The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I've been trying to write a decent review on this book for the last few days and I just can't seem to come up with anything that does it justice, so I'll just post what it says on the author's web site (sorry, it is a bit long).

My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.
"The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.
"The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age.
I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.
My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.
But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know."
I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.

So begins the tale of Kvothe—from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages you will come to know Kvothe as a notorious magician, an accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. But The Name of the Wind is so much more—for the story it tells reveals the truth behind Kvothe's legend.

This book is fabulous! It was long and involved and it took me a little while to get through it but it was worth it. But now I have to wait until the next book comes out, which according to Rothfuss won't be for a while.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

"The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs or the joy of watching the pages consumed by flames, never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do..."

"The novel presents a future American society in which the masses are hedonistic and critical thought through reading is outlawed. The central character, Guy Montag, is employed as a "fireman" (which, in this future, means "bookburner"). One rainy night returning from his job, fireman Guy Montag meets his new neighbor Clarisse McClellan, whose free-thinking ideals and liberating spirit force him to question his life, his ideals, and his own perceived happiness."

Although this was a fast/easy read, I really enjoyed it and had a great discussion with my book group about it.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl is a retelling of a Grimm's fairy tale (not one that I had heard of before). Ani is the Crown Princess of Kildenree and betrothed to the Prince of Bayern. She travels from her home to Bayern with her maid in waiting. Her maid in waiting turns traitor and claims to be the princess rather than Ani. Ani bides her time working for the King as a goose girl, trying to determine how to prove the maid false. Along her journey she finds friends and help in unlikely places, including herself.
There are two other books about Bayern including Enna Burning and River Secrets. Both are worthy tales, but The Goose Girl is the most intriguing.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman also wrote the book Stardust. I saw the movie, with Claire Danes, which came out a few years ago, and wanted to read the book. I liked the book but it just wasn't quite as exciting as the movie. The plots are very similar but Hollywood jazzes up the ending a bit. Both are good though and I would recommend them in any order.

Tristan is a young man in love. And to prove his love he offers to go across the wall to find a fallen star and bring it back to the lovely Victoria. The wall marks the boundary between our world and another very different world. There Tristan finds many adventures waiting for him along with a fallen star that is much more feminine than a celestial rock.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

If you haven't heard, The Graveyard Book is the newest winner of the Newberry Medal. And now that I've read it I can say it was well deserved. I thought this was a fabulous book and Gaiman has an incredible writing style.

The story is about a little boy, whose family is murdered but he escapes with a little luck and some help from the ghosts in the local cemetery. Nobody Owens, Bod, grows up in the graveyard learning the ways of the dead, protected from the murderer that is still searching for him. However there are other dangers that Bod encounters, including the Indigo Man, a Ghoul Gate and the mysterious Sleer. He has help along the way, from his guardian Silas, a witch's ghost and a living girl named Scarlett.

Note: If you like Gaiman's tales, you might also be interested in the movie that is out right now called Coraline, based on his children's book.

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

Brisinger is the most recent instalment in the Inheritance Cycle. The first two books are Eragon and Eldest. The books tell a familiar story about a peasant boy, Eragon, who discovers there is more to him than meets the eye. He finds a dragon egg, it hatches, and he becomes a Dragon Rider. Thus starts an adventure of self discovery where Eragon and Saphira (his dragon) must battle fantastic creatures, befriend Elves, Dwarves and Men, and find a way to destroy the evil King Galbatorix.
I enjoyed the first 2 books and was excited to read the third. I liked it, but was a little disappointed in the movement of the plot, I felt it was slow. I was also bummed because I was about 3/4 of the way through the book when I realized that it is not the last book. The author originally planned for 3 books, but when writing Brisinger he realized that the story was too long for one book and made the series into a cycle! I'm bummed because I didn't get a conclusion as I was hoping, and I have to wait for the next one to come out.