GREAT READS

We all know and celebrate the genius of Neil Gaiman, and Death: The High Cost of Living doesn't disappoint...it's dark and fun at the same time. Enter the irresistable character of Didi, or death in human form, who happens to be a really co...

If you're a fan of vampire novels, you probably know all about the Blue Bloods series, of which The Van Alen Legacy is the fourth book. If you've been reading the series, you know it's impossible not to read this book--to find out what happens to Sch...

A beautiful book that haunts you long after you put it down, Bloodroot is one of the most memorable novels I've read in quite a while. Told from various perspectives, it reveals the intertwined histories of the inhabitants of Bloodroot Mountain, a lu...

If you've heard of John Mayer before, it might be because of the string of celebrity girlfriends he's left behind (as in Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson), or comparisons drawn to guitar gods Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler. Rarely is he judged on...

The Burying Beetle by Ann Kelley is a memorable story of a young 12-year-old girl with a heart defect that threatens her life. Gussie is a strong willed heroine with a wonderful imagination and an undauntable spirit. In an attempt to bring an el...

In this page-turning story of good vs. evil, Prophecy of the Sisters refers to twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe, who face off in a battle of biblical proportions. Set against the looming and dark countryside in the 19th century, this book is...

It's not easy to admit a guilty pleasure, but I'm admitting mine: I love vampires and I love Sookie Stackhouse. As an avid fan of the hit HBO series True Blood (by creator of Six Feet Under's Alan Ball who describes the show as "popcorn for smar...

If you've ever traveled too close for comfort on an airplane, or even worse been seated next to a passenger you simply don't jive with, you'll enjoy hearing David Sedaris' account of how he accidentally spit his cough drop onto the lap of his sleepin...

This isn't a book for the faint of heart. In fact, White is for Witching, by relatively new author Helen Oyeyemi, can be downright scary at times. Not unlike chiller-stories like "The House of Usher" (Poe) and "A Rose for Emily" (Faulkner), the bad g...

If you're taking a road trip and are looking for an excellent listen, check out Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty, read by the amazing Josephine Bailey on CD Book. It is 1895 and Gemma Doyle's life is in upheaval: she is grieving her mother's ...

In the lush and magical prose we've come to expect from Alice Hoffman, The Story Sisters is an intricate and heartbreaking tale of a family broken by tragedy and healed, ultimately, by hope and redemption. Elv is the beautiful and dangerous eldest si...

Anna and Frankie have been BFFs since they were "Twinkies," as Frankie's dad calls them, and they share all of each other's secrets. Almost. Sensible, level-headed Anna has a big secret; her first love was Frankie's older brother. But now that he's g...

In this coming-of-age novel complete with plenty of teenage angst, Barry Lyga creates an unlikely (and unlucky) hero in Kevin Ross, but we cheer him anyway. In Hero-Type, Kevin starts out as a local hero, saving the popular good girl from a dangerous...

We are often quick to disregard the short story, which is strange given that some of our earliest literary history begins in short story form-from Homer to fables to Chaucer to fairy tales-these tales pack a powerful punch about life's difficult less...

Aislinn, who has the rare ability to see faeries, is drawn against her will into a centuries-old battle between the Summer King and Winter Queen. The survival of her life, her love, and summer all hang in balance. An interesting twist on the fairy ta...

Best friends Chris and Win set out on a bike trek across the country from West Virginia to the coast of Washington in order to test themselves and explore the world together. But after a fight, they split up and Chris finishes the journey alone....

Even if you've never had the inclination to visit Mooreland, Indiana, Haven Kimmel certainly paints an interesting picture of life in the Midwest.  In her hilarious and engaging memoir A Girl Named Zippy, Kimmel pens a quasi-love letter about he...

Katniss is tough girl-she hunts to feed her mother and little sister, she trades goods in the markets, and has little fear for the harsh realities of survival. This makes her an attractive candidate for a very grisly reality-show: The Hunger Games, h...