Book Recs Wanted

[kerravonsen]

The person at work (S) who loaned me the "Order of the Phoenix" DVD really likes Harry Potter (has read all the books at least twice). She hates the Narnia stories (only got half way through "The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe" before she gave up because she felt she was being hit over the head with the Bible). She's just started His Dark Materials trilogy. I've just made her some recs, but I'd be interested in more. She said it isn't so much that she's interested in Fantasy as such, but the things that she loved about Harry Potter were the characterisation and the themes.

So this is what I recced to her:
- The Curse of Chalion (Lois McMaster Bujold) and the other Chalion books
- Sandman (Neil Gaiman)
- the Sime~Gen series
- Doctor Who (though she's mainly looking for book recs)

She also indicated an interest in good Star Wars books, but I couldn't help there, not really being that into Star Wars myself.

So, folks, have you got any book recs, for stuff which is thematically positive with memorable characters?