Fun for the Whole Family

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith, 368 pages

The four Endicott siblings didn't have the best relationship with their mom, who was mostly absent from their lives. However, every summer, she'd arrive and take them on a road trip to random states across the country, staying in crappy hotels, eating diner food, and stopping for odd roadside attractions. This continued until a fire at a hotel forced their dad to put a stop to their annual travels, and the siblings slowly drifted apart. Now estranged adults, straitlaced Gemma is trying to get pregnant (even though she's not really sure she wants to be a mom, after shepherding her younger siblings her whole life); author Connor has alienated his family with his largely autobiographical debut novel and is now fighting writer's block on his follow-up novel; and twins Roddy and Jude have excelled at their chosen professions, gaining fame and fortune as a professional soccer player and acclaimed actress, respectively. But when Jude calls them all for a final family vacation in snowy North Dakota, Gemma, Connor, and Roddy show up ready for a tense and hopefully cathartic reunion.

I'm a sucker for a dysfunctional family story, and this one had all the hallmarks of a great one, with well-developed characters, slightly unrealistic complications, and a lot of heart to tie it all together. As someone whose parents dragged her all over the country in an attempt to visit all 50 states (I just have Alaska left!), this book was particularly poignant for me, and I'll freely admit that the epilogue left me ugly-crying for a solid 10 minutes. However, unless you're a member of my immediate family, that probably won't happen to you. Highly recommended!

The Road to Tender Hearts

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett, 384 pages

PJ Halliday's life has been in a bit of a rut over the last decade. Sure, he won $1.5 million in scratch-off lottery tickets, but he also hasn't processed the grief of losing his eldest daughter 15 years ago or dealt with his wife leaving him for the birder next door, and he got enough DUIs to have his license revoked for 8 years. So when he learns that his high school crush is now a widow, he decides to take a cross-country road trip to try again to woo her. Complicating matters is the fact that he's suddenly become the guardian of his estranged brother's grandkids, but hey, why not take two newly orphaned fourth graders (both of whom are dealing with the shocking loss of their parents in wildly different ways) on a road trip to a the faraway Tender Hearts Retirement Community?

The description of this book sounds like a mess, and yeah, it kind of is, but in the best possible way. I love the way that Hartnett depicts grief at all ages and stages with kindness and occasional (but appropriate) humor, and I love the way this weird family grows both as a group and as individuals. And I think the fact the death-detecting cat doesn't top my list of why this book is fantastic is pretty telling, as in most books, that would be the best part. Highly recommended.

When We Were Real

When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory, 464 pages

Longtime friends JP and Dulin are heading out on a final hurrah (though only JP realizes that): a weeklong bus tour of America's Impossibles, a series of, well, impossible sights throughout the country. These anomalies started appearing seven years ago, when it was announced that we're all living in a simulation (though nobody knows who's running it). Also on the tour are a quartet of cackling octogenarians, a pregnant teen influencer, a rabbi and two nuns who are traveling together, a conspiracy theorist podcaster and his bored son, a professor on the run from Matrix-inspired sociopaths, and a tour guide on her very first tour ever.

I've loved every book I've read by Gregory, and this one may top them all. It's hilarious, thought-provoking, and may get me to finally pick up Canterbury Tales to see how much of an homage this science fiction take is (aside from the obvious, of course — the bus tour company is called Canterbury Trails). I absolutely loved this book, and I'll be recommending it to everyone.

Run for the Hills

Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson, 256 pages

Since her dad left when she was 9, Mad has been working on their Tennessee farm with her mom, slowly building a following for their organic crops and free-range eggs. Then one Saturday a man rolls up in a PT Cruiser, claiming to be her half-brother, Rube. His dad left him when he was a kid, and as an adult, Rube hired a private investigator to see what became of his absent father. As it turns out, his father, insurance salesman and mystery author Charles Hill, moved to Tennessee to become an organic farmer, then reinvented himself in Oklahoma, Utah, and finally California, each time leaving a wife and child behind. Before she knows what's happening, Mad is on a cross-country road trip with Rube, following the trail of their father, meeting siblings, and preparing to face the man that left them all behind.

I loved Wilson's dysfunctional-family novel Nothing to See Here, and I had high hopes for this one too. It's not bad, and really focuses on the bonds of siblings, rather than a multigenerational family. It's not entirely believable, if only because I'd find it really hard to hop into a car with someone I just met, even if he is my half-brother, though the story is a fun one. Still, it doesn't hold a candle to the spontaneously combusting children of Nothing to See Here.

*This book will be published May 13, 2025.

The Delight of Being Ordinary

The Delight of Being Ordinary: A Road Trip with the Pope and Dalai Lama by Roland Merullo  367 pp.

When the Dalai Lama makes an official visit to the Vatican, Pope Francis comes up with the idea of a secret, unsanctioned road trip around Italy, the vacation that he is not allowed. He saddles his personal assistant and cousin Paolo with making the arrangements in less than 24 hours. Paolo helps the two holy men escape from the Vatican without their bodyguards. Rosa arranges for them to get them professional, movie quality disguises and borrows a friend's Maserati SUV for the journey. There is no real itinerary for the trip other than some vague and similar dreams the Pope and Dalai Lama have been having. They dodge the authorities and media who believe Paolo has kidnapped the holy men against their will and there is a reward on their heads. Paolo is increasingly neurotic and upset about some of the situations they find themselves in and neither the holy men nor his wife can calm his worries. The Pope and Dalai Lama are having a great time on their illicit vacation. The end of the journey is handled in a satisfactory way although I still wish I could to shake some sense into Paolo for some of his idiotic attitudes. 

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley 341 pp.

Tanner Quimby is a 21 year old former college student whose dreams were shattered when an injury put an end to her soccer career and her scholarship. Louise Wilts is an elderly woman recovering from a broken hip whose children decide she needs a live-in caretaker even though she is able to care for herself. Tanner takes the job which allows her to play video games most of the day and drive Louise to her various appointments. Then things get weird. Tanner becomes the driver on a sudden cross country trip with Louise to save an old friend of hers. Meanwhile the FBI are on their tail believing Mrs. Wilts to be a dangerous criminal mastermind and jewel thief who has kidnapped Tanner. The story is funny, heartwarming, and strange and I enjoyed it immensely. The audio narration is well done by Hillary Huber.   

The Summer Seekers

The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan, 378 pages

For years, 40-year-old Liza has put family first, doing everything she can to be ever-present in the lives of her husband and daughters, worrying constantly about their needs and those of her 80-year-old mother, Kathleen. Kathleen, however, wants Liza to lay off the nagging and let her live on her own. When a prowler surprises Kathleen one evening, Liza takes it as a sign that assisted living is a necessity for Kathleen; unsurprisingly, Kathleen disagrees, arguing that it's high time for her dream road trip on Route 66. Unmoved by Liza's protestations that the road trip is dangerous and problematic — Kathleen doesn't drive, after all — Kathleen hires 25-year-old Martha to escort her across the U.S. in a convertible. Naturally, adventures ensue.

Oh, this was such a fun book! The relationships between Liza and Kathleen, and between Kathleen and Martha are so real and believable, despite some questionable plot points (particularly when Kathleen convinces Martha to pick up a hitchhiker in Oklahoma). I absolutely loved this story, and I would have happily read more about this trio of strong yet flawed women. Highly recommended.

The Lincoln Highway

 

The Lincoln Highway / Amor Towles, read by a cast, 576 pgs.

Another strong contender by Towles to go along with "A Gentleman in Moscow" and "The Rules of Civility."  This book focuses on brothers Emmett and Billy Watson who have lost both parents and their home.  Emmett  is just back from the the work farm where he served time for involuntary manslaughter. His goals now are to make it back to his home town, pick Billy up and set out to a fresh start in some other state.  Unexpectedly, his acquaintances Duchess and Wooly from the work farm show up and derail his plans.  An epic cross country trip ensues.  There are a couple of characters that don't really fit into this story but the writing is great and the philosophical musings are meaningful.  Interesting and satisfying.

Are You Listening?

Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden, 305 pages

Eighteen-year-old Bea is running away when she meets up with her neighbor, Lou, who is taking what she says is a short trip to visit her aunt. Lou takes Bea in, Bea finds a cat, and they end up taking a rambling, surreal road trip. Yes, that's the basic plot of this beautiful graphic novel, but this book is SO MUCH MORE than that. As they drive, Bea and Lou open up to one another, forging a close, inexplicable bond that will last much longer than the road trip. This is a book about escape, about trust, about facing your demons, and about a magical cat. It's wonderful.

An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green  227 pp.

Kara blogged about this book here and here and gave a pretty full description of the story. I enjoyed Green's characters and the premise of the town of Gutshot, Tennessee (probably because I have relatives living in similar small towns). However, I have to say that, while I enjoyed it, this isn't my favorite John Green novel. Looking for Alaska still has that status in my lists.

Don't Let My Baby Do Rodeo

Don't Let My Baby Do Rodeo by Boris Fishman, 321 pages

Maya and Alex immigrated to the U.S. when they were children, met as young adults and quickly married. After a few years, they realized they couldn't have children and, despite her husband's reservations, Maya and Alex adopt a baby from a young couple from Montana, vowing to never tell the child of his biological parents. Fast-forward eight years, and when the young Max begins acting oddly (eating grass, wandering among deer in their New Jersey backyard, running away to look at rocks in a stream), Maya determines that they need to track down his biological parents in order to understand their son.

It's an odd story of family, of adopted cultures, of not fitting in. I'm honestly not sure what I thought of this book, though I know I'll be ruminating on it for quite some time. Which I guess is a good thing.

The Young Widower's Handbook

The Young Widower's Handbook by Tom McAllister, 282 pages (advanced reading copy)


Hunter Cady and his wife, Kait, were incredibly happy in their young marriage, always planning for (but never taking) elaborate trips to exotic locations around the world. But then Kait died suddenly, leaving Hunter adrift, wondering who he is supposed to be without Kait, who was the planner, the worrier, the financial manager of their partnership. After the immediate mourning period (the part filled with neighborly casseroles and awkward hugs), with anger and stress issues pouring in from his parents and in-laws, Hunter embarks on a road trip with Kait's ashes, heading west to see where life takes them.

This is a wonderful book, filled with bittersweet love, quirky situations and characters, and the perfect amount of wry humor. I was afraid when I picked it up that this would be one of those books that makes me weep constantly; thankfully, it wasn't, and instead I found myself ruminating on life and love. In his debut novel, McAllister creates wonderfully flawed and lovable characters and a story that is, if not totally believable throughout, is true to those characters and the process of grief. Definitely read this one when it's released in February 2017.

Dinner with Buddha

Dinner with Buddha by Roland Merullo  344 pp.

This is the third book in the series about book editor Otto Ringling and his brother-in-law, the spiritual teacher Rinpoche Volya. This installment takes place several years later than Lunch with Buddha. Otto's wife has died of cancer and he is now unemployed and just floundering in his life. His daughter has begun living a the retreat center run by his sister, Seese and the Rinpoche. And their young daughter is growing up and seems to be of serious importance to the Buddhist world (think Dalai Lama-ish). Otto and the Rinpoche take off on another of their road trips to speaking engagements, odd small towns, casinos, and possibly in search of a new location for the retreat center. I enjoy this series. It is light, often funny, and yet has some serious spiritual chops to it. I wonder if the next one will be Nightcap with Buddha.

American Gods

American Gods by Neil Gaiman, 541 pages

After spending three years in prison, Shadow is heading home when he learns that his wife has died in a car accident, which also killed the man who was going to give Shadow a job. Suddenly liberated and adrift, Shadow falls in with the mysterious Wednesday, who hires him to do some driving and other odd jobs. What follows is a meandering adventure on the backroads of the United States, traveling from one roadside attraction to another, meeting various foreign gods brought here (and later forgotten) by immigrants.

I FINALLY got around to reading this book, which has been on my to-read pile for years (literally), and I'm so glad I did. Shadow is simultaneously complex and simple, serving as a great medium for the reader to observe the much more vivid and intriguing characters Shadow meets on his travels. We never learn Shadow's real name, and I think that's a deliberate choice on Gaiman's part. He has a penchant for writing from the point of view of unnamed (or in this case, nicknamed) characters, which makes way for the story, which as always is masterfully told. Weaving together the old gods and the new (technology, media, etc), Gaiman has created a story of faith, love, horror, coin tricks, and con men, and it's awesome. Check this one out if you haven't already.

As an added note, I read the 10th anniversary author's edition, which included many of the bits that had been edited out of the originally released version, as well as an interview with Gaiman and a post-script about why he, a Brit, chose to write about America. It's well worth picking up this edition, just for those "special features."

The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even / Chris F Westbury 312 p.

Isaac lives a narrow life, spending all day sitting in art museums, washing his hands, and generally avoiding the rest of humanity.  He makes friends 'in group,' his outpatient group therapy for those with OCD.  Together, he and his best friend Greg, who is obsessed with spoons and the artist Marcel Duchamp, hatch a plan to purchase an authentic chocolate grinder, made in the style of a portion of a piece by Duchamp.  (Don't ask - I didn't even try to follow some of the logic here, and I don't think the writer fully intends us to.  Just let it be.)

So the plan involves a brand-new sterilized Winnebago to make the drive from Boston to Philadelphia, where the bulk of Duchamp's work can be viewed.  But Isaac and Greg can't drive, so they hire Isaac's new non-group friend, Kelly, a doctoral student in religious studies who shares Isaac's love of a sculpture of the Biblical Abraham and Isaac that they've been gazing at together.

This is apparently Westbury's first novel, but it doesn't read like one.  Circuitous mental processes aside, this is delightful.  Westbury clearly is indulging some of his own obsessions, and yet his characters are full of sweetness and depth.  And the construction of the book is far more controlled than the wild thematic shifts would make it seem.  Not for everyone, but if you're looking for something unusual, give it a try.

Breakfast with Buddha

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo  323 pp.

Otto Ringling has recently lost his elderly parents in a car accident. Otto, a cookbook editor for a book publisher and his flakey, new ager sister, Cecilia are set to drive from the east coast to the family farm in North Dakota to make arrangements for selling it. At the last moment his sister announces she is not going but wants her brother to take her guru, Volya Rinpoche (Rinpoche is a title given to respected teachers) to see the property. She has decided to give away her portion of the estate for the Rinpoche to build a meditation center. Otto is highly suspicious of this little man in the saffron robes but has no choice but to agree. However, the little man turns out to be a fascinating companion and Otto can't help but become the recipient of his non/teaching in spite of his anger and frustration over the situation. Otto even learns about meditation and yoga--the latter to a painful degree. The Rinpoche imparts his wisdom while enjoying new experiences like bowling and miniature golf. I enjoyed this book and the gentle way the Rinpoche teaches Otto how to change his outlook. While not laugh-out-loud funny you can't help but smile while reading it.

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip by Matthew Algeo  262 pp.

In the summer of 1953, the newly former President Harry S. Truman and his wife, Bess did something that is unthinkable today. They got in their car, a brand new Chrysler New Yorker, and took off on a trip across the country from their home in Independence, Missouri to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City. They had no Secret Service protection since it wasn't given to former Presidents at that time. In fact, the only protection they had on the road was Bess keeping Harry from driving too fast. The cost of the trip was paid for by the Trumans from the small military pension he received since former Presidents did not receive a pension at that time. The author retraced the Trumans' route, visiting many of the same places and talking to a few people who met them while on that trip. Even though Harry and Bess tried to remain incognito during their trip, they were generally recognized every time they stopped for a meal or to stay at a hotel. There were only a couple times they managed to get completely 'off the radar.' Some of the stories are quite amusing. They were always gracious, even when interrupted during dinner by autograph seekers, although they asked photographers to wait until after the meal to take photos. Harry insisted on loading his own luggage into the car trunk in spite of the insistence of bellhops. However, he was not against taking advantage of free meals, hotel rooms, and tanks of gas when business proprietors offered them. This fun book gives a charming look at a bygone era and the President who was just a regular guy from Missouri.