Jeannette Hynes' Book Club, etc.

Ah, Italy!

I would love to experience the food and romance of this country some day.  Would I experience this country by backpack with no plans, little money, and when I’m 50-plus years old?  As I’m founding out with a recent book I’m reading, the answer to that question is – possibly!

“Two Nuts in Italy” by Sue Ellen Haning is the journal of a mother’s backpacking adventure through Italy with her 21-year-old daughter.  This former school teacher from Lubbock, Texas, didn’t ask for this adventure.  Her daughter, Jenny, asked her to go.  I say, if your daughter invites you on a trip, it would be hard to say no, even knowing the challenges involved (note to self:  if my daughter invites me on a similar trip, I will build up my physical endurance first).

I’ve finished about half of the book, and I am enjoying their adventures.  They literally take only what they can carry on their backs, and they go day to day with their plans.  Mother and daughter rely on the kindness of strangers (local Italians) to help them with shelter, food, and transportation.  I believe Italians to be a friendly group, but I also believe they are friendly to this American duo because Jenny is blessed with good looks.

I stumbled across this book because of my neighbor, Brooke.  She happened to be at a Starbucks in Lubbock, Texas, when she saw the book for sale.  She asked the barista if it was any good, and the barista said, “I wrote it.”  A friendship was quickly born, and when my neighbor found out Sue Ellen is trying to “get published”, Brooke took it upon herself to help her do so.  I am happy to provide my small part with this blog post.

So far, the book is very enjoyable (an “easy read”), and I think it would provide fun discussions for book clubs about going outside of your comfort zone.  I’m sure Sue Ellen will tell you, doing so is very scary but extremely rewarding.  Even if you don’t go backpacking in Italy, you can find another way to challenge yourself.  Sometimes, life gives you those opportunities.  Other times, you have to create them.

Sue Ellen is very descriptive and she inserts stories from her past to relate to what is happening to her in Italy.  At times, those little stories slow down the book’s pacing, but she is giving the reader a chance to relate to her Italy experiences based on an American one.  I am excited to finish the book.  Thank you, Brooke, for loaning me your copy.  You’ll have it back soon.

If you would like to meet Sue Ellen Haning, she’s coming to Colorado THIS WEEK.  She’ll be signing books at Barnes and Noble at the Citadel location in Colorado Springs on Friday, August 6 from 2-5 p.m. and at Borders at the Chapel Hill Mall on Saturday, August 7 from 1-5 p.m.