Definitely Not Famous

Book Reviews

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  • Book cover with a turquoise ocean background and a wooden dock in the foreground. Two people sit side by side on the dock, leaning toward each other, wearing patterned clothing. Text on the cover reads: “The Illogical Adventure,” “A Memoir of Love and Fate,” by James MacDuff and Mirriam Mweemba.

    The Illogical Adventure

    The Illogical Adventure is a nice love story that isn’t at all sappy. It tells the unlikely story of how the authors, a Canadian and a Zambian, found each other sitting in a bar on their last night in Cape Town South Africa. I really liked how the authors alternated writing chapters to share both of their perspectives. The subtitle does a good job of telling you what the book was…

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  • Book cover for “Shifting Gears” by Meaghan Marie Hackinen; subtitle “Coast to Coast on the Trans Am Bike Race,” with retro stripes and a cyclist silhouette.

    Shifting Gears

    I didn’t think I’d like this book. I expected it to be yet another book about hard core endurance racing – about the physical challenge of the ride, and how many different ways you can say pedalling.  But I did enjoy this book.

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  • Book cover of the cycling memoir South Away: The Pacific Coast on Two Wheels by Meaghan Marie Hackinen. The cover is dominated by warm orange and red tones and shows a bicycle in the foreground with a winding road leading into a distant mountainous landscape. The title “South Away” appears in large red letters, with the author’s name printed at the top.

    South Away

    “The road immediately grows darker under the mountain’s shadow. Evergreens shade the highway; what little light we receive comes through the narrow sliver of leaden sky overhead…while the highway shoulder is thinner than a slice of toast. Alisha and I switch on our bike lights, but compared to car headlights our beams appear pitiful. As […]

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  • Book cover of Louisbourg or Bust: A Surfer’s Wild Ride Down Nova Scotia’s Drowned Coast by R. C. Shaw. The cover shows a fully loaded touring bicycle on grassy ground with evergreen trees in the background under an overcast sky. Two surfboards are strapped to the bicycle, emphasizing the book’s bike‑and‑surf travel theme.

    Louisburg or Bust

    by RC Shaw An entertaining read that had me not wanting to put the book down. I love Shaw’s quirky way of writing about his adventures. This book is part bike packing trip, part surfing adventure, part playful literature lesson, and all craziness. Think Bill Bryson with a Nova Scotia twist. In Louisburg or Bust […]

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  • Book cover of Tizita: A Memoir of Perseverance and Enchantment by Marian Dods. The cover features a painted cityscape scene with densely packed buildings at the base of a hillside, people gathered in the foreground, and a muted blue and gray sky above. The title “Tizita” appears in large white capital letters, with the subtitle and author’s name printed below.

    Tizita: A Memoir of Perseverance and Enchantment

    by Marian Dodds Marian is an excellent writer who takes readers along with her as she volunteers working with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education. Unlike many books about African adventures that focus on safaris and tourism, this books explores what is like to live alongside and work with the locals. Marian writes with honesty sharing not […]

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  • Colorful book cover featuring animals with the title A Billion Blue Wildebeest by Catherine MacLaine

    A Billion Blue Wildebeest

    by Catherine MacLaine The story follows two timelines – one of her childhood growing up as an Expat in Tanzania and one as the adoptive parent of a neurologically divergent African cat. Catherine is a great writer, who had me wondering what next with her new charge, while also kept me curious about life as […]

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  • Book cover of Always Ask for Help by Arnie Stewart and Janet Lee. The cover has a bright red background with the title in large white letters at the top. At the center is a child‑style crayon drawing of a red heart outlined in green and blue, displayed on a book cover and surrounded by oversized black headphones. The authors’ names appear in white text at the bottom.

    Always Ask For Help

    By Arnie Stewart and Janet Lee Always Ask for Help is the true story of Arnie Stewart, told with Janet Lee. What sets it apart is that Arnie speaks in his own words—unpolished, colloquial, and honest. The book keeps his voice intact, so it feels like a conversation. Arnie began adulthood unable to read or […]

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