Waiting on Wednesday 9/22

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for...

Title: Orchards
Author: Holly Thompson
Release Date: February 22, 2011

After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg—a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American—wonders who is responsible. She and her cliquey friends said some thoughtless things to the girl. Hoping that Kana will reflect on her behavior, her parents pack her off to her mother's ancestral home in Japan for the summer. There Kana spends hours under the hot sun tending to her family's mikan orange groves.
Kana's mixed heritage makes it hard to fit in at first, especially under the critical eye of her traditional grandmother, who has never accepted Kana's father. But as the summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, Japan, and village culture, and she begins to process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home. Then news about a friend sends her world spinning out of orbit all over again.
Taken from GoodReads.

I absolutely love the sound of Orchards by Holly Thompson. It sounds like a very emotional and heartfelt story examining the truth of our existence and coming to terms with who we are as people, as well as where we belong in the world. Most of all, it sounds like an honest and deep coming-of-age story. Books like this are appealing to me more and more these days. Plus, the pretty simplicity and colours of the cover are satiating my cover lust love just fine, thank you very much. What do you think...and what are you waiting on this week?