Friday Finds

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB at You Should Be Reading and you can find it here.

1) Homer & Langley by E. L Doctorow
I found this really unusual book over at Diane's site Bibliophile by the Sea.
Diane wasn't sure about this book, but the story had me really intrigued. I think I will let Diane explain this book as her explanation will be better than mine.

This is a work of fiction based on the lives of the infamous Collyer brothers. The decaying bodies of these eccentric bachelors were found beneath mounds of rubble in their upper west side, Manhattan home in 1947. It was reported that some 100 tons of junk had to be removed.

Diane has written a really good review of this book, so do click on her blog title above and check out what she has to say about this interesting and unusual work of fiction.


2) Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

I found this book over at Eva's blog A Striped Armchair. Eva had picked this book up as part of her library loot. Now I know this is another vampire book, but I feel the occasional one won't hurt.

Here is the blurb on this book from Amazon.
Octavia Butler's first new novel in seven years, is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly unhuman needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: She is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted-and still wants-to destroy her and those she cares for and how she can save herself. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of "otherness" and questions what it means to be truly human.


3) The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

These last two books were both found over at Carl's site Stainless Steel Droppings.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.

Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo--author of The Tale of Despereaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane-- has crafted another exquisite novel for young readers. The Magician's Elephant tells the tale of Peter Augustus Duchene, a ten-year-old orphan who receives an unbelievable piece of information from the local fortuneteller. Peter learns that his fate is tied to an elephant that has inexplicably fallen from the sky when a magician's trick goes terribly wrong. Why did it happen? And, how can an elephant possibly change the course of Peter's life? This darkly atmospheric, yet hopeful tale, demonstrates that when the answers to life’s big questions are opaque or unforthcoming, all is not lost. DiCamillo's rhythmic writing, combined with Yoko Tanaka's mysterious black-and-white illustrations, enchants and calls out to our sincerest wishes and dreams (recommended for readers ages 8-13).


4)Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestly

Here is the blurb from Amazon.

Uncle Montague lives alone in a big house and his regular visits from his nephew give him the opportunity to relive some of the most frightening stories he knows. But as the stories unfold, a newer and more surprising narrative emerges, one that is perhaps the most frightening of all. "Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror", it transpires, are not so much works of imagination as dreadful lurking memories. Memories of an earlier time in which Uncle Montague lived a very different life to his present solitary existence.

To find out how good it is, do visit Carl's blog to read his review.

So there are my finds this week. What good books did you find?