I got this as a free ARC from this site and I was pleasantly surprised. Linda Crill decides to change her life by taking a 10 day motorcycle trip. Problem is, she has no riding experience. She is committed though, learning how to ride, taking the test, buying the gear and it pays off. Her trip's ups and downs are a pleasure to read, and it's great to see how upsetting your routine can open your eyes to your future and your life. I'm fairly young and may not be the right audience for this book but I really enjoyed the inspirational and travel aspects of the book.

Linda Crill is a widow following the advice put out to her as to how to go on, what to do next. Unhappy, she decides to completely change directions with her life. She puts aside a high paced career for life on a motorcycle. She commits to a 2500 mile journey, having only 30 days to plan it. She then takes classes to learn how to tame the 800+ pound machine.

Unsure of what she is doing, she chooses to go for it and makes the journey. From Canada through California, Linda takes every blind curve bravely facing the unknown in search of answers for herself and her future.

Her book is not only her travelogue, but also motor cycle history and facts. She writes with heart, humour and courage. This is a very enjoyable book for those who wonder what may beyond that “blind curve”, and those who may seek it. ( )

Reviewed for the Early Reviewer progam, in exchange for a free advanced ready copy: A 57 year old woman loses her husband to cancer and needs to rediscover herself, so, she decides to learn how to ride a motorcycle and join a 10 day trip from Vancouver B.C. to California and back.

The author worked as a consultant and her book reads like she is addressing a seminar of women, of a certain age. As I love the scenery of Washington, Oregon, and California, especially down on Highway 101 along the pacific coast, I enjoyed the book. But I sure found myself skipping sentences and sometimes even paragraphs. I did empathize with her grief over losing her husband and know that grief can be debilitating for a long time, but she seems to have not felt the need to describe it deeply. I do not doubt she grieved, it seems like it was a good marriage; however it read like a magazine article.

OK. Enough. If you enjoy learning a challenging new skill, and like to go sight seeing, you may enjoy this book. I wish the author well. ( )

"One woman's unusual journey to reinvent herself" Very good, easy to read book about someone who has been widowed for almost two years when she decides to take a bold step. She plans for a two week motorcycle trip with friends. Having never ridden a motorcycle she signs up for a motorcycle class and does a fantastic job only to fail the final road test by making one simple mistake. Her account of all the practice sessions she did in order to retake the road test was really humorous!
Sharing both her successes and her failures makes the book so enjoyable. Her description of the many steps involved in riding made me appreciate all of the riders I see on the road.
It did bother me that once when she cut back in front of a car too soon she and her friend were alarmed because, "she could have been killed". Hopefully, she also considered that she could have killed someone else. ( )

0nce you’re a widow, folks treat you “different.” Oh, they do mean well; but after awhile it gets old. Which is when Linda Crill decided to make some changes. She had been widowed unexpectedly but that was over eighteen months ago and Linda was only 57! Things had to change.
And they did. She drove to the local Harley dealer and went shopping. She didn’t buy that day but did sign up for the Motorcycle Safety Course they were offering. Three days later she took her final road test – and failed. Not to be deterred, she retook the test elsewhere and passed! Now on to part two of her plan.
Friends of friends were planning a two week trip down the Washington, Oregon California coast and Linda was invited. This involved a bike she didn’t know, people she didn’t and roads she absolutely didn’t know. All in all a definite challenge for a board-room style lady waaayyyy out of her comfort zone.
This book, filled with thoughts on life and God; laughter and near crisis was a very uplifting tale that Linda Crill does an excellent job of telling. She is serious, humorous and is so easy to read that you’ll find yourself going back over pages in case you missed something. We ride and I would love to take this exact trip (thanks, Linda, for the lodging recommendations!) someday. ( )