I Am the Messenger

by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author)

protect the diamonds
survive the clubs
dig deep through the spades
feel the hearts

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That's when the first ace arrives in the mail.

That's when Ed becomes the messenger.

Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?

This goes on the shortlist of books that not only will stay with me forever, but had a huge impact on my life. This story fell into my lap when I needed it the most, it should be required reading for humanity. The characters were completely genuine and well-developed. The story was an unbelievable balance of sweet and brutal, kind and ruthless. Zusak is an absolutely masterful storyteller. Read everything he's ever written. Your heart will be torn apart, but you'll thank him for it.

On the Jellicoe Road

by Melina Marchetta

I'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six years ago.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

The most important thing to remember when starting this book is that it is written from two perspectives and two different times. This was such a powerful story. Heartbreaking, tense, and powerful. It is a story about rivalry, loss, family, and survival. The characters are [a little too] believable, the setting is stark, and the plot is brutally honest. I couldn't put it down. Just read it.