Road Trip, Solo Style

This past week I hit the road and drove to Nebraska. A seven-hour drive to Lincoln, mostly through the fields of rural Iowa doesn't necessarily sound like the greatest time, but I learned something about myself on the way. When I'm really tired and really stressed out, a nice quiet drive with just me and an audio book does the trick.

While my stay was short and sweet, it was sweet. I went to visit a dear friend and celebrate her forth-coming marriage with her because, for many un-moveable reasons, I can't attend her wedding. Her mother said to when hearing that I was willing to drive that far for a bridal shower, "You must really think highly of Becky." She was right. I do.

It was wonderful to spend a short, but precious amount of time with my friend. Our time together made me think about relationships and the importance of maintaining them. Some people are always there for you. And those people I always try to be there for.

On the way back, I took a route that brought me not across rural interstates, but across rural back roads, allowing me to make a quick stop on the way back in the tiny town of Ringsted, Iowa, population 400. There, I visited another dear friend, who is a pastor at the Lutheran church in this tiny town. It was wonderful and uplifting to hear her tales of ministering to these people-- a ministry that is constant. To those who saw us come into the local bar and grill for a slice of pizza for dinner, she was simply, "Pastor" and several people stopped to chat with her.

Quick Review: "The Last Child" by John Hart

As I often write about the books I read on here, I will say, my road-side companion was, "The Last Child"  by John Hart.

Here's the synopsis:

A year after 12-year-old Alyssa Merrimon disappeared on her way home from the library in an unnamed rural North Carolina town, her twin brother, Johnny, continues to search the town, street by street, even visiting the homes of known sex offenders, in this chilling novel from Edgar-winner Hart (Down River). Det. Clyde Hunt, the lead cop on Alyssa's case, keeps a watchful eye on Johnny and his mother, who has deteriorated since Alyssa's abduction and her husband's departure soon afterward. When a second girl is snatched, Johnny is even more determined to find his sister, convinced that the perpetrator is the same person who took Alyssa. But what he unearths is more sinister than anyone imagined, sending shock waves through the community and putting Johnny's own life in danger. Despite a tendency to dip into melodrama, Hart spins an impressively layered tale of broken families and secrets that can kill.

I am not quite yet done with it, but, will say, with only a bit left, I'm giving it a 2.5. It's a decent read, but fairly predictable and the characters, all are a bit flat. Had I not needed the company for my more than 14 hours in the car, I would have given up on it. But, now I'm nearly done and I suppose, I should learn what happens.

I'll also provide the caveat that as far as mystery-thrillers go, I tend to like something with a bit more "thrill" to them than "The Last Child" provides. It's more of a read for someone who likes a straight-up police investigation. Those who like that type of story may be more drawn to this particular book.

And my second caveat is that I've been listening to this on audio and the guy who is reading it is starting to get on my nerves... maybe that is making my score fall a bit lower, too. But really, I think it's not a bad book (not really bad), just not my kind of book. 

None the less, it was a good companion and I'm glad for that. Does it seem silly that I'm already dreaming of a new road trip just so I can enjoy another quiet get away, even, for this extrovert, all alone? I might just love that idea.

BYOB Book Review: The Wrong Mother

Last night I hosted my first book club meeting. We met at my house and enjoyed lovely conversation over a book we, as a general consensus, found... well, just ok.  Per usual, here are my thoughts:

Brief synopsis: 

Sally Thorning is watching the news with her husband when she hears an unexpected name-Mark Bretherick. It's a name she shouldn't know, but last year Sally treated herself to a secret vacation-away from her hectic family life-and met a man. After their brief affair, the two planned to never meet again. But now, Mark's wife and daughter are dead-and the safety of Sally's own family is in doubt. Sophie Hannah established herself as a new master of psychological suspense with her previous novel, Little Face. Now with accomplished prose and a plot guaranteed to keep readers guessing, The Wrong Mother is Hannah's most captivating work yet.

My rating: 3 stars

Group rating: 3 stars

We created 1-5 ranking scale and this one landed at a 3, middle of the road.I'm going to defer to Michelle at Red Headed Book Child, who is an amazing book reviewer fir her official review of "The Wrong Mother."

My review: 

My quick personal take is, I was really excited about this book, but in the end, mostly disappointed. I thought it would be more gripping and it kept me going (mostly) until about the middle of the book, where upon I just gave up on it for many of the reasons Michelle notes in her review. 

Thanks, BYOB Book clubbers!

However, on a positive note, I'd like to say thanks to all the amazing women who joined me for the discussion last night. It is so exciting to have such a great group to discuss books with! And I loved having a chance to host each of them.

We had 12 wonderful ladies at the first meeting! And the total group has 15 wonderful women in it. We're going to overwhelm each others homes every other month as we all squeeze together to chat literature for a couple hours, but I think it will be great! I never could have imagined that my Facebook post seeking just a couple friends to join a book club with me would have led to such a great group! Wow!

Upcoming read:

We will meet every other month (which I think is plenty!) and will next read, Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, a book that has been on my to-read list for some time now. We'll meet in November and celebrate all that fall has to offer when we gather again! Between, now and then, happy reading!

Friday Funnies

I've realized I haven't been good as of late at sharing witty thoughts on my blog. So, instead, I'll just share this clever YouTube video that a dear friend sent to me earlier today. Happy Friday!

Book Review: Loved Walked In

Book: Loved Walked In 

Author: Marissa De los Santos 

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Brief synopsis:

A tribute to classic film and true romance, LOVE WALKED IN tells the story of two women – one older, one younger – and the unexpected ways in which their lives are forever changed by chance.

For thirty-one-year old Cornelia Brown, life is a series of movie moments, and “Jimmy Stewart is always and indisputably the best man in the world, unless Cary Grant should happen to show up.” So imagine Cornelia’s delight when her very own Cary Grant walks through the door of the hip Philadelphia café she manages. Handsome and debonair, Martin Grace sweeps Cornelia off her feet, becoming Cary Grant to Cornelia’s Katharine Hepburn, Clark Gable to her Joan Crawford. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, eleven-year-old Clare Hobbes must learn to fend for herself after her increasingly unstable mother has a breakdown and disappears. With no one to turn to, Clare seeks out her estranged father, and when the two of them show up at Cornelia’s café, the lives of Cornelia and Clare are changed in drastic and unexpected ways. A cinematic and heartfelt debut that pays homage to the classic Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn romantic comedyThe Philadelphia Story, Love Walked In is sure to win over critics and readers of contemporary fiction. 


My review: 


So, I read the follow up novel, Belong to Me, before reading this book. A lot happens in this book that leads up to Belong to Me. Because I had read Belong to Me first there were certain events toward the end of the story that I knew would happen. In the end, I'm glad for this. I actually found De los Santos's character development to have strengthened a lot with Belong to Me. While I really liked the characters in this and felt a warm affection them throughout, De los Santos was able to really develop the characters in new, interesting and layered ways much more with Belong to Me. I am glad to see her ability to do that-- it made some of the slight flatness of the characters I felt with Love Walked In manageable because I knew she would grow in her writing with her second novel. 


With that said, I did enjoy this book. It was warm and fuzzy and really touched on the many types of love that people have for each other-- romantic, maternal, the love of friends, the love of a stranger even. I liked the development of the friendship that was created between Corneila and Clare, especially because I knew where Corneila's story was taking her. (And really, to be honest, the direction that her future was heading wasn't in-obvious even without having read the follow up novel.) 


I gave this book a 3.5. Without having read Belong to Me, I may have said a 3 to be perfectly honest. It's a short, quick read. It's warm. It's fuzzy. It's nice. It's a good filler book. Grab it for a quick vacation read or as a follow up to a bigger, denser novel-- it will take the edge off. :) 


More soon! Working on finishing my book club read- my next book post will be our group review.  Happy reading!