'The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic'

I just read and much enjoyed The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, a first novel by Emily Croy Barker. I highly recommend it to fantasy lovers. It's nicely written—something that matters more to me with each passing year—and I found the characters engaging and interesting. The book is complete, but it leaves you wanting a sequel (which is indeed in the works).

Try it out, but don't form preconceptions based on the first sixth or so of the book. That part—chapters 2 to 7—is important to understanding the rest, but the main character is basically a magically dazed helpless young woman. She is most definitely not a dazed helpless young woman for the rest of the book.

Also, don't form preconceptions based on the title, which made me expect a magic-in-this-world book. The book is actually part of the door-to-a-magical-world genre.