Absolutely wonderful. Martin's leading lady, Lacey Yeager, is one you either love to hate or hate to love. Set against the backdrop of the cutthroat New York art world, Martin's heroine aims to take the art scene by force, using her wit, charisma and drive to climb her way to the top. The attention to detail in Martin's writing could easily have become dry if you are not familiar with the world of art, but as with Shopgirl, his wit, charm and perspicacity draw you in to the story instead of making you feel like an outsider watching the scenes play out before you. Truly loved it.

This is a debut novel and it debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list. The Art of Fielding is a baseball story, but also not. It is more a coming of age novel about the human condition set against a baseball backdrop. The Art of Fielding follows the story of Henry Skrimshander, a shortstop. Henry was a successful baseball player in High School and had never set his sights upon college until he was recruited by a player from Westish College. While at Westish, Henry becomes one of the most successful baseball players in the nation, having the type of streak most players would never dream of, until it all ends one day, sending Henry into a downward spiral. In The Art of Fielding Chad Harbach explores the phenomenon that occurs with real life ball players when they can't get back in the swing of things after a streak ends. It is a fascinating look into the mind of an athlete, but also into the relationships we develop that change as we do. I loved every moment of this book and did not want it to end.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats is a beautifully written love story that will stay with me and holds a special place on my bookshelf. It is charming and lovely and I simply loved it. This is a lovely novel set in Burma that tells the story of Julia, a young woman in search of answers surrounding the disappearance of her father. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with the absence of her father Julia travels to her fathers homeland where she meets a stranger who may have the answers she seeks. What Julia discovers is that her father was a very different man than the one she knew and harbored secrets for his entire adult life. What starts out as a mystery quickly turns into a beautiful love story, an incredible romance (no, not the Danielle Steele kind). The Art of Hearing Heartbeats is filled with several wonderful twists and turns that kept me turning pages into the wee hours of night. It is at once uplifting and heartbreaking and is perfectly told.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a charming love story about two teens who meet when they are both at a crossroads in their lives. Hadley Sullivan is heading across the pond to attend her father’s second wedding to a woman she’s never met. Oliver is a young British boy flying home to England for an entirely different reason. Hadley and Oliver hit it off immediately and make you believe that simple twists of fate and quirks of timing can truly influence the rest of your life. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight will have you believing that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it.

See What I See is a remarkable story of the relationship between father and daughter. The story follows the journey of Kate Tapert as she journeys from high school in small town Michigan to art school in bustling Detroit. Once in Detroit, Kate shows up on the door of her father’s home, a famous artist who chose his art over his wife and daughter and abandoned them while Kate was young. Kate forces herself into her father’s life, planning to live with him while she attends art school nearby. This is the story of the trials and tribulations they experience together as they get to know one another. Kate is in for much more than she bargained for and constantly questions if what she has to give will be enough…

What if you were an artistic child and this was something not cherished, but punished by society? The Unwanteds follows the story of the artistic kids, or Unwanteds, from a world much like ours called Quill. In Quill, Unwanted kids are banished and sent to what they think is a death camp, while Wanteds go to University to prepare for the life ahead of them. When Alex Stowe arrives at the "death camp" he and his fellow Unwanteds learn it is so much more, it is really another realm called Artime. In Artime, Alex and his friends begin training of their own, using their artistic talents as defenses, preparing for the war with the Wanteds of Quill they know is coming soon. This book is a fun roller-coaster ride and is a great option for lovers of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

The problem: bear has lost his hat, and he wants it back. The suspect(s): it could be any of his his forest friends. Join bear as he asks all his forest friends if they have seen his hat. Bear feels lost without his hat and he would do anything to get it back, he is just so sad. Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back is beautifully illustrated and simply told. It's hilarious and I get deep belly laughs every time I read it.

Otis is back with all of his farm friends, but this time, trouble looms on the horizon. A tornado is coming and Otis and his friends must rush to safety and weather the storm. Bull get's left behind in his pen because everyone is afraid of him. Will Otis face his fears and save Bull from the coming storm?