The Princess Diaries (Volumes 1-4) by Meg Cabot

Mia Thermopolis couldn’t be more embarrassed. Her mother is dating her Algebra Teacher; the boy she loves doesn’t know she exists and, guess what? - Mia just found out she’s a princess.

These popular novels are full of drama and humor. Though Disney made a movie out of the series, don’t expect the books to be anything like it. Grandmere, the queen of Genovia, more resembles an evil stepmother than Julie Andrews, and Mia does not make a flawless ugly-duckling-to-swan transformation in just one make-over. Instead, her coming-of-age is far more awkward and, consequently, engaging.

The books are truly addictive, but at the same time, I found the characters were hard to like. Mia is highly insecure and selfish, and unlike the movie, she is not very endearing. The other characters, like Mia’s best friend and her awful Grandmother, are even less likable. Though the concept is intriguing (hmmm…what would I do if I were a princess?), the execution of that concept is a little less than regal.

The Sisters by Robert Littell

Complexity is Littell’s trademark in his fasincating CIA-based novels. And that’s what I like about them. Nothing is straight forward, nothing is what it seems, and everything has purpose and meaning, although perhaps not the purpose or meaning that they say. The Sisters was originally published in 1986 so the battle is with communists, but Littell's knowledge of Soviet Russia and the Cold War mentality of the CIA ring very true. Great characters—all with their own twitches including a young women named Kaat who collects words that begin with the letter ‘a’—and imaginative spins on the world as we know it—or perhaps only think we know, Littell delivers a bizarre world of spies and spying. Sign on and, of course, tell no one what you know.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

At first glance, Avalon looks like any other high school. There are your popular kids, like Will the quarterback, Lance, Will’s best friend, and Jennifer, head cheerleader and Will’s girlfriend. And then there’s Elaine, the new girl. She’s tall and geeky; her parents are professors of medieval literature and chronic nerds. They keep old swords in the house and even insisted on naming Elaine after the Lady of Shalott, some chick from the Arthur legends that killed herself over a guy.

But when weird things start happening at Avalon High, it looks like all those old legends about Camelot and King Arthur might be true after all. Could Elaine and her friends really be the re-incarnation of Arthurian heroes? Would that explain why Elaine and Will feel like they’ve met before? And does that mean that Will is fated to die?

Avalon High is an incredibly fun read, especially for those who are familiar with the Arthur legends. The book offers romance, humor, magic, high school dramatics, and fun twist at the end. The plot may be a little predictable (if you know the Arthur legends, you have a pretty good idea of how the story goes), but the ride is well worth taking.

Neuromancer, by William Gibson

Written way back in 1984, Gibson dreamed up and wrote about several high tech things years before they ever came about in reality, such as the internet. In this postmoderm, cyberpunk classic he is responsible for coining the phrase cyberspace, among several others, again way before their inception. The story is a bizarre, twisted tale that is most difficult to follow (or even understand) beyond what is happening on the surface, yet one just while reading there is much to ponder underneath the storied words. Well worth reading, even if you don't wish to delve into the deeper realm beneath the story. Definately a Sci Fi classic written decades before it's time.

Desert Solitaire: a season in the wilderness by Edward Abbey

I had read all the cult classics about Hayduke and the rest of the Monkey Wrench Gang, but never done any of Abbey's more serious work and figured that winter was a great time to. The book takes place in Utah, mostly describing one summer season he worked as a Park Ranger in one of Utah's National Parks before it got a paved access road into it. Abbey spends quite a lot of time describing the minutae of the desert, the animals, insects, and the heat. So it was a good choice for winter wandering. I personally very much enjoyed the read, but could only take it in fairly small doses. Besides the minute descriptions, I also rather enjoyed the short stories of some of his adventures, which included a raft trip down the Colorado pre Glenn Canyon Dam.