Wandering Zen – Open a Book and Wander Within
If you are looking for an adventure but aren’t able to get up and out you really don’t need to look much further than the pages of a good book. There are so many great reads out there, both fiction and non-fiction that can whisk you away and take you to the ends of the earth from where ever you are. Here are a few of our favorites…
Nevada Barr
Nevada Barr has created a great series of mysteries that play out in the majesty of our National Parks. Her protagonist, Anna Pigeon, is a National Park Ranger who puts her sleuthing skills to work in and around locations that are familiar to anyone who is a fan of the parks.
- Track of the Cat (1993) – Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas
- A Superior Death (1994) – Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, Michigan
- Ill Wind (1995) – Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado
- Firestorm (1996) – Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Endangered Species (1997) – Cumberland Island National Seashore of the coast of Georgia
- Blind Descent (1998) – Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico
- Liberty Falling (1999) – Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island National Monuments in New York City.
- Deep South (2000) – Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi
- Blood Lure (2001) – Glacier/Waterton National Peace Park in Montana
- Hunting Season (2002) – Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi
- Flashback (2003) – Dry Tortugas National Park, a grouping of tiny islands seventy miles off Key West
- High Country (2004) – Yosemite National Park in California
- Hard Truth (2005) – Rocky Mountain’s National Park, Colorado
- Winter Study (2008) – Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, Michigan
- Borderline (2009) – Big Bend National Park in Texas
- Burn (2010) – New Orleans, Louisiana
- The Rope (2012) – Glen Canyon National Recreational Area
- Destroyer Angel (2014) – Iron Range in northern Minnesota
- Boar Island (2016) – Acadia National Park in Maine
Dan Brown
Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series is as good as it gets for anyone who loves travel, art, mystery, and epic adventures. Just as Barr takes you to the Ahwahnee Hotel dining room in Yosemite, Brown’s uses the locations in his books as one of the main characters. The Rose Line in Angels & Demons is every bit as integral to the emotion of the story as Langdon himself. His last novel, Origin, takes us to Barcelona and it pushed the city even higher on my list of places to see.
- Angels & Demons
- The Da Vinci Code
- The Lost Symbol
- Inferno
- Origin
Stephen King
If you enjoy a bit of terror on your journey then pick up any one of the books in the Stephen King collection. I often wonder how anyone could live in Maine! Actually, Maine is an incredibly beautiful state and look forward to my next visit, however, if you let your mind wander too much it’s not terribly hard to think about a pet cemetery or whether you may be being stalked by Pennywise.
- Salem’s Lot
- Bag of Bones
- Black House
- Carrie
- Cell
- Christine
- The Colorado Kid
- Cujo
- Cycle of the Werewolf
- The Dark Half
- The Dark Tower Series
- The Dead Zone
- Desperation
- Doctor Sleep
- Dolores Claiborne
- Dreamcatcher
- Duma Key
- End of Watch
- The Eyes of the Dragon
- Finders Keepers
- Firestarter
- From A Buick 8
- Gerald’s Game
- The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
- The Green Mile: Series
- Insomnia
- The Institute
- IT
- Joyland
- Lisey’s Story
- Misery
- Mr. Mercedes 4
- Needful Things
- The Outsider
- Pet Sematary
- Revival Scribner
- Rose Madder
- The Shining
- Sleeping Beauties
- The Stand
- The Talisman 84
- The Tommyknockers
- Under the Dome
We talked about some of these locations in an earlier post – check it out – Wicked Wanderings
Richard Ratay
Ratay’s Don’t Make Me Pull Over ~ an Informal History of the Family Road Trip, is a great trek back to what we often call a “simpler time” when you hopped in the family station wagon and set out on the road. The book weaves hysterical stories from the author’s young life with a well-researched history of the iconic things that made the journey epic. From roadside attractions to the battle between the brands, this is a fun read and definitely demonstrates that we often look back with rose-colored glasses. Although, I suppose that is a matter of opinion. Change is inevitable and although there are things that will be missed, there is typically an upside. It’s all about finding the balance.
WBNL Book Club – Hope Never Dies
Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama team up in this high-stakes thriller that combines a mystery worthy of Watson and Holmes with the laugh-out-loud bromantic chemistry of Lethal Weapon’s Murtaugh and Riggs.
Vice President Joe Biden is fresh out of the Obama White House and feeling adrift when his favorite railroad conductor dies in a suspicious accident, leaving behind an ailing wife and a trail of clues. To unravel the mystery, “Amtrak Joe” re-teams with the only man he’s ever fully trusted: the 44th president of the United States. Together they’ll plumb the darkest corners of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America’s opioid epidemic.
Part noir thriller and part bromance, Hope Never Dies is essentially the first published work of Obama/Biden fiction—and a cathartic read for anyone distressed by the current state of affairs.
Real Estate and Reality meet as co-hosts, Jan O’Brien and Matt Emerson bring you Tips, Tools, & Topics to supercharge your business. They’ll share their insights along with interviews with industry thought leaders. The ethos of WBNL Coaching is helping you to align and connect so that you can prosper. The Wandering Zen segment will offer you some inspiration so that you can disconnect and recharge.
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