Vampire Academy
No, it's not Great Literature. But, Vampire Academy has a genuinely kick-ass heroine, with geniune reasons for being kick-ass. She is talented but still has to work hard, she is flawed but likeable, and most of all, get this - she's attractive and she knows it! None of this "but why does anyone like me I'm so plain and boring" bullshit (Bella Swan, I'm looking at you and your YA clones here...) Refreshing. Rose knows she's awesome, she also knows she isn't perfect, but is willing to put the effort in to be the best guardian she can be. There is also a decently interesting premise, and I feel about this book how I feel about food - sometimes you just want a really good burger and fries after eating a lot of pretty but un-filling fancy gourmet meals. (Not that I've been having a lot of those in the food sense, but, you know, in the literary sense I've been reading a lot of serious, critically acclaimed prize winning books, so this makes a nice change).
