When the Snow Fell

Grade 7–9 — While this is a companion to A Bridge to the Stars (2007) and Shadows in the Twilight (2008, both Delacorte), it is not necessary to have read those novels to understand the action and characters in this story. Joel, 14, is certain of two things: life gets more complicated over time, and winter always arrives unexpectedly. With the New Year approaching, he visits a graveyard to make three resolutions: to live to be 100 years old, to see the sea for the first time, and to see a naked woman.

Spinning

Dylan Hunter has it made. At 29, he has great friends, a huge job, all the women he can handle, and no commitments. A public relations executive, Dylan has dashed up the ladder of success by mastering the art of the spin – bending the truth to his and his clients’ needs. But when a former lover steps back into his life with a three-year-old girl by her side (no, she’s not his), Dylan suddenly finds himself in a place he can’t spin himself out of. And when Dylan unexpectedly becomes the child’s sole guardian, he finds himself to be like a circus performer trying to keep all of his spinning plates from crashing 

The Spirit Gate

I stopped reading Sword and Fantasy books years ago because they all felt like retreads. This is completely different from the "same old, same old" trilogies that line the shelves. It's an excellent book, full of vivid characters who are human in many ways but from a really alien set of cultures. (One of the most interesting parts of the book is the way she introduces you through the different characters to the different cultures that share this world.) As in 24, people die unexpectedly, minor characters grow in prominence, and there's a new adventure around every corner.