The Solace of Leaving Early, by Haven Kimmel (2002)
Exceptionally good book of the sort that takes a long time to read: each word seems important. There is some religious philosophy that could be hard going for some, but for the most part it's skimmable if you're not interested in it. There is also a double murder, two traumatized orphaned children who must be cared for, and two people who think they don't get along but actually have much in common.
I Do. I Did. Now What?! Life After the Wedding Dress, by Jenny Lee (2003)
This sassy author writes an amusing account of her experiences with early marriage. Some sections are treasures, such as when she explains why she is more suited to storming out of a room than her husband (long hair to stream out behind her), or when she relates her coy bar technique of looking around the room while talking to someone ("I'm a little bit bored. You will have to work harder to entertain me"). Other parts are a little irritating, such as when she takes for granted that all women understand the basic need for $400 shoes. But big deal; she's charming enough to pull it off.
Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods--My Mother's, My Father's, and Mine, by Noelle Howey (2002)
As a young Noelle was trying on the trappings of womanhood in the secret of her room, her father was doing the same thing in the basement. As Noelle grew into a woman, so did her father. This memoir recounts the struggles the family had as Noelle's father made the slow transition from a distant, unaffectionate, uncommunicative man into a loving, chatty, happy woman.
A larger part of the book is about Noelle's transition from childhood to teenagerhood to early adulthood. I think we could have had less of that: I was mostly interested in the story of a family working through issues of sexual identity, and didn't need to know the details of each adolescent sexual encounter. I felt the trifold story of girlhoods was unbalanced: instead of being approximately divided among the three, it was more like 70% about Noelle, 20% about her father, and 10% about her mother.
The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold (2002)
This mesmerizing book has received so much press, you probably already know it's told from the point of view of a murdered 14-year-old girl. It's hard to read a book that everyone raves about, isn't it? You almost don't want to like it. But please override that impulse for the sake of The Lovely Bones. I was affected and comforted by the themes, and it was the sort of book I would count the hours until I could go back to reading it.