there had been a little more to that ending instead of being so abrupt, I rather liked this novel.

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is holiday music! Though I do listen to holiday stuff all year round (yes, even in spring and summer and fall), it's especially fun to hear it playing everywhere come this time of the year. 

Since it's Christmas Eve, I thought it'd be fitting to share some of my favorites. If you're looking for more recommendations, why not check out Estelle's post over at Rather Be Reading? Here's a list of my top twelve tunes this year!

YOUR TURN - What are your favorite holiday songs? Feel free to provide links to your playlists or to videos in the comments below.

It looks like 2014 will be the year of read-a-thons and read-alongs for me! I'm very excited to be able to announced that Nina of The Sea of Pages and I will be hosting a read-a-thon for the Under The Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi! 

The read-a-thon will officially kick off on February 3, just a little after the release of the final book, Into the Still Blue, and last up until February 7. We clearly intend to binge read these novels and novellas, simply to enhance our reading experience! There's obviously no pressure to do the same, but we just thought it'd be fun.

If you're curious about the series, here's the summary of the first book, Under the Never Sky:

I agree with Nina; this series sounds pretty amazing. (Plus, a ton of my friends have been wanting me to dive into the books for AGES now!) We'll be reading the novellas (Roar & Liv & Brooke) along with the three books (Under the Never Sky, Through the Ever Night & Into the Still Blue). And we want YOU to join us!

If you're interested in signing up for the read-a-thon, please add the link to your blog/Twitter below! If you want to gush with us, feel free to use the hashtag #UTNSReadathon. If you've got more questions, feel free to tweet Nina (@theseaofpages) or me (@alexalovesbooks). 

For your convenience, here are links to more information about all the books and novellas below. And feel free to grab our read-a-thon button and help spread the word too! 

So, it's the week of Christmas, and I am SO excited about that! This has always been my favorite time of the year, whether I'm in a country that's blustery and cold or in one that's warm and tropical. My favorite parts always include spending time with the people I love, consuming lots of good food at all the parties and exchanging presents with others.

This year, Christmas is extra special. Want to know why? My family is here in New York City! Even though I won't have the husband for our first Christmas married, I get to have my dad, my mom and my baby sister here with me and my little sister for the first time in THREE years. Isn't that awesome? We're going to be playing tourist and making new holiday traditions together, and I can't wait to share our adventures with all of you.

Anyway, I hope your days are merry and bright and filled with lots of joy, laughter and love. An advanced Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays (and yes, that's an NSYNC reference) to one and all!

1. I've been waiting a long time for this post! Betty finally shares her natural hair product recommendations. I've always been particular about my hair, but I'm definitely going to look into these and maybe give them a try.

2. Magan put together a gift pack inspired by Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian -- and it's so perfect. I love pretty much everything in this post (which I guess means I should read this book...?). I also love Estelle's gift exchange between the characters in My Life In Outer Space by Melissa Keil, because I'd rock all of Camilla's gifts!

3. It was really interesting to hear about life as a publishing sales rep, as shared by Vanessa Di Gregorio. I'm actually surprised to discover that being in sales is a bit different from what I thought it was, particularly the part about being an extrovert. Very insightful!

4. Thanks to the team at Bloomsbury USA, I've discovered this pretty cool site where you can find a critique partner! I think that my writing buddies and aspiring writers will definitely appreciate this.

5. These 31 book-lover stereotypes are pretty darn accurate! I was pretty much nodding my head as I read this article. (Thanks Steph!)

6. I might not read a lot of science fiction, but I think I'm going to have to start doing so. Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman talk about why science fiction is very important, and it's definitely gotten me thinking!

7. This collection of quirky non-book gifts for booklovers compiled by Chrys is pretty adorable! I can definitely tell you that I want the earrings and the shot glasses.

8. I'm currently job hunting, so reading about book-related jobs in this advice column Book Riot article was pretty interesting (and just plain fun). Who among us wouldn't want to work with books?

9. As a Harry Potter fan, every single new development or reprint of this series fascinates me. What do you think of them publishing a fully-illustrated version?

10. Elena shared this gorgeousness on her Twitter the other day, and I just wanted to drop everything to go and visit. How AMAZING is this? It's something I'd want to see one day!

11. Katie McGarry shared about her books pushing the boundaries of YA over on RT Book Reviews. I love her books, and it was fun to learn a little more about how she felt writing Pushing the Limits.

12. I loved Amy Spalding's take on having a job and having a dream. It's pretty darn inspiring to read, mostly because she's one of the authors who also manages to have a separate day job! (Thanks Katherine!)

13. My friend Gillian is so incredibly talented. Check out her amazing YA-inspired work over on The Art of Young Adult! (And yes, you can be jealous of her mad skills with me.)

14. If someone were to buy me this Harry Potter sweatshirt (and the other HP merchandise), I would be most grateful. (Thanks Erin!)

15. I've always been of the mind that everyone has their own style of blogging. What works for me might not necessarily work for someone else. I've been thinking about this ever since I read Betty's thoughts on being a "messy blogger".

16. Melissa wrote about genre trends (including her prediction for what's next). I found it very fascinating because I hadn't really thought about it before, but it makes so much sense.

17. #RBWL (Reader/Blogger Wish List) is a pretty awesome thing. Readers and bloggers were chiming in about the books that they would want to read -- and it was so cool! Shae and Jess have compiled most of the tweets on Tumblr, so you can browse there for more.

18. I know it's almost Christmas so everyone probably already got their gifts for people, but I loved Ginger's wanderlust-themed gift guide and her sweet treats-themed gift guide! I wanted EVERYTHING in these posts, seriously. The same goes for Jen's gift guide inspired by Little House on the Prairie! I also liked Sharon's book gift guide for this year, and Betty's post (actually, the Baby Bettys) for children's books to gift. (You can also check out Shae's holiday celebrity gift guide for awesome book gift suggestions!)

19. Looking for a Christmasy read? Jana compiled a collection of them, and they're sure to get you into the holiday spirit even more.

20. Elena has Morgan Matson sharing her favorite Christmas movies. I actually haven't watched a lot of these (yikes), but I intend to remedy that!

21. I might be a wee bit obsessed with Sharon's Christmas playlist. It's a wonderful collection of songs, some I knew already and some I didn't, and I think you all should give it a listen.

22. Jamie got some of her friends in publishing to talk about their favorite 2013 reads. (Pssst, there's also a pretty darn epic giveaway!)

23. Even though I'm a Potterhead, I'd not heard of the Harry Potter Alliance until Alyssa mentioned it. It sounds like a great initiative, and I'm loving the goodies in the shop too!

24. Speaking of Harry Potter, I loved Gillian's take on 20 signs that you're from the Harry Potter Generation because they're so TRUE. Potterheads, REPRESENT!

25. If you're looking for writing music, check out Susan Dennard's favorites of 2013. I love Lindsey Stirling (who is SO talented), and I'm definitely keeping these other suggestions from Susan in mind!

One of the things I look forward to in December is the End of Year Book Survey, as hosted by Jamie! It's a great way too look back at a year of books and blogging, plus, it's pretty fun to see what else everyone has been reading and raving about in 2013. This is actually the survey's FOURTH year (which is pretty darn cool). [For my past posts, check out the one I did in 2011, and the one for 2012!]

It's always hard for me to make sure I mention a variety of books, so I've made a few rules for myself this year: (1) I am only allowed to repeat a book 3 times, and (2) I can break things down into genres. These rules are totally my own, but feel free to use them if you want!

And now, without further ado, here are my answers for this year's survey.

1. Best book(s) you read in 2013?

Fantasy YA: The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell (reminds me of Tamora Pierce books!)
Contemporary YA: Golden by Jessi Kirby (one of my absolute favorites this year!)
Paranormal YA: Spark by Brigid Kemmerer (second in a series, but so, so good!)
Historical Romance: Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros (reminds me of Beauty & the Beast!)
Contemporary Romance: Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas (an oldie, but a goodie!)
Historical Fiction: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (such a uniquely written book!)
Non-fiction: The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith (all the references are quirky!)
Middle Grade: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan (I adored the main character!)
New Adult: Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess (set in New York City, baby!)
Series Starter: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (necromancy + steampunk!)
Middle of a Series: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (Chaol freaking Westfall!)
Series Ender: The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan (I totally cried reading this!)

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn't?

While it sated my need to find out how it all ends for Tris and Four, I just didn't find Allegiant by Veronica Roth as compelling as its predecessors.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

Hands down, the answer to this question is The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, but seriously, it's great! I also absolutely loved The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler. My review's not going up until next month, but suffice it to say, this book kept me reading until 3AM because it was just. that. good.

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

I'm fairly certain that this book is Crown of Midnight, because I basically gushed to everyone willing to listen about how amazing this book is and how incredible the series is as a whole. [P.S. I am constantly available for anyone who wants to email/chat/tweet about this series.]

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

This is a prize that will either go to the Unearthly series (my review of book 1), which Jamie brought to my attention, or  the Something Strange and Deadly series (my review of book 1). I'm pretty sure you can also count all the companion novels in the Hundred Oaks series by Miranda Kenneally (my reviews: 1, 2, 3) too.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Samantha Shannon (author of The Bone Season) is one of my newest favorite authors! She's incredibly talented, and inspiring, and one of the sweetest people ever.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

This is going to have to go to a series that I (finally) embraced last November - the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward (my mini-review of books 1-3). I never even considered picking up this series until my sister bullied me into it -- and I'm glad she did. This vampire brotherhood is kick-ass!

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Hands down, this goes to All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. Once I started this book, I simply could not put it down! There was so much happening, so many twists I had to unravel and I loved it.

9. Book you read in 2013 that you are most likely to re-read next year?

I'm most definitely re-reading Incarnate, Asunder & Phoenix Overture by Jodi Meadows for the Incarnate Series Read-A-Thon I'm co-hosting with Bonnie! Other than that, we'll see but I'll most likely re-read some of my favorite historical romances.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?
I am seriously obsessed with the cover of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I love that they used an illustration for it, and one that goes perfectly with the contents of the book. Plus, I adored the font of the title too!

11. Most memorable character in 2013?

The one character I was familiar with but loved even more this year was Chaol Westfall (Crown of Midnight). The new characters I loved were Allyson (Just One Day by Gayle Forman) and Persis Blake (Across A Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund).

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

The Book Thief was so wonderfully written! It might have started slow, but it just won me over as I kept turning the pages. The inclusion of illustrations and definitions and other such things was something that I completely adored.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?

It was definitely Golden. That book made me think about what I was doing with my life presently, and what I wanted to do with it in the future. It is such a beautiful, thoughtful novel!

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2013 to finally read?

It took prompting from the Gayle Forman Read-Along to get me to read these two, but I loved If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman. I'm pleased to say that I really loved these books, and I can't wait for the movie!

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2013?

I have so many quotes that I loved from books I've read this year (and you can find them on Stories by Alexa). But my favorite right is this:


16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2013? 

The longest book I read this year was The Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (811 pages), and the shortest was Teacher's Pest by Charles Gilman (170 pages). [I didn't count novellas, but if I did, the shortest would be Fearless by Brigid Kemmerer (44 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.) Be careful of spoilers!

Okay, seriously, this will have to go to Crown of Midnight! Anyone who knows me and has read the book will know exactly which scene/s I'm talking about. [And if you want to discuss with me, just tweet me or email me!]

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013?

[Sorry guys, I'm totally cheating on this one and posting my top choices for each section!]

Romance: Celaena & Chaol in Crown of Midnight /  Beth & Ryan in Dare You To by Katie McGarry / Wanderer & Ian in The Host [There deserves to be a bonus shout-out for Warden & Paige in The Bone Season!]

Friendship: the gang in Crash Into You by Katie McGarry / the seven demigods in The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan / Ronan and Gansey in The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater [I also loved Caggie and her best friend in The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle, out in 2014!]

Family: Callie and her father & his family in Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller / the Merrick brothers in the Elemental series (my review of book 1) / the brotherhood in Black Dagger Brotherhood series (my mini-reviews of books 1-3) [I also loved Jude and her dad and sisters in The Book of Broken Hearts!]

19. Favorite book you read in 2013 from an author you've read previously?

I'm going to answer this one with Where the Stars Still Shine. I loved this sophomore novel a lot! The descriptions of the setting made me want to go there and visit immediately. I also adored the family aspect to this one, particularly because it featured a giant Greek clan!

20. Best book you read in 2013 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else?

I'm going to have to say that it was one of my sister's recommendations: The Host. That book really wasn't what I expected, and in a good way. You can tell I liked it a lot because it's already made multiple appearances on this list!

21. Genre you read the most from in 2013?

I read a lot of fantasy, which should come as no surprise to anyone.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Warden from The Bone Season! Daniel from Something Strange and Deadly! Wrath from Dark Lover!

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

I've mentioned a few debuts already, so here's a new one: The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas. I liked this fantasy series starter! It might have had a bit of a slow start, but it really picked up towards the middle. I liked the whole girl-disguised-as-a-guy bit, and I really liked the idea of training in the Crucible!

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

I loved the descriptions that were included in Across a Star-Swept Sea. There's one part in particular, involving a star cove, that was especially lovely. I also liked the way things were described in These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner, because I really felt like I was immersed in that world!

25. Book that was the most fun to read in 2013?

I had fun reading Also Known As by Robin Benway! That book made me laugh when I read it, and I loved the story too because it has spies and it's set in New York City. My favorite characters - Roux and Angelo - are pretty much a big part of why I enjoyed this one.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2013?

Let's see, right off the top of my head, I remember crying or at least tearing up while reading Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally, Golden, and The Host.

27. Book you read in 2013 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out?

I think this honor goes to the Elemental series (my review of book 1), which more people need to know about! For stand-alones, I definitely want to put it out there that The Cadet of Tildor is pretty darn awesome.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013?