Random Reads

These books deal with road trips.  The setting basically takes place on the road.  They are often adventuresome and captivating.  Enjoy!

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

  Colin Singleton, former child prodigy,  has been dumped nineteen times all by girls named Katherine.  After Katherine 19th dumps him, Colin and his best friend Hassan set out on a road trip and they end up in Gutshot, Tennessee.  They stop at a roadside attraction advertising the final resting place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.  They meet Lindsey Lee Wells and her mother who owns the local factory which produces tampon strings.  The duo land themselves jobs interviewing seniors in the community as part of an oral history project.  John Green delivers a laugh out loud novel with lots of useless information on a variety of topics which only adds to the humor of the book.  Special attention to secondary characters offers one splendid read!  (Do people still say the word splendid?)

Aftershock by Kelly Easton

   Adam, 17, is in a horrible accident in which both of his parents are killed.  He is in a state of shock and suffers from partial amnesia as he basically walks away from the crash scene.  Easton takes the readers on a journey of discovery as Adam has flashbacks of his former life while he travels across many states in order to make his way home.  Along the journey, he encounters many different people who are helpful and some that take advantage of his dire situation.  This easily read book is perfect for finishing in a day while readers will be absolutely riveted to the storyline to see what lies at the end for Adam.

Tallulah Falls by Christine Fletcher

    Tallulah, 17, receives a frantic phone call from her best friend Maeve requesting her immediate help in Florida.  Tallulah drops everything and sets out for Florida with her "boyfriend" who leaves her stranded in rural Tennessee.  Tallulah happens upon a dying dog that was hit by a car.  She reluctantly rescues the mongrel and finds herself working for two weeks in Dr. Poteet's vet clinic.  The ensemble of clinic staff provide her with friendship and even a little romance.  Fletcher, a veterinarian herself, is an added bonus because she draws on her own experiences that gives an added quality of genuineness to the novel.  Readers will be drawn into this storyline and will feel emotionally connected and involved with the main character.

Desert Crossing by Elise Broach

  I started reading this book thinking it had great potential but by novel's end, I was vastly disappointed.  Lucy, a freshman in high school is traveling with her older brother Jamie and his best friend Kit (seniors) across New Mexico on their way to visit their father for Spring Break.  While traveling across the desert one night in a rainstorm, they hit what they believe to be an animal.  When they turn back to investigate, they find a dead body of a girl.  Thinking they had hit and killed the girl, they summon the police.  They later discover that the girl was already dead and the car actually hit a coyote.  Lucy cannot stop thinking about the dead girl.  She is haunted by her existance and determined to discover the cause of her death.  Lucy enlists Kit's help as they flirt with each other while trying to uncover the truth.  Although the story begins with a great storyline, the author fails to deliver on such a great opening.  Although the characters are well developed, their actions regarding the mystery are a little far-fetched.  I was able to read the novel to the end so that has to count for something. 

All the Way by Andy Behrens

    Ian works at the Dunkin' Donuts in the mall and summer is coming to an end.  He feels sorry for himself.  His best friend Lance has been spending the summer helping his uncle refurbish homes in a Michigan resort town full of women.  His other friend Felicia was traveling abroad for the summer.  In addition, he is tired of being Mr. Nice Guy best friend to girls who never want to actually date him.  A chance encounter on the Internet introduces him to Danielle, a hot girl who begins conversing with where he takes on a bad boy persona.  She wants to meet him so he decides to take a road trip to meet her so he can finally experience sex for the first time.  What Ian didn't count on was his two best friends tagging along for the ride.  This is a laugh out loud adventure that readers will instantly fall in love with.  A truly great road trip adventure!

     Hyde, who wrote Pay It Forward, delivers another amazing story about two teens searching for beauty in the world.  Jordy is living on the streets in New York City trying to escape memories of his abusive father intolerant of his homosexuality.  He meets Chloe while saving her from being gang raped that she barely seems to notice.  Chloe has been severely abused and being raped is just another incident that she chalks up to the ugliness of the world.  Jordy feels a connection with her and develops a protective nature towards her.  He has a plan to convince Chloe that there is great beauty in the world by roadtripping across the USA.  They drive, bicycle, and hitchhike their way to wonders such as Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, and horseback riding along Big Sur.  Along their journey, they encounter genuine kindness from strangers as well as ugliness.  I finished this book in one day in order to discover if the word is truly a beautiful place. 

     Ruby McQueen is known as the “quiet girl.”  The summer before her junior year she hooks up with Travis Becker, a rich and dangerous boy who likes to take chances and break into places.  He rides his motorcycle too fast and lives life on the edge.  Ruby is smitten with Travis at first until the danger escalates beyond her control.  The last half of the novel deals with her trying to break away from Travis.  Ruby’s mother is a librarian and  leads a book discussion group that Ruby has named the Casserole Queens.  The group is an odd assortment of eccentric old timers that add hilarity throughout.  The book they are reading is by Charles Whitney who describes an old love that the group later discovers is one of their very own members, Lily.  Lily’s family puts her in a rest home and the Casserole Queens decide to spring Lily from the place and reunite her with her long lost love Charles.  The members embark on a road trip that will leave the reader rolling with laughter.

     Jenna is an outsider at school and spends her time working at Gladstone's Shoe Store.  She loves her job and is quite independent.  Her mother works the night shift as a nurse and her alcoholic father has resurfaced again and she doesn't know if she can handle him.  Jenna has the opportunity to chauffeur 73 year old Madeline Gladstone, president of Gladstone's Shoes, from Chicago to Texas for a stockholder meeting and to check up on some of the stores.  The road trip reveals some interesting revelations such as Madeline's son trying to overtake the company, Jenna's home situation, and troubles with her father.  Once she arrives in Texas, Jenna is smarter and wiser since she began her road trip of self discovery.

     Bridget is sixteen years old and lives life on the road.  Her family is part of a culture known as Travelers, or rather traveling gypsies.  They make their money by scamming people and pulling con jobs.  Bridget is supposed to marry Patrick through an arranged marriage.  She is tired of the nomadic lifestyle and yearns for normalcy: a steady job, attend school, and a permanent home.  She is tired of roaming the country in a trailer.  Eventually, Bridget's conscience gets the better of her as she questions the ethics involved in defrauding innocent people.  Her brother and Uncle persuade her to participate in a huge swindle where she is forced to make some tough decisions about her future. 

     Robin is looking forward to the summer before her senior year in high school.  It is the last summer she will spend with her boyfriend Chris before he attends Georgetown University.  Instead, Chris is going to spend the summer in Rome.  Devastated, Robin agrees to accompany her newly widowed aunt and her two cousins on a roadtrip in the southwest.  Robin is hoping to reconnect with her estranged father and meet his new family.  The trip allows Robin to counsel her devastated cousins as they cope with their father's unexpected death.  She serves as chaperone, driver, and sometimes sounding board as the foursome make their way south.  By journey's end, Robin has grown more independent and self assured.  Readers will marvel at Robin's transformation as she journeys to find her true self.

     Simon is constantly getting into trouble at school, is dumped by his girlfriend, and his parents won't talk about his adoption or his birth parents.  The setting is 1979 when he decides to hit the road and drive cross country from Iowa to Austin, Texas in order to track down his birth parents.  Along the ride, he meets up with a quirky cast of eccentric characters that guide Simon on his path to self discovery.  His first traveling companion is Elvis Presley, or rather somebody who looks eerily similar to Elvis and wholeheartedly believes he is the real deal.  Then he meets aimless drifters Cookie and Andy, and Charley, a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband.  Simon eventually makes it to Austin and tracks down his father who turns out to be a con man.  Simon spends time with his father, eventually visits his mother, and soon realizes that family is where the heart is.