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1) Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss

I'm not a grammar whore by any stretch of the imagination, although I do get irritable over "its" and "it's" and other such things. This book explains the basics well enough for those who honestly don't know - and humorously enough to keep the interest of those of who already do. Plus, you haven't lived till you've heard her rant about Two Weeks Notice.

yashakizu and kahn should definitely check this out.

2) The Shamer's Daughter by Lene Kaaberbol

I picked this up because the cover looked cool. *grins* What can I say, it's a nice cover. But the story more than held my attention. A YA fantasy novel about a young girl who has inherited from her mother the ability to "read" shame in another person. When her mother defends a man accused of murdering his family, Dena finds herself helping the accused man escape the murderous fury of his only surviving relative.

yashakizu, sidara and indigoskynet might like this one.

3) Among the Brave, Shadow Children Book 5 by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Anything by this woman is worth reading. She's also written Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dumphrey, Turnabout, Running Out of Time (when you finish this book, you go back, look at the title and think "I GET it!") and Leaving Fishers, amongst others.

Shadow Children is a series set in an AU America where a series of droughts several decades ago led to intense famine and eventually a political uprising. Military law was enforced and a series of population laws were passed, limiting each family to only two children - and eventually encouraging women to become sterilized before having any children at all. Luke Garner is the third child of a struggling farmer and his wife, who has spent his entire life in this family's farmhouse, never venturing farther away than the woods or the barn. When his parents are forced to sell the woods and a housing development goes up, Luke is restricted to the attic bedroom, and the staircase. No longer allowed outdoors, or even to sit with his family at dinner, Luke begins to watch his new neighbors through a vent in the attic. One day, when Luke is looking out the vent, he sees a little girl looking back at him - from the window of a house where he knows two little boys already live.

It's a pretty dark series, and I can't bring myself to put them down once I start reading them. I've read the first three books a half dozen times, and it's only a matter of time before I catch up with the last two.

sidara will read this if she knows what's good for her. Also, indigoskynet, yashakizu, dredpirateleena and deathgod02 might enjoy this series. Frankly, I've never recommended this series to someone and had them not like it.

4) Beyond the Hanging Wall by Sara Douglass

First off, I love everything Sara Douglass has written that I've read. She's addicting, and an incredible writer. Read everything she has. Seriously.

A lot of people say this is one of her stranger books, and I'll agree that it does read quite differently from her others, namely The Wayfarer's Redemption, The Troy Game and Threshold. However, that isn't to say it isn't great. It's set in the same universe as The Wayfarer series, but in a distant kingdom. A dozen or so years ago, the young prince was killed on a hunting accident, and his parents shortly after died of grief. The kingdom passed into the hands of the king's brother, who is a good ruler,and the kingdom is doing well. But all of this may be thrown into chaos when a young healer's apprentice named Garth goes down into the mines to treat a prisoner, and recognizing Prince Maximilian.

sidara and yashakizu should definitely check out her books. dredpirateleena would probably like this as well, considering it takes place in the Wayfarer Universe. It's also a lighter, faster read than the Axis books, so it'll keep you entertained while you're waiting for Enchanter to get to you.

5) The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathon Stroud

This book was written for everyone who's anxiously waiting for the sixth Harry Potter book. An 11-year-old magician's apprentice named Nathaniel decides to prove his skill by summoning a demon, and ends up disturbing Bartimeus, one of the most powerful Djinn out there. Bartimeus, needless to say, is incredibly unenthusiastic about being a minion to a boy who can't even grow peach fuzz yet. The chapters switch back and forth from Nathaniel and Bartimeus' pov, and the conflicting descriptions of their increasingly perilous situation is hilarious. The book ends at a bit of a cliffhanger, and the second one isn't coming out any time soon, unfortunately. Hopefully Stroud will be just a little faster than Rowling.

Recommended to anyone who likes HP and wants something to read in the meantime. Specifically recommended to deathgod02, sidara, indigoskynet, yashakizu and jenjinn.

6) Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

This isn't a new series, it's actually been out for some years now. And I won't try to pretend it's the height of fantasy literature, because it's really not. But it's a fun, well-written novel with well-defined characters and a rich plot. Perfect reading for finals week, bubble baths, or when you're sick in bed. The characters of Alec and Seregil specifically have made their own niche as one of the canon slash pairings that has become popular online.

Recommended to deathgod02, calichan, faemovana, rin_sakaguchi and yashakizu.

7)Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce

True confession time. I hate Tamora Pierce. Can't stand anything she's ever written. I hate the characters, I hate the stories and I really hate the writing. But a friend recommended Trickster's Choice to me (and the cover was cool...) so I picked it up and read the whole thing in one sitting. It's not the height of literature, but it's perfect if you're looking for something to read in between series, or if you're a fan of what I call "girl fantasy." Also, there are some very interesting historical references throughout, and the history geek in me loved getting all the little references. This story is set after the others in her Tortall universe, specifically after the Alanna books, and includes spoilers for the Alanna books, the Protector series and the Mage series. Good for fans of the Claidi books, especially.

Recommended to meiran and cynddalyn

8) Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I love her so much, I'm recommending her again. Just Ella is a retelling of the Cinderella story, but with one vital change - no magic. None. Zilch. Ella finds her prince and her place in the world all by herself. The only problem is that her prince is an idiot and her mother in law is a controlling viperous woman and the royal court is a group of simpering, back-stabbing predators. Ella's unprepared and out of her league. And she thinks she's falling in love with her tutor instead of her prince...

sidara and yashakizu specifically come to mind when I think of this. meiran may also like it.

9) Counterfeit Son by Elaine Marie Alphin

Cameron Miller is the son of a serial killer, who has spent most of his life locked in the cellar of his father's house, listening to the sounds of young boys being murdered above his head. When his father is killed in a shootout with the police, Cameron desperately tries to escape his old life by assuming the identity of one of his father's victims. Neil looked a lot like Cameron, and as long as he's careful, no one ever has to know...

This is just an incredibly good, suspenseful YA novel.

sidara, deathgod02 and yashakizu would probably like this.

10) The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.

Okay, so it's basically a glorified historical fiction romance novel. Honestly. But Gregory has obviously done her homework on the time period, and her novels read more like a first person biography than a romance novel. Mary, the older sister of Anne Boleyn (doomed second queen of Henry VIII) has been chosen to be the king's lover. She loves the king but is torn by the need to betray her husband - and at her family's ability to use her and sell her as a commodity to win the king's favor.

I generally recommend this one as a good read. nicandab especially might enjoy this one.

There's about fifty million others, but I think I've babbled long enough, right?

Don't feel bad if you got left out. It just means I wasn't sure you'd like these particular books. Or I just don't know you're reading preferences very well. If you HAVE read any of these, tell me what you thought!