The Red Prophet - Orson Scott Card (Tales of Alvin Maker, Bk. 2)

The book made me sometimes wish fiction were true.  This is an American-style tall tale of powerful fiction. (again, as with the first book in this series, you really have to know your history to appreciate the differences and the lore)
At first, I was having a hard time getting into the Native story line having just come off of Seventh Son, but Card's superb story telling did eventually grab my attention.  This is a beautiful, tragic story that leaves you with all the wonder of real historical battle stories, but with both the relief and disappointment that it wasn't exactly real.  The hard part is that it's just close enough to what really happened and what could have really happened that it blurs the line between fiction and the real world perfectly.  I believe that's why it was such a good story.

Seventh Son - Orson Scott Card (Tales of Alvin Maker, Bk. 1)

Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite authors.  I've not read any of his books in a long time, and it was great to get back to him.  I'd actually read this book many years ago, but had a hard time following it up because the library didn't have all of the series (which I think is 7 books total, but not real sure).  So now I have access to a variety of other options and I've found them so I'm going to have a go at it again. 
This particular series I like because it takes place in Indiana.  I recognize many of the areas spoken about and enjoy pointing out that Indiana weather is so crazy that it's used as a plot device in a piece of fiction.  As always, I love the alternative world he's created, particularly because you really have to know your history to appreciate it. 
Needless to say, this is another fantastically fun, artfully crafted piece of fiction. 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

I loved this book.  It reminded me of somewhere between CS Lewis and Madeleine L'Engle.  This is my favorite Gaiman book so far, but Good Omens in on my list to read soon too.  The book is beautifully written and I enjoyed it much more than many of the books I've been reading lately. 
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fanciful, magic-based fiction. 

I am Not your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L. Sanchez

As far as angsty, YA novels go, this one was pretty good, but holy cow, if I'd read it before living in Brownsville I would have been like, "No one actually DOES this!"  But I have lived in Brownsville and the sad, sad remnants the parents desperately cling to "how it was in the old country" are totally accurate.  It infuriates me.  Immigrants come to this country to "give their children a better life" and then get mad or try to hold them back when those children take full advantage of what's offered here.  Either you want your children to surpass you economically, or you don't, and if you don't, just stay home where things never change!
This novel also focused a lot on basic differences between parents and children, which is common regardless of heritage or cultural background.  People reproduce and think that because that child shares half their genetic material, certainly the child will be just like they are.  So often wrong! And that was a central theme in this book.  It disgusts me when parents believe their children are great, so long as they agree 100% with you.
I don't expect anyone will read this, so spoiler alerts to follow:
This book hits irony HARD, which is both satisfying and frustrating.  The MC is a girl in her mid-teens with an older sister in her early 20's.  The eldest is the "golden" child and the younger is the "problem" child.  The older sister dies in a traffic accident and as the younger sniffs out something's not quiet in order, we learn the "perfect daughter" is anything but.  It's so aggravating how blind the parents are that the MC tries to kill herself, and frankly,based in their behavior, I can't say she's totally wrong.
This is a well-written book, but there aren't many people I'd recommend it to.

Home Buying for Dummies - Eric Tyson & Ray Brown

Obviously I read this because I'm looking to buy a house.  My last experience was so horrible, I was convinced I did something wrong.  This time I thought I'd do way more research to ensure the same errors were not repeated.  As it turns out, my lack of education was one of the reasons I had trouble, HOWEVER, everything I didn't know SHOULD have been taken care of by the people I hired. It was not.  This book harps on putting together a good team.  I had a team, and as best I can tell, it should have been good, years and years of experience.  But that team dropped the ball at every available chance.  So, I could have corrected them, but  they shouldn't have let any of those mistakes happen to begin with, that's why they were getting paid!
I like the format of this series of books.  As an E-book, it didn't always format right, but you could at least get an idea.  There's a lot of great general information, but as they repeatedly remind you, there are always exceptions.  I know I had a few very odd, specific questions that this book could not answer. (that's what the internet is for)  But as a prep guide, it's very good.

Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin

A classic, so I thought I should give it a try.  It was about what I expected.  The author does a perfect job of setting up the tower so that it crumbles perfectly at the end.  You pretty much know what the deal is the whole time, but it's still wonderful to see it all come together.  And the ending, while not what you want, is perfect for Rosemary's character and makes total sense (unlike some other fiction I've seen lately, ahem!, GoT... anyway!) 
As a classic, if you're a horror/suspense fan, you should probably put it on your list. If you're not a horror/suspense fan, eh, that'd be up to you then, but I enjoyed it greatly.

The Witches of New York - Ami McKay

This was a fun book.  Sneakily feminist.  I liked it. Was it life altering? No. Was it a good romp? Totally.  I loved many of the obscure historical references like the Egypt-mania of the turn of the last century, tansy tea, the weird obsession with seances, carrying coals in oyster shells and especially the Comstock Act.
This book will make you appreciate how far women's rights have come, holy jeeze!  Perhaps the detail I appreciated the most was not a historical reference but the twist the author put on the relationship between Satan and witches.  The "alliance" of witches and the devil was manufactured by demons because witches work against the evils of the world and Satan's work.  So over the centuries, demons have turned people, mostly men, against them.  That was a very crafty move.
I'd recommend this to people who like an entertaining piece of fiction set in the 1880's, but I would not recommend slapping it at the top of your "To Read" list.