Graceling

Graceling by Kristen Cashore

In Katsa’s world being “graced” is not gift it’s a curse. Those who are “graced” have a special gift and are marked by having two different eye colors. Katsa’s grace is she can fight, not only can she fight she is virtually invincible. This is a skill her uncle, the king, uses to keep his people in line. Katsa is forced to torture people who go against him. She tires of her uncle’s injustice and secretly forms the Council. Together with Prince Po, another Graceling, they plan to end her uncle’s ruthless tyranny.

This is not your typical fantasy book. The action is nonstop and keeps you engaged. Katsa is torn between having her grace and using it. You see her character grow throughout the book.

Secrets of Truth & Beauty

Secrets of Truth & Beauty by Megan Frazer
When Dora Cohen was 7 she won the title of Little Miss Maine, to her parents  she was "Little Miss Perfect". At 17 Dara is far from perfect, she is now plus sized and angry. After getting an assignment from her English teacher to do a multimedia project about her life, she jumps at the chance to make a statement about how society views overweight people. Embarrassed and humiliated her parents pull her out of school and make her go to therapy. Dara has had enough of her overbearing parents and decides it's time to leave. She contacts her sister Rachel, whom she has never met and has been estranged from their parents for many years. Over the summer she learns about her sister, her family and herself.

This is a great book, a story of acceptance of both yourself  and others.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Karou is not your typical 17 year old art student. There is something very different about her. Karou is living two very different lives in two very different worlds. In one world she is an art student making her way day to day; in the other she is sent on errands to collect human teeth for her demon father. He needs them for his magic. Her worlds are about to collide and she has no idea that when it's over her life will  never be the same.

This is definitely a good vs. evil story and I found myself switching sides many times. If you like fantasy this is the book for you. I look forward to reading the sequel.

What to Look for in Winter: a memoir in blindness

What to Look for in Winter.... by Candia McWilliams
Can you imagine losing your sight? Now imagine you make your living writing books.  Well that's what happened to Candia McWilliams in 2006. Forced to face the reality of blindness Candia chronicles her life from her mother's suicide, to her failed marriage, to the slow onset of blindness. She does this with both humor and candor.

This book is not for everyone. You will laugh as she thinks back over her life but there are also times when you just want to cry.

The Name of the Star

The Name of the Star  by Maureen Johnson

A ghost story with a twist, The Name of the Star grabs you and doesn’t let go until the ride is over. 

Seventeen year old Rory moves from Louisiana to London to attend boarding school. Just as she arrives someone starts mimicking the brutal murders of Jack the Ripper. She not only becomes a suspect but grabs the attention of the killer when she witnesses one of the murders. Now here is the twist the killer is a ghost.

Blood Red Road - Book One - Dustlands Trilogy

Blood Red Road by Miora Young

I loved this book! It is a cross between The Hunger Games and Mad Max. Saba is an 18 year old girl living in the post-apocalyptic world of Silverlake, she is isolated and uneducated. The story is told in her voice the spelling and grammar mistakes were hard to get past but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Saba's twin brother Lugh is kidnapped and she must go out into a ruthless and lawless world to find him. Her less than cooperative little sister Emmi and a crow named Nero are her constant companions. She is eventually captured and taken to Hopetown, a brutal and unforgiving place, where she is forced to cage fight for the entertainment of the crowd. Saba must kill or be killed.
Check this out! 
http://pages.simonandschuster.com/bloodredroad

Velocity

Velocity by Dean Koontz. 
Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors. When you pick up one of his books you know you will enjoy it and Velocity does not disappoint. This book grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go.

Billy Wiles is an ordinary guy, leading an ordinary life that is until he finds a note on his windshield. Billy has a choice and no matter what he chooses someone will die. He soon becomes a helpless pawn in a serial killers game that with each note his victims are more innocent and the murders more gruesome.