Books, Bites, and Sights

The Widow by John Grisham

5/5 stars

I stumbled on this novel by complete accident, liked the cover art, did not read any synopsis prior to cracking it open, and hoped for the best. I was not disappointed.

As cliche as they come, I had heard of John Grisham via my Gen X parents (also avid readers back in their day). This was my first of Grisham’s but easily fell in love, into the rhythm, of his prose. Slow and intentional to start – building the storyline. Urgent and pressing to end – leaving me holding my breath with each turn of the page (or swipe of my Kindle). His writing style effortlessly and perfectly matched the progression of the storyline – when the plot thickened and quickened, his syntax became more staccato.

All this to say, I really enjoyed this read readers. It has been a while since I looked forward to my “silly little independent reading time”, and this novel broke the dry spell.

If you also enjoy crime fiction or legal thrillers – think Jodi Picoult but a man’s POV, then I’d say give the novel a try (even if it isn’t BookTok viral). If you’ve read John Grisham novels, which of them did you like/not like? I am interested in adding another of his to my “read” list on Goodreads.

Let’s talk about Amory and I’s favorite dish – pho. Pho is a Vietnamese soup dish of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat. My favorite? Tendon or any pork broth based ones. Amory’s? Chicken. This simple, filling, relatively cheap dish has been a go-to for Amory and I since the beginning of our relationship (shout out VN Pho & Deli in Nashville).

Pho is THE dish that we are constantly on the lookout for, craving, and never say no to. Under the weather? Pho. Exhausted from a hike? Pho. Just want to go out without stressing about allergens and tummy pains? Pho. It truly takes the cake when up against all other dishes and dining experiences.

If you’ve never had it, try it. Just google it up in your area, look at the reviews, order beef or chicken, keep it simple at first adding sauces and such slowly – and boom, thank me later.

After three days of exploring Redwoods, we made our way back to San Fransisco, scoped out a hole in the wall Vietnamese place via Google, and had our fill.

• Camping:
  • Elk Praire Campground is located centrally in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park for $35 a night with hot coin-operated showers – and yes, there were bunches of elk roaming around.
• Attractions:
  • At Trees of Mystery in Klamath, California ($30 per person) you can ride the Skytrail gondola (a 1/3 mile ride through the forest tree tops with ocean views from the observation deck at the summit), walk the Redwood Canopy trail (aerial netted suspension bridges 50 – 100 feet in the air amongst the giant trees), meander through their Redwood grove and trees pausing to take in unique Redwoods like Cathedral Tree (A group of nine trees growing together as one), and get lost in the Trail of Tall Tales (Paul Bunyon’s story told through chainsaw carved sculptures).

• Trails:
  • Fern Canyon Loop: This easy 1.2 mile loop should not be skipped. A narrow 50-foot-deep canyon with abundant ferns lining the canyon’s walls create an otherworldly experience. Books, bites, insights? Fern Canyon was used for several scenes in the movie Jurassic Park 2: Lost Worlds. Nearby, sharing the same parking lot, is Gold Bluffs Beach which is worth a quick walk to.

• Trillium Falls Trail: This easy 2.7 mile loop takes you through ancient redwood groves – no banana slug sightings! But, but, but, many dew soaked Trillium flowers line the trail. Books, bites, insights? Don’t pick these flowers. Why? It takes the trillium plant 10 years to produce their first flower.

• Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail: This super easy 1.5 mile loop takes you on a stroll through old-growth redwoods. You could skip this trail if you’re doing others in the park – you won’t see anything “new”, but Amory and I enjoyed it as an early morning refresher. Going in the morning meant no people and ample birds.
• Lyons Ranch Trail: Want to step back in time, take it slow, and see lush fields of lupines? Go on this 3.7 mile out-and-back trail to the historic Lyons Ranch and take in the ample mountain vistas along the way.

• Grove of Titans Trail: If you are in the Northern portion of the parks (near Crescent City) check out this 1.5 mile out-and-back. Again, an easy trail through the namesake Redwoods.
• Castle Rock: View Castle Rock a half mile offshore from the coastline in Crescent City, California. Wide, sandy shores to rugged tide-pool coves. We just parked and walked along. No fancy, downloaded AllTrails map needed.