First Book of the Year

First Book of the Year 2014 is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It's that time of year.  The first of January, when our yearly reading counts are turned back to 0 and the promise and excitement of new books is high.  This year, Sheila from Book Journey is asking us to share what our first book of the year is.  Here is mine:


September, 1983. Fourteen-year-old Bo, a boat person from Vietnam, lives in a small house in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto with his mother, Thao, and his four-year-old sister, who was born severely disfigured from the effects of Agent Orange. Named Orange, she is the family secret; Thao keeps her hidden away, and when Bo's not at school or getting into fights on the street, he cares for her.
     
One day a carnival worker and bear trainer, Gerry, sees Bo in a streetfight, and recruits him for the bear wrestling circuit, eventually giving him his own cub to train. This opens up a new world for Bo--but then Gerry's boss, Max, begins pursuing Thao with an eye on Orange for his travelling freak show. When Bo wakes up one night to find the house empty, he knows he and his cub, Bear, are truly alone. Together they set off on an extraordinary journey through the streets of Toronto and High Park. Awake at night, boy and bear form a unique and powerful bond. When Bo emerges from the park to search for his sister, he discovers a new way of seeing Orange, himself and the world around them.

This book was recommended to me by Lindsey at Random House Canada and I can't think of a better book to start the year with!

What is your first book of the year?

Comments

  1. HarveeJanuary 1, 2014 at 6:13 AM

    Sounds like an interesting book. My current read is one I started last year and am carrying over to the new year - The Fishing Fleet: Husband-Hunting in the Raj. by Anne De Courcy.
    Harvee
    Book Dilettante

    ReplyDelete
  2. KristinJanuary 1, 2014 at 8:23 AM

    This sounds like a very interesting book - I'll be looking forward to reading your review of it!

    Happy New Year!!!
    My First Book of the Year

    ReplyDelete
  3. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzJanuary 1, 2014 at 9:55 AM

    Can't wait to see what you think! Enjoy.

    Here's My First Book of the Year!

    ReplyDelete
  4. ElizabethJanuary 1, 2014 at 10:15 AM

    Sounds quite good. ENJOY!!!

    Happy New Year!!

    Stop by my blog tomorrow for an international giveaway of Jubilee's Journey.

    Elizabeth
    Silver’s Reviews
    My First Book of The Year

    ReplyDelete
  5. Laurel-Rain SnowJanuary 1, 2014 at 10:18 AM

    Love the sound of this one...thanks for sharing, and enjoy! Here's MY FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR POST

    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 1, 2014 at 10:19 AM

    Oh that sounds like a book that will pull the heartstrings. Great choice and thanks for stopping by my blog to take a look at my 'First Read of 2014'

    ReplyDelete
  7. Laura at Library of Clean ReadsJanuary 1, 2014 at 10:22 AM

    Thanks for spotlighting what seems to be an emotional and great story. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kathy MartinJanuary 1, 2014 at 10:34 AM

    Sounds like a thought-provoking book. I hope you enjoy it. Happy New Year and happy reading! I added my first book post to Sheila's Linky.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJanuary 1, 2014 at 10:43 AM

    That is quite a different book from the standard reads that go around. It sounds good! Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nise' January 1, 2014 at 10:54 AM

    Wonderful choice for a first read. Sounds powerful. Happy New Year.

    ReplyDelete
  11. collettakayJanuary 1, 2014 at 11:01 AM

    I hope you enjoy your first book! It sounds very interesting :) Here's my post:

    http://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2014/01/first-book-of-year-2014.html

    Colletta

    ReplyDelete
  12. KristenJanuary 1, 2014 at 11:33 AM

    Sounds like an amazing book and an intense read. I hope you are enjoying and savoring it!

    My First Book

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Brunette LibrarianJanuary 1, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    I'm reading a Kresley Cole book :)

    Happy 2014 - may it be filled with fantastic reads!!

    The Brunette Librarian's 1st book of 2014

    ReplyDelete
  14. Gigi AnnJanuary 1, 2014 at 12:34 PM

    I hope you are enjoying your book, and have a lot of Happy Reading In 2014. I chose a mystery to start off 2014. It has been on my bookshelf for a year or two.

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousJanuary 1, 2014 at 12:39 PM

    This one looks quite thought provoking and that's a great way to start the year!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Literate HousewifeJanuary 1, 2014 at 3:29 PM

    This book looks fascinating! It's on my TBR now. I've not heard of it before. I hope you enjoy your first read of the year.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sheila (Bookjourney)January 1, 2014 at 8:15 PM

    This sounds really interesting!

    ReplyDelete

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