France In America

I have a Kindle and a Nook, but some books just don’t belong in a digital format. A book like, France In America, is one because it is an experience that needs to be had in person.

The author of the book Gary France offered pre-release copies of his book to people who left comments on his blog during his travels. I don’t leave a lot of comments on blogs, but asked if he’d consider sending me a copy. Gary said yes!

What a delightful surprise when I opened the package and found this gorgeous book! Over 400 pages of beautiful photos and stories of his epic adventure across America. Gary’s adventure took place in 2010. That was also the year I started riding solo.

France In America by Gary France

And he signed it too!!

The book chronicles Gary’s 21,000 mile trip across America on his Harley.

Map of Gary’s travels in the States

I jumped right to the pages when Gary visited Minnesota. I was not disappointed with the eight pages I found! Here’s a taste of what this book holds …

Gary’s introduction in the book gives a very vulnerable look into his life and made me feel honored that I had “met” him on these pages and in his blog Flies in your Teeth. I’ll be pouring over this book in the weeks and months to come learning more and seeing my country come alive through Gary’s eyes. I highly recommend picking up a copy of France In America, not only to learn about Gary’s adventure, but also to inspire one of your own!

Jump over to his site where he offers Motorcycle Touring Guides, you can also find videos and learn more about him. For those on Twitter he’s there too! @GarySFrance

Thank you Gary for your generous gift. Your book is a treasure.

To Publish or Not To Publish … That is the Question.

I tweeted and asked a couple of bloggers this question, but wanted to see what y’all think about the (beta) Kindle Publishing for Blogs too.

What is it? According to the web site, “Amazon Kindle Publishing for Blogs is a fast and easy self-publishing tool that lets you add and sell your blogs on the Kindle Store.”

I set-up an account just to be able to get to the fine print. The disclaimers and legal jargon were enough to put me off. Definitely not written to be understood by the average person.

Here is the link to the Kindle Publishing for Bloggers. What do you think? Are you in? What potential benefits or hazards do you see? Me? I blog for the fun of it so not today.

Image source

Turning on my Heels!

I’m resigning myself to the fact that the number of my motorcycle riding days have come to an end – six inches of snow last Saturday and icy roads this weekend. Bummer. Some of my northern friends are facing the same thing!

I thought I would share some books I’ve read as a suggestion to fill the ride-less days ahead! I like historical fiction genre as well as nonfiction. These are in no particular order.

Fiction:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Motivational:

Running with the Giants: What the Old Testament Heroes Want You to Know About Life and Leadership by John C. Maxwell

Sit Walk Stand by Watchman Nee

Business:

Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends by Tim Sanders

Radical Careering: 100 Truths to Jumpstart Your Job, Your Career, and Your Life by Sally Hogshead

I also wanted to Share Paper Back Swap! It is a great web site for trading books. I’ve been using it for a while and love it! You list books you’d like to swap. When a book is requested, you mail it to the club member. You get credit for sent books and can request books to be sent to you. When you join, post 10 book and you get 2 FREE book credits!

Please note these are Amazon Associate links.