Friday Finds

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds. What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

A Pebble to Polish by Janet Lord Leszl

Dramatic events suddenly change an idealistic young woman's life. The first opens a thrilling world of possibilities, the next emotionally devastates her. When Cassandra Delaine then becomes the single parent of an extremely difficult child, other mothers of children with autism provide a lifeline; drawing her into their tight-knit group.

The Foremost Good Fortune by Susan Conley

Conley, a writing teacher, and her husband, Tony, an IT consultant, relocate from Maine to Beijing with their two young sons. Her compelling and humorous account of the “cultural zeitgeist” in which they are suddenly immersed draws the reader in immediately. As their initially reluctant sons gradually make friends, and Susan slowly learns enough Mandarin to negotiate bargaining at the market and trips with visitors to the Great Wall, their lives seem to be reaching an even keel. Then Susan discovers lumps in her left breast. The family returns for Susan’s mastectomy and follow-up radiation to Maine, where family and friends take over as surrogate moms, shuffling the boys from one activity to the next. Then they’re back in Beijing, where Susan must come to grips with not only a foreign culture but also “the haze of cancerland.” Beautifully written and insightful on many levels.