Habibi, by Craig Thompson

Habibi is EXCELLENT. For those of you already familiar with the graphic novel, I highly recommend this to you. If you are new to the format, this is a heavy read (literally and figuratively-the book clocks in at over 450 pages), but it's a beautifully drawn and written story about a girl surviving on her own somewhere in the Middle East. You will find yourself spending just as much time appreciating the artistry as you will reading the words.

Liberator, by Richard Harland

Liberator qualifies as steam-punk literature. It's pretty good, though I suggest reading Worldshaker first. Richard Harland is an Australian author, so the third installment may be a while in coming.  Worldshaker establishes the characters and the overarching storyline: an alternate history where the major countries of the world have taken over different parts of it.  Large populations of people from England, Russia, Japan, etc., live aboard huge juggernauts that are capable of traveling by land, sea, and air.  Col Porpentine is a member of a high-class family on Worldshaker (that is the name of the British juggernaut, complete with in-residence Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert).  In the first book, he meets a Filthy (one of the lowest social class-the people who keep the juggernaut running far belowdecks), a girl named Riff, who challenges everything Col has been brought up to believe.  What follows is an adventure in which Col must decide where his loyalties lie and consider true nature of the current political and social system in which he has lived his whole life.

Ruby Red, by Kerstin Gier

Ruby Red is about a girl who has the time-traveling gene. Really good summertime read! Translated from the German, this is the first of three books (which have already been written and released in Europe). I am looking forward to the U.S. release of the second installment!

A Confusion of Princes, by Garth Nix

Garth Nix is a great author. If you like Ender's Game and/or Star Wars, or just general science fiction, this is a good one!  Also check out Mr. Nix's other books: Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen (the aforementioned three constitute a trilogy), his Seventh Tower, the Keys to the Kingdom series, and Shade's Children.

Wonder, by R. J. Palacio

Everyone must read this book. It's a great story with a universal message, and it really makes one think about how we treat others. The Golden Rule comes to mind.  Augie is a boy who was born with numerous facial deformities.  By the time he's 10 years old, he's had many surgeries and looks very different from other children his age, though he does not suffer from mental or emotional development disorders.  He's been homeschooled, but chooses to go to a regular private school for his 5th grade year, knowing that there are many issues he will have to deal with once he is there.  Wonder is a truly inspiring story about family, friendship, and the importance of treating other people with respect and kindness.

News flash: I am finally back, after sitting for and taking 4 CPA exams-3 of them passed, with one more to find out about in August!  But anyway, I have taken to posting "Mini Book Reviews" on Facebook and just now started duplicating such reviews on Goodreads.com and will now triplicate (is that a word??) on this blog.  I have learned that a book review is easier to read if it is one paragraph or less, which is not to say that longer book reviews should not be written.  Note that if I really believe a book is worth writing about at length, I will write about it at length.  My re-vamped objective with this blog is to reach people I am not connected with on Facebook or on Goodreads.com and people I may not know and will not ever know.  This is my thing: I love reading, I love giving recommendations, getting recommendations, and spreading a love of literacy and learning to all.  Happy reading!

Chime, by Franny Billingsley

This is a beautifully written story that takes place in an alternate England: an England where the spooky beings from the old stories are very much alive and well.  Briony has grown up truly believing she is an evil witch with dangerous powers, due to an accident years ago in which her identical suffered a great injury and has never been the same since.  Briony believes she is incapable of doing good, even when the city engineer's son tells her otherwise.  Though she is a minister's daughter, she renders herself an outsider, considering herself to be bad company and known by all to be rather cold and sharp in manner.  Briony does, however, have a sense of humor, which makes for black comedy-like storytelling.  I really liked Briony as a character: she is the narrator of the story, and the reader cares for her almost from the very beginning.  This is a great read for those who lie gothic romances with a bit of the supernatural thrown in for good measure, though it is also a story about a family that has been broken and is trying to come back together.  I would say it's more appropriate for ages 13 and up; there are story elements that are quite dark and even disturbing.