When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Four mysterious letters change Miranda's world forever.

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own.
I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.

Read "WHEN YOU REACH ME" here 

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-

One good...

One evil...

Who will prevail?

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.

They just know they can't trust each other.

Debut novelist Michelle Zink takes readers on an unforgettable journey where one sister's fateful decision could have an impact of Biblical proportion.

Read "PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS " here

Dull Boy by Sarah Cross

What do you do if you can deadlift a car, and you spend your nights flying to get away from it all? If you're fifteen-year-old Avery Pirzwick, you keep that information to yourself. When you're a former jock turned freak, you can't afford to let the secret slip.

But then Avery makes some friends who are as extraordinary as he is. He realizes they're more than just freaks - together, maybe they have a chance to be heroes. First, though, they have to decide whether to trust the mysterious Cherchette, a powerful wouldbe mentor whose remarkable generosity may come at a terrible price.

Read "DULL BOY" here

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything. 

Read "BEAUTIFUL CREATURES" here

Save the Date by Tamara Summers

Victoria Finnegan to marry Kevin Ork in the Rose Bower of Cynthia Flair Botanical Gardens
Sunday, June 17, 3 p.m.

Dress: very flowery.

Yay.


Paris Finnegan is marrying Jiro Kuan on the beach at Huntsville National Park
Saturday, August 11, 1 p.m.

Dress: Um . . . she's not really making me wear overalls, right???

Hideous bridesmaid dress fitting #6

Calm Victoria down

Try not to kill Paris

Try not to think about wedding planner's hot son

Do not date wedding planner's hot son

Stop kissing wedding planner's hot son!!! 


Read "SAVE THE DATE" here

Once Was Lost

Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.

Read "ONCE WAS LOST" here

Sweet Valley High Series by Francine Pascal

Double Love
(The first book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1983)

WELCOME TO SWEET Valley High—a world of good girls and bad girls, hot boys with fast cars, perfect tans and natural highlights . . . all under the Southern California sun.
Twin girls, identical in every way—yet they couldn’t be more different. Jessica Wakefield is used to getting what she wants—at school, with her friends, and especially with boys—and she’ll stop at nothing to get it. Elizabeth Wakefield is used to letting her twin sister have her way. There’s not much that’s worth fighting her over—lost earrings can be replaced, petty problems can be resolved, and rampant rumors can be doused like a fire. But when it comes to Todd Wilkins, Liz isn’t so sure she should step aside and make way for Jessica. This time, Jessica Wakefield is going to have some competition—from her own sister.

Read "DOUBLE LOVE" here

Secrets
(The second book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1983)

WELCOME TO SWEET Valley High—a world of good girls with big secrets, bad girls with no remorse, rich boys in stunning tuxedos, and shimmering California sunsets.

Jessica Wakefield only wants two things: to be chosen homecoming queen, and to dance in the spotlight with Bruce Patman. But there’s one girl standing in her way—Enid Rollins, her twin sister Elizabeth’s best friend.

When Jessica discovers Enid’s deepest, darkest secret, she has a choice to make: be nice and keep quiet, or reveal it to the entire school and clinch the crown for herself.

The queen will be breathtaking. But the quest for royalty is never pretty.

Read "SECRETS" here

Playing With Fire

(The third book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1983)

JESSICA WAKEFIELD DEMANDS attention in any crowd, from every boy. After obsessing over him for weeks, she finally lands the perfect guy: Bruce Patman. And she falls hard and fast. There’s nothing she won’t do for him. . . .But Elizabeth soon notices a change in her twin. Jessica’s usual charm,determination, and attitude are gone. She’s a ghost of her old self. And Liz wonders just how far her sister will go for love.

Read "PLAYING WITH FIRE" here 

Power Play

(The fourth book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1983)

JESSICA WAKEFIELD IS used to setting off sparks. But when she starts a new, highly selective club—the Sweet Valley High Beautification Committee—she begins a war with her twin sister.

Elizabeth knows that Jessica has more on her mind than simply cleaning up the SVH campus. It’s obvious that the Beauties are out to become the most elite group of girls at school, even if it means walking all over those they deem less worthy. Only one Wakefield can reign supreme. And Liz is determined to show Jessica that the final say on beauty won’t come from a committee vote.

Read "POWER PLAY" here

All Night Long

(The fifth book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1983)

Jessica Wakefield has charmed many guys in her lifetime. But she’s never met a challenge like Scott Daniels. And she’s determined to prove that she may be a junior in high school, but not when it comes to love. But when Elizabeth discovers that Jessica never came home from an all-night party, she panics. There’s only one way out—for Liz to pretend to be her twin. But she has no idea what she is getting herself into.



Read "ALL NIGHT LONG" here

Dangerous Love

(The sixth book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1983)

Elizabeth Wakefield has never had a problem with rules. But when Todd gets a new motorcycle, Liz is torn. Her parents have forbidden her from ever getting on a bike. But everyone else is ecstatic over Todd’s new ride—especially the girls. As her jealousy threatens to consume her, Liz has a big decision to make—either put her trust in Todd’s love, or break the rules and take the ride of her life.

Read "DANGEROUS LOVE" here

Dear Sister
(The seventh book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1984)

Sweet Valley is stunned by the news: Beautiful young Elizabeth Wakefield lies in a coma, on the brink of death after a horrible motorcycle accident.

Elizabeth's boyfriend Todd is consumed by guilt; he was driving and escaped unharmed. He feels totally helpless. All he can do is wait for a change in Elizabeth's condition—a change that might mean the loss of the only girl he's ever loved.

But no one is more shattered than Elizabeth's twin, Jessica. As she keeps watch over the silent body of her sister, she's overwhelmed by despair. Without Elizabeth, can life go on?


Read "DEAR SISTER" here

Heartbreaker
(The eighth book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1984)

Catch a wave.

The surf's up in Sweet Valley, and gorgeous Jessica Wakefield is making a big splash with Bill Chase, the hottest surfer in town. But after she tricks him into falling madly in love with her, she ignores him completely.

To complicate matters, shy, quiet DeeDee Gordon is also after Bill. But Jessica has the upper hand. If Bill even looks at DeeDee, Hurricane Jessica blows him off his board and back into her arms. Can Bill escape Jessica's undertow, or is he in over his head?

Read "HEARTBREAKER" here

Racing Hearts
(The ninth book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1984)

Love on the run...

Roger Barrett has always had a hopeless crush on glamorous, wealthy Lila Fowler. The only attention Lila ever pays to him, though, is to make fun of him in front of her friends. But why shouldn't she, he thinks. After all, he's clumsy and shy and works secretly as a janitor after school.

When Roger wins the qualifying heat for a big race, he becomes a school celebrity overnight. And to his surprise, even Lila starts to chase after him. But Roger knows if he runs in the race finals, he'll lose his job. Will Lila still notice him when he's no longer a star?

Read "RACING HEARTS" here

Wrong Kind of Girl
(The tenth book in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1984)

Jessica's at it again!

Jessica Wakefield has sworn never to allow Annie Whitman onto the Sweet Valley High cheering squad. Annie may have the beauty, talent, and spirit to be a cheerleader, but she also has the worst reputation in school. She goes out with a different boy every night, and all the kids call her "Easy Annie" behind her back. Jessica's pulling every devilish trick to keep Annie from ruining the cheerleaders' image.

Only Elizabeth, Jessica's twin, knows what Annie's really like. But can she change her sister's mind before Jessica shatters Annie's dreams?

Read "WRONG KIND OF GIRL" here

Too Good To Be True
(Book 11 in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1984)

A devil in disguise.

The Wakefield twins are wild with excitement. Glamorous, sophisticated Susan Devlin is coming to Sweet Valley from New York City. For two weeks, Elizabeth will show her around town while Jessica has the time of her life in New York.

At first, Suzanne seems to be the most perfect girl in the world. She's beautiful and friendly and not the least bit stuck-up. All the boys of Sweet Valley are absolutely crazy about her. But when Suzanne accuses Mr. Collins of trying to seduce her, Elizabeth knows there's more to Suzanne than meets the eye.

Read "TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE" here

When Love Dies
(Book 12 in the Sweet Valley High series)
(1984)

The end of romance...

The Wakefield twins' older brother, Steven, is heartbroken. His girlfriend, Tricia Martin, no longer seems interested in him. She breaks their dates and doesn't return his calls. Steven can't understand why Tricia's feelings have changed so suddenly.

Jessica is thrilled that Steven isn't dating Tricia anymore. She sees it as the perfect oppotunity to pair him with her best friend, Cara Walker. Elizabeth, Jessica's twin, thinks that scheming, gossipy Cara is all wrong for Steven. She's determined to find out the reason for Tricia's strange behavior--and horrified when she discovers the awful truth.

Read "WHEN LOVE DIES" here

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

Sophie Amundsen (Sofie Amundsen in the Norwegian version) is a fourteen year old girl living in Norway in 1990. She lives with her cat Sherekan, her goldfish, a tortoise, two budgerigars and her mother. Her father is a captain of an oil tanker, and is away for most of the year. He does not appear in the book.

Sophie's life is rattled as the book begins, when she receives two anonymous messages in her mailbox (Who are you? Where does the world come from?), as well as a post card addressed to 'Hilde Møller Knag, c/o Sophie Amundsen'. Shortly afterwards she receives a packet of papers, part of a correspondence course in philosophy.

With these mysterious communications, Sophie becomes the student of a fifty-year-old philosopher, Alberto Knox. He starts out as totally anonymous, but as the story unfolds he reveals more and more about himself. The papers and the packet both turn out to be from him, although the post card is not; it is addressed from someone called Albert Knag, who is a major in a United Nations peacekeeping unit stationed in Lebanon.

Alberto teaches her about the history of philosophy. She gets a substantive and understandable review from the Pre-Socratic Greeks through Jean-Paul Sartre. Along with the philosophy lessons, Sophie and Alberto try to outwit the mysterious Albert Knag, who appears to have God-like powers, which Alberto finds quite troubling.

Sophie learns about medieval philosophy while being lectured by Alberto, dressed as a monk, in an ancient church, and she learns about Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir in a French café. Various philosophical questions and methods of reasoning are put before Sophie, as she attempts to work them out on her own. Many of Knox's philosophic packets to her are preluded by more short questions, such as "Why is Lego the most ingenious toy in the world?".

Alberto takes Sophie from Hellenism to the rise of Christianity and its interaction with Greek thought and on into the Middle Ages. Over the course of the book, he covers the Renaissance, Baroque, Enlightenment and Romantic periods, and the philosophies that stemmed from them. (from Wikipedia)

Read "SOPHIE'S WORLD" here

Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Come heck or high water, Gracie Snow is determined to track down the legendary ex-jock Bobby Tom Denton and drag him back home to Heaven, Texas, to begin shooting his first motion picture. But taming an egotistical cowboy in a '57 T-Bird might be more than this prim Ohio wallflower can handle.

Despite his dazzling good looks and killer charm, Bobby Tom has reservations about being a movie star--and no plans to cooperate with the bossy little virgin whom he can't get off his mind or out of his life. Instead, the hellraising playboy decides to make her over from plain Jane to Texas wildcat.

But nothing's more dangerous than a wildcat with an angel's heart in a town too small for a bad boy to hide. And all hell breaks loose when two unforgettable people discover love, laughter, passion--and a match that can be made only in Heaven.

Read "HEAVEN, TEXAS" here

It Had To Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

The windy city isn't quite ready for Phoebe Somerville-the trendy, outrageous and curvaceous New York knockout who has just inherited the Chicago Stars football team. And Phoebe is definitely not prepared for the Stars' head coach Dan Celbow - an Alabama-born former gridiron legend and blond barbarian.

Calebow is everything Phoebe abhors - a sexist, jock taskmaster with a one-track mind. The beautiful new boss is everything Dan despises - a meddling bimbo whos doesn't know pigskin from a pitcher's mound, So why is he drawn to the shameless sexpot like a heat-seeking missile? And why does Dan's good ol'boy charm leave cosmopolitan Phoebe feeling awkward, tongue-tied and frightened to death?

Read "IT HAD TO BE YOU" here

Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire

The year is 1502, and seven-year-old Bianca de Nevada lives perched high above the rolling hills and valleys of Tuscany and Umbria at Montefiore, the farm of her beloved father, Don Vicente. But one day a noble entourage makes its way up the winding slopes to the farm — and the world comes to Montefiore.
In the presence of Cesare Borgia and his sister, the lovely and vain Lucrezia — decadent children of a wicked pope — no one can claim innocence for very long. When Borgia sends Don Vicente on a years-long quest, he leaves Bianca under the care — so to speak — of Lucrezia.
She plots a dire fate for the young girl in the woods below the farm, but in the dark forest salvation can be found as well ...
A lyrical work of stunning creative vision, Mirror Mirror gives fresh life to the classic story of Snow White — and has a truth and beauty all its own.

Read "MIRROR, MIRROR" here

Eternal Series by Ann Lory

Dimitri Alexios lives alone in his San Francisco mansion, if one could call loathing what he is and hating his maker living. Until he beholds the mortal woman who appears on his doorstep. Her gentleness brings light to his darkness, and her innocence calls to him. Yet she knows nothing of his world, or the dangerous predator that constantly rages within him.

Museum curator Cassie Stephens, sent to catalog antiques at the Alexios estate, is surprised to discover Dimitri is anything but the old man she expected. He’s handsome and darkly mysterious, not the sort who’s usually attracted to her girl-next-door looks. Yet she’s ensnared by his irresistible charm—which makes it all the more crushing when he suddenly pushes her away.

Dimitri knows he’s doing the right thing, but it’s too late. Cassie’s passion has touched a heart he thought no longer capable of love. Now he must turn his strength to a deadly task: a battle to save the woman he loves from the maker who would love nothing more than to rip her away from him… 

Read "ETERNAL EMBRACE" here

Read "ETERNAL OBSSESS" here

Read "ETERNAL SURRENDER" here

Perfume by Patrick Süskind

Patrick Süskind's first novel, Perfume (Das Parfum) tells the horrific story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, an orphan born in Paris in 1738.  When Grenouille's abandoned body is found in the garbage, he is taken to an orphanage, where everyone who comes into contact with him finds something about him to be revulsive.   What they are unaware of is that Grenouille's body does not have any aroma, a distinction which is so subtle that nobody can place their finger on it, but which colors Grenouille's entire life.  Grenouille's strange relationship to odors is further highlighted by his own extremely sharp sense of smell, caused, perhaps, by the lack of necessity to sense past his own smell.

When he comes of age, Grenouille manages to apprentice himself to a perfumer and shows a strong aptitude for mixing strange and exotic perfumes.  This skill leads him to his desire to cover his own lack of smell and a quest to create the most unique perfume the world has ever known.

By following Grenouille from his birth, when his mother abandoned him to death among the discarded fish guts through his childhood when he discovered how different he was to his apprenticeship, Süskind is able to evoke several different emotions from the reader, ranging from sympathy for the young orphan to curiosity to disgust and hatred.   Grenouille's lack of aroma can be seen as representative of his lack of morals in a world in which the amoral and the ethical were struggling to find a new common ground.

Part horror, part mystery, part historical fiction, it offers insight into the mind of the criminally insane while speculating on the role the sense of smell plays in our lives.  

Read "PERFUME" here

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho

Rarely does adolescent love reach its full potential, but what happens when two young lovers reunite after eleven years? Time has transformed Pilar into a strong and independent woman, while her devoted childhood friend has grown into a handsome and charismatic spiritual leader. She has learned well how to bury her feelings . . . and he has turned to religion as a refuge from his raging inner conflicts.

Now they are together once again, embarking on a journey fraught with difficulties, as long-buried demons of blame and resentment resurface after more than a decade. But in a small village in the French Pyrenees, by the waters of the River Piedra, a most special relationship will be reexamined in the dazzling light of some of life's biggest questions. 

Read "BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT" here

Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

The book tells the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "Love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer . . ." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Instead, she ends up working as a prostitute.

In Geneva, Maria drifts further and further away from love as she develops a fascination with sex. Eventually, Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness, sexual pleasure for its own sake, or risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.

Read "ELEVEN MINUTES" here

Brida by Paulo Coelho

Brida, a young Irish girl, has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of great wisdom. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her to trust in the goodness of the world, and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch. 

Read "BRIDA" here

The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

This is the story of Athena, or Sherine, to give her the name she was baptised with. Her life is pieced together through a series of recorded interviews with those people who knew her well or hardly at all -- parents, colleagues, teachers, friends, acquaintances, her ex-husband. The novel unravels Athena's mysterious beginnings, via an orphanage in Romania, to a childhood in Beirut. When war breaks out, her adoptive family move with her to London, where a dramatic turn of events occurs! Athena, who has been dubbed 'the Witch of Portobello' for her seeming powers of prophecy, disappears dramatically, leaving those who knew her to solve the mystery of her life and abrupt departure.

Read "THE WITCH OF PORTOBELLO" here

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist is subtitled "A Fable About Following Your Dreams." Fables are cautionary tales that have a point to make. The universal point this story makes is that everyone has a special destiny, and yet not everyone resolves to attain it because it takes hard work. Reaching one's destiny requires leaving behind familiar surroundings. It also demands persistence, the ability to change when appropriate and the willingness to respond to omens that point the way.

Read "THE ALCHEMIST" here

Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock

The title characters in Me & Emma are very nearly photographic opposites--8-year-old Carrie, the raven-haired narrator, is timid and introverted, while her little sister Emma is a tow-headed powerhouse with no sense of fear. The girls live in a terrible situation: they depend on an unstable mother that has never recovered from her husband's murder, their stepfather beats them regularly, and they must forage on their own for food.

Stop here and you have a story told many times before, as fiction and nonfiction in tales like Ellen Foster, or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings --stories in which a young girl reveals the horrors of her childhood. Me & Emma differentiates itself with a spectacular finish, shocking the reader and turning the entire story on its head. Through several twists and turns the reader learns that things are not quite the way our narrator led us to believe and everything crescendos in a way that (like all good thrillers) immediately makes you want to go back and read the whole book again from the start. --Victoria Griffith

Read "ME and EMMA" here

Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke

They were seventeen, with perfect tans and perfect bodies. They planned on a joyride in a convertible on a hot summer day. They planned on skinny-dipping in a beautiful, secluded lake. They planned on making it back to camp before anyone noticed they were gone. What they didn't plan on was being followed by two guys in a beat-up station wagon. . . .

Their day soon takes a drastic turn -- all because Kristy Sweetland smiled at the wrong time, in the wrong place, at the wrong boys.

Now the girls feel prying eyes on them all the time -- during pep practice, on the path through the woods, outside the window of their cabin. The boys are stalking them, leaving threatening notes on their beds, and watching their every move.

Boy Heaven is a provocative, page-turning mystery, and a must-read for anyone who loves an urban legend.

Read "BOY HEAVEN" here

The Woman on the Bus by Pauline McLynn

The bus from Dublin to Limerick has never meant much to the inhabitants of Kilbrody, until a woman steps off it, marches into the pub and drinks herself into oblivion. When she finally wakss up, several days later, it is to discover that Charlie Finn (who put her to bed); the local garda and indeed the whole village are talking about her. Who is the woman on the bus? The question is, will she tell them?

Read "THE WOMAN ON THE BUS" here

Fat Free and Fatal by G. A. McKevett

When curvy P.I. Savannah Reid signs on to guard the newly svelte body of a star on the comeback trail, she finds herself rubbing elbows with the rich, famous--and deadly. Getting the skinny on the killer soon has Savannah starring in a real-life murder mystery that gives "location shoot" a whole new meaning... There's nothing like a makeover story to get people hooked, and America is certainly addicted to the weight-loss saga of once celebrated actress Dona Papalardo. Savannah's no exception although she can't imagine wanting to shed her own hourglass figure by undergoing gastric bypass surgery like Dona did. After Dona's personal assistant is shot dead in the star's mile-long driveway, Savannah becomes her bodyguard. The victim was wearing one of Dona's fur coats, indicating that Dona was the target. And when Dona's hunky gardener takes a bullet between the eyes, Savannah and Detective Sergeant Dirk Coulter know they must act quickly to find the killer. Knocking around Dona's palatial estate gives Savannah plenty of opportunity to hobnob with A-list celebrities and compile a list of suspects that proves some people can never be too rich, too thin, or too vindictive. There's the resentful best friend whose dream of shared singing stardom crumbled when Dona made it big as an actress instead; the loyal boyfriend who loved Dona through thick and thin but now lacks luster next to the hotties beating a path to her door; and the most potentially dangerous jiltee of all: Dona's litigious former agent. But just when Savannah's sure she's had her fill of the macabre, the shooter strikes again, and this time Savannah is nearly caught in the crossfire. Now, as the case turns ever more personal, Savannah's determined to find the truth. After all, it's pretty hard to enjoy fifteen minutes of fame--or a double chocolate brownie--from six feet under...

Read "FAT FREE AND FATAL" here

The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho

In a small village Viscos, everyone was satisfied with their lives working hard and fulfilling their dreams. Then one day, a stranger (figuratively, the Devil) visits this quiet village and hides 11 golden bars in the mountain of Viscos. He brings Miss Prym to the buried site and tells her that he needs to do an experiment to test whether or not all human beings are good or evil. The stranger is looking forward to involve all the villagers into his experiment, but Miss Prym is feeling extremely uncomfortable to realize that she is now responsible to save the village and herself. Unfortunately, all of the people in Viscos get involved in this Devil's game and are confused whether to keep up their village history of being moral and honest or to sacrifice one villager to achieve the gold for the good sake of the its future.
This modern fiction questions all readers about one of the most basic questions: are human beings good or evil? With its additional introduction before each chapter, the book further sets the ground for the later story. Throughout the book, all of the village residence and the stranger seek the true meaning of human life by introducing different anecdotes to villagers and the readers and justifying human evilness.

Read "THE DEVIL AND MISS PRYM" here

The Manual of the Warrior of Light by Paulo Coelho

Do you look at life and the universe with the wonder of a child? Do you accept failure with equanimity? Do you believe in fighting for your dreams? These are some of the questions raised by Paulo Coelho’s Manual of the Warrior of Light.

Read "THE MANUAL OF THE WARRIOR OF LIGHT" here

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Pi Patel is an unusual boy. The son of a zookeeper, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior, a fervent love of stories, and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.

The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional-but is it more true?

Read "LIFE OF PI" here

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil -- what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, written in 1949 by C. S. Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia. For the past fifty years, The Chronicles of Narnia have transcended the fantasy genre to become part of the canon of classic literature. Each of the seven books is a masterpiece, drawing the reader into a world where magic meets reality, and the result is a fictional world whose scope has fascinated generations.

Read here:
The Chronicles of Narnia 01-The Magician's Nephew
The Chronicles of Narnia 02-The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia 03-The Horse and His Boy
The Chronicles of Narnia 04-Prince Caspian
The Chronicles of Narnia 05-The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Chronicles of Narnia 06-The Silver Chair
The Chronicles of Narnia 07-The Last Battle

Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern

From naughty children to rebellious teenagers, Rosie and Alex have stuck by each other through thick and thin. But just as they're discovering the joys of teenage nights on the town and dating disasters, they're separated. Alex's family moves from Dublin to America – and Alex goes with them. For good. Rosie's lost without her best friend. But on the eve of her departure to join Alex in Boston, Rosie gets news that will change her life forever – and keep her at home in Ireland. Their magical connection sees them through the ups and downs of each other's lives but neither of them knows whether their friendship can really survive the years and miles – as well as new relationships. And at the back of Rosie's mind is whether they were meant to be more than just good friends all along. Misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck have kept them out of each others' arms, but when presented with the ultimate opportunity, will they gamble everything – including their friendship – for true love? Destiny, Alex and Rosie discover, is a funny thing and fate isn't quite done with them yet…

Read "WHERE RAINBOWS END" here

The Deadly Series by Brenda Joyce

Read here:
Deadly Love
Deadly Pleasure
Deadly Affairs
Deadly Desire
Deadly Caress
Deadly Promise
Deadly Illusions

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Read "TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY" here

Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding

Lurching from the cappuccino bars of Notting Hill to the blissed-out shores of Thailand, everyone's favorite Singleton Bridget Jones begins her search for The Truth in spite of pathetically unevolved men, insane dating theories, and Smug Married advice.

Read "BRIDGET JONES, THE EDGE OF REASON" here

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones's Diary portrays a year in the life of 30-something, career-minded Bridget Jones. Bridget is a self-involved woman concerned with her weight, appearance and securing a boyfriend. The book is written as a diary and tracks Bridget's life during a twelve-month span, beginning with her New Year's Resolutions. Her resolutions include quitting smoking, drinking less, losing weight, finding a boyfriend, getting a better career, and not dating emotionally unavailable men.

Read "BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY" here

The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

Here Paulo Coelho details his journey across Spain along the legendaryroad of San Tiago, which pilgrims have travelled since Middle Ages. On this contemporary quest, he encounters a Chaucerian variety of mysterious guides and devilish opponents and learns to understand the nature of truth through the simplicity of life. The Pilgrimage holds an important place in Paulo Coelho's literary canon.His first book, it not only paved the way for his phenomenal novel The Alchemist , but it also fully expresses his humanist philosophy and the depth of his unique search for meaning.

Read "THE PILGRIMAGE" here

The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

The narrator of The Zahir is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover.
Was Esther kidnapped, murdered, or did she simply escape a marriage that left her unfulfilled? The narrator doesn't have any answers, but he has plenty of questions of his own. Then one day Mikhail finds the narrator and promises to reunite him with his wife. In his attempt to recapture a lost love, the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself. 


Read "THE ZAHIR" here

Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel

In Alyson Noël's newest teen novel, one sister's secrets save the other's life--in more ways than one. Meet fifteen-year-old Echo, a typical teen trying to survive high school without being totally traumatized by boy trouble, friend drama, and school issues. As if she didn't have enough on her plate, Echo is also still dealing with the murder of her sister Zoë. Although it's been over a year, Echo is still reeling from tragedy that changed everything. Beautiful and full of life, Zoë was the glue that held her family together, and although the two sisters were as different as night and day, they still had a bond that Echo can't let go of. When Zoë's old boyfriend Marc shows up one day with Zoë's diary, Echo doesn't think there's anything in there she doesn't already know. But as she gives in to curiosity and starts reading, she learns that her sister led a secret life that no one could have guessed--not even Echo.

Read "SAVING ZOE" here

Calling Romeo by Alexandra Potter

Juliet can't help wishing she had more romance in her life. She loves her boyfriend Will, but after living together for two and a half years, she's come to realise that thirtysomething monogamy isn't all it's cracked up to be. Will used to whisk her off to candlelit restaurants. Now his idea of a perfect evening is a video and vindaloo. He used to leave post-it notes saying 'I love you' on the bathroom mirror. Now the only things she finds are his dirty socks on the bathroom floor. So, when Juliet meets a sexy, dark-eyed Adonis from a rival London advertising agency she is sorely tempted. And when he invites her away for an illicit, no-expense-spared weekend in Verona it's almost impossible to resist. Her very own Romeo. But does she want to risk losing Will and all they have shared together? Juliet must work out what's really important in life and whether romance really is all about sexy lingerie and red roses.

Read "CALLING ROMEO" here

In The Blood by Adrian Phoenix

Weeks have passed since the tumultuous events of A Rush of Wings, and Heather and Dante are each coping in their own ways. In Seattle, Heather is determined to solve the mystery surrounding her mother's death. In New Orleans, Dante has cut all ties with his father Lucien, even as he struggles to understand his past. When Dante and Heather cross paths again, they learn that dangerous forces are plotting to use Dante for their own ends, with mysterious powers that rival Dante's own supernatural abilities. They'll stop at nothing until Dante is theirs to control...

Read "IN THE BLOOD" here

A Rush of Wings by Adrian Phoenix

Bienvenue to dark streets where nightkind hunt, and above in the star-pricked skies one hears the rush of wings...
Begin the journey with A RUSH OF WINGS.

HIS NAME IS DANTE.

Dark. Talented. Beautiful. Star of the rock band Inferno. Rumored owner of the hot New Orleans nightspot called Club Hell. Born of the Blood, then broken by an evil beyond imagination.

HIS PAST IS A MYSTERY.

FBI Special Agent Heather Wallace has been tracking a sadistic serial murderer known as the Cross Country Killer...and the trail has led her to New Orleans, Club Hell, and Dante. But the dangerously attractive musician not only resists her investigation, he claims to be nightkind: in other words, a vampire. Digging into his past for answers reveals little. A
juvenile record a mile long. No social security number. No known birth date. In and out of foster homes for most of his life before being taken in by a man named Lucien De Noir, who appears to guard mysteries of his own.

HIS FUTURE IS CHAOS.

What Heather does know about Dante is that something links him to the killer -- and she's pretty sure that link makes him the CCK's next target. Heather must unravel the truth behind this sensual, complicated, vulnerable young man -- who, she begins to believe, may indeed be a vampire -- in order to bring a killer to justice. But what Heather doesn't know is that Dante's past holds a shocking secret, and once it is revealed not even Heather will be able to protect him from his destiny...

Read "A RUSH OF WINGS" here

Bite Me by Parker Blue

Having decided that half-demon Val is a bad influence on her little human sister, Val's parents kick her out of the house on her 18th birthday. Val's luck isn't all bad though. She befriends a telepathic hellhound and a cute vampire hunter. As a half-demon, Val is specially equipped to hunt vampires so she joins the special forces team and starts to make a life of her own. All that is threatened when the vampires target her little sister.

Read "BITE ME" here

Prom Nights From Hell, an Anthology

What does having a prom night from hell mean to you? Maybe you tear your dress on the way out of the limo so everyone sees your underwear. Or you spend the entire evening smiling for your friends' cameras with lipstick on your teeth. Perhaps you even get dumped on what is supposed to be one of the most important nights of your life. All of these things surely can add up to a prom night from hell, but at least you didn't have the prom night from Hell.

Five of your favorite teen authors have teamed up to produce a set of short stories about proms gone supernaturally, horribly wrong. While you're concerned about shoes matching your purse, the girls in these stories are worried about crossbows and vampires, zombie dates who've been dead for weeks, and a devil in a red dress who causes chaos by snapping high heels and breaking up couples.

Michele Jaffe (BAD KITTY) gives scary a twist of humor in her story "Kiss and Tell," in which Miranda, blessed (or maybe cursed) with superpowers, takes it upon herself to protect a 14-year-old chauffering charge named Sibby. Sarcasm and a roller derby outfit, however, might not be enough for Miranda to keep Sibby safe from a potential murder.

If you're a fan of Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT, then you'll love "Hell on Earth." What looks like your normal prom becomes a jumbled mess of broken jewelry, ripped dresses and destroyed romances thanks to the new girl, Sheba, who's really a 186-year-old demon in disguise. But will Sheba's meddling older sister keep the prom from being anything less than perfectly hellish?

If you love the classic horror stories, then flip straight to "The Corsage" by Lauren Myracle (RHYMES WITH WITCHES), a retelling of W.W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw." Frankie wishes for Will to ask her to the prom while holding a corsage she bought from a Juicy Couture-clad fortune teller. You know how the saying goes, though: Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. Frankie's wish comes true, and now Will is just dying to ask her to the prom.

For a twist on the Grim Reaper tale, look at "Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper" by Kim Harrison (A FISTFUL OF CHARMS). It's bad enough that Madison's date only takes her to the prom out of pity, but then the guy she leaves with kills her and completely botches her death. Now she's somewhere between human and ghost, relying on a stolen amulet to keep her solid.

And for those of you who are diehard vampire fans, open to page one and start reading "The Exterminator's Daughter" by Meg Cabot (AVALON HIGH). Vampires are alive, well, living in New York and taking Mary's best friend Lila to the prom. Mary, a vampire exterminator with her very own crossbow, is determined to save Lila. With Dracula in disguise at her high school, will Mary's prom completely suck?

Enter a world where Death and demons meet sequins and tuxedos. Whether you prefer a slow, detailed story or a tale that's funny and fast-paced, you'll find something here to enjoy. Your prom may not be as exciting as some of the ones in this book, but at least you won't have to worry about the new boy wielding a scythe.

Read "PROM NIGHTS FROM HELL" here