travel

Audiobook: Every Step She Takes

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by Alison Cochran
Read by: Cindy Kay & Jeremy Carlisle Parker
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and on-page sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Sadie Wells needs a change. She’s been running her grandmother’s antique store (which was left to her when grandma died) since she was 21, and at 35, she feels stuck. So, when her travel-influencer younger sister gets a broken foot, Sadie jumps at the chance to take her place walking Portugal’s Camino de Santiago as part of a tour.

Mal, who had a falling out with her father 20 years ago, is back in Portugal on the heels of a breakup with her girlfriend, and is avoiding the aftermath of her father’s death (and his leaving his wine company to her). She has sworn off falling for yet another girl, and yet there is Sadie, who is having a gay awakening, and Mal can’t seem to resist the pull.

Can Sadie find herself and maybe help Mal make a change along the way?

I have decided that it really doesn’t matter what Cochran writes. I will read it. This was delightful – found family, discovering oneself, and travel in a gorgeous country, coupled with Cochran’s trademark wit and depth. I adored everything about this, from the delightful narrators to the story. Here’s to late bloomers and people discovering their authentic selves.

I loved it.

While the Earth Holds Its Breath

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by Helen Moat
First sentence: “I’m staring into the dark of the lake – tar black and freezing.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Release date: October 21, 2025.
Content: It’s short and concise, and will be in the Creative Non-fiction section of the bookstore.

Helen Moat dislikes winter. Every year, as the year turns towards the dark, she feels an oncoming dread and anxiety, and every spring, an immense relief. But, in 2020, when everything was in lockdown, Moat made the decision to try and embrace the dark, the cold, the winter.

The book takes place over three winters, as Moat reflects on her experiences in the winter. She travels to Finland to the Arctic Circle, to Japan, to Spain to experience winter in different areas. She befriends a Ukrainian refugee and in that friendship, learns about Ukrainian winters. She ventures out in her Derbyshire countryside to forest bathe and experience what her backyard has to offer.

It’s a quick read, this book, and when I started it I wondered what it has to offer that Wintering doesn’t. There are many similarities, but I think Moat takes a broader look at winter. I liked her travels – May stays pretty close to her native England, if I remember right – and how she valued other traditions and ideas, and brought them home and incorporated them.

The short version: community and communion with nature and each other are what make winter tolerable. Getting outside, being with people in the warmth, and being mindful about noticing the small things are what help winter be less daunting. And I appreciate Moat’s perspective on it.

Sea Legs

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by Jules Bakes, illustrated by Niki Smith
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy pilfered off the ARC shelves at the bookstore.
Content: There are some intense, possibly scary, moments. There is also possible abuse, but I think only an older reader would catch that. It’s in the MIddle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Janey has spent the last year at a school in Florida, living a normal life, making friends. But all that’s come to an end, as her parents – who have built a seafaring sailboat – have decided to leave and go adventuring again. For Janey, that means homeschooling and no actual friends. That is, until they reach St. Thomas. Then, in another boat, Janey discovers Astrid, a girl slightly older than Janey is. Janey’s just excited to make a friend, but friendship with Astrid is complicated to say the least.

On the one hand, I really liked this portrait of a family that’s not doing traditional things. I liked the adventurous spirit of the parents, their willingness to give things up and chase their dreams. And I appreciated seeing that from the point of view of their child. It’s not easy. It was a lot of boring times, and then trying to figure out how to stay out of everyone’s way. On the other hand, Janey got to see some incredible things that she wouldn’t have been able to experience if she were land-bound.

The thing I found most interesting about this was that it felt much like a memoir. It was told in first person point of view, and there wasn’t a neat and tidy ending. It was much more a slice-of-life story than one with a traditional story arc. I didn’t mind that, but I do wonder how kids will react to it. Are they going to want more of a resolution? The art is good and suits the story well.

I’m glad I read it.

Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties

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by Kellye Crocker
First sentence: “Ana should have been happy.”
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Content: There is a lot of lying, talk of pregnancy, and some parental neglect. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Ana’s whole life it has just been her and her dad. Her mom passed soon after Ana was born, and she hasn’t known anything else. But the summer after sixth grade, her dad decides to take her out to Colorado to meet his new girlfriend and her daughter. For two whole weeks. This wouldn’t be so bad, but Ana just got diagnosed with anxiety disorder, and the idea of traveling to Colorado from nice, safe Iowa is positively anxiety-inducing. And so, when they get there, all she wants to do is go home. So she decides to sabotage the vacation. In one horrible situation after another, Ana tries to make everything come undone… and learns a lot in the process.

This was a good portrait of a 12-year-old, who was used to being the center of her father’s life, learning to share him with another adult. And remember to manage her anxiety, and how to be open to new situations. It’s kind of fun, sweet, and perfect for those middle-grade readers who want to experience a Colorado vacation (while simultaneously getting second-hand embarrassment).

A fun read.

School Trip

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by Jerry Craft
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: New Kid, Class Act
Content: There are some shenanigans and awkward moments. It’s in the Middle-Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Jordan and his friends have a long-awaited school trip to Pairs. They’re all excited for different reasons; Jordan especially since he wants to see all the art with his art teacher. However, to the actions of several tech-savvy kids, the teachers assigned to the various trips get all mixed up, and the teachers going to the Paris trip know nothing. That’s a chance for Maury to shine: his mother went to school in Paris, and they visit often. He is able to show the other kids all the cool spots. As they go through the city of lights, the kids learn to navigate friendships and talk about their feelings and how they are treated. Sometimes everyone being in a new place can make it easier to talk about things you aren’t able to back home.

I really like this series. I like Craft’s art style and the way he has many different characters that all have some depth to them. I like that he’s not afraid to talk about racism or just the way kids can mistreat each other without realizing it. I do like that the kids are mostly complex characters. It’s a fun book, but also a thoughtful one. My only complaint is that Jordan’s parents decided what high school he would attend (he got into an art-specific high school) without letting him have his say. But that’s a minor thing in such a well-done graphic novel.

Highly recommended.

Walking With Sam

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by Andrew McCarthy
First sentence: “When I was a very young man and became very successful in the movies very quickly, I harbored a notion that I had not earned my accomplishments, that I hadn’t done the requisite work, that it was all merely a fluke, that I didn’t deserve it.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is some mention of drug use, several f-bombs,, and other mild swearing. It’s in the Biography section of the bookstore.

I was probably always going to be interested in this book; I love travel books, and I have a friend who has walked the Camino twice. Plus there’s the celebrity factor. But, after finishing The Longest Way Home, I have immense respect for McCarthy as a travel writer. And he delivers in this book.

When he was in his early 30s, McCarthy walked the Camino – inspired by a book – and had a life-changing experience. As his oldest son grew up, McCarthy wanted to share that experience with him. His son wasn’t interested until he was 19 and had just broken off a bad long-term relationship. McCarthy jumped at the chance, and they were off. They walked the northern route – the Camino Frances (or at least that’s what I’m guessing from what he writes) through the Pyrenees and the Meseta, into Santiago. I’m not exactly sure how long it took them – the chapters were labeled with miles until Santiago. But McCarthy is strikingly honest about their walk. The ups and downs, both physically and emotionally, the stresses and joys of their relationship, and yes, you can see the growth in both McCarthy and Sam and between them.

Like the first travel book of his I read, I loved that he gave you a sense of walking the Camino with its own joys and hardships and dull moments, while being introspective. He both compared this walk to the one he took 25 years prior, and reflected on the nature of both his relationship with his son as well as the one he had with his own father. It’s engaging and interesting, as well as being introspective and thoughtful.

I found it an absolute delight to read.

The Longest Way Home

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by Andrew McCarthy
First sentence: “‘Are you awake?'”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There’s some mild swearing, maybe one or two f-bombs, and mention of past alcoholism. It’s in the Biography section of the bookstore.

First: yes it’s that Andrew McCarthy. I knew he’d written a couple of books – I had put in a proposal for him to come to Wichita when he released his YA novel – but I thought it was more along the lines of “he’s got a vanity project” rather than “he’s a real writer.” Well, color me wrong: he’s an actual, real writer. And this book was quite good.

Seven years into his relationship with his now-wife, D, and four years after they first got engaged, she decided that they really Ought to get married, and started planning their wedding. McCarthy, reacting the only way he thought he could, immediately took off on writing assignments. The book follows his path through Patagonia, Costa Rica, the Amazon, Venice, Baltimore, up Kilimanjaro and ultimately to Ireland, where he and D do, actually get married (not a spoiler; the book opens with their honeymoon). It’s an introspective book, one where McCarthy examines his past relationships – including with his first wife and their son – and history as he tries to reconcile why he doesn’t, actually, want to get married. But it’s also a good travel book: McCarthy is a generous traveler, one that doesn’t mind being adventurous or solitary but also will interact and participate in a group (though he complains about it). I found myself captivated by his writing, and enjoying the time I spent in his reflections. It’s a good thing he’s got a few other works of non-fiction (including his new one, about walking the Camino) that I just might get around to reading. (Bonus: he’s coming to Wichita as part of the tour for the Camino book. I just might have to go!)

People We Meet on Vacation

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by Emily Henry
First sentence: “On vacation, you can be anyone you want.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: May 11, 2021
Review copy provided by the publisher
Content: There are a dozen or so f-bombs and some tasteful on-screen sex. It will be in the Romance section of the bookstore.

When Poppy met Alex their freshman year of college they immediately decided they were not for each other. She was loud, dressing in vintage clothing, and loved to travel and experience things. He was quiet and studious, preferring khakis and to stay at home in their Midwest hometown. So, it was incredibly unlikely that they would become friends.

But become friends they did. And one of the things they looked forward to? Their annual Summer Trip: Poppy picked the destination and made the plans, usually cheap and haphazard, and they went and had a great time.

Fast forward ten years, and Poppy and Alex have had a falling out. They haven’t talked or texted or gone on their vacation for two years, and when Poppy’s friend asks her when the last time she was truly happy, she immediately knows: the last time she was with Alex. So, she takes a risk and asks him to go on one of their old vacations again. Miraculously, he agrees.

The thing is, they’ve got a week to figure out what went wrong in their relationship. And how to get it back again.

I plowed through this book, not wanting to put it down. Not only does Henry give us a sweet friendship-turned-romance (and the payoff is SO worth it!), she gives us a bunch of little travel vignettes. I adored reading about the places that Alex and Poppy went and loved their experiences there. It’s not wholly a travel book: Poppy and Alex have an arc, and Henry deftly fills us in on not just their history but their pasts apart from each other as well. It was all deftly packaged within the framework of their trips.

No, it’s not earth-shattering, or life-changing. But it was fun. A LOT of fun. And right now, I’ll take that.

Shipped

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by Angie Hockman
First sentence: “Every time I collect my mail from the paint-spattered box in the lobby and see my name printed over and over in bold black ink, I’m reminded that I’m named after a rock star.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and some off-screen sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Henley Evans has big goals for her life: work really really hard, progress in her job as marketing manager at a small cruise line, and suriving her work nemesis, Graeme Crawford-Collins (who was, disappointingly, not British. I think with a name like that, you need to be British). When both Henley and Graeme are up for the same promotion, and then sent on a cruise to the Galápagos islands, Henley is sure it’s going to be the worst vacation ever. But things don’t always go as expected, and not everything (and everyone) is what it seems.

I had been reading a few heavy-ish books, and I needed a light, silly, palate-cleanser, and this hit the spot perfectly. It’s a perfect rom-com, following all the familiar beats, with a side trip to the Galápagos islands put in. I enjoyed Henley’s girl crew, including her sister Walsh, and I liked the push-pull between Henley and Graeme. It’s not deep, but it was a lot of fun. Which is exactly what I needed right now.

Round Ireland with a Fridge

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by Tony Hawks
First sentence: “I’m not, by nature, a betting man.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: It’s sweary, both in English and Iris, and there’s a ton of drinking. It’d be in the creative non-fiction section of the bookstore if we had it.

A while back, I happened to be watching vlogbrothers, and John recommended this one, and I thought to myself “That is the sort of book I need to get me through some dull winter days.”

I was right.

The basic premise is this: Tony got super drunk one night and his friend bet him 100 pounds that Tony couldn’t hitchhike the circumference of Ireland carrying a fridge. (There are Reasons this got bet, but that’s really unimportant.) Tony, for whatever reason that I can’t remember now, decided that it was a good bet to try and accomplish. So, he set out to Ireland, picked himself up a small, white, minifridge and a dolly, and started hitchhiking.

The boon came from when someone (again, I’m not sure who) got him in contact with the Gerry Ryan Show, which was broadcast throughout Ireland on the radio. They were all so mystified by why Tony would do this, so Gerry decided to put out calls to help Tony out. I’m pretty sure without that support, this would have been an entirely different book.

As it is, it’s a delightful (if often stupid) read about a delightful (if often stupid) trip. Tony met lots and lots of people, had a good sense of humor about it all, and in the end realized that humanity (at least humanity 22 years ago) isn’t all that bad. It’s a ridiculous book about a ridiculous endeavor.

Which is to say: I really enjoyed it. Tony had me laughing out loud at parts, and it’s a truly delightful book to tell people about (“No seriously: the fridge went surfing!”). It does have a nice travel element to it, though it’s less about the landscape of Ireland and more about the people Tony meets. At any rate, it was a delightful romp to the Emerald Isle in the middle of a cold winter.