Friday Finds

I am going to heed the advice of many a wise book blogger and highlight only one book--my super duper, most favoritest book of the wee--on my Friday Finds post.

This week that fantabulous honor goes to An Off Year by Claire Zulkey.

Summary:
Cecily has always done everything as she was supposed to: taken the right classes, gotten the right grades, applied to the right colleges. But after a lifetime of following the rules, she surprises everyone by arriving for her freshman year of college... and turning around. There are infinite possibilities for Cecily’s unexpected gap year. She could volunteer, or travel around the world--but, for now, Cecily is content to do absolutely nothing. What follows is a year of snarkily observed self-doubt and self discovery during which Cecily must ask herself, for the first time, what does she really want to do with her life?

Here are some tid-bits that may push you over the edge toward adding this debut book onto your TBR:

* Check out the post on Forever Young Adult that brought this book to my attention. This highlights some of Zulkey's ideas for other YA books she could write if this one doesn't pan out. (I'm just saying that the idea of Are You There, God? It's Me, a Sparkly Vampire, and the opportunities for frustration that result because vampires don't menstruate, is something I'd probably read.)
* Read more of Zulkey's high-larry-us writings at her website.
* Read the first chapter of An Off Year at Amazon.com. (That's what did it for me. I loved Cecily's voice.)

How about you? What rocked your bookish socks off this week?

Friday Finds

I was horrified (simply horrified) that as of 8:50 AM on Friday, September 18, I had zero finds to post. Luckily for all of my intrepid blog readers, I finally checked out the "Short Takes: Fiction" in my email (courtesy of the 5 Minutes for Books blog) and found one book that caught my attention.

The Package Deal: My (Not-So) Glamorous Transition From Single Gal to Instant Mom by Izzy Rose
This book is a memoir of San Francisco singleton Izzy Rose who met a guy (and his attached children) and fell in love and married and followed him to Austin, TX. There aren't a ton of reviews out there for this book yet (only 11 ratings, 9 of which were 3 stars or higher, and 2 reviews on GoodReads.com; and 20 ratings, all 4- or 5-star on Amazon.com), but the reader at 5 Minutes for Books warned that she put the book down because the sex was "coarse." Buyer beware, I guess.

What about you? What did you find this week? Post in the comments or over at Should be Reading.

Friday Finds (From Friends)

I was kind of sad that I was going to have to post that I didn't have any "finds" this week (which is also shocking). But then I read a fantastic blog post that was politely delivered into my email and am off to the races with tons of great finds.

Worducopia featured a guest blogger who talked about upcoming fall releases that she's looking forward to.

There's Audrey Niffenegger's upcoming book (well-timed to follow on the movie adaptation of her first hugely successful novel The Time Traveler's Wife), Her Fearful Symmetry is releasing October 6.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner is also releasing October 6. I hadn't heard of this one, but her snippet of plotting gave me a wonderful YA mix of mystery, suspense, dystopia, etc., that made this one seem fantastic.

She also featured a couple of series, and I recommend that everyone hustle over and read the full-length post for a much better look at these upcoming books than what I've just done.

(Post your Friday Finds over at the meme.)

Friday Finds

Here is what I found this week for you to browse and enjoy:

Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser - Found from Popinfresh @ Popin's Lair
Popular kids go missing whenever an anonymous blogger posts that he wants them to die. Does the mysterious new student know what's going on? Brandy Danner's review on GoodReads.com says, "Just about all the notes I want in a teen thriller: revenge, comeuppance, red herrings, and a bit of torture. Characters are distinct from each other; readers can tell apart even the background characters (though some of these are still fairly one-dimensional). Strasser’s writing is still more functional than lyrical, but the gripping plot will keep readers turning pages late into the night anyway."

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - Found on the NY Times Best Seller List
NY Times says, "Love among the lupines." GoodReads.com says: As she has grown up, Grace has watched the wolves behind her house and felt an unspoken connection to a yellow-eyed wolf. Sam lives for the summers--when he can live like a human--and feels the protection of his pack and the watchful eye of a silent girl in the winters. When Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy, is it her wolf? And when the winter comes Sam has to fight to stay human--and to stay with Grace.

Ophelia and Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein - Tipped off by The Story Siren
I don't think it's any secret around these parts that I love YA books that attempt to make classic works of literature more accesible to teens (and adults who were less than enthusiastic about doing their required reading when they were in high school). That being said, Lisa Klein's novels Ophelia and Lady Macbeth's Daughters tackle two of Shakespeare's fantastic plays, Hamlet and Macbeth, by changing the primary POV to a teenage female and giving a fresh face (and freshened-up language) to the tales.

Friday Finds

This week I put a lot of books on my "look into this" list, then I went over to GoodReads.com and whittled it down to three. Here they are:

Troy High by Shana Norris - This book is a modern YA-retelling of the Homer's epic poem, The Illiad, in the form of a high school football rivalry between the Trojans and the Spartans that gets amped up when the head cheerleader of the Spartan squad, Elena, transfers to Troy High School. Found in the side bar of Melody's blog, Melody's Reading Corner, while checking out her Booking Through Thursday meme response.

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton - This book tells the charming tale of romance from unlikely sources--a telephone call to the insurance company complaint line. Witty dialogue and memorable characters rated this book high in 90% of people's opinions. Found as a Teaser Tuesday from Margot @ Joyfully Retired.

While I'm Falling by Laura Moriarty - The story of a college junior who's life is falling down around her ears (parents' divorce, school work, boyfriend, family pet?) that leads to investigating the complexities of mother/daughter bonds. (I'm a sucker for college-aged protagonists and books about moms and daughters). Found as a Teaser Tuesday from Staci @ Life in the Thumb.

What did you find this week? Post it over on the Friday Finds meme.

Friday Finds

There weren't a ton of Friday Finds this week... all impulse buys at the store.


Hunger by Michael Grant: This was a major impulse. A couple of weeks ago I picked up the book Gone, read it this past Monday, and made an emergency run on Monday night (at 9:30 p.m.) to pick up the second book in the series, Hunger. [I finished Hunger on Tuesday and you can read my reviews of both of these fantastic YA SciFi books right here.]

Pretty Tough and Playing With the Boys by Liz Tigelaar: I've looked at this series of YA books about "girly-girls" who play sports and aren't afraid to get rough and tumble (and see how it affects their social life) a couple of times before, but never committed. But last week I had an extra $15 bucks and picked up both in paperback... I've started reading the first in the series and it's a pretty good story with a strong female protagonist (but also not the greatest thing I've ever read, but it was only $15, after all).

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer: Again, an impulse buy at the book store because I had an extra $8 to blow, and this book (the first in a series) about an eighth grade vampire--who is neither sparkly nor a gentleman--seemed like something different. [I'm tired of vampire books trying too hard to make vampires not be vampire-ish.] Plus, I'm a sucker for reading female authors doing the voice of a male teen--I have so much to learn for my own writing. Here's to hoping it's an educational experience.

What about you? What did you find this week?

Friday Finds

I have quite a few books to put up here on my Friday Finds post, but it's not really my fault. I was un-computer-able last Friday because I was gone chaperoning my nephew's band camp. So here are two weeks worth of finds:


I checked out Boy Toy (Barry Lyga) and Something, Maybe (Elizabeth Scott) from the library. Both are second (or third) YA novels by authors I've previously read and somewhat enjoyed. I already finished Something, Maybe (review forth-coming this weekend), a quick read about a girl who's family takes the shape of something Hugh Hefner might spawn and it's associated confusions. I just started Boy Toy last night and am already enjoying the voice of the narrator. It's an unconventional plot of a guy who was seduced by his 7th grade teacher and now she's back (while he's navagating the already-confusing world of high school graduation). Good Times.

I picked up King Dork (Frank Portman), Gone (Michael Grant), The Accidental Mother (Rowan Coleman), and Marshmallows for Breakfast (Dorothy Koomsman) as relatively spontaneous purchases last week. King Dork was a quick YA read that I grabbed at the book store because the first chapter of this book about a high school junior who finds his dead father's old copy of Cather in the Rye and unravels a mystery involving dead people, religion, naked people, rock bands, and mayhem was told in a voice that really grabbed me. Gone is another YA read about a small town in California where all of the adults suddenly vanish and the teens left behind have no contact with the outside world. It's the first in a series and the book starts off-bam!-with the action.

The Accidental Mother and Marshmallows... are both books that I'd seen around for a while, I'd picked them up and put them back down in the book store (probably more than once each) and decided to finally take the plunge. Both are relatively similiar stories of single women who are living complex lives, but they find themselves suddenly having to care for other people's children--in Accidental... it's the adoption of the protagonist's childhood best friend's daughter after the death of the mother; in Marshmallows... it's a relationship with her landlord (and his two seven-year-old twins).

What did you find (in the past two weeks)?

Friday Finds... Not So Much (EDITED)

EDIT: I'm stupid and forgot to add the two books I found by browsing at the bookstore on Monday. I've added those to the bottom of this list. [Bringing the total of "finds" to four books this week.]

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ORIGINAL CONTENT: Alrighty, so I didn't do as well as last week (where I had only one new "find"), but I'm still keeping things pretty cut-throat to make it onto the TBR. This week, I only had two finds... here they are.


The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie – Jessica at Barney’s Book Blog posted about this book in her Friday Finds post last week and gave this synopsis, “Sarah McConnell's husband had been dead for three months when she saw him in the grocery store. What does a woman do when she's thirty-nine, childless, and completely alone for the first time in her life? Does it mean she's crazy to think she sees her late husband beside a display of pumpkins?... What if he was really there? They never found the body, after all. What if he is still here somehow, and about to walk back into her life?” Nearly all of the reviews on GoodReads.com were three or higher and said this book mixes the plot stylings of speculative fiction with the writing style of literary fiction—sounds perfect!

I’m Not Julia Roberts by Laura Ruby – My page-a-day calendar featured this book of ten short stories that work to paint the picture that blended families aren’t quite as easily managed as the movie Stepmom would lead us to believe. I liked the premise of this book, I like looking at families and their inner-workings in my reading, and decided to add it to my library check-out list. Most of the negative reviews on Goodreads.com said they didn’t like it because the stories weren’t upbeat. Who ever told people that all stories should be upbeat? I need to hit that person with a stick.

What did you find this week? Post it on the Friday Finds meme over on MizB's blog.

NEW CONTENT: Two more books for you to consider...


Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin - A crazy slip and bonk of the head changes one teenage girl's life. She has to re-meet her friends (and boyfriend) and figure out why she was ever friends with these people in the first place. And why she has an urge to kiss other guys.

Lost It by Kristen Tracy - A girl's life goes berzerk (think: her family leaving everything behind to join an Outward Bound expedition) and she finds that when she loses it all, she gains a lot.

Friday Finds, Apocalypse Style

OMG, People! Yeah, I just wrote "OMG," but this is so seriously crazy...

I ONLY HAVE ONE FRIDAY FIND FOR THIS WEEK!!

What the heck, right? I know, you're used to like seven or eight new books that have crept onto my TBR, but this week it's just one.

Learn Me Good by John Pearson – Five Minutes for Books reviewed Learn Me Good which is the story of Jack Woodson, an engineer who switches careers and becomes a 3rd grade math teacher after being laid off, told as a series of email correspondences between Woodson and a former colleague. The product description says, “With subject lines such as ‘Irritable Vowel Syndrome,’ ‘In math class, no one can hear you scream,’ and ‘I love the smell of Lysol in the morning,’ Jack writes each email with a dash of sarcasm and plenty of irreverent wit.”

Post your Friday Finds in the comments or over at Should Be Reading.

Friday Finds (aka, Books Out the Yin-Yang)

There are so many books this week, that it's not even funny. Seriously, it's really not funny any more. I got a couple of books from the library that I'd been holding on: The Black Rood by Stephen R. Lawhead (Read my review of Book #1 in The Celtic Crusades series) and Sunshine by Robin McKinley. But, let's get to the real business of this Friday Finds post.

Finds From Blogs:
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh - Recommended via Lisa's Teaser Tuesday post "...The setting is the L.A. funeral industry, where Whispering Glades provides deluxe service to deceased stars and their families, and the Happier Hunting Ground does the same for dead pets."

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel - Recommended by Books on the Nightstand
"Last Night in Montreal ... is the kind of book that grabs you from the first chapter... Author Emily Mandel opens the novel with Eli, who is telling the story of his girlfriend's disappearance. Lilia awoke one morning, showered, and went out to get the newspaper--and then never returned... Mandel's writing is the true star. It's literary but accessible, precise and yet not at all cold."

Finds at the Book Store:

I went on a serious book-buying binge at the book store because all of these beautiful books were pretty cheap. Here's what I got (and why I got it):
The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance - Saw this book online (the website of these debut authors was pretty fun to spend some time on) and then saw it at the book store and impulse bought it. I read it pretty quick, here's my review.
Take Me There by Susane Colasanti - Saw this one at the book store (typical boy/girl YA romance told from alternating POV's) and remembered I'd been wanting to read it because I liked Colasanti's first book a lot. (Read my review of When It Happens in this reading round-up post.)
Read My Lips by Teri Brown - The cover of this book caught my eye and then the hook of the book, a deaf girl can read lips across the cafeteria, catching all the gossip, which makes her a commodity to the cool crowd, got me to pick this one up.
Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott - Elizabeth Scott has a book that just came out, Love You Hate You Miss You, so her stuff has been pretty prolific on YA book blogs recently; I've never read anything by her, but I'd always planned to, so at the book store I checked around and this one (pretty typical boy/girl YA romance where he's a have and she's a have-not) seemed the most interesting to me (plus I loved the cover).
The Market by J.M. Steele - This book about a girl who cracks her high school's code that boys use to rate girls (aka, their Market Index) was a total impulse buy at the book store because the cover looked absolutely yummy. I picked it up, considered it, but didn't commit when I was at the store on Monday, but it was like a siren calling out to me and I buckled to my desires and bought it last night.
Exit Here by Jason Myers - I had seen this book before (a teenage guy lives a pretty hard partying suburban lifestyle and thinks he might want to start getting serious, but is it that easy?) and considered it--the cover always had a really nice "indie film" vibe to it--and I picked it up on Monday (because I only had two others books so far and more cash to burn) because the voice of the male protagonist seemed to pull me in. I'm such a sucker for this kind of thing.

But amongst all of my impulse shopping on Monday and Thursday night, this book The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume I, The Pox Party, was probably my most "redeeming" purchase. I plan to eventually read all of this series by M.T. Anderson, winner of the National Book Award in 2007, and finally took the plunge to pick up the first in the series (for only $9.89).

Friday Finds, Categorically Speaking

I missed last week's Friday Finds post, but I'm back with a vengeance this week. I've got seven new books that I've sorted into three categories:
1. Award-Winning YA Books with a Cultural Studies Twist;
2. The Collected Works of Stephen R. Lawhead; and
3. YA Books By Authors I Adore.

1. Award-Winning YA Books with a Cultural Studies Twist

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (by Sherman Alexie) and American Born Chinese (by Gene Luen Yang). Both of these books have won some serious awards—The Absolutely True Diary… won the National Book Award in 2007 and American Born Chinese won the ALA’s Michael L. Printz Award in 2007 and was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2006—and I tend to accept those distinctions as a pretty good recommendation. This week I put them both on my TBR shelf—I picked up a copy of Alexie’s book about an American Indian that goes off-reservation for school at Barnes & Noble (it was such a steal at only $9) and I checked out Yang’s graphic novel from the library while hunting in the YA section with my nephew. I’m ready to have my eyes opened about other cultures living right here in the United States… bring on the cross-cultural education!

2. The Collected Works of Stephen R. Lawhead

Tuck, The Iron Lance, and Taliesin. You can read here and here about how much I’ve enjoyed reading the first two books in Lawhead’s King Raven series (a re-telling of Robin Hood), so I’ve definitely got the final installment of that series, Tuck, on my wish list. But while I’m waiting for that to come out in paperback and/or come in at the library (whichever happens first), I’m satiating myself with his backlist of works. I picked up The Iron Lance (the first in the Celtic Crusades trilogy) at the library on Sunday—I’m on a real Celtic bender right now, so this one should do me good. And I picked up a cheap copy of Taliesin (the first in the Pendragon Cycle) at the book store because I’ve heard that this series of books is his best. If that’s true, then I’m in for a real treat!

3. YA Books By Authors I Adore

Hero-Type by Barry Lyga and Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher. It’s not a secret around this blog that I love YA authors who write smart, funny, and poignant works, and neither Lyga nor Crutcher ever disappoint. You can read my gushing about Barry Lyga here and my gushing about Chris Crutcher here and here. I’m slowly, but surely, reading my way through both of their bibliographies. I picked up Lyga’s book about a boy who did a heroic deed (helping to catch a serial killer), but isn’t really that heroic, at the library on Sunday. Then I added Crutcher’s book about a swim team without a pool (Crutcher’s dynamite when he’s talking about swimmers) when I was at the book store on Monday. I was so excited for these reads that I finished Lyga’s book in a day… it was that good! (The review is up already.)

Friday Finds

This week's Friday Finds post is deliciously sweet. Just three thought-provoking books for you to consider. Let's get on with it, shall we?

The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose – Heather at Age 30+… A Lifetime of Books featured this book, a memoir of one young man’s time posing as an Evangelical Christian at ultra-conservative Liberty University, a transplant from ultra-liberal Brown University, piqued my interest. I went to Cedarville University (it was Cedarville College at the time), a conservative Christian school that’s presently embroiled in a clash of cultures as the school progresses, and I’m interested in reading how a non-Christian would view life inside a “sacred institution.” The review that was linked to says it’s a relatively unbiased review, and that’s something I’d like to consider.

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale – Jess at Barney’s Book Blog posted this one on her Friday Finds last week and her blurb caught my eye. It’s the non-traditional story of a Mormon housewife and a Hollywood heartthrob meeting (both are married) and forming a friendship. That seemed quirky, it caught my eye, so I checked it out on GoodReads.com and it was getting great reviews. The bulk of negativity came from people who had liked Hale’s other stuff and this was too different (God forbid that authors be allowed to develop and change their writing style) and/or that it wasn’t traditional chick lit (God forbid that we write “smart” chick lit). All that being said, it got added to the TBR.

An Underachiever’s Diary by Benjamin Anastas – Very Short List recommended this book, being re-released in paperback by Random House, as a must read. It’s a rather short novel about the older of two twin brothers, William, who is constantly in second place to his younger twin; he’s hailed as a modern-day Holden Caufield (sign me up!). The bulk of reviews on GoodReads.com were threes (with some fours and fives) but everybody acknowledged that it was a book that made you think (sign me up!).

Friday Finds--Quickie Style

I truly don't have that many Friday Finds this week. Only four. Can you believe that?

Here they are:

After by Amy Efaw – This YA novel (to be released in August 2009) tells how a girl who has it all (grades, sports, etc.) could get pregnant and dump her baby in a dumpster, and what life like “After the Day” was like. Found this from the Friday Finds post at Popin’s Lair.

Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield – I’d seen this memoir featured at B&N, but the write up on my Book Lover’s Page-a-Day calendar put me over the edge. “Rock music critic Rob Sheffield transforms his grief and encyclopedic knowledge of music into an unusual and moving tribute to his late wife, Renee, and the music they loved. When Renee died suddenly of an embolis, Sheffield had to process it the only way he knew how: through music. Building his chapters around 15 mix tapes they made love to, danced to, and did the dishes to, his portrait of love is also a cultural map of the 1990s and the sound tracks of our lives.” Sixty-five percent of reviewers on GoodReads.com put this at 4 or 5 stars with another 30% at 3 stars.

Admission by Jeann Hanff Korelitz – 5 Minutes for Books reviewed this literary/nuanced tale of a Princeton Admissions Officer who has a “mysterious” life that’s revealed throughout the tale. The reviews on GoodReads.com were more good than bad (most neutral reviews were because the tale took to long to get into the plot, so I’ll be prepped for that going in; and the low reviews were because the protagonist isn’t likeable, but I don’t necessarily require likeable characters in my books). I was still roughly on the fence and went to put it on my wish list at the library and there were 44 holds, so I went ahead and took the plunge to put it on hold… hoping that the masses are right about this one.

Undercover by Beth Kephart – I recently finished reading a YA twist on Hamlet (Something Rotten by Alan Grantz... review coming later), and I love this kind of thing… authors re-telling classics in an easy-to-understand contemporary format to get teens interested in great works of literature… this inspires my writing. SO, I definitely wanted to read this book, a YA version of Cyrano de Bergerac with a gender twist. I’ve put it on hold at the library thanks to the tease by Staci at Life in the Thumb.

How about you? What great finds did you find this week?

Friday Finds

This week in Friday Finds, we are dealing with a phenomena of sorts. I did not find one single book to add to my TBR this week by browsing other book blogs. (Don't worry, I went to a killer Holiday sale at 1/2-Price Books, ransacked the publisher's remainder table at B&N, and found two other books through other means to add nine books to my library.)

The 1/2-Price Sale: I couldn't pass up 20% off everything, so I picked up five books (for about $16--the price of one new paperback) from some of my favorite authors in my favorite genre: the always "boring" literary fiction.

Straight Man by Richard Russo - The story of an English professor at a fledgling liberal arts college who gets into all manner of crazy situations in the span of one week. The setting (and my love of Russo's writing style) made this a sure sell for me.

Duplicate Keys by Jane Smiley - This attempt at Smiley to dip her toe into mystery when a young woman is killed in an apartment to which many friends hold duplicate sets of keys intrigued me. Knowing Smiley, this can't be a simple who-done-it, it has to be a why'd-they-do-it and why-would-you'd-do-it-too.

The Accidental Tourist, Saint Maybe, and Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler - I perused the mass market paper backs (which 1/2-Price sells for half the publishers list price) and picked up these... I plan to eventually get to her entire cannon, but these (the story of a travel writer who hates travelling, a man converted by a possible religious charlatan, and a woman who disappears on vacation--maybe of her own volition) called out for first pick.

B&N Sale Table: I picked up two books that were on the deep discount table (two hardbacks for under $13 total) at Barnes & Noble. [Never mind that I saw some hardbacks for cheaper than what I'd recently paid for the paperback versions... I'll be checking the remainder table from now on before splurging on any paperbacks. Lesson learned.]

Digging to America by Anne Tyler - I'd never even heard of this book, but Tyler never disappoints me, so I picked this up on Sunday night (and finished it Monday and reviewed it on Wednesday).

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon - I've said here that I plan to eventually read Chabon's entire cannon, so this tale of crime, love, and community that won a ridiculous number of genre fiction awards was Chabon's attempt to elevate genre fiction without compromising any of the literary merit of his writing. Can't wait.

Other: I serendipitously ran across this book, The President's Daughter, which is an updated (in 2008) re-release of a book that was originally published in 1984. It's the first in a series about the sixteen-year-old daughter of a female US Senator who makes a successful Presidential run; the series originally was three books long, but the revised and updated version includes a fourth book. I've put this first one on hold at the library and we'll see how they come along and if the rest are worth reading.

A co-worker was reading the second book in Stephen Lawhead's King Raven Series, which I'd heard of, and when I asked her if she was enjoying it and mentioned that I'd considered reading them eventually, she offered to loan me the first one, Hood. She brought that to me at work on Wednesday, so I've got that one pressing down on me (in addition to the five books I've got out from the library with impending deadlines).

So. Many. Books.

Friday Finds

Hallelujah! I can finally post a Friday Finds that is not a blatant display of my book-loving neuroses. This week I only have four books... can you believe it?!

Craziness...

Anyway, on with the main attraction. Here are the four books I "found" this week:


North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley – I got this YA book recommendation of a girl who struggles with identify/self-esteem issues from the teaser posted on Life in the Thumb. I’d seen this book around, but was wavering up to this point. The reviews on GoodReads.com are more positive than negative, but because I’m still quasi-ambivalent at this point I put it on hold at the library… I can’t see spending money on it (yet).

Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn – I got this book recommendation regarding a recent divorcee who is trying to piece together a life of happiness (and gives off-the-mark advice in the tradition of Emma) from the teaser posted by Beth on Beth Fish Reads. I checked it out on GoodReads.com and the cover alone nearly did me in… definitely on the TBR. I'll check it out from the library (when the library gets it).

Beowulf on the Beach by Jack Murnighan – The subtitle of this book, What to Love and What to Skip in Literature’s 50 Greatest Hits, says what this book is all about. This book is being featured in a reading challenge sponsored by Books on the Nightstand, challenging participants to read at least one of the 50 classics featured in this book during the summer (Memorial Day – Labor Day). To read about my participation in the challenge and/or to join in, read this post here. [Side Note: I went to B&N yesterday to get this book, but they didn't have it... but they ordered it for me, like a good bookstore will do. Just a head's up on availability.]

A Disorder Peculiar to the Country by Ken Kalfus – My Book Lover’s Page-a-Day Calendar highlighted this book and summarized it’s plot as this, “Joyce and Marshall are battling out a nasty divorce right around 9/11—in fact, when Joyce learns of the disaster, she hopes that Marshall, who works in one of the towers, might be out of her hair now. Alas, he survives. Marshall likewise thinks Joyce is dead, and celebrates—too soon. History is brilliantly woven into this tale of escalating domestic hatred to underscore the dark satire.” Dark, sardonic comedy… my cup of tea.

Friday Finds... Oh So Many

I love Friday Finds because it's that great opportunity every week (every Friday, to be exact) where I get to admit to my compulsions and provide tangible evidence that I will never make a dent in my TBR pile or wish list.

I thought I was doing really good this week, I didn't find anything on last week's Friday Finds meme posts that really flipped my trigger, but somehow I still put eight new books into my queue (one was purchased and the other seven are on the wish list). Here they are in all of their literary glory:

Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp by Lauren Lipton – This was linked to as a current read in the side bar of Bookfan-Mary’s blog. The title (and cover) caught my eye, so I checked it out on GoodReads.com and added it to my wish list. The plot twist of a drunken Vegas wedding with an offer that can’t be refused were what caught my eye.

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper – This was another random book in the sidebar of Bookfan-Mary’s blog that caught my eye by the title. She linked it up to Amazon.com where I read the first couple of pages (and was hooked). I love guys writing about guys in funny and irreverent ways in unique situations.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson – This book has been, well, everywhere. I was putting off reading it because it was too, well, everywhere. (I’m a book snob, okay?) It popped up on my Book Lover’s Page-a-Day calendar and I kind of fell in love with the story of a mountain climber who gets nursed back to health and then gives back to those people. Climbing mountains? Always cool. Giving back? Always cool. Keeping a promise? Always cool.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite – Another book that I’d been sitting on the fence about; this memoir of a caffeine-addicted city girl who falls in love with a “Peace Corps Poster Boy” and then follows him around the world as a volunteer finally made it onto the list. All in thanks to the review by Alison at Worducopia’s review with the personal story.

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton – I know this book, a tale of five women united through their shared love of literature that meanders over 40 years of change in the country and change in their lives, has been around for a while (it actually has now finally been released in paperback), but I never got to it. Now, in celebration of the paperback release, Kylee over at Kylee’s 2009 re-posted her review, which I finally read, and now it’s on the list.

Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever by Walter Kirn – This is a memoir by freelance writer Walter Kirn about his time at Princeton and his take on how ivy league education is merely, “an arena for gamesmanship, snobbery, social climbing, ass-kissing, and recreational drug use, where the point of literature classes was to mirror the instructor's critical theories and actual reading of the books under consideration was optional.” I got this recommendation from the fine folks at Very Short List.

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford – This book is about a high school freshman, Will Carter, and his trips and stumbles through a freshman year filled with social ups and downs (including, but not limited to stuttering around females, fascination with boobs—see previous—and a run-in with a band member that may result in blood shed). This was an impulse buy at Barnes & Noble. Based on the reviews on GoodReads.com, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed in this “Guy YA” book.

Guys Write for Guys Read, Edited by Jon Scieszka – I found this book, a collection of short stories by male authors for teen guys—guys writing for guys—on a random library list, “all-time-favorites-young-adult,” on GoodReads.com. Check out the Guy's Read website for more cool stuff to get young guys (middle grade and YA) reading.

Friday Finds

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is saying it's being posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009, but it's actually being posted on Friday, May 8, 2009.

Friday Finds is the lovely Should be Reading meme where you post the books that you "noticed" this week and added to your TBR and/or wish list. In a lovely twist on that idea, my first book in Friday Finds is kind of a nice title, huh?

The Noticer by Andy Andrews - This recommendation came from Holly at Two Kids and Tired Book Reviews and she writes, "...The Noticer is a terrific blend of fact, fiction and allegory. Much of the wisdom gained from reading is very familiar to the reader. But, when presented in a simple story about a kind old man and his ability to influence a community of people, that wisdom becomes new and inspiring."

The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide - The lovely ladies at 5 Minutes for Books reviewed this book and their line, "...[My] first reaction was, 'Um, I think I'll pass.' I'm so glad that I resisted my urge to continue to avoid this topic, even in literary form, because Debra Adelaide has written one incredibly poignant, gripping, gut-wrenching, and yes--even humorous book..." was what sealed the deal to add it to my list.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley - This was another jem that Michael at Books on the Nightstand hyped as one of his book recommendations on a podcast. His description of the book's protagonist as, "Flavia DeLuce, an 11-year-old with a predilection for poisons," was enough to sell me (plus the good reviews it was getting at GoodReads.com).

So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones - This one got tagged on my GoodReads.com list as "Not Sure." The review that Holly did at Two Kids and Tired Book Reviews made the book seem like a good, fun YA read with a fresh twist on blended families (and she posted the first chapter of the book here to read), but the reviews on GoodReads.com aren't stellar. If anybody else has read this and wants to comment about it, feel free.

You Had Me at Halo by Amanda Ashby - This is another "Not Sure" book because I was torn between BookLuver Carol's good review and the so-so response on GoodReads. The premise of a girl who dies, but has to go back to earth because everything isn't settled and then romantic wackiness ensues sounded like a fun YA book, but I'm on the fence.

Life Without Summer by Lynne Griffin - This book about a mother's grief after her young daughter is killed in a hit-and-run accident doesn't seem like an exceptionally happy book, but the review at 5 Minutes for Books said, "as we delve into the lives of people we realize that everyone is dealing with some sort of private or public grief." It wasn't a "happy" week for 5 Minutes for Books recommendations, but poignant none the less.

I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass - I picked this one up based on the Teaser Tuesday post by Michele (Only One L). Here was her tease:

"Death is funny?"
"Sometimes, Louisa, yes. As a matter of fact."

That's good, right? Totally teased me into finding out more about the book.

This One is Mine by Maria Semple - This is another "Not Sure" book that came from another Teaser Tuesday post, this one by Beth Fish:

"There was no discernible edge to her voice. This was one of Violet's most bedeviling tactics, acting as if she was being completely reasonable and it was David who was hell-bent on ruining a perfectly fine morning. (p. 6)"

Some interesting word choice in a two-sentence snippet that harkens to good writing; it's the plot that has me wishy-washy. Do I need another story about a well-to-do couple with marital woes?

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel - This one was on my Book Lover's Page-a-Day Calendar and is a memoir of a girl raised by the town's funeral home director (who's also the high school English teacher and closet gay) that's told in a graphic novel. Not my usual cup of tea, but the panels that are available to view at Amazon.com were pretty amazing stuff (from a graphic novel point of view).

The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen - My sister had recommended that I read this book (based on the back cover copy she read in a book store), thinking I'd like it, but I never got around to picking it up. Well, in Books on the Nightstand's latest podcast that did a featurette on plague-related books, they discussed this book (a story of a rural town that quarantine's itself during the 1918 Spanish Influenza epidemic and what happens when strangers try to come into town) and I'm reconsidering checking it out.

Matrimony by Joshua Henkin - I'd seen this book about two couples' lives that are intertwined around the book store and blog-o-sphere for a while, but never got quite motivated to officially put it on my list until I read the review at Barney's Book Blog and her post about their book club discussing the book with the author. If nothing else, the fact that this author takes the time to phone-in on book club discussions is awesome and he should be rewarded for his grassroots efforts.

That was a ton of books. Eleven. New one-week record?

Friday Finds Make a Comeback

Friday Finds is a meme hosted by the web mistress at Should be Reading where you highlight what books have whet your whistle in the past week. Unfortunately for you all, it's been since March 6, since I've posted, so this will be more like what has whet my whistle in the past six weeks (which isn't really that much, don't worry).


According to my GoodReads.com account (which is so anal-retentive, it's not even funny), here's what's new in the world of Heather:

Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center - I added this book (an entry in the burgeoning "mom lit" sub-category of commercial fiction) to my wish list based on the recommendation at the 5 Minutes for Books blog.

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta - I bought this book while down at an independent book store in southern Indiana (the shop was so tiny, I felt like I'd be the world's biggest cad if I didn't buy something cause the workers were watching me like a hawk). This book tells of an interesting relationship that develops between a high school sex-ed teacher (naturally) and her daughter's soccer coach (who happens to be a Christian, natch). Sparks seemingly fly. We'll see.

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter - I reviewed the first book in this YA series here and said that I'd get around to buying the other book some time (maybe in a year). It didn't take a year because I found it at a deep discount at The Christmas Tree Shoppe (which sells more than just Christmas trees, natch).

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Sunday Philosophy Club Series Book #2) by Alexander McCall Smith - Again another deeply discounted book at the CT Shoppe that I picked up because I have the first one in the series on my shelf TBR. I haven't read it yet, but I'm assuming that McCall Smith writing whodunits set in the UK should be good to go.

A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell - This was another 5 Minutes for Book blog recommendation that I put on my wish list. It's a YA book about loss, love, and healing. Nice and light, right?

Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr - This addition to my wish list was the product of my Book Lover's Page-a-Day Calendar. It's a memoir that spans... well, four seasons (one year) in Rome while the author's wife gave birth to twins, they bumped around in a foreign culture, experienced Italy during the Pope's funeral, and he wrote (of course).

Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Book 1) by Jeff Lindsay - The fine folks at Books on the Nightstand recommended this on one of their blogs and, although I can't say I've ever watched the show that this book series spawned ("Dexter"), I'm intrigued now. It's on my wish list and I'll read before I watch.

All Souls by Christine Schutt - The Pulitzer's were annouced this past week and this one about the senior class of an elite private school (one of whom is in the hospital battling cancer) sounded so interesting to me. It's on the wish list for sure.

Friday Finds

NOTE: This is showing up as March 6, 2009, but it was really posted on March 13.

Today's Friday Finds is a wrap-up of all the new goodies that have crossed my mental wish list and landed on the "official" wish list/TBR shelf.

The Fiction Class by Susan Breen - Found via Friday Finds on The Lusty Reader's post. GoodReads.com summary says, "On paper, Arabella Hicks seems more than qualified to teach a weekly fiction class on New York's Upper West Side. She's an author herself; she's passionate about books; she's even named after the heroine in a Georgette Heyer novel. On the other hand, she's thirty-eight, single, and has been writing the same book for the last seven years." That was all I'd read before putting it on the wish list, and at the book store I read more on the back flap about why this goes awry for her, and I was hooked. Picked it up and it's on the TBR shelf now.

Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale - Found via Friday Finds on Page After Page's post. GoodReads.com summary says, "A laugh-out-loud memoir about a city slicker who discovers that Manolos and manure just don't mix.At her husband's prompting, suburban mom and New York career woman Susan McCorkindale agreed to give up her stressful six-figure job. Together, they headed down south to a 500-acre beef farm, and never looked back. Well, he didn't look back. She did. A lot..." I'd heard about this book before and was interested, but didn't get around to picking it up; well, now I have and it's waiting on the TBR shelf.

This Is My Daughter by Roxana Robinson - Found via Friday Finds on Scobberlotch's post. GoodReads.com summary says, "If divorce rips a family apart, can a second marriage mend the tear, piecing the remnants together into one big Brady Bunch quilt? Of course not. In This Is My Daughter, New Yorkers Peter Chatfield and Emma Kirkland learn this the hard way..." I put this on my wish list (and would have bought it at B&N, but they didn't stock it).

My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson - Found while browsing at B&N. GoodReads.com summary says, "Best friends Kamryn Matika and Adele Brannon thought nothing could come between them - until Adele did the unthinkable and slept with Kamryn's fiance, Nate. Worse still, she got pregnant and had his child. When Kamryn discovered the truth about their betrayal she vowed never to see any of them again. Two years later, Kamryn receives a letter from Adele asking her to visit her in hospital. Adele is dying and begs Kamryn to adopt her daughter, Tegan. With a great job and a hectic social life, the last thing Kamryn needs is a five-year-old to disrupt things. Especially not one who reminds her of Nate. But with no one else to take care of Tegan and Adele fading fast, does she have any other choice?" Heartbreaking, right? How could you say no to the little girl or this book?

The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell, Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker, and Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty - All found from Bookluver Carol's Post about what came in the mail. You can click the links to read the GoodReads.com summaries. These are all "regular girl" YA books/series (and I'm always on the lookout for those as "research" for my book).

So many good books found this week. How about you?

Friday Finds

This is going to be one jam-packed Friday Finds. According to my meticulously-managed Good Reads.com account, here are the books I "found" this week...

The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez - This one I was led to by Bookopolis' post during last week's Friday Finds post. The summary states, "Columbia University, 1968. Ann Drayton and Georgette George meet as roommates on the first night. Ann is rich and radical; Georgette, the narrator of The Last of Her Kind, is leery and introverted, a child of the very poverty and strife her new friend finds so noble. The two are drawn together intensely by their differences; two years later, after a violent fight, they part ways. When, in 1976, Ann is convicted of killing a New York cop, Georgette comes back to their shared history in search of an explanation. She finds a riddle of a life, shaped by influences more sinister and complex than any of the writ-large sixties movements. She realizes, too, how much their early encounter has determined her own path, and why, after all this time, as she tells us, I have never stopped thinking about her."

Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin by Norah Vincent - This book was featured in an article on MSN.com, and it caught my eye. This woman will go through some insane things (pun intended) for a story, and her voluntary commitment to three different mental health facilities (public, private, and "forward-thinking") for treatment of depression sounds interesting.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson - Got this one off a tip from Fleur Fisher's Teaser Tuesday post with a bit of witty dialogue teased. The summary says, "Set in the easternmost region of Norway, Out Stealing Horses begins with an ending. Sixty-seven-year-old Trond has settled into a rustic cabin in an isolated area to live the rest of his life with a quiet deliberation. A meeting with his only neighbor, however, forces him to reflect on that fateful summer."

So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger - Another gem picked up via the Teaser Tuesday posts, this one courtesy of Scobberlotch. The summary is, "So Brave, Young, and Handsome begins with Becket, a struggling novelist bewildered by the success of his first book, who has pledged to his wife, son, and publisher to "write one thousand words a day until another book is finished." Four years and six unfinished novels later, Becket sits on the porch of his Minnesota farmhouse about to give up on number seven, when he spies a man standing up in his boat "rowing upstream through the ropy mists of the Cannon River." Eager to set aside his waning tale about handsome ranch hand Dan Roscoe, Becket calls out to the mysterious white-haired boatman and his life changes forever." [I love a book about a writer.]

Vince and Joy by Lisa Jewell - Picked up this recommendation from my Page-a-Day Book Lover's Calendar. On March 1, I pulled off a page that said, "If you haven’t OD’d on Valentine’s Day, try this classic love story about perennial love. Vince and Joy were each other’s first kiss, first love, first hit to third base—well, you get the idea. Separated by time and distance and a good-bye note that Vince couldn’t read because the rain washed away the writing, the two have met again after almost 20 years. The attraction is still irresistible, but what of Joy’s pending marriage and Vince’s child by another woman?"

Laura Rider's Masterpiece by Jane Hamilton - This one came from the fine folks at the 5 Minutes for Books blog. They write, "I want to say this book was bizarre, but I fear that has a negative connotation which I don't want to convey. These characters are funny, strange, realistic and surreal all at the same time, and the storyline is most definitely unique. A wife who wishes to be a writer (even the impetus for that longing is odd), helps to orchestrate an intimate relationship between her husband and a local news radio personality whom she has long admired, all as a type of character study for the great American romance novel she desires to produce. As weird as that may sound succinctly spelled out, the actual telling of the story is stranger still, yet as a whole I found the book to be so readable and believable in its unbelievability. A contradiction? Perhaps, but this book is a hodgepodge recipe of contradictions- attachment alongside detachment, reality within surrealism, truth and delusion woven together."

So... that's what I found this week. How about you? Drop a comment or link up over at the Should be Reading blog.