I love a good fantasy story, full of high adventure, mystery, intrigue, romance, and strange magic. For a long time, a lot of fantasy worlds, influenced by Tolkien's Middle-earth, have been based on a romanticized version of medieval Western Europe. Which is fine, I love me some Tolkien, but I've been wanting to branch out to other fantasy lately, fantasy that's less Tolkienesque.
The kingdom of Carthya is in trouble. The royal family is dead, the neighboring kingdoms are starting to whittle away at its borders, and a civil war is brewing between nobles. To prevent chaos from descending upon Carthya, Conner, an unscrupulous nobleman, devises a desperate plan. What if the king's youngest son, who has been lost at sea, suddenly returns to save the kingdom and stop the invasion of its neighbors? All he needs is someone to act the part. Enter Sage, orphan, impertinent thief, and general pain in Conner's side.
The main character of Michael Ende’s Momo is a nine year old girl who, after noticing subtle changes in her friends and neighbors, quickly finds herself battling the mysterious and evil Men in Grey. Who are these ominous, bald “salesmen” who go around convincing just about everyone that by saving as much time as possible and depositing that time in the Men in Grey’s bank, they will get it back with interest at some later point? No one really knows.
Rudy's life changes drastically when the family moves to a remote island for his ailing little brother's health. A fairly popular guy at school (especially with the ladies) Rudy is one of the few people below 30 living on the island. Everyone on the island is there for one reason...the magic fish that appear to have the ability to heal any illness. When the doctors and medicine fail his little brother, Rudy's family risks everything to come to the island.
Soren Bearskin has grown up in a United States colonized by the Vikings rather than the Puritans, a country where trolls hide in the mountains and Norse gods walk the land, where children learn how to sword-fight in school and every year the land is renewed by the god of light, Baldur, as he is resurrected from his winter death. Except this year, Baldur fails to appear. A search is begun, a boon is offered by Odin to whomever can return his missing sun, and Astrid Glyn, the daughter of the most famous seer in New Asgard, convinces Soren that it is their fate to find Baldur. 
The time is now, but the world is more than a little different. The United States were settled and established by Scandinavians who worshipped the Norse gods--who are very real and very active in the world. And so you get Tessa Gratton's new series, The United States of Asgard, and the first book, The Lost Sun.
In a world ruled by Barrons, magically gifted fighters, and their soulbound Healers, Kaya grew up in a small unskilled village. The daughter of two Barrons-in-hiding, as Barrons are not meant to marry each other, Kaya knows nothing of the hierarchy of Barrons and Healers that keep the countryside safe from Graplars (large dragonlike creatures) until one attacks at the village fair, killing her best friend. By killing the beast, her father draws attention to the family and Kaya is forced to attend Shadow Academy to become a healer.
As a librarian I try to be widely read, sampling a little from column A, a little from column B. But like many readers, I have a literary home, a place that I come back to when I need support, or rest, or inspiration. And that place has always been books about kick-ass girls. It started when I was about ten years old and discovered Alanna, Tamora Pierce's cross-dressing heroine. Alanna, the daughter of landed gentry, is relegated to learning sorcery after being told that girls cannot become knights.
Ismae is saved from a marriage to an abusive pig farmer by The Convent of Mortain, devoted to serving the god of Death and carrying out his wishes. She is taught how to kill with her hands, a variety of weapons, and most importantly, poisons. When her second assassination goes wrong and her true purpose is discovered, she is sent to court as the escort to Gavriel Duval, an aloof and distant Breton noble to protect Anne, Duchess of Brittany. Duval and Ismae form an uneasy alliance, neither trusting the other, in an attempt to discover those that plot against Anne and Brittany.
What is it about the tale of Snow White that keeps coming back? The story is hundreds of years old, but 2012 will bring two new (and drastically different) movie adaptations of the tale. In preparation, you might want to check out these novel adaptations of the story.
In a land where beauty and singing are valued above all else, Aza eventually comes to reconcile her unconventional appearance and her magical voice, and learns to accept herself for who she truly is.
