A fun travel adventure/memoir.

We'll Always Have Paris: A Mother/Daughter Memoir by Jennifer Coburn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let me just say that I love this book. I am currently an “armchair traveler” (although upon retirement I plan to become a “real” traveler, ha ha) and travel adventure books are among my favorite genre of books, as are memoirs. I love books about bicycle travel, sailing travel, walking travel, group travel – all of it! I even like travel shows on television.
I loved how the author decided to “go for it” and make these trips happen, even though her family had other financial necessities in their life; she made travel (and memories for her daughter) a priority. After seeing her father did young of cancer, she didn’t want to have any regrets in her life (she thought she would also die young) and didn’t want to leave travel until later in life, in case she died before it could happen. I kind of feel the same way; that by waiting until retirement (in 2.5 years for me), I might have waited too long. If I end up getting some debilitating health issues before then, I’ll really be mad. I’ve already been through breast cancer, and that’s enough for me. I just cannot wait to be able to travel at will with my husband. I traveled a lot as a young Army brat and in my early 20’s, but very little since having a family.
I really like the author and her daughter (who appears to be a very intelligent young lady), both of whom I’d like to meet. I feel like a kindred spirit. The two of them appear to have a really good relationship, and I loved reading about their adventures, and misadventures. The book was a delightful read and I especially liked it because I have been to all these places! I could picture the places in Italy and Spain, for example. I was right there with her as she toured Barcelona! I definitely want to go back to all these places someday and maybe keep a journal this time, as Jennifer Coburn has inspired me to write about my travels. The book is an easy and quick read, and, unlike some of the other reviews, I really liked how she interspersed her past life into the book, so that the reader feels like they really know Jennifer and Katie as personal friends. I also like Jennifer’s husband, William, because he supported her in her need for travel, even though he did not accompany them on their trips. He’s a real keeper! I laughed out loud at some parts; it was such an engaging book. I do recommend it if you love travel adventures.


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My favorite book this year, so far!

The Lake House by Kate Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

** I received this book for free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I also listened to this book on Audible, narrated by Caroline Lee. Although it's only February, it's my favorite book of 2016, so far. I love Kate Morton's books, and this one is my favorite of hers. It spans two time periods, 1933 and 2003. In 1933 an 11- month old boy, Theo Edevane, disappears at night while his family is hosting a midsummer party in Cornwall, England. Is he killed or kidnapped? The disappearance is never solved. In 2003 a female police detective, Sadie Sparrow, is visiting her widowed grandfather, Bertie, in Cornwall. She is on a forced leave of absence by her boss for speaking with reporters about a high profile case she was nvestigating. While on a jog one day, she discovers the hidden Lake House, where the 1933 story took place. As she starts researching the story after she is told whose house it was and what happened there 70 years earlier, she becomes hooked on solving the mystery.

The book moves back and forth between the two time periods (and even earlier, to give the back story) and the two stories, until Sadie meets some of the characters from the 30's who are still alive. She is determined to solve the crime she investigated, as well as the old cold case. As the two time periods rush closer and closer together, there are twists and turns as secrets are revealed, and coincidences occur.

I love Kate Morton's writing and I loved the narration of the book. I highly recommend this book and predict it will be a best seller.

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An excellent novel during the World War II period - a must read!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is now my favorite book of 2015. I don't understand the negative reviews, as I really loved it. I listened to it on Audible and couldn't wait for my commute every day to listen to it. 3 days later, I'm still thinking about it. I highly recommend it.

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A fun legal thriller, written by a local Virginia judge!

The Jezebel Remedy by Martin Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! We are reading it for my at-work book club. It was written by a Virginia judge (Martin Clark) and takes place in Henry County, VA. It mentions many places I know and real people I've heard of or know. It is a legal thriller, and even includes a Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board hearing - which is very pertinent because I work for the Virginia State Bar in the Disciplinary Section and clerk those hearings!

You can read the synopsis of the book yourself, but I found it a lot of fun because it was written by a Virginian, a signed copy was given to our department to read, and I liked the story. It was a thriller and had many twists and turns and covered different themes (law, crime, adultery, lies, animals, inventions, subterfuge, etc.) The discussion should be very interesting!

I recommend this book. Oh, I listened to it on Audible and the narration was wonderful (I also read parts of the book that I wanted to reread).


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Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay, this is now, officially, my favorite book (so far) of 2015. I listened to it on Audible and could hardly wait for my commute to/from work each day to listen to it! It's about a group of mothers in Australia (Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie, their husbands and families, and some other minor characters), all mothers of kindergarten students in a small beach town on the Australian coast. An incident happens on the day of kindergarten orientation that affects them all in some way, and then, on "trivia night" a few months later, a death happens (we find out about it in the first chapter, but it takes the whole book to find out what happened and to whom - until then we don't know). The book goes from that night of the supposed murder/death, and then goes back in time to "5 months before trivia night," "4 months before trivia night," and so on. And then after the incident it goes from days after trivia night, 4 weeks after trivia night, and 1 year after trivia night. The deals with many issues: bullying, gossip, teenagers, domestic violence, divorce/remarriage, infidelity, women's body issues, and more. It is very character-driven and the reader is very much drawn into each of the lives of the characters. There are some twists at the end that I suspected at first, but then had discarded, so I was surprised when they were revealed. The characters were all intertwined in some way, which was part of the brilliance of this book. I love this author's writing, and have read one other of her books, but like this one the best so far. I plan to read her other books because I love her writing so much. By the way, this would be a great book for a book club discussion. And I highly recommend the Audible version as I thought the narrator was excellent.

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An adventure/survival novel that I really liked and read in one sitting!

Girl Underwater by Claire Kells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book with the Woman's Adventure Magazine Book Club on Facebook. We normally read non-fiction travel adventure books, but reading a novel that read like it was real, was a nice change. I read the book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. It is a debut novel and I look forward to more by Claire Kells!

In this book 19 year old Avery Delacorte, a competitive college swimmer, is on her way home to Boston for Thanksgiving, when the plane goes down in the Rockies of Colorado. She, a fellow teammate, Colin, and 3 little boys, are the only survivors. They survive in the mountains for 5 days, in sub-freezing temperature, and with dwindling food supplies (airplane snacks only), and injuries, before being rescued. In the aftermath of the rescue, Avery suffers from PTSD, as what really happened is not what she told the media. The book jumps back and forth in time, very effectively. My only question is why did Avery avoid Colin from the time she first met him as a freshman and he was so nice to her? I didn't understand what her reason was.

I also don't understand the negative reviews I've read, because I really liked the book and thought it was well-written. I guess different strokes for different folks!

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Now I definitely want to walk the Camino someday (soon)!

Walking the Camino: A Modern Pilgrimage to Santiago by Tony Kevin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm more than halfway through and still am enjoying the book. I really like the Spanish history and politics that author has included; I find it really interesting.

But what REALLY ANNOYS me is the terrible Spanish pronunciation of words!! I wish the narrator knew Spanish because as he butchers most of the names of places and words, I want to scream at him, lol!

Ok, I have now finished the book. Although Tony didn't have any mishaps on the road or any "exciting" events to recount, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The history he included, the Spanish politics, the brief telling of his own story, his reasons for the pilgrimage, and more, were very interesting to me. He was the same age I am now when he walked the Camino (63), so I really wanted to read it from the perspective of someone my age. As a Catholic myself, I could also relate to his story about his spiritual journey as a Catholic along the Camino. Also, I had not heard of the route he took, from Seville to Santiago; I only had heard of the Camino Frances, Ingles and Portuguese. He walked most of the way by himself, choosing to socialize at night with the pilgrims he met on the way during the day. I think I would prefer to walk with someone, but that's me.

As I listened to the book, I have no idea if the print version included any pictures. I would really like to see them, if there were any!

This book has rekindled my interest in reading even more travel adventure books about walking the Camino, or which I have a few. And, of course, I will watch the movie, The Way (with Martin Sheen, on Netflix), yet again - one of my favorite movies.

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