Alllrighttt.... I love me some books and you mentioned sci-fi so I have to know:

Have you read The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein? It is one of the finest pieces of sci-fi I've ever devoured.

And for a coming of age type-y book, I enjoyed the first book in the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. I'm not sure how the rest of the series shapes up but it was way better than the movie. Plus, it's amusing to read about Gods in the present and all the dumb things they do. The intro of Dionysus was pretty silly.