Review: A Walk Around the Block by Spike Carlsen

Genre: Non-Fiction 
Publisher: HarperOne 
Released: Oct. 20, 2020
328 pages

About the Book:

A simple walk around the block set journalist Spike Carlsen, bestselling author of A Splintered History of Wood, off to investigate everything he could about everything we take for granted in our normal life—from manhole covers and recycling bins to bike lanes and stoplights. In this celebration of the seemingly mundane, Carlsen opens our eyes to the engineering marvels, human stories, and natural wonders right outside our front door. He guides us through the surprising allure of sewers, the intricacies of power plants, the extraordinary path of an everyday letter, and the genius of recycling centers—all the while revealing that this awesome world isn’t just a spectator sport.

As engaging as it is endearing, A Walk Around the Block will change the way you see things in your everyday life. Join Carlsen as he strolls through the trash museum of New York City; explores the quirky world of squirrels, pigeons, and roadkill; and shows us how understanding stoplights, bike lanes, and the fine art of walking can add years to our lives. In the end, he brings a sense of wonder into your average walk around the block, wherever you are. Guaranteed. 

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had an up and down experience with this book. There are 26 chapters in this book and each chapter is dedicated to a particular subject matter, i.e. Mail, Recycling, Road Design, etc. There were some chapters that felt like they went over my head with some of the terms being used, but then there were other chapters that I became completely absorbed in and wanted to learn even more. Overall, I learned so much from this book. The chapters that talked about things I was not interested in, i.e. sewage, felt dull and a bit long. However when it came to the chapters that captured my interest such as how mail is processed and gets from one place to the next, I could have kept reading about it. My favourite chapters were about Mail and Traffic Lights. There were so many interesting facts provided that I plan to keep this book on my shelves so I can refer back to it. 

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Review: Becca by the Book by Laura Jensen Walker

Series: Getaway Girls #3
Genre: Women's Fiction 
Publisher: Zondervan 
Released: Dec. 27, 2009
320 pages

About the Book:

Adventurous, off-beat Becca Daniels will try almost anything-purple hair, skydiving, even her book club's crazy challenge. To prove she's not commitment-phobic, Becca agrees to twenty-five dates with whoever asks her out next. When churchy Ben-definitely not Becca's type-calls, the hilarious and eye-opening dates could lead to Becca's greatest adventure yet.

  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐

Becca is another one of the book club girls, but the only one who is not a Christian. Due to events from her past Becca has become very jaded against Christianity in general but the girls in her group are an exception. This story revolves around Becca trying to decide what she wants to do with her life. During a discussion about her inability to commit to anything, the book club girls bet her she can’t go on 25 days with the next guy who asks her out. Trying to prove the girls wrong Becca strives to prove the girls she can commit. However, the next guy to ask her out is Ben who happens to be a Christian and has served in missions. Because of this Becca is exposed to church and the Bible more than ever before. I struggled to connect with Becca or the whole dating premise. Majority of the so-called dates her and Ben went on didn’t really seem like dates and why did Ben even agree to participate in this bet? I did not understand his motivation. It was interesting to see Becca experience different types of churches and discuss Christian terms and phrases she didn’t recognize with the book club girls. I did enjoy that I could spend more time with the characters from books one and two. And I was pleased to see how Chloe’s life has changed in the last few years. However I was disappointed with Paige’s storyline, it just didn’t feel like the Paige I had come to know in book two. I was disappointed in the way the story ended. Overall I found this story boring with not much character growth and Becca’s attitude began to get on my nerves at times. I found myself caring more about Lucy’s story, who was a very minor character, than I did Becca. While I didn’t love the previous two books, I enjoyed them more than this one. 

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   

Reconstructing Natalie

Daring Chloe - Getaway Girls # 1

Turning the Paige - Getaway Girls # 2 

Review: Turning the Paige by Laura Jensen Walker

Series: Getaway Girls #2
Genre: Women's Fiction 
Publisher: Zondervan 
Released: March 15, 2009
317 pages

About the Book:

Welcome to the in-between world of Paige Kelley.

At thirty-five, she’s put her dreams on hold to care for her ailing, high-maintenance mother. Three years after her divorce she’s still not dating, still working at her temp job, and still longing for motherhood even though, as her own mother often points out, “You’re not getting any younger, you know!”

When her Getaway Girls book club friends urge Paige to break free and get on with her life, she desperately wants to try. But how? What about her mom? The unexpected answers come from a surprising source. A trip to Scotland and a potential new love interest help launch an exciting new chapter in her life.

  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

I appreciated that this book carried over the characters I had come to know in the first book and added some new ones as well. In this one we are following Paige, the 35-year-old divorcee who is the primary caregiver for her mom. I enjoyed following along in the everyday life situations these characters encounter. From the book club adventures, engagements, weddings, job changes, family obligations and new friendships formed. Each time one of Annie’s t-shirt slogans was shared it made me smile. I did feel pulled in two different directions in how I should feel about the relationship between Paige and her mom. Paige puts her own needs and wants aside to devote to her mom, but was her selflessness too much? While I liked the scenes with Marc, Paige and Annie the flower lessons got a bit too scientific for me at times. I love that Paige and her sister were able to repair their relationship through the trip to Scotland. It was fun to visit Scotland with them and reminisce about some of the same sights I saw when visiting Edinburgh a few years ago.  I absolutely loved the way the book ended. It put a huge smile on my face.

Favourite Quote: 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. ... Explore. Dream. Discover.” (quoting Mark Twain)

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   

Reconstructing Natalie

Daring Chloe - Getaway Girls # 1 

Review: Daring Chloe by Laura Jensen Walker

Series: Getaway Girls # 1
Genre: Women's Fiction
Publisher: Zondervan
Released: June 8, 2008
335 pages

About the Book:

When Chloe Adams' fiance dumps her---the night before their wedding---two girlfriends from her book group decide a little adventure is in order for the three of them. After all, why let a perfectly good honeymoon cruise go to waste?Adventure? Chloe Adams? No way! Chloe's lived in one town her whole life. The closest she's ever gotten to actual adventures is reading about them. But her girlfriends won't take no for an answer.One good adventure calls for another as Chloe's friends try to coax her out of her post-dumping funk, and soon she finds herself living out the adventures in her book club's latest selections. Hiking. Sailing. River rafting. Traveling to new places and eating exotic food. The play-it-safe Chloe begins to blossom into a new, daring Chloe. A Chloe who just might be ready to take on her biggest adventure of all.

  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

I found this to be a quick easy read however not everything was light and fluffy, there were some hard subjects brought up. Chloe gets dumped by her fiancé the night before their wedding. Understandably this rocks her and makes her re-evaluate her life choices. I could relate to Chloe in that I am not daring and like to stay in my comfort zone. However I did appreciate that her friends encouraged her to try new things. Chloe is part a book club with 6 other ladies, ranging in ages from early twenties to early fifties. Each month they pick a book to read for book club and the idea is born to do an adventure each month that relates to that book. The book spans the course of the year showing which books they read for each month and what adventures they do for that month. A trip to Paris in January for French cooking lessons is the big adventure they are saving up for. I enjoyed reading the different adventures they went on and how it applied to the book they were reading that month. I was shocked at the number of books referenced that I have never read. There was a background character that I wanted Chloe to get together with, but a romance did not happen in this story so I’m holding out hope for the future as there is 2 more books in this series. As much as I was hoping for a romance to blossom I did enjoy getting to know Chloe and following along while she discovered herself without a man and found the courage to step out of her comfort zone. I didn’t like that some of the group’s adventures were detailed while others were skimmed over. Even the time in Paris was this way, their first few days were very described and then the last few days were summarized. It felt strange that the perspective and storytelling kept changing between first person and third person. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person is on my bucket list so I appreciated Chloe’s fascination with it, however the art museums were a bit too detailed for me.  I loved the character interaction and how they challenged each other at times. This group came across as a fun group and I wouldn’t mind being invited to join their book club. 

Favourite Quote: 

“Life is too short to waste on books I don't like.”

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   

Reconstructing Natalie