Book Review Time! Given my recent travels, I've had a lot of time to catch up on reading and here are a few highly recommended options:

The Solace of Open Spaces, by Gretel Erdrich. Amazing and insightful collection of short stories about Wyoming and the people who live there.

You Are Not A Stranger Here, by Adam Haslett. Whooof. These short stories pack a wallop. Heartbreaking, touching and hard to turn away from. They'll whack you upside the head and leave you begging for more.

No Touch Monkey (And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late), by Ayun Halliday. Funny and self depricating...I love this gal. Only downside to this book is that it bums me out that I didn't travel more when I was younger and more willing to head to exotic places without a second care.