Look for Me There, Grieving my Father, Finding Myself - Luke Russert 262 pages

Look for Me There, Grieving my Father, Finding Myself by Luke Russert

“Look for me there,” news legend Tim Russert would tell his son, Luke, when confirming a pickup spot at an airport, sporting event, or rock concert. After Tim died unexpectedly, Luke kept looking for his father, following in Tim’s footsteps and carving out a highly successful career at NBC News. After eight years covering politics on television, Luke realized he had no good answer as to why he was chasing his father’s legacy. As the son of two accomplished parents—his mother is journalist Maureen Orth of Vanity Fair—Luke felt the pressure of high expectations but suddenly decided to leave the familiar path behind.

Instead, Luke set out on his own to find answers. What began as several open-ended months of travel to decompress and reassess morphed into a three-plus-year odyssey across six continents to discover the world and, ultimately, to find himself.

Chronicling the important lessons and historical understandings Luke discovered from his travels, Look for Me There is both the vivid narrative of that journey and the emotional story of a young man taking charge of his life, reexamining his relationship with his parents, and finally grieving his larger-than-life father, who died too young.

For anyone uncertain about the direction of their life or unsure of how to move forward after a loss, Look for Me There is a poignant reflection that offers encouragement to examine our choices, take risks, and discover our truest selves.

Sam and the Open Road by Michael John Pole

Sam and the Open Road by Michael John Pole, 202 pages

Life's journey is challenging with many pathways and obstacles. One hurdle is overcome only for another to appear with further burdens already flourishing on the horizon. Thoughts, experiences, and reflections are shared in depth by Michael on his unusual 7000km odyssey as he spends time with Jesus and his earthly four-footed companion Sam.

Sicilian Splendors by John Keahey

Sicilian Splendors: Discovering the Secret Places That Speak to the Heart by John Keahey --304 pages

The author is a retired journalist from the U.S. who spends several months a year exploring Sicily, and this is his second book on the island. Several small towns and villages are described along with the history of the island and its relationship with mainland Italy. The main focus of the book is the people who have their own culture, but are welcoming to tourists and recent immigrants from Africa. The author provides very useful information for those planning a trip to the region. 

Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch

Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch -- 506 pages

Santorini felt like an island holding its breath. As if it were keeping in a secret...

Liv Varanakis doesn’t like to think about her father much, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight, leaving her with just a few painful memories of their shared love for the lost city of Atlantis. So when teenage Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father, who explains that National Geographic is supporting a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and asks if she will fly out to Greece and help—Liv is less than thrilled.

When she arrives in gorgeous Santorini, things are just as awkward as she'd imagined. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. Liv doesn’t want to get sucked back into her father's world. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo, her father’s charismatic so-called protégé, to witness her struggle.

Even so, she can't help but be charmed by everything Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the sun-drenched villages, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry -- 364 pages

Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together. Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

 Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie-323 pages

I read this in 2020, so this was my second time reading it. We're doing this book/movie for the Book to Movie Club, so I wanted to re-read it. I liked it just as much the second time. I have renewed appreciation for Agatha Christie and her writing prowess. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. As is usually the case, I enjoyed the book much more than the movie, although the movie isn't bad. 

My Favorite Souvenir by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland

My Favorite Souvenir by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland -- 367 pages

My planned trip for two unexpectedly turned into a trip for one. Rather than let my breakup get me down, I packed my bags and decided a week at a luxury resort was just what I needed. But one calamity after the next, and suddenly I was stuck without a hotel room, along with a few hundred other people. It looked like my fancy vacation was about to turn into me sleeping on the hotel lobby floor. Until I overheard a gorgeous man pretending to be someone he wasn’t in order to steal a reservation from a guest who hadn’t shown up yet. When I realized there were two rooms, instead of calling him out, I pretended to be his sister. That’s how the story of “Milo and Maddie Hooker” began. We were the Hookers.

My depressing trip quickly made a U-turn into an adventure. My fake brother spent the next few days showing me around his hometown. When it was time to leave, neither of us really wanted to go yet. So, instead of flying back to our respective homes, we ventured on a road trip. At every stop, we’d pick up souvenirs. But as hot as our chemistry was, we never crossed the line. Milo knew I’d just come out of a tough relationship and didn’t want to mess with a vulnerable woman. So instead, at the end of our trip, we made a pact to meet again in three months.

It was always my intention to meet him. But when I got back home, reality hit in a big way. And I worried I may have lost my handsome stranger forever. Was there a place for him in my future? Or had the memory of him just become my favorite souvenir?

Mind the Gap, Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Mind the Gap, Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan -- 256 pages

For Dash and Lily, it's beginning to look a lot like...distance! 

Dash and Lily were feeling closer than ever...it's just too bad they're now an ocean apart. After Dash gets accepted to Oxford University and Lily stays in New York to take care of her dogwalking business, the devoted couple are struggling to make a long distance relationship work. And when Dash breaks the news that he won't be coming home for Christmas, Lily makes a decision: if Dash can't come to her, she'll join him in London. It's a perfect romantic gesture...that spins out of Lily's control. Soon Dash and Lily are feeling more of a gap between them, even though they're in the same city. Will London bring them together again--or will it be their undoing?

Shipped by Angie Hockman

Shipped by Angie Hockman -- 329 pages

Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it.

The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend.

Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands...together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.

With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?

The Romantic Pact by Meghan Quinn

The Romantic Pact by Meghan Quinn -- 348 pages

I haven't seen her in three years. I haven't talked to her since the kiss.

So why am I on a plane, flying across the world to spend a week with her in Germany?

One word: Pops.

My life’s a mess. My possible football career is hanging on by a thread. I'm driving the roads of Germany in honor of Pops with the one girl I can never have. And I’m sharing a bed with her, the girl I've measured everyone else up to, while desperately trying to not to touch her.

We made a pact growing up, never to get romantic with each other - never fall in love. And I'm about to break that pact. For good.

The Good Widow by Liz Fenton

The Good Widow by Liz Fenton-322 pages

Elementary school teacher Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales’s marriage was far from perfect, but even in its ups and downs it was predictable, familiar. Or at least she thought it was…until two police officers showed up at her door with devastating news. Her husband of eight years, the one who should have been on a business trip to Kansas, had suffered a fatal car accident in Hawaii. And he wasn’t alone.

For Jacks, laying her husband to rest was hard. But it was even harder to think that his final moments belonged to another woman—one who had left behind her own grieving and bewildered fiancé. Nick, just as blindsided by the affair, wants answers. So he suggests that he and Jacks search for the truth together, retracing the doomed lovers’ last days in Hawaii.

I won't give the ending away but it is creepy and I did not see it coming.  I enjoyed it and was pulling for Jacks all the way.   

Driving Miss Norma by Tim Bauerschmidt, Ramie Liddle

 256 pages

"When Miss Norma was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she was advised to undergo surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. But instead of confining herself to a hospital bed for what could be her last stay, Miss Norma—newly widowed after nearly seven decades of marriage—rose to her full height of five feet and told the doctor, 'I’m ninety years old. I’m hitting the road.'

"And so Miss Norma took off on an unforgettable around-the-country journey in a thirty-six-foot motor home with her retired son Tim, his wife Ramie, and their dog Ringo."  --from the publisher

I thoroughly enjoyed this book full of encouragement to really live your life rather than just mark time. I give it four out of five stars.

Birnbaum's 2019 Walt Disney World

Birnbaum"s 2019 Walt Disney World, 350 pages

One of the most helpful books on planning a Disney World vacation, Birnbaum's contains the most updated information on Disney World.  I like how the book includes all the parks, rides, restaurants, and attractions.  It contains what is currently open, what will open and what may shutdown. An absolute must have book for any trip to Disney World!

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson-344 pages

I started reading this for last month's challenge, but didn't finish it in time. I enjoyed reading this novel about Amy, a teenage girl from California, whose mom has moved across the country to Connecticut to start a new job. Amy's dad died in a car accident with Amy as the driver, so she is not driving at the beginning of the story. Her mom arranges for her to take their Jeep across country from CA to CT with a childhood friend, Roger. Amy and Roger deviate from the prescribed course of travel almost immediately and go on a much longer than anticipated road trip. Each learns some things along the way, and they begin to fall for each other as the trip progresses. Overall, this was a satisfying road trip novel.

The Lost Caves of St.Louis: a
History of the City's Forgotten
Caves by Hubert & Charlotte Rother
(144 pages)

The majority of the caves in this book were once used as cooling and storage areas for vats of beer and lager in the late 1800's to about the 1940's. Everyone has probably heard of the Lemp Brewery, but there were a few German immigrant families that started breweries in St. Louis, later to be bought out by other breweries or just go out of business. Some caves had sewer systems running within them and  one or two that were located under parks.
This was a fairly interesting book telling the location of the caves and a little of the history behind the caves.

Saint Louis Seen and Unseen by Michael Kilfoy

Saint Louis Seen and Unseen by Michael Kilfoy, 160 pages

This is a beautifully illustrated book with all the sights one thinks of when it comes to St. Louis.  Whether you are a resident of St. Louis or a tourist, you will enjoy this book.  Published in 2006, this book contains photos of the old Busch Stadium as well as the building of the new stadium.  From the Arch to the Jewel Box to the Fabulous Fox, this book will remind you why you love St. Louis.  Not only are the photographs fantastic, each page contains a few facts about the photos.

Weird Missouri by James Strait

Weird Missouri by James Strait, 253 pages

I bought this book about a year ago, and I love looking at it.  It has beautiful pictures of oddities all over the state of Missouri.  The Weird state books is a whole series, and I believe there is a book for most of the states.  I believe there is also a Weird US book.  This book includes roadside attractions, haunted places, and local legends.  Also, there is such a thing as a hair museum in Missouri!

The Lonely Planet Book of Everything by Nigel Holmes

The Lonely Planet Book of Everything: A Visual Guide to Travel and the World by Nigel Holmes, 203 pages

Written in 2012, this was fun to read if you plan on traveling anywhere.  The book contains beautiful illustrations and graphics and covers such topics as surviving a shark attack and saving yourself from sinking in quicksand.  The book also contains numerous facts like the longest rivers in the world, the highest mountains, and the tallest buildings in the world.  It also contains medical tips as well as what to tip at restaurants in foreign countries.  And, check out page 132 for the average price of coffee in major cities around the world.  It was interesting to read that NYC is not all that expensive for a cup of coffee as compared to Moscow.

100 Things to Do in America Before You Die by Bill Clevlen

100 Things to Do in America Before You Die by Bill Clevlen - 173 pages

This book was written by road trip blogger and radio host Bill Clevlen.  It is his list of the most "American" tourist spots in the country.  I found the book interesting.  I had already visited about 20 of the spots he mentioned.  It also gave me new places to put on my list to visit. 

Traveling Through Illinois by LuAnn Cadden & Ted Cable

Traveling Through Illinois: Stories of I-55 Landmarks & Landscapes Between Chicago and St. Louis by LuAnn Cadden & Ted Cable, 190 pages

If you have ever traveled to Chicago and driven on I-55, I would say this is a handy book to have.  As I have been driving between St. Louis and Chicago every year for the past year, I wish someone had written this book sooner.  Just about everything that you find fascinating along I-55 you will find written in this book.  Written by southbound then by northbound exits, it is fascinating to read what I have been missing all these years.  For instance, I must stop by the grain elevator museum sometime soon to see what I have been missing!