books, books, books

Since my last day at the bookshop is tomorrow and the place is currently empty, how about I tell you about more of the books I've read this summer? That cool with you? Okay then. I had to ease my way into reading for fun at the beginning of the summer, starting with little Harlequins (that a couple dozen from c. 1990 were given to me helped that along) and working my way up to big ole thrillers and sagas. I'm pretty satisfied with my "conquered" pile. Here are some of my favs:

Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater. Everything about this book--from the relationship between Grace and Sam, the protagonists, to its take on the common werewolf myth--is enchanting and (believe it or not) entirely believable. It is a fantastic story, y'all. The writing is just perfect for the telling, and I loved the back-and-forth of the 1st person perspective. Plus, I commented on Stiefvater's blog to express my love and she's a seriously nice lady. Definitely one to keep an eye on.

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. It's no secret that I love Neil Gaiman. I actually got this book for Christmas, before it won the Newberry, but didn't have time to read it until this summer. I loved it. I'm of the school of thought that it's okay for kids to read scary things, that most kids can handle a little spook and wrapping them in bunting until they're 18 is doing them a disservice. The story is about a little boy who is raised in a graveyard by ghosts after his family is murdered. He has parents among the ghosts, but I loved the way the denizens of the graveyard banded together, a bit of the "village raising a child" with a twist. Nobody Owens' childhood is in many ways as normal as it is abnormal, and seeing him emerge as a young man with the strength to do what needs to be done was a delight.

Thirteenth Child, by Patricia C. Wrede. I loved Wrede's series with Caroline Stevermer (beginning with Sorcery and Cecelia), but wasn't too too crazy about her other stuff. I took a chance on Thirteenth Child and MAN am I glad I did. Think magic meets the American frontier. Seriously. This is the first is the Frontier Magic trilogy, and I cannot wait for the rest!

I Can See You, by Karen Rose. See? I told you I don't exclusively read YA books. This caught my eye when it first came in, so I bought it on a whim. It's a consummate edge-of-your-seat thriller, with a pair of determined, damaged protagonists. I loved it so much, I proceeded to start working my way through Rose's entire backlist--I'm almost done. My favs of her older books were Kill For Me and You Can't Hide.

Once I started on thrillers, I couldn't kick the habit and gave a couple books by JoAnn Ross a try. I enjoyed them, but I got pretty tired of the ever present military acronyms pretty fast. Dark Sky by Carla Neggers was a Hotline find and the second of her books I've read. I'll definitely be reading more. I have one book left in my TBR pile, then it's back to school books and more school books. What was the best thing you read this summer?