TBR Day. Ride with Me / Ruthie Knox. 2012


This month's theme is a book that received a lot of hype. I suppose the definition of hype can vary, but I remember seeing lots of comments on Twitter about this book, as well as positive reviews at Dear Author, Smart Bitches, and elsewhere. At some point I was obviously compelled to buy it and it's been sitting on my Kindle for several months. I'm awfully glad I finally got around to reading this. I think I needed something with a good dash of humor. It had been a rough week. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and several times I laughed out loud. I found it smart, sexy, and emotional. Now I want to go read more by this author.

For those of you who missed the hype, Ride with Me, by Ruthie Knox is the story of Tom and Lexie, two people who are doing a cross-country bicycle tour on the TransAmerica Trail. Lexie advertised for a companion to ride with; Tom had intended to go it alone. But Tom gets maneuvered by his sister into riding with Lexie and the two of them set off together from Oregon, headed to Virginia. Tom is hoping to eventually ditch Lexie, but not until he can find her another riding partner. Along the way, Tom and Lexie develop a grudging respect for one another, which turns to liking, which turns to love.

I really liked the way Knox uses the background of the bicycle ride to develop the story. While I've never done anything remotely like this (hey! a couple laps around the neighborhood is good enough for me), I have driven through most of the places talked about in the book, and it was all very familiar. I also work with someone who did a similar bike ride a few summers ago and I was often reminded of his story. The backdrop seemed very authentic. And the three months on the trail give Tom and Lexie a lot of time for them to come to grips with their feelings and for Tom in particular to overcome the obstacles standing in the way of a commitment.

Tom and Lexie come from rather different backgrounds and Tom is covering up a world of hurt. Tom is taciturn and private. Lexie is outgoing and an open book. Yet these two opposite people share a love of bicycle touring and an interest in the same kinds of books. Tom is spontaneous, Lexie plans everything. It was great the way Knox developed these characters and gave them the ability to change and adapt to one another.

So here's to a book that lived up to its hype. If you haven't read it yet, consider this more hype heaped onto the hype that's already out there.

Oh, and one last thing. Happy Thanksgiving!!

thanksgiving_turkey2.gif

Comments

  1. willafulNovember 21, 2012 at 2:00 PM

    I haven't read this one yet, but her About Last Night was also extremely good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PhylNovember 21, 2012 at 9:18 PM

      That's great to know, willaful. Thank you! I've added it to my Amazon wish list.

      Delete
  2. HilciaNovember 22, 2012 at 11:04 AM

    Phyl, I have About Last Night in my TBR, but not this one. (That was another hyped book) I'll have to check this one out too.

    Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PhylNovember 22, 2012 at 1:45 PM

      Yes, I saw the hype about ALN also, but I didn't want to buy it until I'd read this one. I'm definitely looking forward to it now.

      And a very Happy Thanksgiving to you, too! Am in eastern PA today; what a gorgeous day it has turned out to be.

      Delete
  3. ChristineNovember 22, 2012 at 1:54 PM

    I read this one over the summer and REALLY liked it, too! I do believe I gave it an A. As a cyclist, I can say the cycling aspects of the book were spot on. I'm looking forward to reading ALN. I already bought it .. just need to read it.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PhylNovember 22, 2012 at 10:05 PM

      I'm so glad to know you liked it too. Did you blog about it? You probably did and I forgot. I'll be watching to see what you thought of ALN.

      Delete
  4. WendyNovember 24, 2012 at 11:27 AM

    Books that get hyped a lot (be seemingly everybody!) tend to make me gun-shy, but I still did pick up this book at RWA over the summer. Glad to see that you liked it so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PhylNovember 25, 2012 at 10:45 PM

      Yeah, I know what you mean. But the story line sure was intriguing. I hope you like it.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I think I have ADD

Image
I'm one of those people who constantly moves from project to project. I do finish things, but midway through one project I'll stop and pull out fabric to start another one. Or something will come up that makes me start in on something else--a challenge, a class, a need to make a gift, or a new fabric purchase. All of those things change my focus. I don't want to admit how many UFOs (UnFinished Objects) I have here, but if I were totally honest, it's probably at least a dozen. Here are 3 I started this summer. And I'm not including the one I started the other night because I couldn't get a decent picture of it. This first one is from a class I took in June with 2 friends. I still have 4 more flowers to add to it. This is funky and fun, but it's large and appliqueing down the flowers is awkward at times. A while back I posted a picture of some flower blocks that I'm doing as part of an exchange with the same 2 friends. I had another set of blocks to finis...
Read more

TBR Day. Conor's Way / Laura Lee Guhrke. 1996

Image
Back in the early 2000's, when I began lurking at the old AAR  boards, I heard talk of this book. And according to Amazon, I apparently broke down and purchased a copy for myself via Marketplace in 2004 for a "mere" $4.75. Today a used print copy goes for about $25. I don't know why I waited so long to read it. I'd keep seeing references to how good it is, especially from KristieJ who has been nagging our TBR hostess to read it forever. I think I was saving it for a day when I knew I needed to read a really good book. But when I saw that this month's theme was "Recommended Read" it was clear that this was the book I had to read. I was really, really stupid to wait 8 years to read this. Frankly, I should just end this review with that statement. I am writing this Tuesday evening. Earlier today I saw on Twitter that at least 2 other TBR participants are reviewing this for today as well. And they'll probably do a better job at it than me. B...
Read more

57, 3, 15

Image
57 years. 3 months. 15 days. That's how old my sister was when she died on December 30, 2015. Char spent four and a half years in a tug of war with cancer. For a while there she seemed to be in total control. But that insidious disease came back and this time would not let up. Here's the kicker. She had uterine cancer, just like me. Only hers was Stage 4 when they found it. Mine barely qualified as Stage 1. Life is often unfair, but that seemed the cruelest irony of all. As I wept that she was dying, she wept because I was not. It's taken me a long time to process this and to be willing to talk openly about it. Some of you reading this have been very open with your own struggles with health, grief, death, and dying. I've wanted to be, but I think I needed for the worst of it to be over first. Every time I tried to write about it, I'd sit paralyzed at the keyboard. I just wasn't ready I guess. Char decided to suspend further treatment last August. It wa...
Read more