Before I Die by Jenny Dowham

Tessa Scott has been living with leukemia since she was a little girl. Now, she is in her teens and time is running out. There are so many things she hasn't experienced: sex, drugs, crime, falling in love.... She writes a list of everything she wants to do before she dies and plans on carrying out every single one. She struggles to feel alive though she is dieing.

A haunting story, one that kept me enrapt in Tessa's life, even though I didn't want to finish, didn't want to care for her. I knew that the end was inevitable, but I felt so much for her that I persevered, just like the family and her friends that loved her so much. 

A beautiful book. Caution: Even though this is a YA book it is somewhat graphic and has very mature content. 

A Dirty Job

by Christopher Moore

The first book I read by Christopher Moore was The Stupidest Angel, about Santa turning into a zombie and taking over an entire town during Christmas. So, I expected A Dirty Job to have the same quirky, odd ball humor and fantastical scenerios. I wasn't disappointed.

You'll meet Charlie, a self-titled "Beta Male", who undergoes a sudden change after the passing of his wife when she gives birth to their daughter, Sophie. He suddenly starts seeing a red glow in various objects and comes to learn that he has been chosen as a pawn of death, to become a death merchant, who collects these "soul vessels" and returns them to their rightful owners. It gets weirder. Some of the other characters include another death merchant named Minty Fresh, Hell Hounds, a disabled (of sorts) ex-cop with a thing for online dating, a goth chick who wants to be a chef, one Chinese and one Russian babsitter, three raven women who live in the sewers, and oh so much more. Charlie must team up with some of these characters to fulfill a prophecy before the world is destroyed.

Moore has a great sense of humor and the way he describes objects and events is spot on. A unique voice and a great read!