So I continued to travel around the country, checking off states as I hit all 48 of them this year. You can catch up here, or just enjoy some travel ideas and admire a book from each state. There is so much great stuff to see all over the country, and so many great books to read, that we have a lot of great stuff to discuss!

Safety is always an issue when you are on the road, especially when traveling alone. But I have to say I find it both annoying and sad that the first question many people ask me is whether I was scared to be alone. No. No I was not. For the most part, everywhere you go people are always the same, and generally people are pretty nice. (Yes, I do carry my middle aged, middle class white lady privileges with me everywhere I go; and that’s usually pretty helpful. It also renders you essentially invisible to most people, which can be helpful too.)

When I was in tents for a summer, I did carry a can of wasp spray. I have no idea if it’s true, but I read that it’s good for safety because it’s easier to spray than bear spray and goes a long distance. No idea if it’s true, because I’ve never had a problem while camping. But it’s good to think about potential problems.

In the trunk of my car I keep a portable battery charger, a can that is supposed to inflate flat tiers, a pretty extensive first aid kit, flashlights, assorted knives, spare shoes and socks, and a few other basic supplies. Think about things that might go wrong, problems you could reasonably encounter, and think about how you could solve them.

And remember: you probably won’t have big problems! Generally things are going to go okay, especially if you have planned ahead. So, go places! Travel! Try things! It makes everything feel better in your life!

Kentucky

And this was not a disaster, but a great example of why it’s good to a paper atlas along with your gps. As I was routing up through Tennessee to Kentucky, I noticed Google’s estimated time for arrival jumped from about 90 minutes to over four hours. Clearly, there was a major accident ahead, and I had time to reroute. Whew! Getting stuck in traffic jams is always a drag, and it’s so much easier to avoid them if you can quickly grab a paper map to find a new destination.

Kentucky is another absolutely beautiful state to visit. The rolling hills, horse farms, and generally lovely scenery is worth seeing.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson

“The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything―everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome’s got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.

Cussy’s not only a book woman, however, she’s also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy’s family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble. If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she’s going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler.

Inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman’s belief that books can carry us anywhere―even back home.”

West Virginia

If driving into West Virginia does not inspire you to hum along to “Almost Heaven, West Virginia…” you really need to have more John Denver in your life.

Too Many Cooks (A Nero Wolfe Mystery Book 5), by Rex Stout

I absolutely love the Rex Stout series. Most of them are set in Nero Wolf’s beloved brownstone in New York City, but in a few he ventures (reluctantly) to other locations.

“It takes place at the Kanawha Spa in West Virginia where ten of the world’s greatest chefs, Les Quinze Maitres, are holding their quinquennial get-together. Everyone knows that too many cooks spoil the broth, but you’d hardly expect it to lead to murder. But that’s exactly what’s on the menu at a five-star gathering of the world’s greatest chefs. As guest of honor, Wolfe was lured from his brownstone to a posh southern spa to deliver the keynote address. He never expected that between courses of haute cuisine he and Archie would be compelled to detect a killer with a poison touch—a killer preparing to serve the great detective his last supper. “

Virginia

Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Patterson

If you also read this as a kid, and cried, it might be time to reread it as an adult. (You may still cry. But it’s good.)

“Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie’s house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief. “

Maryland

Being named Mary myself, this state has always been special to me – I mean, how great it must be with a name like this!

Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan #1), by Laura Lippman

“Until her paper, the Baltimore Star, crashed and burned, Tess Monaghan was a damn good reporter who knew her hometown intimately — from historic Fort McHenry to the crumbling projects of Cherry Hill. Now gainfully unemployed at twenty-nine, she’s willing to take any freelance job to pay the rent — including a bit of unorthodox snooping for her rowing buddy, Darryl “Rock” Paxton.

In a city where someone is murdered almost everyday, attorney Michael Abramowitz’s death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer’s notoriety — and his noontime trysts with Rock’s fiancee — make the case front page news…and points to Rock as the likely murderer. But trying to prove her friend’s innocence couls prove costly to Tess — and add her name to that infamous ever-growing list.”

Are you doing any armchair traveling?? Read some good books and enjoy the fun of getting to travel without ever leaving home!