I ended up with a huge list this week, so in this week’s Friday Finds post I’m paring the list down to my absolute “I must get my hands on this” list:
When Wanderers Cease to Roam, by Vivian Swift:
I found When Wanderers Cease to Roam through this review at Bermudaonion.
Synopsis from Amazon: “Filled with watercolors of beautiful local landscapes, seasonal activities, and small, overlooked pleasures of easy living, each chapter chronicles, month by month, the beautifully mundane perks of remaining at home—from curious notices in the local paper to the variations of autumnal clouds. At once gorgeously rendered and wholly original, this delightful and masterfully observed year of staying put shows us how the details of travel and the details of our lives remain with us—how they can nurture and sustain us, and how the past and the present become, in the end, intertwined.”
Ms. Bookish thoughts: Doesn’t it sound like an absolutely delightful read? It’s a lovely idea for a memoir, and the idea that home can be just as fulfilling as travel is a beautiful one.
The Squad: Perfect Cover, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes:
I found The Squad: Perfect Cover through this review at Abby (the) Librarian.
Synopsis from Amazon: “Bayport High’s Varsity cheer squad is made up of the hottest of the hot. But this A-list is dangerous in more ways than one. The Squad is actually a cover for the most highly trained group of underage government operatives the United States has ever assembled. They have the perfect cover, because, beyond herkeys and highlights, no one expects anything from a cheerleader.”
Ms. Bookish’s thoughts: High school cheerleaders who are really CIA operatives – what a fun premise! I also like the fact that the protagonist is a teenage hacker who particularly want to be a cheerleader.
Foreign Correspondence by Geraldine Brooks:
I found Foreign Correspondence via Page after Page’s Friday Finds post from last week.
Synopsis from Amazon: “As a young girl in a working-class neighborhood of Sydney, Australia, Geraldine Brooks longed to discover the places where history happens and culture comes from, so she enlisted pen pals who offered her a window on adolescence in the Middle East, Europe, and America. Twenty years later Brooks, an award-winning foreign correspondent, embarked on a human treasure hunt to find her pen friends. She found men and women whose lives had been shaped by war and hatred, by fame and notoriety, and by the ravages of mental illness. Intimate, moving, and often humorous, Foreign Correspondence speaks to the unquiet heart of every girl who has ever yearned to become a woman of the world. ”
Ms. Bookish’s thoughts: When I was a teenager, I signed up for a foreign pen pal program, and I found myself corresponding with pen pals from Japan, Finland, France, the UK and Australia. I still have all their letters in a binder, and every time I look through them, I remember how much I learned about other cultures through them. I think Foreign Correspondence will be a very intriguing read.
The Diamond of Drury Lane, by Julia Golding:
The Diamond of Drury Lane, found through this review at Semicolon.
Synopsis from Amazon: “She’s Cat Royal – four foot four, with long red hair, green eyes and not a penny she can call her own. But she does know a secret – where a treasure is hidden in the theater that is her home. The problem is, she isn’t the only one looking for it. One adventure leads into the next, taking Cat – and readers — through the colorful streets of late 18th Century London. The exciting mystery – filled with fascinating characters, lots of incident, theatrical spectacles, and even a bit of political intrigue – will thrill readers.”
Ms. Bookish’s thoughts: I don’t often read historical fiction, but I love the theatre and I love kidlit books that are about children’s adventures. Cat Royal sounds like such a fun character. The book also won the Smarties Book Prize in 2006 (2007 was the last year the prize was given out); with the Smarties Book Prize (which was awarded to the first three Harry Potter books), an adult panel chose the shortlist but children voted for the winners.
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When Wanderers Cease to Roam is oh, so good!
It is very high on my “I’m going to get this one!” list – it looks so good!
I have the Cat Royal series on my TBR pile waiting for me. I put Foreign Correspondence on my wish list. I have international pen pals when I was younger, and it really helped me develop an interest in world history and different cultures.
Now I must add When Wanderers Cease to Roam to my book list, it looks absolutely delightful…make that a bajillion and two books which I must comb my way through.
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