Hollow Man by Mark Pryor

What's it like to be a functional, passing-for-normal psychotic?

Dominic is an American lawyer who grew up in England and supplements his income as a musician in the thriving Austin scene. He's a part of the justice system and works hard for his clients.

And yet there's something he's hiding. He's known he was a psychopath since childhood and his move to the US may have been strategic - he's spent his life controlling himself (and everyone around him, honestly).

So when an opportunity for a long-shot windfall drops in his lap, it's not a big leap for him to enjoy a life of crime. It may be both the perfect crime and a way to get revenge on someone who's trying to tarnish his reputation ... or maybe not. It may all fall apart.

I loved the unpredictability of the storyline - how far will the scam go, and who will it take down? It's an interesting look inside the head of someone decidedly different and also a frightening look at how reasonable and rational planning a crime can be. I'm really enjoying Pryor's style of writing (he also writes the Hugo Marston series) and his characters - who all share just a bit of his own backstory, once you read his bio!

Nowhere But Home by Liza Palmer

Unfortunately named sisters Queen Elizabeth and Merry Carole have spent their lives trying to live down their mama's bad reputation. While Merry Carole stayed in their hometown to build a successful beauty shop business and raise a fine, upstanding boy on her own, chef Queenie's trotted the globe, flitting from restaurant to bistro to cafe. When she's fired (again) for losing her temper, Queenie decides a trip back to Texas might give her time to decide what's next - and allow her to get to know her nephew.

But faster than she can blink an eye, Queenie finds herself with a strange new job, a handsome beau, and all the small-town drama she's been avoiding for more than a decade.

It's a cute, light book that balances heavy drama with light banter. The story's never better than when Queenie's in the kitchen - I wish there'd been more of that. My enthusiasm flagged a little with some of the more melodramatic scenes, but if you enjoy a bit of small-town cattiness and long-held grudges, this one's right up your alley.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

The highest praise I can offer a book is that it surprised me - that it took me some place I hadn't expected and shocked me along the way. That said, "Aristotle & Dante" is an EXCELLENT book that I highly recommend! Several times I gasped out loud when the turn of events took me by surprise. And I swear I won't give it away for you ...

At the heart, this is a story about two boys becoming young men. Neither has a lot of friends, and when they meet at the pool one summer day, they bond quickly. The boys have a lot in common: awkward unusual names, Mexican-American heritage, super-protective mothers, plus they share a kind of thoughtfulness unusual in 15-year-old boys. But they're also very different: Ari's withdrawn, while Dante's more outgoing; Dante talks while Ari's often silent, and they attend rival schools.

Their friendship brings both out of their shells. Together they work thought the typical-teen thoughts and feelings they may not have shared with anyone else: what am I supposed to be? where is my place in the world? how do I fit in? and how do I get girls to notice me? But the friendship's not easy, either, and often the boys have a hard time accepting the other's differences.

Have I mentioned that I loved this book? The characters are realistic, and I loved the contrast between the two families - one very touchy-feely, the other quiet and reserved. And while the book is set in the late-1980's, it's also very current. Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Librarian on the Roof! by M.G. King

Rarely do librarians get to show our secret super powers with the world, but this awesome book shows just how powerful we can be if we set our minds to it.

When librarian RoseAleta Laurell arrived in Lockhart, Texas, she decided things needed to change: nobody visited their outdated library, and kids believed it wasn't any kind of place for them. Right off the bat, RoseAleta livened the place up with her oversized personality and new books and magazines. Then, she took to the roof in protest - and swore she wouldn't come down until they had enough money for a children's area.

Kids will love this book about a woman who took a stand; it's funny, colorful, and relevant to their experiences. It's also a great depiction of modern librarians - loud, fun, and edgy. RoseAleta is the kind of out-of-the-box thinker that we should all strive to become.

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt

Toby can't wait to get out of tiny Antler, Texas. Even at 14, he knows there's nothing to do there, and a there's a great big world just waiting to be discovered. So then why is Toby so upset when his mom goes to Nashville to follow her dream?

Toby's best friend Cal has an older brother serving in Vietnam (the book is set in 1971), and his achingly homesick letters to the boys begin to open their eyes to the wonders of small-town summer. And the arrival of a trailer carrying the "World's Fattest Boy" also helps change Toby and Cal's perception of their hometown.

The boys are the right age for a major life change, and they really mature in this book - a lot happens during this one summer: love, loss, friendship, responsibility, and a reimagining of their ideas on family. The characters are well-formed, with realistic flaws and true-life personalities. And while it's a preteen book, I enjoyed that there's a well-executed cast characters in all stages of life who accompany the boys in their journey of discovery.

It's an excellent book - for kids coming into their own journey to adulthood, or for adults who've already lived it. The historical setting will make the story more relevant for those of a certain "vintage," but the tale is universal for contemporary readers, too.

Rescue Me

by Rachel Gibson

Gibson takes a slight veer from her Chinooks series by focusing on the sibling of a previous character.  Vince Haven has traveled many paths since leaving his medical discharge as a Navy SEAL.  Proprietor of a relative's small town Gas 'n Go was never even on the short list of possibilities.  Before he even makes his way into Lovett, TX, he encounters a notional lady that is bound and determined not to like him too much.
Sadie Jo left town years ago because she never quite seemed to fit in Lovett.  Now she and her nearly sacrilegious flat hair have returned for a cousin's wedding.  The plan is to get in and get out, but life has other plans for her.  Sadie spends much of the book coming to terms with her past and trying to outrun her emotions with Vince as her new distraction.  Predictably, two duo believes that love 'em and leave 'em will work as well as it always has, and, of course, it doesn't.
Gibson ties her characters to previous novels just enough to keep old fans happy without making new readers feel lost.  It's quick, just a little naughty, and filled with the kind of sweetness we often forget to see in our daily lives.

Under the mesquite

by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

McCall's first book is a novel in verse.  It's always kind of fun to see an author who manages to tell a complex story within the confines of poetry. 
Lupita is a high school student with aspirations toward drama and performing.  She's the oldest of eight children in a family that now lives in Texas, but once lived just south of the border.  The family travels freely and frequently back to visit relatives, until Mami gets cancer.  Lupita shows a level of strength that few teenagers in America find themselves needing.

Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson

Ro Grandee is the perfect Texas housewife: she has to be, to avoid the worst of the beatings from her husband. The beatings she still endures without a word? ...well, she figures she deserves them.

Dropping off a neighbor at the airport, she has a chance encounter with a gypsy who tells her that it's either Ro or her husband - somebody's going to die.

At bedtime I picked up this book, and then forced myself to put it down 100 pages later. The rest, I read in a single sitting as soon as I could.

Joshilyn Jackson is my favorite "unknown" writer - she's written 4 books (each equally awesome) but she's not a household name. She should be - few authors write realistic, damaged, funny, heart-breaking, eccentric, but still-likeable characters as well. And her blog, Faster than Kudzu, is always good for a laugh. Jackson should be much, much more famous than she is.