I tried, but I can't narrow it down to one; sue me. it's too tough of a choice!
the first that pops into mind is rachel hartman's seraphina. I loved reading this from beginning to end & didn't put it down until I was done. that woman has excellent craft & command of language; I was thoroughly hooked. a monster calls (patrick ness & jim kay, based on siobhan dowd's idea) really grabs at my heart, too, & I can't leave without mentioning the book thief, either. for poetry, I very much adore a blessing outside us (hilda morley), the dark of the sun (umberto saba), kevin young's anthology the art of losing, what the living do (marie howe), & rilke's uncollected poems + the book of images (both edward snow translations).
these are just the ones that spring to mind, because I know there are a dozen more I'm forgetting.
