Elantris.

I'm not a big fan of wholesale fantasy, like Robert Jordan's or Terry Goodkind's dozen-book series. Those are monstrous reads that require dedication which is hard to come by. I like standalone fantasy novels like this one. It's predicatable, but sweet, and reflective of the times.

I like that the author, Brandon Sanderson, is probably a Mormon of sorts (I'm assuming, since he's associated with Brigham Young U.), yet in this book, the "pantheon of gods" are the good guys, and the "One God" has minions who are ultra bad guys. Of course, that's my own interpretation. Don't want to step on people's toes (and goodness gracious, these days people tend to have highly sensitive toes)!

I also like his dedication, which, if I remember correctly, reads:

To my mom
Who wanted a doctor
But got a writer
And is nice enough not to complain
(Too much)

Gosh, that potentially sounds just like someone I know...Hm, wonder who that could be? (Who, me?)

All in all, a memorable book because of the sweet and simple plot, beautiful concept and resonating dedication.