The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade ★

Oh man, this book was hilarious!  So like, one day the super popular homecoming queen gets hit by a bus while talking on her cell phone and dies.  She's a little confused when she doesn't exactly "pass on" and instead ends up hanging around the school.  Lucky for her, the super loser goth guy can see her.  And talk to her.  And even touch her.  (*wink wink*)  This is such a cute book!  The language is very colloquial (much like this post) and the characters are so endearing!  I've never loved a snotty, high school cheerleader and an emo stoner so much!  A must read for fans of the slew of paranormal young adult literature we have to wade through these days.

The Shadow Hunt by Katherine Langrish

This dark tale follows the story of a young monk running away from his abbey in search of grand adventure and squirehood.  What he finds, however, is a mysterious evil and he ends up journeying to the depths of hell (where elves live) and back in pursuit of his boyhood hero who suffers in his own personal hell.  One part ghost story, one part fantasy and one part coming of age, this book was a nice distraction for a few hours.