THE READING GROUP--A NOVEL FOR READERS

Finally got to a book given to me as a birthday present in 2007. Glad that I did. Old anglophile that I am, this #1 British bestselling book sparked an appreciation for a departure from the ordinary. The book is The Reading Group. The author is Elizabeth Noble, and gentlemen, it is almost definitely not a book for you. Glamour (UK) writes, "This is a real female-bonding novel in the very best sense; it's witty and immediately engaging." I heartily concur.

I am immediately intrigued by the novel's unusual structure. The reading group meets once a month; the time span of the novel is one year. Each chapter introduces the book selection of the month. Each month a different woman makes the selection. The book becomes a reflection of each member’s personality but also speaks to the other women in some profound way, reflecting aspects of their own lives. Their personal stories are also revealed--their loves, heartbreaks, successes, disappointments, and growth. The women's personal stories evolve as the year progresses and often impact on their reactions to the book selection. They learn, through the books and their sensitive interaction with each other, how to cope with the intricacies of life's relationships. In the course of the year, each woman grows not only as an individual but also as a compassionate and understanding friend. See, it IS a woman’s book.

On one lovely level, The Reading Group demonstrates what we readers know--that there is something powerful and special about reading between the lines--in books AND in life. Personal growth can come from both. Immediately the relationship with reading brings a feel-good moment to me!

On another lovely level, I know how important my friends are to me. Friendship among women is very different from friendship among men. The Reading Group applauds the importance of these special relationships, and that puts it up with The Divine Secret of the Ya Ya Sisterhood.

I did have a bit of trouble for a while as I was introduced to the many characters in this book. The plot encompasses the group's members, their husbands and significant others, their children (and their problems), and some significant outsiders. Not quite a cast of thousands, but definitely enough characters to have me checking back to the character listing at the beginning of the book. Ms. Noble must have had a premonition.

Don't be put off if it takes you a bit of time to get into this book. The many characters and the fact that each member of the group has a different life challenge--hence a slew of subplots to suck you in—doesn’t allow the book to flow as I might have liked. But once you've been bitten, you will want to find out how each problem is resolved. And I think you will be satisfied.

The Reading Group is a good one to take along on a trip. Oh, and if you're an Anglophile, you'll love these women and their language, their slang, their references, and their interests. At the same time they are universal, they are also oh so British. Enjoy.
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WATERFALLS ON AN AUTUMN DAY IN PENNSYLVANIA

I'll write about these waterfalls and give directions at a later date--probably when we've been to all eight waterfalls beginning just outside Milford, PA. Rob and I had a lovely summer day exploring these areas when the water did a slow, summer dance. My friends and I thrilled at the rushing and the noise on this autumn day, and I thought I'd share it with you.

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travel vacation "third+age+travel" "third+age+traveler" destinations waterfalls nature Pennsylvania outdoors hikes "Red+Hats" "Blithe+Spirits" photos "travel+photos"

TRAVEL TIPS

Believe it or not, this is an excellent time to travel because everyone wants your business. If you look carefully, you can snag some super deals. Here’s some things you might consider:

1. Think about the “shoulder season,” which runs from about April 15 through June 15. Prices are lower on flights and hotels, and crowds are smaller too. Choose a destination and check on the web to learn about the weather. Is it a rainy season? What are the temperatures? You can find some great tropical locations or you can hit Europe when airfares are often close to half price.

2. Think about Latin America where prices are favorable to Americans. Rob and I loved Costa Rica. We’re heading to Mexico for two weeks this winter. Try South America. Expedia reports that roundtrip airfares between the U.S. and Latin America average under $500 year round.

3. Make sure you sign up for www.Airfare.watchdog.com where you will be notified of airfare specials from your area. If you are flexible, you can get a great deal on your vacation.

4. Look at www.tat.globaltravel.com for some good deals. Cruise lines, for instance, are offering all kinds of specials right now.

travel vacations tourism "travel+tips" airfare "Costa+Rica" "Latin+America" cruises "shoulder+season" Europe Mexico airfarewatchdog.com tat.globaltravel.com "travel+deals" "travel+bargains" destinations "third+age" "third+age+traveler" "senior+travel" seniors

S IS FOR SILENCE--OR SUSPENSE!

My uncle Jesse gave me two Sue Grafton novels, telling me that she put together an intriguing and interesting story. Right he was, and though Rob and I listened to S is for Silence as a perfectly performed audio book, I think I am going to go back and pick up the other letters of the Grafton alphabet—beginning with A is for Alibi.

The characters who people this 19th novel in the Kinsey Millhone series are not particularly admirable, not even Grafton's private investigator, Kinsey Millhone. She's hard-boiled enough that late in the book she apologizes to a woman for being relentlessly cold and unfeeling for the pain others might feel in the solution of this decades' old disappearance. But even her regret is fleeting. The suspects themselves are unattractive in their attitudes and actions, and each one has a grudge against the missing woman that makes her disappearance no surprise. Still, their baseness might be what makes them interesting, and Rob and I had plenty to talk about as we each tried to guess the ending of the story. It might be that Kinsey’s less than perfect character makes her more interesting, if less brilliant, than a Sherlock Holmes, although he could be pretty awful too.

The premise of the plot is interesting. The book is set in 1987, but the mystery really begins in 1953—on the 4th of July. A young woman out to see the annual fireworks display vanishes leaving her young and adoring seven year old daughter with a father the child knew more as her mother's sparring partner than as a loving dad. Violet’s disappearance is of local interest for a while primarily because she is the town’s femme fatale—very 1950s--and all sorts of rumors are attached to her name. But interest fades into local folklore, as such stories might, once the novelty wears thin. She was neither liked nor missed. She had a bad reputation, fought publicly with her husband, and was respected by few. Where she fled, with whom, and how she was able to leave remains an unsolved mystery, and it is not until many years later that her now-middle-aged daughter whose life and self-esteem were destroyed by the abandonment seeks to answer those questions as a way to pull her own life back together. Enter California private investigator Kinsey Millhone. Digging into people's pasts can be very unpleasant, and in some cases, dangerous, but that is exactly what Kinsey Millhone is hired to do. She goes about her job with a vengeance!

If you like audio books, this is a good one. Judy Kaye did a splendid reading. If you like detective mysteries, this is a good travel mystery--a perfect vacation book. It will have you guessing just as it had us.

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NEXT STOP--COSTA RICA

These days Costa Rica, nicknamed the “Switzerland of Central America” because of its tall mountains with slopes cradling lush vegetation, is a major sun destination, so it is with additional interest that Rob and I looked forward to the time here. We also booked a great shore excursion that included a 90 minute drive through the city and countryside, a gondola ride up through the forest canopy with commentary from a naturalist-guide, and a trip on an amazing jungle river. We were not disappointed.

Costa Rica is the second smallest republic in Central America. It’s narrow, and you can easily enjoy Pacific Ocean beaches as well as Caribbean beaches. It has magnificent rain forests. Only a few degrees from the Equator, the temperature throughout the year rarely moves more than 10° away from the norm of 89°. It has only two “seasons,” the rainy and the dry, and from what our naturalist-tour guide, Randall said, it can rain 15 days straight during the rainy season, and rainfall can reach 100 inches per year. On the other hand, when you think of the lush vegetation this climate engenders, you feel you’re traveling in a tropical paradise filled with magnificent, tall trees, brightly colored flowers, and jungle-rimmed rivers where crocodiles lazily sun themselves on the banks, iguanas gaze at the passing tourists with arrogant disinterest, and a plethora of birds fill the air with their sight and song.

Now through the Panama Canal and in the Pacific Ocean, our ship docked in Puntarenas, and for our tour we traveled in a Mercedes coach through the port village with its colorful shops and stands filled with all the souvenirs any tourist could desire. Randall gave us a running commentary on the history of Costa Rica and its democratic traditions including free education for all citizens. In school, English is mandatory. With these new opportunities for its citizens, Costa Rica has attracted businesses like Intel because there now exists a skilled workforce. Sounds a bit like Ireland, and look at their boom economy, the Celtic Tiger!

Our first stop was the Guacalilo Estuary where we boarded a covered shallow draft river cruiser to explore the ecological offerings of the Tárcoles River. In this country where the rain forests impact heavily on everything Costa Rican, there is a huge push at ecco-tourism so that visitors gain an understanding of the fragile interweaving of nature. The company Princess Cruises hires stresses the Save the Rainforest campaign, and their very knowledgeable guides point out changes in the ecological balance throughout their presentations.

The river cruise is extraordinary. We begin moving slowly along the shore of this brackish river, and our bus guide changes hats, slips on a field glass harness and we have a real expert on Costa Rican wildlife. BTW, guides are licensed in Costa Rica, and Randall is a college grad and extremely knowledgeable—and sharp eyed.

We see about 23 different species of birds, and Randall describes their habitats, unique qualities and notes if they are in any way endangered. He points out iguanas of all colors and shapes. He does the same with crocodiles and explains that of the many types of crocodiles that once existed, only about seven different types exist today. I loved seeing the birds, but I admit the crocs were incredibly exciting. They lie on shore almost camouflaged by the brown waters and sand.

They lie there, some absolutely mammoth and mean-looking, mouths open to breathe, and should they decide to stop posing for us and head to the water, they rise on their legs, looking quite ridiculous but still incredibly lethal. They move swiftly and smoothly—more swiftly than one would imagine of a reptile often more than eight feet in length can move—and they silently, stealthily, slip beneath the water leaving behind not so much as a ripple.

It’s utterly amazing. All we see are two bulging eyes and the end of a snout. We viewed this scene several times during the ride, but repetition did not diminish the dramatic spectacle.

Our boat went to the spot the river opens to the ocean, at which point we turned around and took another route back. We entered a man-made river carved out of the jungle years ago by a foreign corporation now long gone. The river has been maintained, and it offers a unique opportunity to travel into areas which would have been inaccessible to us. There we saw and heard the cries of howler monkeys high up in the trees. Their loud screeching echoed through the jungles as they leapt between trees. Seeing animals in their own habitats is incredibly exciting, and Rob and I have decided to investigate the possibilities of doing more eco-tourism.

After we returned to the dock, we boarded our coach for our journey to the Pacific Aerial Tram.

travel cruise adventure eco-tourism "Costa+Rica" "Central+America" Switzerland tours excursions "shore+excursions" mountains gondola canopy forest vegetation "tropical+rain+forest" Equator Caribbean Pacific "Pacific+Ocean" seasons jungle "Panama+Canal" education "Guacalilo+Estuary" "Tarcoles+River" "Princess+Cruise" "Save+the+Rainforest" birds iguanas crocodiles "Pacific+Aerial+Tram"