Queen of the Road by Doreen Orion

I should mention upfront that this is not meant to be a book review. Those can easily be found on amazon and goodreads. I want to explore what makes the book interesting (to me at least) and why it is a must read... I'm not interested in discussing the literary aspects of it or the character development etc (look at the profile... scientist, not lit prof). So that brings me to my first book post.

I finished reading Queen of the Road by Doreen Orion on June 6, 2011. I chose to start with this book not because it was the first but because it was by far the most fun, and I must say also my favorite so far. It is a travel memoir about a woman and her husband in their mid 40s (both psychologists) taking a year to travel the US in a bus/rv with their dog and two cats. And if that doesn't make you want to read it I don't know what will! It was brilliantly hilarious and satisfyingly sarcastic... Doreen (after reading the book I definitely feel on a first name basis) describes their exciting, often awkward, often miserable experiences with great detail and lightheartedness, leaving the reader (me) wanting to go buy my own rv and irresponsibly take off for a year. I love when a book can excite my mind like that.

On a more personal level, I liked the book because I saw myself in its author. She's over 40 with no children and no intention of having any. I am 25, but am unable to have children and really lack the desire anyway. The book left me feeling better about my situation and encouraged me with the thought that my life didn't have to resemble that of "everyone else". It showed me the amazing life I could have just me and my husband (maybe not literally in an RV, but you get the picture). She also went to med school, having earned her PhD... I'm also in med school working on my PhD, though they are in different specialties. Her husband even reminds me a lot of my husband... sarcastic and funny, a Mr. Fix-It type, "I am man, hear me roar!" I found myself cracking up throughout the book as I would recognize similar traits in them both. Oh how funny it would be for us to take a road trip together... the results would be film worthy! My husband (we will just call him Alex since this is an anonymous blog) calls me flighty on a regular basis since I am constantly wanting to fly off somewhere or do something new. I never have been satisfied staying in one place for very long. I love adventure... probably why I love travel memoirs... they give me new ideas for dreaming.

Again, Queen of the Road is a wonderful book for the reader who loves humor and travel. I commend Doreen for writing this book... it was definitely an adventure worth writing about! So, because of the enjoyment factor and how it touched me personally, this book will be hard to knock off the top of my "favorites" list. Go read!