#ThrowbackThursday – Page 2 – Rosepoint Publishing

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Book Blurb:

Harkening to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, this high-tension thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them—from Ruth Ware, the New York Times bestselling author who “is turning out to be as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime” (The Washington Post).

Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, she agrees to try out with him.

A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla finds herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana—in order to win a cash prize.

But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real—and the stakes are life or death.

My Review:

Well, not exactly a new idea for a plot, one that’s been done more than a few times before. This one starts with five couples.

Lyla is in a pickle with her contract for her research and at loose ends, and against her better judgment, agrees to go with boyfriend Nico to participate in a reality TV show called One Perfect Couple.

Something is immediately wrong when the deserted island that was supposed to be a paradise isn’t really ready. The two crew who delivered them have set rules which surprise a few of those so thrilled to be chosen that they neglected to read the fine print.

Unfortunately, the first round eliminated Nico who is sent back and Lyla is left without her partner supposedly waiting for further eliminations to see who will end up the one perfect couple.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware - UK cover — One Perfect Couple – UK cover

To add to the debacle, there is a ferocious storm (hurricane?) that rips through the island almost immediately and leaves those on the island essentially without power or communication to the mainland. Taking inventory of stores, they devise a plan to survive until rescue arrives and one guy appears to take control.

Uh oh…predictably, things begin to happen and not in a good way. They begin the fight for food and water. As the drama ramps up, the group begins to lose a survivor at a time and the tension turns desperate, then deadly.

It starts a bit slow, introducing the characters and the plot device, but once on the island and the storm hits, it becomes engaging and entertaining. There are twists and a surprise in the denouement you didn’t expect. Who will survive to be rescued?

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher:
ASIN: B0CLHL3J44
Listening Length: 14 hrs 25 mins
Narrator: Imogen Church
Publication Date: May 21, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One and The It Girl have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times, and she is published in more than 40 languages. She lives on the south coast of England, with her family.

Visit http://www.ruthware.com to find out more, or find her on facebook or twitter as @RuthWareWriter

Happy Listening!

News of the World: A Novel by Paulette Jiles #AudiobookReview #bookclubs #TBT

Editors’ pick Best Literature & Fiction

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction (2016)

My participation with The Y Book Club in our local area has been a lot of fun. Their August selection was News of the World which I discovered was also turned into a major motion picture with Tom Hanks in the lead role. I am anxious for that movie to come to Netflix.

The book club meets once a month and is very popular. Members are limited as to the number of physical books they can get for book clubs. Fortunately, I do audiobooks. The moderator does a great job keeping us to book club questions.

My Thoughts:

Quickly acknowledged that the book had been made into a movie starring Tom Hanks, the ladies in the Y Book Club who had seen the movie agreed it was excellent. I can’t wait to see it, as I disagreed that the book was excellent. Oh, yes, it was good, and not to say I didn’t enjoy it. Short, descriptive, chock full of historical majesty, from bandits to Native Americans, it’s a feast for the ears.

Yes, I listened to the audiobook narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Grover Gardner, who better to read the book whose setting is 1870 in Texas? The Civil War has officially ended, but not for Texas. (Tom Hanks, by the way, narrated The Dutch House by Ann Patchett.)

Extensive research went into this novel, no question. Questions arose regarding those children who had been captured by Native Americans, which led to additional research on my part and also contributed to lively discussion among the book club members.

As the ten-year-old Johanna and Captain Kidd travel the distance from Witchita Falls to San Antonio to return the girl to an aunt and uncle she doesn’t remember, they confront the extent of a lawless society that post-war chaos can offer. Johanna is rooted in the Kiowa language and spiritual traditions. She remembers nothing of her life prior to her capture at age six and thinks and acts as a Kiowa. Furthermore, she wants nothing to do with white society. It becomes apparent, however, that she is very clever.

Captain Kidd has managed to survive three wars, earning him the status of Captain, and has a reputation for being a strong, level-headed, and astute man, trustworthy in all endeavors. He is a widower whose payment will be sufficient to bring his two daughters from the east to live with him. He earns his living now by reading pertinent news articles to a paid audience from various papers as he wanders the countryside.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story through to the epilogue. Then the reader is suddenly fed the future of the characters in large clumps of sequel material that would have created another satisfying story—rather than the crushing end to this otherwise beautifully written narrative with powerful characters.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Book Club Thoughts

The members found a lot of grist for lively discussion as usual. Although short at just a little over 200 pages or less than 7 hours audiobook narration, the storyline packed an emotional wallop that left an indelible imprint on many of the ladies. Again, another reason so many of us are fascinated with historical fiction books is the revelation of a great deal of factual info and eye-opening material that most of us were unaware.

Book Club star rating vote

Book Details:

Genre: Westerns, Western Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperAudio
Narrator: Grover Gardner
Listening Length: 6 hrs 42 mins
ASIN: B084JJ9K3J
Release Date: August 25, 2020
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: My website is paulettejiles.com. I review books and say shocking things and include outrageous pictures.

Paulette Jiles was born in Salem, Missouri, in the Missouri Ozarks. Raised in small towns in both south and central Missouri, she attended three different high schools, an exhausting process of social dislocation and fashion wobbles, and with relief graduated from the University of Missouri (KC) in Romance Languages. After graduation she worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto and in the far north of Ontario and in the Quebec Arctic, helping to set up village one-watt FM radio stations in the native language, Anishinabe and Inuktitut. She became reasonably conversant in Anishinabe but Inuktitut was just too much. Very hard. Besides she was only in the eastern Arctic for a year. Work in the north lasted about ten years all told.

She taught at David Thompson University in Nelson B.C. and grew to love the British Columbian ecosystems and general zaniness. She spent one year as a writer-in-residence at Philips Andover in Massachusetts and then returned to the United States permanently when she married Jim Johnson, a Texan. Has lived in Texas since 1995.

She and her husband renovated an old stone house in the San Antonio historic district and amidst the rubble and stonemasons and ripped-out electrical systems she completed Enemy Women. She now lives on a small ranch near a very small town in the Texas Hill Country with a horse and a donkey. If you want a free donkey, please let her know. She plays Irish tin whistle with a bluegrass group, sings alto in choir, rides remote trails in Texas with friends. Her horse is named Buck. News of the World (William Morrow) was a finalist for the National Book Award.

©V Williams

Book Club — AI generated graphic courtesy Gemini 2.5 Flash

Two Audiobooks Mini-Reviews – The Housemaid’s Secret and The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden #psychologicalthrillers

Two Audiobooks Mini-Reviews by Freida McFadden

Well, I’m not sure how, but I seem to be caught up in Freida McFadden books, this time The Housemaid’s Secret, a Goodreads Choice Award Winner released February 20, 2023, and The Boyfriend a #1 Amazon Best Seller in Crime Thrillers released October 1, 2024. (Links on individual covers are to Amazon.)

Member of Goodreads since March 2012, McFadden is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and possessed cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe. [Goodreads]
https://www.freidamcfadden.com/

The Housemaid’s Secret

ASIN: B0BSVFGW4M
Date Released: February 20, 2023
Narrator: Lauryn Allman
Publisher: Hachette UK – Bookouture
Three point Five Stars

My Thoughts

Okay, wait a minute. Haven’t I read this before? Or certainly something very similar. But this one is definitely written in McFadden style.

Millie has definitely come up in the housecleaning world, securing employment for an uber rich couple in a penthouse apartment in the Upper West Side of New York. It’s a good trick if you can do it as you know in your heart that Millie has some secrets that must be kept mum for now.

Douglas is not too bad for a super rich guy, but wife Wendy keeps to herself and her room is off-limits. Douglas relays anything that Wendy needs or wants and except for a few meals, the sources for which are pretty darn exclusive, and odd bits of uh ohs, it’s not a bad gig.

Needless to say, whether or not she’s been told to leave Wendy alone to rest peacefully, she just can’t seem to do it, and it gradually flips the plot to one you no doubt saw coming. I only thought I did, but remember, this is a McFadden novel.

So yes, the twists will kick in. Maybe it’s a good thing that Millie has a hot Italian groundskeeper on the side with an even more super hot boyfriend, rich lawyer type guy that’s crazy about her. I don’t know what circles she was in when their paths crossed, but he’d love to have her move into his sweet apartment by Central Park and take good care of him.

Are you following along?

It’s that final twist that finally got me and I had to throw my hands up. Talk about not seeing that coming! Well, after that, you have to try another just to see if this one was a fluke, yes? So, I did.

The Boyfriend.

The Boyfriend

ASIN: B0D3QNT4T2
Date released: October 1, 2024
Narrators: Victoria Connolly, and Robb Moreira
Publisher: Hollywood Upstairs Press
Four Stars

My Thoughts

Oh my goodness, the characters in this book! How many times did I want to slap the FMC, Sydney, up the side of her head? Is it possible to be that obtuse? Then the other POV in this one, Tom, reaches back to the birth of his problem with women. How could he be that fake with Sydney and she not see through that façade?

Tom, supreme creep that he is, really keeps the storyline moving, doesn’t he? Something fascinating about a truly sick and twisted individual that the reader has to keep reading to confirm just how nutsy he is. Not like his teen years were filled with academic accolades. He was head over heels in love with Daisy and his best friend’s name is Slug, if that gives you any clues. I must say, however, that Slug had such significant character development that little vignettes that included him were enough to turn your stomach.

Meanwhile, poor little Sydney plods along in her own little world, just adrift and off course. So frustrating to be forced along on some of her dumber decisions and then watch her crash and burn. Of course, that hasn’t taught her anything, so she gets to hit the repeat button.

Yeah, it’s twisty. And just crazy enough that it edged over The Housemaid’s Secret for me. Also, glad I listened to the audiobook and didn’t read it. Those voices gave it quite the spice.

Frieda McFadden fan? Then you may enjoy this one. I’m not sure—there appears to be quite the division of opinion, but you can’t fault it for being both engaging and entertaining.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to these audiobooks. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Have a good one

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

in Arctic & Antarctica History

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Experience “one of the best adventure books ever written” (Wall Street Journal) in this New York Times bestseller: the harrowing tale of British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole.

This is a new reading of the thrilling account of one of the most astonishing feats of exploration and human courage ever recorded.

In August of 1914, the British ship Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. In October 1915, still half a continent away from its intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in the ice. For five months, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world.

Lansing describes how the men survived a 1,000-mile voyage in an open boat across the stormiest ocean on the globe and an overland trek through forbidding glaciers and mountains. The book recounts a harrowing adventure, but ultimately it is the nobility of these men and their indefatigable will that shines through.

My Review:

I always seem to be attracted to the old sailing ships and their stories, probably because of my grandfather’s stories, paintings, and poems. So of course I jumped on this as soon as I saw it. It didn’t disappoint.

There were a number of occasions on which I experienced deja vu. Well, not of mine, but that of another sailing story read and loved, The Wager by Davis Grann. Hard put to say which I loved the most—loved The Wager. And while there were striking similarities, each were very different stories, each told with heart-thumping descriptions landing you right in the middle of the men struggling to survive.

The story of the men of the British ship Endurance follows the historical chronicle of her as she set sail in August of 1914, more than one-and-a-half centuries after the story of The Wager, also a British vessel that left England in 1740.

The Endurance had a whole nother mission—that of an early attempt to cross the South Pole. But timing is everything and it definitely went wrong when the ship was trapped in ice, then crushed. How do men live on ice flows, much less survive a voyage of 1,000 miles in an open boat to habitation?

I would wager physically impossible, if not psychologically, except for one minor detail. The Captain. Ernest Shackleton.

Some credit must go to his men—there were no mutinies.

And no deaths. They all survived? Under those conditions for over a year? Yes.

The man was more than an optimist. He was a brilliant strategist and sailor, and he had good, smart men (27 of them) under his command. But no matter the worsening conditions, no matter the horrible mind-numbing weather enough to drive men mad, he continued with unflailing confidence. And his navigator—unbelievably guiding them to civilization with almost pin-point accuracy. Back then–

First to lose the ship, then to be divided into separate ice flows, through starvation, illnesses, blinding psychotic provoking weather patterns, sleep deprivation, and predators. Good grief, to survive one of these would be hero-inducing visions of invincibility. They fought it all together and won.

This tale of the odyssey was kept in journals by a number of the men and researched meticulously, bringing the story together. A Morgan Stanley video was released seven years ago on PBS called Dare to Survive: Shackleton’s Voyage of Endurance 2002. You might wish to watch.

There are a number of cringe-worthy chapters certainly more monumental than the chapter that describes their tearful decision to kill and eat their dogs, after them having been more than working companions. Yes, I know, I know.

They were starving.

Still, amazingly creative (aside from the dogs) in discovering ways and means for their survival and one you shouldn’t miss. I particularly recommend the audiobook beautifully performed by the narrator. Another instance of what the human body is capable of enduring.

Book Details:

Genre: Arctic & Antarctica History, Expeditions & Discoveries World History
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
ISBN-13: ‎978-065-58792
ASIN: B0018DNFY6
Listening Length: 10 hrs 21 mins
Narrator: Simon Prebble
Publication Date: April 08, 2008
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK

The Author: Alfred Lansing (July 21, 1921 – 1975) was an American journalist and writer, best known for his book Endurance (1959), an account of Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic explorations. Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [Amazon\

Born in Chicago in Chicago, IL, in July, 1921, Lansing was an American journalist who wrote for Collier’s, among other magazines and was later an editor for Time, Inc. Books.

Alfred Lansing served in the US Navy from 1940-46. He received the Purple Heart for his wartime service.

Later he attended North Park College, 1946-48, Northwestern University, 1948-50.

Lansing became a member of the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England in 1957. [Goodreads]

#ThrowbackThursday

The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Arrangement Novels Book 1

Book Blurb:

Ainsley Greenburg is a fixer. It’s what she prides herself on.

So when Ainsley realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.

The rules are simple:

They will each date someone new once a week.
They will never discuss what happens on the dates.

Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.

When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they’ve built?

Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if ’til death do us part may come sooner than they’d intended.

My Review:

Maybe I don’t get out that much and apparently not in the loop, didn’t realize “open marriages” were still a thing (just plain old affairs now?). Back in the Navy, they called them “key clubs,” something the CE and I never would have subscribed to. We’ve been married much longer than Peter and Ainsley and wouldn’t have given a key club any consideration even then.

In this case, it’s an online dating service, proposed by Ainsley (which also surprised me). She explained “the rules” she created to Peter and he agreed. She thought the whole thing would work to light a fire under their sadly fading excitement with each other. They have three children, for heaven’s sake, and they couldn’t work out a date night for the two of them? You’ve no doubt read something about this in the blurb. But aren’t rules meant to be broken?

My first experience with this author, so I wasn’t prepared for the lengths she’d go to for twists.

This book is short and fairly fast paced, so after an introduction to the main characters and the reason for their perceived predictament, the plot pace ramped up pretty quick. I must admit that I was caught off-guard more than once, hitting a new level of surprise.

How could this simple idea go so far off the rails? I did appreciate the character of Peter, not so much Ainsley. But then Peter gets caught up in Ainsley’s drama and things go a little nuts. Or a lot nuts. Just suspend belief. I was left with questions, no answers, and now I realize it was Book 1. Duh.

Definitely not a plot I’ve read very often and certainly not quite this wild. You can’t say the characters aren’t engaging, the idea entertaining, until it gets to the creepy point. Maybe I’m easily entertained, but it did keep me listening to two talented narrators. It’s one you might enjoy as well, although I’m vacillating on reading Book 2.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
ASIN: B091BDFT57
Listening Length: 5 hrs 42 mins
Narrators: George Newbern, Sarah Mollo-Christensen
Publication Date: June 29, 2021
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK

The Author: KIERSTEN MODGLIN is a #1 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over two million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix’s Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine’s Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten’s readers across the world lovingly refer to her as “KMod.” A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.

#ThrowbackThursday

Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Award nominee

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

From multi-award winner Whoopi Goldberg comes a new and unique memoir of her family and their influence on her early life.

If it weren’t for Emma Johnson, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. Emma gave her children the loving care and wisdom they needed to succeed in life, always encouraging them to be true to themselves. When Whoopi lost her mother in 2010—and then her older brother, Clyde, five years later—she felt deeply alone; the only people who truly knew her were gone.

Emma raised her children not just to survive, but to thrive. In this intimate and heartfelt memoir, Whoopi shares many of the deeply personal stories of their lives together for the first time. Growing up in the projects in New York City, there were trips to Coney Island, the Ice Capades, and museums, and every Christmas was a magical experience. To this day, she doesn’t know how her mother was able to give them such an enriching childhood, despite the struggles they faced—and it wasn’t until she was well into adulthood that Whoopi learned just how traumatic some of those struggles were.

Fans of personal memoirs such as Finding Me by Viola Davis and In Pieces by Sally Field will be touched by Bits and Pieces: a moving tribute from a daughter to her mother, and a beautiful portrait of three people who loved each other deeply. Whoopi writes, “Not everybody gets to walk this earth with folks who let you be exactly who you are and who give you the confidence to become exactly who you want to be. So, I thought I’d share mine with you.”

My Review:

Above anything else, this might be a slightly long eulogy and love letter to her mother first and then her brother, Clyde. (I had to chuckle though, as that is the CE’s first name as well.)

But it’s no wonder she fills the book with praise, remembering so many stories in which her mother shines brilliantly with wisdom in raising, teaching, nurturing, and yes, strict discipline, her two children under the worst of circumstances.

Time and again, I marveled at how, when push comes to shove, her mother, Emma, manages to mold her daughter and son into strong, independent thinking, kind, and thoughtful people. Who taught her those qualities? She bestowed everything she had at grievous cost to herself, a great philosophical education that might have made Gandhi blush.

“You’ve got two choices. You can waste a lot of time complaining, or you can get up and figure out how to fix it.”

Besides the stories of her childhood and the beginning of her amazing career, she lays bare the loves she’s shared, including the birth of her daughter (her only child), the foray into drugs, and attempted reconciliation with her father. So many anecdotes regarding her experiences.

Whether or not you’ve been a fan of Whoopi (nee Caryn Johnson), reading this book may enhance your respect or create a new fan.

This audiobook is narrated by herself, complete with that distinctive voice, sense of humor, emotion. It’s a celebration of life.

Book Details:

Genre: Grief & Loss, Black & African American Biographies, Grief & Bereavement
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
ASIN: B0CMFC8M37
Listening Length: 6 hrs 43 mins
Narrator: Whoopi Goldberg
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Whoopi Goldberg is the the author of the Sugar Plum Ballerinas books, as well as Whoopi’s Big Book of Manners, illustrated by Olo. She has won a Tony, an Emmy, an Oscar, and a Grammy, as well as two Golden Globes. In 2001, she was awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Whoopi Goldberg has appeared in scores of films and is a host of ABC’s The View. She lives in New York and Vermont.

#ThrowbackThursday

Banner picture credits:
Oda May Brown- Ghost – Images Press, Getty Images
The Color Purple – Bruce Gilkas, Film Magic Celie Harris
Wikipedia

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

#1 Best Seller in East South Central US Travel books in Kindle

Book Blurb:

The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America – majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way – and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).

My Review:

Well, phooey. Yes, I’m aware the Appalachian Trail, known affectionately by those who really, seriously hike, “the AT” is over 2,100 miles long and stretches from Georgia to Maine. I used to love hiking. And camping. The first time we got stuck at the top of a Sierra mountain in a driving rain storm that dropped the temperature ten degrees and started gravel sliding down the side of the mountain though, we scrambled down to the hot springs below and gratefully shivered into the warm, toasty water. So, no, I’m more of a short trail hiker, more level than climbing, please. Well, more of a trail walker and home when the weather turns nasty.

But I have researched the AT, thinking there must be a drop in, drop off site that we could take advantage of. Those are as few and far between as services. When you’re out on this trail, it’s you against the elements, some of which can be brutal. “The Appalachian Trail is the longest hiking only footpath in the world.” Started in 1921, it wasn’t completed until 1937. Makes it sound like a real trail, huh. According to Bryson, it’s not.

Still, I was attracted to this book, thought if I couldn’t hike it, perhaps enjoy some of it vicariously.

Or maybe not.

I really enjoyed the first part of the book, perhaps as far as the loss of hiking buddy Katz, with whom he’d had a fleeting experience before but was that desperate to have someone to hike with, and accepted his invitation. For some reason, the whole timbre of the book changed after Katz left. In the meantime, they’d hiked through downpours, freezing temps, snow, wind, and even the loss of the trail itself…discovering it again as they stumbled along.

While Bryson spent major bucks on equipment, thoughtful food additions, and appropriate clothing, it would seem that Katz thought he’d live on jerky and chips, at one point even tossing his water bottle. Usually, they roughed it, pitching their tents on a flat portion of land to sleep.

Bryson speaks with contempt his efforts to drag Katz along and at one point even loses him and wonders if he’d be able to complete the journey by himself to the next possible town or trail shelter.

Yes, their initial confrontations with the actual hike were humorous, pocked with sardonic comments re his hiking partner and the distance covered per day or the sights and conditions encountered. Two comically unprepared for the actual conditions of the trail.

During that initial portion of the book, there were interesting tidbits about the trail, different stories, people and animals they encountered, and trail communities that provided anecdotes and history.

Then, the “story” settles into a travelogue and the storyline fails to revive the initial excitement as well as much of the sense of humor.

It’s a fun and informative book describing the trail a little rougher than I’d expected a real trail to be that took sixteen years to complete. The switch in the tone of the book also changed a great book to a good one and I still love the idea of the trail, whether or not I’ll ever get to that drop in point or not.

The World’s Funniest Travel Writer Takes a Hike (Bryson Book 8) (UK)

The Appalachian Trail covers 14 states and over 2,000 miles, snaking through some of the most spectacular landscapes in America. Reluctant adventurer Bryson recounts his gruelling hike along the longest continuous footpath in the world.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Travel Writing & Commentary, Travelogues & Travel Essays, North America Travel & Tourism
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B009GBVCAG
Listening Length: 9 hrs 44 mins
Narrator: Rob McQuay
Publication Date: September 25, 2012
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)

Title Links: Amazon-US – Amazon-UK

The Author: Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. Settled in England for many years, he moved to America with his wife and four children for a few years ,but has since returned to live in the UK. His bestselling travel books include The Lost Continent, Notes From a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods and Down Under. His acclaimed work of popular science, A Short History of Nearly Everything, won the Aventis Prize and the Descartes Prize, and was the biggest selling non-fiction book of the decade in the UK.

Two Audiobooks Mini-Reviews – Hell Is Empty and Return to Sender by Craig Johnson #WesternFiction #TBT

Walt Longmire Mysteries Books 7 and 21

Yes, time for catching up on the Walt Longmire series! Gees, the last I read was The Longmire Defense, Book 19, back in February 2024. (Dang, I missed Book 20? I’ll have to remedy that.) So, yes, I try to go back and pick up an old one I missed back when, as well as keeping up with the new installments.

Recorded Books has always released the Longmire audiobook series and fortunately for all of us, George Guidall narrates. He is the quintessential Sheriff Longmire.

Return to Sender: Walt Longmire Mysteries, Book 21

Date Released: May 27, 2025

My Thoughts

Definitely a switch here in that Sheriff Longmire of Absaroka County comes to investigate the disappearance of a mail person who has the longest route in Wyoming. In this particular investigation, however, he doesn’t pursue the missing person without going incognito—undercover.

Pursuing any leads he gleans, he crosses paths with religious cult leaders nomading around the Red Desert. Between desperate scenes, assassins, and twists, the pace is, as always, fast.

Hell Is Empty: A Walt Longmire Mystery, Book 7

Date Released: June 8, 2011

My Thoughts

In this installment, as well as many of the others, Walt Longmire connects with the myths and magic of the Cheyenne Nation. He is befriended by a Cheyenne ghost of the past that imparts life-saving support as he confronts a blizzard while tracking down escapees into the mountains. It becomes a mystical journey, seen or experienced by him, given his affinity for the traditions of the local tribe.

Always some good quotables:

“Cigarettes are killers, they travel in packs.”

“I couldn’t die, I’d have too many women who’d kill me.”

Just when circumstances can’t get much worse, there comes a humorous note to break the tension. Sometimes you’ll exercise a little disbelief. It’s okay. Enjoy the author’s writing style. They are fun, fast reads, but do yourself a favor and listen to the gritty tones of the narrator as he carries you through another escape into a different world.

It amazes me how long the man can keep going, given that he must have aged a little since the series began in 2004. I love the support characters and his closest allies, his undersheriff, now fiancé, Vic, and Henry, a member of the Cheyenne Nation. They are not featured so much in Return to Sender, even so, these as well as any of the others could be read as standalones. His books are heavily spiced with a sardonic sense of humor and an extremely quick wit. If you’ve watched any of the Netflix Longmire series, you’ve come to love the atmospheric setting and the characters. It’s well written and immensely engaging and entertaining.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to these books. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

The Author: Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award for fiction, the Nouvel Observateur Prix du Roman Noir, and the Prix SNCF du Polar. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 25.
http://www.craigallenjohnson.com/

The Narrator: George Guidall is a prolific audiobook narrator and theatre actor. As of November 2014, he had recorded over 1,270 audiobooks, which was believed to be the record at the time. Wikipedia