One day, I’d love to pack everything into an RV and embark on an epic journey across the country. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to places I’d like to visit in the United States. These include Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan; the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida; and Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. Of course, I’d also want to experience well-known sights, such as the Grand Canyon, though I’m not sure I’d brave the glass Skywalk that extends 70 feet out from the canyon’s edge.
In these road trip novels, it’s not so much about sightseeing as it is navigating relationships and personal discovery, with an international jewelry heist and rogue black hole thrown in for good measure. These ultimate summer reads will entertain you, make you think, and maybe even make you cry a little (sorry/not sorry).
Mrs. Nash's Ashes, opens a new window by Sarah Adler
When a flight cancellation forces optimistic Millie to share a road trip to Key West with the cynical Hollis, she’s already toting a unique passenger—the ashes of her elderly best friend. Millie’s determined to reunite Mrs. Nash with the woman she fell in love with eighty years ago, despite Hollis’s bitter views on romance, and they embark on a chaotic journey filled with quirky small-town detours. Along the way, it becomes clear that Hollis is actually enjoying Millie and the adventure, and the pair discovers that true love isn't quite as dead as they thought.
The Wangs Vs. the World, opens a new window by Jade Chang
In Chang’s uproarious debut, Charles Wang packs his eccentric family for a cross-country move from Bel Air to upstate New York, having lost his cosmetics empire in the financial crisis. His goal is to get his children squared away in New York, so he can go to China to reclaim his family’s ancestral land. But, of course, it can’t be that easy, with his son seduced in New Orleans, his wife missing their luxurious lifestyle, and a blowout in North Carolina. And Charles is in the middle, having to choose between keeping his family together and fulfilling his dream of starting over in China.
We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune
The apocalypse, but make it a tearjerker. With a rogue black hole on a collision course with Earth, long-time husbands Don and Rodney find themselves with only one month left together. They embark on a final, poignant road trip from Maine to Washington State to handle unfinished business against the backdrop of a world that’s falling apart. Along the way, they reflect on their lives and meet people making the most of their final days, with spontaneous weddings, bonfires, and new friends.
The Summer Seekers, opens a new window by Sarah Morgan
At eighty, former television star Kathleen is ready to reckon with her past via a wild Route 66 road trip chauffeured by the younger, directionless Martha. Meanwhile, Kathleen’s daughter Liza leaves her husband and daughters to hide out at her mother’s home on the Cornish coast. Each of the three women, all of whom are at pivotal crossroads in their lives, takes turns narrating as they work to rediscover themselves.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise, opens a new window by Colleen Oakley
Aimless college dropout Tanner reluctantly takes a job as a live-in caregiver for eighty-four-year-old Louise, expecting nothing more than a quiet routine. As in The Summer Seekers, an older woman is paired with a younger woman for a big adventure. Tanner has no interest in Louise, who is just fine and doesn’t need a nanny, thank you. However, things turn interestingly weird when Tanner sees an international jewelry thief on the news, and the thief suspiciously resembles Louise. Suddenly, the unlikely duo is on the run in an epic high-stakes adventure.
Run for the Hills, opens a new window by Kevin Wilson
Madeline’s quiet life on a Tennessee farm is upended when Reuben, a half-brother she never knew existed, shows up with plans to track down their elusive father. Apparently, their father left a string of half-siblings across the country, so Reuben convinces Madeline to join him on a crazy quest to find them all and piece together the mystery of the man who left them all behind. Plenty of deadpan humor and genuine heart make Wilson’s novel a real summer treat.
Summer Reading is in full swing at Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Log your reading and complete activities to earn prizes and raffle tickets--adults, too! Sign up at librarypoint.org/summer., opens a new window
Tracy McPeck is the Director of Adult Services at Central Rappahannock Regional Library. This column first appeared in the Free Lance-Star newspaper.
