Road Trip Books -- BOOK THOUGHTS

 

BOOK THOUGHTS

Road Trip Books

What are you up to this week?

I’m heading off to drive from my house in Portland to my sister’s house in Omaha. When she and our mom moved back to our hometown two years ago, I ended up with the last bits and pieces that didn’t fit in the moving PODs.

Which explains why I’ve been fostering this gorgeous Italian pot for my sis. She and our mom used to have a business importing Italian ceramics, which is how this pot came into her life in the first place. Now it is time to haul it to the Midwest. I am going to miss this gorgeous thing in my house.

I haven’t packed my suitcases yet, but I’ve picked the books I want to take with me. I’m trying something new. Normally, I take pocket paperbacks when I travel with the idea that they don't take up much room and I can leave them along the way as I finished them. But I decided to take space hogging hardbacks this time. Although the car will be crowded, there's always room for books. If I can leave them behind when I finish, I will have cleared substantial space on my TBR shelves.

That’s why I picked mysteries. I was looking for quick reads I don’t intend to keep after I finish. Have you read any of these books or authors? What do you think of my picks?

• The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse
• The Stranger House by Reginald Hill
• Dark Harbor by David Hosp
• After All These Years by Susan Isaacs
• The Millionaires by Brad Metzger

I'll be gone for 10 days. I probably will not read all five of these. But I might read four of them and probably three. My fear is that I may not finish a couple of them, if they are too scary for me or I just don't like them. I also have a niggling worry that I've already read the Susan Isaacs book. Better to have a couple for insurance in case there are a couple of DNFs in the mix. 

My companion on this road trip is my private eye friend. I know we will have lots to talk about! We will stay with her mom in Montana the first night, visit Mt. Rushmore the second night, and get to Omaha on the third evening. Lots of driving! But I borrowed library audiobooks of Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and Still Life by Sarah Winman to keep us entertained — when we’re not yakking.

Our plans for the return trip are up in the air. We’re not sure when we will leave to come back to Oregon because she’s working on a big case and there’s an FBI agent and a couple of witnesses she needs to meet with in Nebraska. Also, we have to dodge the tornadoes!