Our favorite reads this year from the Adult and Children/Tweens/Teens Librarians:

The age of miracles: a novel by Karen Thompson Walker

The art forger: a novel by B.A. Shapiro

The dog stars by Peter Heller

Before I go to sleep: a novel by S.J. Watson

City of thieves: a novel by David Benioff

Every day by David Levithan

Lovers of dogs and/or dog stories will be delighted to know that a deluge of delights awaits them this publishing season. Here is but a sampling of some recent dog tales. Take your pick of the litter!

A dog called Homeless by Sarah Lean

The vanishing by Christopher Holt

The dogs of winter by Bobbie Pyron

Shadow by Michael Morpurgo

The empty city by Erin Hunter

Buddy by M.H. Herlong

If you enjoyed A Great and Terrible Beauty, try one of these:

Clockwork angel by Cassandra Clare

Grave mercy by Robin LaFevers

The diviners by Libba Bray

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Dark mirror by M.J. Putney

The scorpions of Zahir by Christine Brodien-Jones is a riveting, fast-paced mixture of fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, mythology, mystery, family affairs, and travel. Feisty Zagora Pym sets off for Morocco with her astronomy-crazed brother and archaeologist father to connect with a long lost colleague (Pitblade Yegen) of her father and explore  ruins of the ancient city of Zahir. But Pitblade had been kidnapped, mammoth scorpions have invaded the city, and the rogue planet, Nar Azrak, is on a collision course with earth. With the help of members of the Azimuth tribe, thought to have been extinct, Zagora begins a daring quest to restore order and harmony to this desert land. Key to success of this mission is returning the Oryx Stone to the apex of a buried pyramid. This exotic, somewhat creepy, historical and otherworldly madcap adventure is not to be missed!

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann is like Harry Potter entering the Hunger Games, according to one Kirkus reviewer. Other reviews also rave about this new teen/tween Fantasy/Sci-Fi series. In the dystopic land of Quill, when you reach age 13, you are deemed Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. Alex is too creative and is thereby judged Unwanted and sentenced to be cast into the Lake of Burning Death along with the other Unwanteds.  His identical brother, Aaron, is rated Wanted, turns his back on his brother, enters Wanted University, and rises quickly, becoming the protege of High Priest Justine. Meanwhile, Alex is pleasantly surprised when instead of suffering a painful death, he is welcomed into the magical realm of Artime by the kindly mage Mr. Today. Here Unwanteds are trained in artistry, independence, and magic in a truly amazing mileau where talking blackboards, transporting tubes, fantastical creatures, and whimsical inventions abound. Action, suspense, humor, and captivating characters in a sparkling imatinative setting make this distopian fantasy a sure-fire hit.

If your book group is looking for a reading challenge--each of these books has been challenged by a parent or a community.  This year marks the 30th Anniversary of American Libraries Association's Banned Books Week, September 30 - October 6, 2012.
 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ; preface and notes by Matthew J. Bruccoli

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck ; introduction and notes by Robert DeMott

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston ; with a foreword by Edwidge Danticat and an afterword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr

The Chocolate War: a Novel by Robert Cormier

The wondrous journals of Dr. Wendell Wiggins: describing the most curious, fascinating, sometimes-gruesome, and seemingly impossible creatures that roamed the world before us by Lesley M.M. Blume ; illustrated by David Foote. If you don't know what a paleozoologist is, then read this extremely informative and entertaining work by Dr. Wiggin. It reveals the secrets of the very ancient earth and long-extinct plant, animal, and humanoid species. Wiggins provides detailed sketches and descriptions of such bizarre creatures as: Thunder Vulcusts, "Land" Whales, Bunny Fluffs, Cloud-Dwelling Hummingbird People, and Hapless Vampire Glow Bats. He future speculates on probable causes of each species tragic demise.  Two-Headed Mammoth Buffalo undoubtedly ate themselves to death, just as we are "always biting off our own heads" now. Wiggin's journal is sure to amuse and amaze, as well as give fodder for reflextion. Species often bring doom upon themselves through foolish actions. Can we learn from them and avoid a similar fate?

Brave new world by Aldous Huxley

A canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood

Neuromancer by William Gibson

1984: a novel by George Orwell ; with an afterword by Erich Fromm

If you love fantasy set in another time and universe, try these titles for a change of place.

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara West
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court by written by Mark Twain ; illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

From time to time: a novel by Jack Finney

The house on the strand by Du Maurier, Daphne, Dame, 1907-1989

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Life, the universe, and everything by Douglas Adams

Lightning by Dean R. Koontz

Making history: a novel by Stephen Fry