Book Reviews

Both Chris and I love to read in our free time. That means we don't read much but we figured we'd share our opinions on the books we've read in the event you're interested. If you've read a good book and would like to share your review, please submit the book name, author, and your review and I'll be happy to post it here. Let's take a look at some books:

American Borders by Carla King. This is a great story of a woman who rode a Russian bike called the Ural around the borders of the US. Carla King is an eloquent writer with great stories to tell as she makes her way around the borders of the US. She captures your attention in the first chapters when she tells of a trist that she has with a french guy in her travels and continues with great details of being a women travelling solo. It is an empowering story that compells us women to take life by the horns and follow our dreams regardless of what others may think. This picture was taken at the Springfield Motorcycle Show in West Sprindfield, MA in 2008. It looks identical to the bike Carla rode on her journey!

Reviewed by Christine

Breaking the Limit by Karen Larsen. This is a story of an ambitious young women attempting and succeeding to come to terms with a potentially serious medical diagnosis by riding her way through the states, Canada and Alaska on her trusted steed, Lucy. She tells many tales of the people she meets along the way, but her connection is strongest when she sees her biological mohter again and meets her biological father and his family for the first time. Her love for family, the wind and the road are all refreshing. She demonstrates that women can be independent, free and happy if they choose to. She is a beautiful picture of strenght in a women and compels us to follow our hearts.

Reviewed by Christine

The Perfiect Vehicle by Melissa Holbrook Pierson
This book is as much a history of motorcycling as it is a love story. The verbiage within is obviously that of a well educated person who is passionate about her writing and her Moto Guzzi Lario. She has a way of developing the pleasure and fear that go hand-in-hand at the same moment, for motorcycling, breakdowns, friendships, romance, and the open road.

There is much to be learned from the historical facts the Melissa must have spent hours researching and chronicling in this story. Yet the book is not at all like reading a historical text about mundane things. She keeps the readers interest by peppering the book with her various romances over the years and interesting and fascinating people she meets while on this affair with motoring on two wheels.

I found the story of her life and that of the morcycle in gereral to get more and more absorbing as I continued to read. So much so, that when the reading was complete, I found myself reading the postscript and the acknowledgements in anticipation that the romance from within would not cease. She had done a fabulous job of analyzing why it is that those of us who love to ride, are so impassioned by the thrill, the danger, the solidarity of bike and rider and the sense of community amongst those that call the road home, and the bike, their best friend. She alone may be able to define the long standing sentiment "If I have to explain it to you, you would not understand" when asked what is the appeal of motorcycling.

This was a fantastic read and one that I may soon find myself reviewing it again in the near future.

Reviewed by Christine

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