Paper Towns

by John Green

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer Q gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I loved this book. It was the first book by John Green that I read and it was more than enough to get me hooked on his genius. Paper Towns was a great journey that for once had no supernatural or fantastical elements. This is a great book if you want a smart, funny, witty journey; a story about people.

The Floating Islands

by Rachel Neumeier

When Trei loses his family in a tragic disaster, he must search out distant relatives in a new land. The Floating Islands are unlike anything Trei has ever seen: stunning, majestic, and graced with kajurai, men who soar the skies with wings.

Trei is instantly sky-mad, and desperate to be a kajurai himself.  The only one who fully understands his passion is Araene, his newfound cousin.  Prickly, sarcastic, and gifted, Araene has a secret of her own . . . a dream a girl cannot attain.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I stumbled upon this book by accident and was glad I did. It was perfect for me as a summer read, but it was not light and fluffy. The story was pretty intense. It took me a few pages to sort out who was who, but after that it was easy to get lost in a very interesting take of a new world Neumeier created.

Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising #1)

by Susan Cooper

On holiday in Cornwall, the three Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of the house that they are staying in. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more than that -- the key to finding a grail, a source of power to fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. And in searching for it themselves, the Drews put their very lives in peril. This is the first volume of Susan Cooper's brilliant and absorbing fantasy sequence known as The Dark Is Rising.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Beginning of a great 5-book series that explores the many facets of the age old struggle between light and dark. Enjoyable on so many levels: a great story, an interesting philosophical discussion, lovely setting and dynamic young characters. Difficult choices and exciting discoveries are made. I love the feeling of being transported; lost in the story the author creates, and Susan Cooper is able to provide that with every book over her's that I've read.