Friday Finds 11/7/08

Here are the books I've added to my TBR list this week ...

1. Alphabet Juice, by Roy Blount, Jr. - this is a book about words, and it sounds hysterical - I think I'll have to do the audio version to get the full effect
   
   
2. Scratch Beginnings, by Adam Shepard - can you go from being homeless and just about flat broke to having money, a car, and a place to live in just one year? That's what Shepard attempts to prove in this book. Here's the review that caught my attention, and here's another that has spoilers (but I think it's also a great recap of the book).
   
   
3. Map of Home, by Randa Jarrar - here's a quote from the back cover: "A Map of Home is the kind of book Tristam Shandy or Huck Finn would have narrated had they been born Egyptian-Palestinian and female in the 1970s." Based on that alone I want to read this book! Here's the review that introduced me to it.
   
   
4. The Only Road North, by Erik Mirandette - I went back and forth over this book, and it took me about a week to decide that I think I do want to read it. Here's where I heard about it.
   
   
5. The January Dancer, by Michael Flynn - I'm still not sure about this one. It's a sci-fi/fantasy novel with a Celtic twist ... could be good, could be bad. Check this out and let me know what you think.

And now for kiddo's list ...

These will be for when he's a bit older, but I'm adding them now anyway. I found both in this post.

1. Spyology, by Spencer Blake - this book gets the reader to crack codes, unravel clues, and learn about disguises all while teaching kids all about spying. It sounds like fun!
   
   
2. Castle Diary, by Richard Platt - the first half of the book is the diary of a young boy living and working in a castle. He talks about his life, his chores, etc. The second half discusses the castle, armor, fortifications, etc.

For more Friday Finds head over to Should Be Reading. Happy Friday!