Weekly Update for May 22, 2022


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Weekly Update at Introverted Reader

Welcome to my weekly update for May 22, 2022!

Whew! It’s been a busy six weeks. Since my last update on April 3, we had some repair work done on our RV (we stay in it while my husband is working at different hospitals around the country). We had to move into an Extended Stay hotel for a couple of weeks during that time. Then we wrapped up my husband’s work assignment in Charleston, SC and went home to Asheville, NC for about a week. After that, we hit the road in our RV and drove almost 2000 miles (about 3000 km) to our summer location–Billings, Montana! We’ve been trying to get to Montana or Wyoming for the summer since we started traveling with my husband’s job in 2019. We love national parks and we’ve never visited Yellowstone or any of the other gorgeous parks in this area. Billings isn’t necessarily the best basecamp for any of them, but that’s what road trips are for, right? We’re certainly a lot closer than we’ve ever been before!

Slideshow:

  • Botany Bay in South Carolina
  • Looking Glass Falls
  • Farm House and Flowers
  • Pet Tyrannosaurus Rex
  • Snowy Peaks
  • Billings below Sandstone Cliffs
  • Pictograph Cave State Park

All images © Jennifer G. at Introverted Reader 2022

I don’t even know where to start with my pictures. We’ve covered a lot of ground since my last update!

  1. Botany Bay near Edisto Beach in South Carolina. Driftwood beaches are rare (in my experience) in the southeast so this was a sight we haven’t seen since leaving the Pacific Northwest in 2020!
  2. Looking Glass Falls in North Carolina. This beautiful waterfall is beside a busy road that leads to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway runs through Asheville but it’s been a while since we drove on it. It was nice to get up there while we were home.
  3. I took plenty of pictures out the RV windows while we were driving to Billings. This red farm house and the field of yellow flowers really spoke to me. I don’t know what the flowers are. This was taken in southern Illinois, so if you know, feel free to chime in.
  4. There were random sculptures beside I-90. I don’t know why. This skeleton leading his/her pet Tyrannosaurus rex caught my imagination!
  5. The first decent picture I took of the snow-covered peaks
  6. The city of Billings lies between two sets of sandstone cliffs with snowy mountains in the distance
  7. Pictograph Cave State Park. Fun fact: Pictographs are made with paint, petroglyphs are carvings. It seems obvious when you actually pay attention to the root words but I hadn’t put that together for myself.

Posted:

Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward: Book Review (Hint: This is a great choice if you want an inspirational book for the new grad in your life.)

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky: Book Review

Monthly Wrap-Up for March 2022

Ten Authors I Haven’t Read (Yet)

Read:

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. 

Keep in mind that these are all the books I’ve read since my last update on April 3.

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera, read by Frankie Corzo 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Shady Hollow (Shady Hollow #1) by Juneau Black, read by Cassandra Campbell 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (Note: That cute cover looks like it represents a book for middle grade readers. I would classify this as a cozy mystery for adults because of murder and adultery, even if the characters are woodland creatures.)

When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian, read by Rebecca Lowman 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War by Delphine Minoui, translated by Lara Vergnaud, read by Nikki Massoud 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Toward a Better Life: America’s New Immigrants in Their Own Words—From Ellis Island to the Present by Peter Morton Coan 🌟🌟🌟🌟

All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West (Link to my review on GoodReads) 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Robinson Crusoe (Robinson Crusoe #1) by Daniel Defoe, read by John Lee 🌟🌟

Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 🌟🌟🌟

Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by Muhammad Yunus, read by Ray Porter 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Currently Reading:

The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan

The Last Child (Johnny Merrimon #1) by John Hart, read by Scott Sowers

Up Next:

There’s a reserved seat on The Eye of the World struggle bus with my name on it. I started this monster on April 17 and I’m only 75% finished! I’ll be surprised if I even finish it this week.

I will be choosing a new audiobook soon. I’ll probably choose something for the Monthly Key Word Challenge. The words for this month are Thorn, Catch, Black, Under, City, Cloud, Sing, Legacy. Any recommendations for good audiobooks with those words in the title?

What did your week look like?

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon and Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosts Sunday Post. Kathryn at Book Date hosts It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?


Other Posts You May Enjoy:

30 Comments

  1. I’m finally catching up on my blog-hopping. We just got back from Bend, Sisters and La Pine, which we loved. We have also had some work done on our rv (steering stabilizer bar, anti-sway thing, new water pump, new tires…). It’s always something, isn’t it?

    I wonder if the yellow plants you saw were rapeseed. I think it’s common here Oregon, too. Just a guess. Love the snowy mountain peaks! We saw so many when we were camping last week. Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, Three Sisters, etc.

    Glad to see you enjoyed the new Wiley Cash book, but you weren’t thrilled with The Nightingale? I’m not a big fan of KH, but I loved that novel.

    Can’t wait to see all the places you discover while in Montana. We’re about to start planning our Sept/Oct trip for Glacier and Grand Tetons.

    1. I keep meaning to respond to this comment and today is finally the day! Has the steering stabilizer and anti-sway bar helped? My husband and I are currently discussing this. I’ve only driven our RV one time and I felt like I was constantly fighting the steering wheel to just keep going straight on a straight, flat, deserted road in Texas. He says it’s not that bad. He does all the driving, he’s used to it, why spend the money? I guess he has a point. But he was getting really tired of driving by our fifth day when we came to Montana. I’d like to be able to help but I’m completely uncomfortable with our RV as it is.

      I just looked up a picture of rapeseed and you could be right! I never saw these flowers up close so I can’t say for sure.

      We loved the area around Sisters. We would be open to working an assignment in Bend so we could explore further.

      If you’re planning your trip to Glacier and the Tetons, start checking on park/road reservations if you haven’t already! I haven’t done much homework on either park so you might not even need them at that time of year. We briefly looked at going to Glacier, realized we were too late for road reservations this summer, and decided we didn’t want to plan something when we wouldn’t even know if we could get a last-minute reservation until the day before. And of course now we’ve got all the flooding in Yellowstone. I expect that will affect visitation at Glacier and the Tetons too.

      1. Yes, the Safe-T-Plus bar and track bar have helped a lot. We also got a front end alignment. I’ve driven the RV when it’s been fairly windy and I can tell a big difference. Same with semi trucks passing me (in either direction). I think the big test will be when we get out on an interstate highway, heading east, like I-80. Constantly fighting the wind can make for a very exhausting (and stressful) travel day.

        With regard to Glacier, we’re talking about going after Labor Day. We don’t plan to drive Going to the Sun Road, but think we’ll stay on the west side of the park for a few days, then drive over to the east side for a week or so. I need to sit down and start planning the trip and make some reservations. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂

        1. Thanks for getting back to me! I have managed to talk him into getting an alignment, now I just have to find a place to do it. There’s a place nearby but the reviews aren’t the greatest and one review mentions some dangerous mistakes. I’m not taking that chance. The Safe-T-Plus bar is exactly what I’ve been looking at. I’ve read that if you go to the factory in Atlanta, they’ll install and adjust it for free. That’s only about 3.5 hours from home, so I figure that’s a relatively inexpensive adjustment to make. I’ll keep wearing my husband down. 😉

          The national park reservation system annoys me a bit. I don’t know where I’m going to be 3 months out and I don’t want to make plans for a trip only to find out the day before that I can’t get in. I understand the need for it but I think there should be a better way. I just don’t know what that would be! I guess if I don’t have helpful suggestions, I shouldn’t complain.

  2. I’m a new follower from Asheville, NC. (And wow, do I love Malaprops.) But I’m an audiobook addict and when I saw your keyword list the first thing that sprang to mind for me is a series called Blackthorn & Grim by Juliet Marillier. The first book in the series is Dreamer’s Pool and it is wonderful. The series is rooted in Celtic mythology and follows an unlikely and wonderful pair of people. Great storytellng, well narrated.

    1. Welcome, fellow Ashevillan! I apologize for the delay in responding. Thanks for the recommendation! I love Juliet Marillier’s books but haven’t read that series. I’ll be sure to look for the audiobook.

  3. I’m glad to see you back here, but it sounds like a busy couple of months! We spent a few nights in Billings on our last “great western adventure” before covid. We ventured into Wyoming and spent some time around Little Bighorn and the Custer battlefield. I know you’ll enjoy your time in Montana… not sure when we’ll be up for another big trip. Glad you’ve found time to squeeze in some good books, too!

  4. I hope you enjoy your time in Montana! And that you get some wonderful reading done this summer between all of your road trips to the National Parks.

    Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!

  5. Great pictures. I hope you enjoy Billings and get to some of those National Parks. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

  6. I had a comment on something from the top of your post, and then you asked for audiobook recommendations and my mind went blank trying (and failing) to think of suggestions using those keywords. 😉 Still, it sounds like you had a very eventful few weeks! I hope the reading goes well.

  7. Wow! Montana! I worked for a summer in Yellowstone Park and we often went to Bozeman and Billings. Billings should be a great base for summer outdoor adventures. I highly recommend multiple visits to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. And we are flying into Bozeman for some rock adventures of our own in mid-June.

    I’m glad to see how much you enjoyed Complications and All Passion Spent. I wasn’t as taken with The Nightingale as others have been.

  8. I’m definitely jealous of your life on the road. Sounds like so much fun to me. But here I sit in my condo getting ready to go back to work in the morning….

  9. I had no idea your husband job had such amazing raveling opportunities! How fun! Congratulations on finally getting your summer choice! Women in Science sounds wonderful! It looks like you had mostly read reads! Several of your books on are my TBR, so I was encouraged by your ratings!

  10. What a great base for summer! I hope you get to enjoy lots of the natural beauty in the area. When Ghosts Come Home is a read which is staying with me for awhile.

    Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

  11. Ooh you’re in Montana now! How fun! Sounds like a great place to be for summer. Love those pictures too- especially that first one! I love the driftwood. And the tyannnosaurus too 🙂

  12. It does sound like you’ve been busy for the last six weeks and it also sounds like you’ve had some fun too. I love your pictures. I hope you enjoy the parks. 🙂

  13. I think Montana is a fine base camp for some National Parks road trips! What fun and I can’t wait to read about your adventures.

    When I saw your rating for The Nightingale I thought, “Oh No!” I loved that book. But, that’s the beauty of literature; there is something for all of us and all of us don’t like the same stuff.

    1. I feel like the only person who didn’t love The Nightingale. I had a suspicion that Kristin Hannah would not be my cup of tea but I decided to read this one anyway because I do usually like books set in WWII. It was okay but not my favorite. I’m glad you loved it though!

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