This list is for sister_of_night, who was wondering if I had any books I'd recommend, but if any of you have anything you want to pimp, go ahead! I'm looking for good books too. I went ahead and linked to the books' pages on amazon, so feel free to investigate them and make your own decisions.

1. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. Series. It's crack. It's fantasy, politics, and Joss-like fearlessness. It sucks you in to a fully-realized world, full of danger and undercurrents, where bad things happen to good people. This is not a sugar-coated fantasy world.
2. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. There are sequels, which are also awesome. It's beautifully written and a gorgeous gothic story, set at a finishing school in Victorian England, told through the eyes of newcomer Jemma.
3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Dreamy, poignant, kinda trippy, it's a beautiful read. 
4. Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale  by Holly Black. A darkly glittering faerie tale, written in a beautiful style. 
5. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Anything by Gaiman is a dream, and this one is no exception. 
6. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman. It's a collection of his shorter works and just- wow. 
7. The Secret Country by Pamela Dean. I have re-read this series to death and I'm more in love with it every time.
8. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling. Aka Harry Potter 3. It's my favorite book of the series and it shows off everything I love about the books. I'm not sure if you can read it as a stand-alone, but since it's earlier in the series, I don't think it should be too difficult. 
9. The Good, the Bad and the Undead by Kim Harrison . Book 2 of her Rachel Morgan series, and a great fun read. I love the edge she keeps in her characters and the world she's created. Vampires, witches, were-wolves, pixies, demons, and elves. With attitude.
10. Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman. Pure hilarity, it's a memoir of life and growing up as a girl in America. Gilman's always awesome.
11. Kiss My Tiara: How To Rule the World as a Smart-Mouth Goddess by Susan Jane Gilman. Every female should read this book. 
12. The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory. Gregory knows this period and it shows. I love her take on Kitty Howard and Anne of Cleeves. Her version of Henry is a nightmarish depiction of corruption and madness, and she's very unforgiving. I wish he'd come off as a little more sympathetic- but by this time, he's already sunk to the depths.
13. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. 
14. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris. This is the 5th Southern Vampire novel, but I've never read the first 4. Vampires, were-stuff, a psychic waitress, all in rural Louisiana. What's not to love? A fun series.