Travel | Book Chatter

The Road to Little Dribbling
By Bill Bryson
Doubleday Books, Hardcover, 9780385539289, January 2016 400pp.

The Short of It:

Bryson’s long-awaited follow-up to Notes from a Small Island. As funny as Bryson can be, I was disappointed with this one.

The Rest of It:

Twenty years ago, Bryson took his readers on a farewell trip through England. That hilarious adventure was documented in Notes from a Small Island. He made the trip before moving his family to the US and now, years later was encouraged to make a return visit to some of those places even though he has since moved back to the UK.

Twenty years can change a person’s perspective and that is the case here. Bryson is a wonderful writer and has been a fave of mine for a very long time. He won me over with A Walk in the Woods and I’ve read many of his books over the last ten years; no matter the subject. The man can write.

But…

This one comes off as somewhat hostile.

He’s still funny but all of his adventures are told with a slightly superior “I’m better than you” edge which made me a little uncomfortable. Clearly, his patience has been tested one too many times while writing this one. He has no tolerance for twits or stupid questions. I get it. The man is not perfect and I, too, have little patience for complete dolts, but over and over with the unkind comments became a little laborious to read. Many of the people he encounters anger him in some way. Or, he just chose to highlight those instances since they stuck out for him. Not sure.

In the end, this wasn’t the escape read I was hoping for but he’s still one of my favorite writers and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Blue Sun, Yellow Sky
By Jamie Jo Hoang
(Jamie Hoang, Paperback, 9781634433716, April 25, 2015, 316pp.)

The Short of It:

How much does what you see, impact who you are?

The Rest of It:

This is a question I’ve asked myself over the past few months. The eye issues, the eye injury and then my fear of going blind have all played a role in my anxiety over sight. My father lost his vision at the same age I am now and it’s been a fear of mine for a very long time.

So what do I do? I accept a book for review about a young artist who is going blind. Sometimes, books find you at exactly the right point in time.

Aubrey Johnson, a talented artist, is told by her doctor that she has retinitis pigmentosa and will be blind in a mere six to eight weeks. Stunned by the diagnosis, she decides to join her old friend Jeff on a last-minute trip around the world.

Aubrey’s situation is made more complex by the fact that she’s a painter and to a painter, being able to see and being able to render colors properly on the canvas is an absolute necessity. This is why the trip is so important to her. At each destination, she attempts to recreate the scenery before her and at times, she’s terrified of the end result because as each day passes she has slightly less vision than the day before.

What’s great about this book is that it’s hopeful and not at all sad or depressing. Aubrey’s panic over losing her sight is tangible but at the same time, she tries hard to reinvent herself as an artist. It helps that she has supportive people around her and there is an increased level of appreciation for visiting a locale, knowing that you will never see that place the same way again.

I loved the trip around the word (China, India, Israel, Jordan, Brazil, Peru). Aubrey and Jeff stop to visit with old friends and slowly, Aubrey comes to the realization that all is not lost.

If I had one criticism to offer, I’d say that the ending came up a little too fast for me. I wanted to spend a little more time with Aubrey but other than that, I enjoyed the book very much. It gave me a lot to think about and reminded me to appreciate what I have. Ultimately, it’s a feel good story and we can all use a story like it once in a while.

You can buy the book for your Kindle now but the paperback comes out later this week. To learn more about Jamie Jo Hoang, visit her website! This is her first novel!

Source: Sent to me by the author.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Chatting with friends about books and life…