Traveling With Books

My vacation fun always includes reading. These 13 books (yes, I can count–you’ll see) cover two bigs trips. The first, a romantic beach getaway to St. John, USVI with my husband, James. The second, a magical, mystical, and muddy adventure running and hiking around Ireland with my friend, Claire, and a local “runcation” company, Rogue Expeditions. There’s a little bit of a lot of different genres: memoirs, poetry, historical fiction, murder, fantasy. And a whole lot of Ireland.

Books 42–53 in 2019

No 42: The Well of Ice by Andrea Carter

The first two books of this Irish mystery series, Death at Whitewater Church and Treacherous Strand, were books No. 39 and 40 (see “Mysteries and Motivation, Oh My!”). Fate led me to Carter’s Innishowen books–I had a trip to Ireland in the near future and someone donated them to my Little Free Library. Now that I’ve been to Ireland, I want to reread The Well of Ice. You see, Benedicta (Ben) O’Keefe and Sergeant Tom Molloy discover a body while hiking up the hilly terrain of Sliabh Sneacht. In addition to the the frozen corpse, the local pub burns down (was it arson?) and Luke Kirby, the man who killed Ben’s sister, complicates things. Carter  creates vivid settings, so I can only imagine how much more I’ll enjoy Well now I’ve experienced the Irish countryside and its small towns and local pubs.

No. 43: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

My daughter, Christie, recommended my first Neil Gaiman book. Neverwhere, Gaiman’s fantastical book set in the London underground, made me a fan. When I stumbled across American Gods at Goodwill, I figured after all the South by Southwest 2018 hype over the TV show–that huge white buffalo was so very photogenic–I should read the book. Oh, I loved American Gods! Once I’d met Shadow, I knew I couldn’t stop reading until he and I had ridden out the storm together. The plot? Take a bit of Norse mythology, mix in Chuck Wendig’s reluctant heroine Miriam Black (in dude form) and some Good Omens-esque end-of-the-world conflict, and you’ve cooked up American Gods.

No. 44: The Known World by Edward P. Jones

Reading this historical novel heavily influenced one of my #the100dayproject creations. You can read my thoughts on the book and see that blackout poem at “When Vacation and Poetry Meet on St. John, USVI.”

No. 45: Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

Whenever we rent a vacation home, I check out what’s on the shelves. The last time we stayed at Into the Mystic, I read several house books. This year, I picked up Before I Go to Sleep. This mystery had an interesting premise: due to a traumatic injury, when the protagonist falls sleep, her memory resets. Each morning she wakes up to a blank past. Only through a notebook filled with facts and a helpful therapist (whom she’s seeing on the sly) can Christine Lucas begin to figure out her life. What is the truth about her accident? And is her husband really the man he says he is?

No. 46: Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings by Joy Harjo

Thanks to #the100dayproject, I’m rediscovering my first love: poetry. Joy Harjo is the current U.S. poet laureate, and her work, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, was a perfect book for St. John. Why? Many of her poems celebrate the beauty and mystery in the natural world around us. One in particular spoke to me. When I read “For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feet,” I was sitting on the sand at Francis Bay, one of my favorite places on Earth, surrounded by incredible peace and loveliness. Perfection. 

No. 47: I Can’t Date Jesus by Michael Arceneaux

Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend my book club meeting about this collection of essays, but I know the discussion was good. Arceneaux’s memoir is subtitled “Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé,” which pretty much tells you everything. When you read I Can’t Date Jesus, you’re spending time with a friend–a funny, insightful, and irreverent friend. And yes, Arceneaux does meet Beyoncé:

I should note that Jay-Z was standing behind Beyoncé the whole time. As much as I love Jay-Z, I am a gay Black man from Houston, Texas, so my focus was on her, not him.

Hours after it happened, a friend of mine asked, “Did you act like a stan or did you act like a normal person?” What a ridiculous question. Of course I acted like a stan. If you don’t act like a stan when you meet Beyoncé, something is wrong with you. I wasn’t about to play it cool like she was the Pope or something. No, no, no, parts one and two.

No. 48: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

On my latest Goodwill run, I picked up several young adult lit books (including The Book Thief, ahem). In my first career, I was as a secondary English and reading teacher, so I have a huge fondness for YAL. Naturally, I had to sample this. Despite Stargirl receiving positive recognition, including an ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults Award, I thought it was treacly sap (ouch). Several plot points were completely eye-roll worthy. Sure, there were a few sweet first-love moments but the “is she a real girl or some kind of heavenly supernatural being” good girl trope felt patronizing.

No. 49: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

More young adult lit. Sometimes you just crave a good cry with an engaging story. In some ways, How to Save a Life (2011) is a young adult treatment of many themes in Jodi Piccoult’s adult novel, Small Great Things (2016): someone from the wrong side of the tracks, family tragedy, conflicted relationships, and great personal growth all surrounding a birth. First-person narration and solid character development reveal this world through two very different young women. Jill’s father has died; while suppressing her grief, she’s searching to cope with her mother’s desire to adopt a baby. Mandy–young, pregnant, poor, and alone–desperately wants a better life. The two couldn’t know what they’d find in each other (cue the tissues).

No. 50: Murder at Greysbridge by Andrea Carter

By the time we arrived on the remote Irish island, I was frothing at the mouth to reread all of Carter’s books. Our Rogue Expedition trip took us from the Cliffs of Moher on a wild ferry ride to Innis Oirr (Inisheer), the smallest of the Aran Islands (though I often heard “Iron” Islands, because I’m all GoT, don’t you know). Murder at Greysbridge involves a remote fictional fishing island, Irish family lore, and an old graveyard. Yep, Innis Oirr has its own ancient bleak hilltop cemetery, where I “took the cure” by lying in an ancient tomb for three minutes (that’s a story for another day; I promise it’s coming). I thought Greysbridge was the final book but its cliffhanger ending promises at least one more murder mystery in Carter’s Innishowen series. And I’m more than happy to return.

No. 51A and 51 B: More Irish Books

These two share billing because I cheated. While I’ve read most of them, I confess to skimming a large portion of each. You’ll see why.

No. 51 A: McCarthy’s Bar by Pete McCarthy

My friend, Russ, recommended this travel memoir as prep for Ireland. McCarthy’s Bar has good reviews; author and comedian Pete McCarthy even won “Newcomer of the Year” at the British Book Awards (2002). But, try as I might, I  couldn’t bear to spend time with this curmudgeonly narrator. Look, I’m a positive gal–I didn’t get the “Sunshine” award from our Rogue Expedition guides for nothing! (Ok, it was actually because of my consistent proximity to good weather, but still.) If everyone’s dumb and everything’s something to disparage, why go there? Yuck.

No. 51B: Last of the Donkey Pilgrims by Kevin O’Hara

My friend, Lindsey, recommended Last of the Donkey Pilgrims. Another travel memoir, Donkey Pilgrims is a sweet book (perhaps a wee bit too sweet at times). In the late 1970s, Kevin O’Hara decided to discover his heritage by circling Ireland–some 1,800 miles–the old way: by donkey cart. O’Hara relied upon strangers’ goodwill and kindness for places to sleep, hot meals, and any needed help. Twenty-five years later, he referred to his exhaustingly detailed diary to chronicle those adventures. Donkey Pilgrims went with me to Ireland; surprisingly, my journey often mirrored O’Hara’s. For example, I read how he and his donkey, Missy, traversed the Conor Pass, Ireland’s highest roadway, the day after we’d driven it! Though an interesting book, I stalled at Chapter 35, completely Irish-ed out.

No. 52: Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

Being a fan of the podcast, I was predisposed to enjoy Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered. Honestly, there’s not a lot that’s new in the book–unless, perhaps, you’ve never listened to Kilgariff and Hardstark discuss true crime. Which they can’t really do without talking about themselves. What I enjoyed most about Stay Sexy was discovering how talented a writer Hardstark is. She paints vivid portraits of her life at different stages while connecting what brought her to co-create a successful podcast. Each of the authors takes turns writing, and you could call this a memoir–a memoir of a pop culture phenomenon. So it’s fitting that illustrations combine family photos and fan art. If you read the book, you’ll want to listen to the podcast. And if you already enjoy listening, there are worse ways to spend a leisurely weekend than reading Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered.

No. 53: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware’s latest book is much better than her earlier bestseller, The Woman in Cabin 10. Does the title seem vaguely familiar? Points to you, reader; it’s a play on Henry James’ classic novella, The Turn of the Screw, about a governess who becomes convinced her two young charges are being demonized by malevolent ghosts. Ware very cleverly modernizes that horror story. The “smart” house in Scotland becomes a unique character; the internet, cell phones, and video surveillance are vital components; and there’s a brush of #MeToo. For all the modern conveniences, The Turn of the Key is at heart an old-fashioned haunting. If you like your mysteries spooky, this is a quick and thoroughly enjoyable read.