Book Review - Secrets of a River Swimmer

Secrets of a River Swimmer

A Novel by S. S. Turner

 

My intention was to finish this book sooner, but things didn't work out that way!  I did start reading it as soon as I got it back in March and at about the half-way mark, things started going a little haywire as life sometimes has a tendency to do.  I liked it, it caught and kept my interest until I was forced to put it down for a while. I finally finished it...and here is what I thought.

Be warned that you'll need to pay attention to catch onto what's going on at the start.  Once you realize that the entire story is an eclectic, playful and sometimes dark mix of reality and fantasy.  There's no right or wrong way to interpret what's going on; I think the main objective of the book is to realize that not everyone's life is as rosy as it appears and behind closed doors, everyone has their issues.  I think it can be interpreted in many ways, but that's the gist.

Without going into too much detail and spoiling the book for you, it's basically about the main character who is having some issues in life and contemplates ending it all before jumping into a river and into a world of fantasy where he meets other characters much like him and others with questionable motives.  With a goal in mind, he sets out on the path to something better.

I liken this story to something like Alice in Wonderland without the children's elements. It's quirky, it's funny, it's relatable and it's sometimes sad. I loved the various pop culture references throughout that brought some familiarity to the overall picture. As you follow the main character's adventure, you'll be taken to unexpected places, you'll meet fascinating characters and you'll learn new life lessons and things to ponder in your own life.

My final thoughts? I loved it!  Reading this book helped me realize that I'm not alone in any suffering I experience and there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you just seek what it is you need to get through it.

The Solo Traveler’s Hand Book - A Book Review

The Solo Traveler’s Hand Book

Janice Leith Waugh

The prospect of traveling alone can be an intimidating and scary thought especially when traveling to a place you have never been to before or traveling to a place where no one speaks the same language as you or there are real and present dangers. But, as the author of The Solo Traveler’s Handbook points out, traveling alone can be one of the greatest things one can do in life.

The Solo Traveler's Handbook: For Those Who Love And Those Who Long To Go Solo


Although this book only contains 116 pages, the information packed inside its small package makes you think you are reading an encyclopedia-size book covering every topic imaginable on a subject of high importance for independent travelers. Some of the topics covered in the book include:

-tips on getting started on a solo journey
-best places to go solo
-money management tips (including ways to save money for an upcoming trip and ways to save money while traveling).
-culture shock
-packing
-packaged travel vs. independent solo travel
-how to avoid the single supplement
-how to beat loneliness on the road
-safety
-self portrait photography
-potential dangers one may face

Also included are some personal solo travel stories from the author and several other travelers and a ton of resources. So, as you can see, The Solo Traveler’s Handbook is a must read for anyone thinking of traveling alone but also for any traveler seeking new tips on how to make their trips safer and more enjoyable.

The Lost Girls - A Book Review

The Lost Girls – Three Friends, Four Continents, one unconventional detour around the world…

Authors – Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett and Amanda Pressner


If you have ever wanted to just walk away from current your life and trade it all in for a backpack to travel around the world, this book will certainly provide enough inspiration to encourage you to live that dream!

I received this book as a birthday present a few months ago and just got around to reading it recently. Anyone close to me knows that I love to travel but sometimes things get in the way and stop me from doing as much traveling as I would like. Reading The Lost Girls helped me realize that nothing is really in the way if I really want something. After all, the book does center around three young, successful women with careers, relationships and lives in New York City who put it all aside and risk losing it all in order to go on a year-long adventure around the world.

Throughout that year long adventure, Jennifer, Holly and Amanda experience the good and the bad that can occur while on a long-term trip. Through the bad (failed love, sickness, horrible sleeping conditions just to name a few), they still manage to finish the trip to the bitter-sweet end even though the worries of how life will be after the trip was always on the back of their minds. Through the good (unforgettable experiences, new friends and newfound outlooks on life) these three women formed an unbreakable bond of friendship that only people who travel together long-term could ever understand. Travel is one of the most fulfilling and educational things we can do in our lives and three women, through this wonderfully written book, certainly give us more reasons to believe that and I for one have learned a lot from The Lost Girls and have already started plans for my next big adventure abroad!

If you are like me and love to travel and want to travel more but are either afraid or think your life circumstances will not allow you to do so, than this book just might be the inspiration you need to pack those bags and see the world while you still can!

Book Review - Vagabonding

I have finished yet another book. I seem to be getting through my "to read" pile a little faster these days. I guess being unemployed and living in the middle of the woods with not much to do has some pluses. Well, one plus! My most current read was, like the others I have recently reviewed, a good one. Very enlightening and inspiring you might say. I have always had this urge since I was a teenager to just pack a backpack with some bare essentials and hit the road with no destination in mind. My goal was to see as much of the world as possible, meet as many people as possible and experience as many new cultures as possible. At thirty, I still sometimes get that urge. I have traveled to may places but not as many as I would like. I have traveled all over Canada and the United States but have never stepped foot on another continent besides North America. After reading "Vagabonding - An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel", the urge to travel and get out there in the big world has been reawakened. This book is yet another good travel read by well-known travel writer Rolf Potts. Filled with resources to aid you in your planning and reduce any of your fears of life on the road, great quotes from famous vagabonds of our time and great advice including how to go about following your dream of taking such a trip and reasons why you should start planning it today! This book is the perfect read for anyone planning long-term, independent travel but it can also be a great resource for any type of travel you may embark on!

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel