If you missed the first part of this series, you can find it here.
So I kept traveling across the country, clicking off more states and seeing more cool things! This is a great way to travel and to see all sorts of interesting sights. And really – it’s very easy to have a successful road trip. You should try it!
If you are thinking about your own road trip, I have a few things you should remember to pack:
- Lots of books! Obviously, audio books are vital to any road trip; and if you are with other people it’s probably a good idea to coordinate on books you will ALL like before you get started. And bring other book formats. Paper books are good to read no matter where you are. Ebooks are so convenient – and if you are at a cliffhanger in a series, you can just download the next one. (Thanks, Libby app!)
- A phone with a good cell connection to get maps. But that won’t work after you move even a little way off the interstate – no cell coverage! So also have a stand-alone GPS. They work almost everywhere. (Not in northern Alaska, due to the Earth curving so inconveniently; but pretty much everywhere else in the US.) And have a paper atlas. It is so much easier to get a perspective on where you are with paper; then your electronics can help you figure out how to get there.
- Five gallon water container I drink a lot of water and tea, and it’s a hassle to keep stopping to refill my bottles. Plus, when you camp it’s just so easy to have your own water right there for cooking, drinking, cleaning – whatever you need. And you will occasionally run into someone who needs water, so it’s good to be ready to share. (This was more urgent later in the trip, when I was out in the desert with no towns nearby!)
- Snacks I’m a serious fan of snacks on road trips, and try to stock up on reasonably good things before I leave, to reduce the number of junk food snacks I’ll buy at gas stations. Think about things that won’t melt (key!), and won’t spoil in a day. I’m in love with Moon Cheese, almonds, jerky, or similar items that will be good fellow travelers. (Plus a couple things you wouldn’t normally eat – you’re on vacation!)
Okay, more road trip ideas will be shared here in the future. Now, let’s get to the good stuff: the books!
Nebraska
I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, so this kind of felt like coming home! I did actually move out of the state when I was about six months old, so did not necessarily form a strong impression – but it’s always had a positive association for me. And this was fun, because I realized I could walk across a bridge near my Iowa hotel and end up in Nebraska! I think this is the only state I walked to, instead of driving to.
This book has been on my TBR list forever, and I’ve had so many people tell me they love it; so it’s time for me to grab a copy and get this read!
Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell “Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits-smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love-and just how hard it pulled you under.”
Wisconsin
I have the privledge of being “from” a lot of places, but Wisconsin is the most recent place I’m from before moving to Minnesota so it does have a very definite feeling of home. #CheeseheadPride
I’m a fan of Neil Gaiman (of course), and this was the first book of his that I read. I’ve been to the House on the Rock, which plays a big role here, and if you love weird, tourist stuff, you absolutely need to go too! Listen to this book first.
American Gods, by Neil Gaiman “Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined. Soon Shadow learns that the past never dies . . . and that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and that he is standing squarely in its path.”
Illinois
You know a couple of paragraphs back when I said I’m from lots of places? Well, this is the third state in a row that I’m “from” on today’s list! I grew up in Illinois, and have spent time living in corn fields, apple orchards, on the Mississippi (my first time living there!), and in and around Chicago. If I had to narrow down to one state I’m “from” it would be Illinois.
I spent my childhood in Springfield, so have a very strong connection to Abraham Lincoln. I haven’t been back in years, but could easily give you a tour of his house, his tomb, the State Capital building he helped to move there, and his Presidential Library. There are a ton of biographies on Lincoln, but I think this one is interesting.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin ” On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.
Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.
It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war. “
Missouri
I’m not from Missouri! But I did go to college on the Mississippi River, right across from Hannibal, MO; and we would drive St. Louis to shop in the “big city” when I was a kid. So when I read this book, I recognized the area she was talking about.
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn ” On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? “
That’s it for this week, but I hope you read some good books and share them with others. And it would be great for you to start thinking about your own road trip – either in person, or in book form!