Yay books!

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5.) Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War (Clive Barker): The second in the Abarat series. The overall story's one we've all heard before--girl stumbles into another world and has many adventures and gets involved in a battle between good and evil. What makes the story stand out, though, is the nature of the world and the creatures in it--they are simply COOL. I highly recommend to anyone planning on reading the series to pick up either the hardcover or the large paperback version, which goes for something like $11. These versions contain paintings done by the author himself to coincide with the story, which provides some rather...interesting insights.
The second book certainly advances the story along, although the 'big revelation' was one I saw coming from a mile off. That doesn't stop it from being a nice read, though, and I'm definitely looking forward to the third book.

6.) Tigana (Guy Gavriel Kay): I picked this up at the used book store after reading the back and finding myself intrigued by it. The setting is interesting, taking place on a world with a distinct Italian influence. It's a story of oppression, revolution, and memory, centering largely around a band of people trying to restore the name of their homeland, whose name has been magically blasted from the memory of anyone not born in that providence. The story is definitely compelling, and had some plot twists that completely broadsided me. The characters were well-developed, and I felt I could really connect to the main characters. I also really appreciated the fact that the book was almost entirely in greys--no one was really painted in black and white. There were characters who I felt I should be hating I found sympathizing with, and others whom I felt I should side with, but whom I completely loathed.
Against the book, though, the story takes a while to really pick up. Once it does, though, wow. It became hard to put down. I was also disappointed with the fact that there were items in the story I wanted addressed, but never really fully were, and with the somewhat ambiguous ending. But, in the end, I think it was worth reading.