The Persistent Road by Tim Bishop is this week’s Reader Friday! Here are the first sentences: “I’m sorry. Your cancer is spreading . . .” Morning gridlock on the LA Freeway gave Doug Zimmer too much time to think again. ~ Fantastic opening to a great story!
But first the photo and verse. My friend Loretta Edison took this photo as we drove back from Nashville last week. The rain had finally stopped and the sun popped out just as it was setting. I thought this verse went well with it.
Now onto The Persistent Road. Here’s the cover and back copy:
There’s always an escape. Sometimes you need to search long and hard for the right one.
After losing all he once cherished, Doug Zimmer follows his wife’s parting bread crumbs and rides up the Pacific coast—on a bicycle. Armed with a revolver and only a vague plan to get through the months ahead, he aims to end his depression one way or the other.
As spiritual forces wrangle for his soul, he pedals eastward across America. He meets Lauren Baumgartner—a younger adventurer with a vibrant spirit—and a band of zealots who confront his aversion to religion. Accompanying Doug are not only sunny days and the beauty of nature but also the perils of the road, fellow travelers with their own stories, and the hollow silence of solitary campsites playing host to unseen creatures of the night.
A jarring episode on a climb through a treacherous pass brings Doug face-to-face with life and death. Will Doug’s adventure deliver him from loneliness and lament . . . or hurtle him to an abrupt end?
My take:
Oh, my goodness, this is one awesome book. I read this last year in view of endorsing it and was happy to send this endorsement: “The Persistent Road will draw you in and keep you turning pages and telling yourself ‘just one more chapter until the very end. It’s a book I’ll read again and again.” I’m on my second reading of it now! This is an amazing book.
While this is a great cycling adventure, it’s also the journey of a man discovering himself and the God who created him. The scenery was amazing and I felt as though I was journeying with Doug Zimmer as he pedaled his way north on Pacific Coast Highway 101. I love that his wife left him destinations in notes she’d written as she knew she was dying of cancer. She believed the trip would bring him closer to God. Hope is woven throughout the story. It is a story you will not soon forget! I loved watching Doug change and could feel his wife in heaven cheering him on.
I think both men and women will be drawn to this story.
What makes a story a good read for you? Leave the answer in the comments and I’ll enter you in a March drawing for a book from my library. Or leave the first line of the book you’re reading…
The winner of the book (Lynnete Eason’s Double Take) I picked up at NRB is Regina Rudd Merrick!
And the Februray winner is Ms. Dottie!
Thanks for reading my blog!
Comments 29
What a great photo to go with the book you reviewed! And, the matching verse goes well with both.
Congratulations to Regina and Ms. Dottie!
For me, a good read often depends on my mood at the time, and possibly, my circumstances. I like a book that has a good ending; one that satisfies my heart.
Today, I’m reading “Trapped in Yosemite” by Dana Mentink. The first line is “Stella Rivers scoured the dense shrubbery like she’d been doing for the past hour as if the branches might somehow reach out and snatch her van off the mountain road.” Little does she know her life is about to change as she witnesses a murder, and now the killer is after her.
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I have to read Dana Mentink’s book, Tim. It sounds so intruguing. And I’m glad you liked Loretta’s photo. You have no idea how beautiful that sun was after driving in the rain on I-40 in Nashville.
Beautiful photo and verse! Congratulations to Regina and Ms. Dottie! What makes a book good for me is that it causes an emotional reaction in me (even if it leaves me sad), and the writing style has to be solid.
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I usually won’t read a book that I know will make me sad, Priscilla…it’s one reason I won’t read a Nicolas Sparks novel even though he’s a great writer–someone I care about always dies.
The photo goes right along with Tim’s title! Loretta got a good shot of the sun popping out too!
Congratulations to Regina and Ms Dottie!
That was a good review of The Persistent Road. You got me hooked for sure.
For a good read, I like a strong first sentence/paragraph, but I don’t always get that. I also want a high page count. I’m a visual learner, so seeing, experiencing the characters and settings is really important. Like Tim, a good ending and one that satisfies is key for me.
I’m getting ready to start The Lost Lieutenant by Erica Vetsch. The first lines are: “You’ll do as you’re told if you know what’s good for you. I won’t be humiliated again.”
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I think you will really enjoy The Persistent Road, Barbara! It’s one that kept me up way later than I meant to stay up. 😉 Erica’s book sounds like one I’d love to read…will have to find it.
Congratulations to the winners! Great photo! I like suspense that keeps me guessing with light romance and good endings. I just finished Resort to Murder by Annie McEwen and it was very good. The first line is:
I’ve always tried to be the kind of person who strives to see the brighter side in every situation, the cliched “lemonade out of lemons” sort of girl.
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Glad you enjoyed the photo, Gloria! Resort to Murder sounds like my kind of read.
Wonderful photo, reminiscent of roads Debbie and I have traveled by bicycle. Love the sunset.
As for books, I like an ending tied up with an attractive bow, one that radiates hope. The last novel I read was Katie Powner’s Where the Blue Sky Begins. It’s set in small-town Montana – one of the best places to bicycle in America, IMO. The wide-open spaces and beautiful vistas draw me.
Thank you so much for your review! I’ll think of it when the writing journey gets bumpy. I’ve found the road is rarely straight and flat.
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I so agree that when it comes to writing, the road is rarely straight and flat, Tim! Thanks for stopping by. I really enjoyed your book–twice!
I enjoy stories that have depth to them, ones where the characters are struggling with real issues. I don’t even mind if it doesn’t always have a perfectly happy ending, as long as it has a fulfilling ending that gives hope.
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Megan, I think a fulfilling ending is the best kind! And a book that offers hope.
Gorgeous photo! Congratulations to Regina and Ms. Dottie!
Ethan paddled his kayak slowly across the inland waterway, heading into the dawn. Burden of Proof – Davis Bunn
Happy Weekend!
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Thanks Caryl! And Davis Bunn writes a great story. I need to check and see if I have Burden of Proof!
I’ve read and reviewed this book and loved it!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5801040195
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Me, too, Gail. I’m looking forward to Tim’s next book as well.
It sounds like an interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
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I’m always happy to share the books I love, Diana!
Book sounds interesting! Congrats to Regina Rudd Merrick & Mrs. Dottie
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It is a very interesting book, Shelia!
Very interesting photo. I’ve always enjoyed pictures of highways. I view one and wonder where does that road lead? What’s over that next hill? My wife has commented at times about me taking pictures of highways. She doesn’t get it. The clouds and setting sun really make the picture. Considering the opening lines of the book, the picture of the highway is fitting. That’s an excellent verse.
The Persistent Road sounds like a great read. I have driven Highway 101 from Monterey to L.A. There were places where we were looking off the shoulder of the road (with no guardrail) at the boulders and ocean below. I struggle to imagine riding a bike on it. It’s nerve-wracking enough in a car, but on a bike with absolutely no protection would seem crazy. Maybe going north would be minimally better since there would at least be another lane between you and the dropoff.
I am doing a first read on Susan Sleeman’s next book, so I don’t think I should share a first line from it. Her books and yours are good examples of what makes a good story for me. I enjoy a lot of action, suspense, and mystery woven together with a real faith in God and a bit of romance. The faith element may be well-polished, or it may be raw and developing, but not preachy.
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Edward, I’m not sure I could do that ride, in a car or a bike! And it’s funny…when I picked the photo I didn’t even think about the opening line of the book.
Sounds like another to add to my TBR pile!
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It is, Sally Jo!
Beautiful sunset! Love Psalms 27:13-14 .
Congratulations Regina and Ms. Dottie!
“The back door slammed, and nine-year-old Danielle Bennett jumped. Her daddy was home.” Do these words sound a little familiar Pat – lol. Just started your book Fatal Witness this morning and didn’t want to put it down. Great book Pat! I should know better than to begin a book early morning before chores and errands are done! Lol
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I’m so glad you’re enjoying Fatal Witness, Miss Mary!
I love the verse and the photo of the highway Patricia! I would love to ride down it with all those hills, looks like the type to make your stomach go up in your throat when you’re a kid!!
Congratulations to Regina and thank you also for all my Congrats. :))
I’m currently reading two books , which I don’t recommend doing because it takes longer. I’m still on The Law of Attraction by Mary Connealy, and also still on Countdown by Lynette Eason , which is keeping me awake at night!
I somehow missed commenting earlier on opinion if Christian Fiction makes a difference, but I just want to add Absolutely it does! The first CF book I read was Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love, which had a huge impact on my life. Plus I found it made a great witnessing tool to my co-workers and customers without being pushy. I like the assurance of having a good story, whether suspense or romance, without the unnecessary bad language or R rated scenes. I don’t use that kind of language and I don’t want to read it either. Now if we could just get more Christian material to our television shows and crazy commercials!!
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Hi Ms. Dottie! I so agree about Christian fiction. One reason I started writing was I couldnt find anything to read that didn’t have scenes I didn’t want in my head or language I didn’t allow in my house. 😉 And I rarely watch TV.
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