A Year of Having Fun with Reading - The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West + Wild Ride

The last few years I've made a list of 10 books - 5 books off my shelf, 5 books from the library - that I'm really wanting to read.  There's no real rhyme or reason.  I just go through my library list and my shelves and pick the books that are calling to me.  Here is one that I've read recently.

Goodreads:  The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West by Sara Ackerman

Blurb:  1927. Olivia "Livy" West is a fearless young pilot with a love of adventure. She yearns to cross oceans and travel the skies. When she learns of the Dole Air Race––a high-stakes contest to be the first to make the 2,400 mile Pacific crossing from the West Coast to Hawai'i—she sets her sights on qualifying. But it soon becomes clear that only men will make the cut. In a last-ditch effort to take part, Livy manages to be picked as a navigator for one of the pilots, before setting out on a harrowing journey that some will not survive.
1987. Wren Summers is down to her last dime when she learns she has inherited a remote piece of land on the Big Island with nothing on it but a dilapidated barn and an overgrown mac nut grove. She plans on selling it and using the money to live on, but she is drawn in by the mysterious objects kept in the barn by her late great-aunt––clues to a tragic piece of aviation history lost to time. Determined to find out what really happened all those years ago, Wren enlists the help of residents at a nearby retirement home to uncover Olivia’s story piece by piece. What she discovers is more earth-shattering, and closer to home, than she could have ever imagined.

My Thoughts:  This was an interesting read with two interesting and very different lead characters in two different time periods.  Livy West wants to fly and the fact that she's a woman doesn't really make a difference.  She can read the weather and navigate better than anyone around and is unflappable and while not fearless is unstoppable.  Wren is an artist wildly lacking in self confidence or purpose.  She's at the end of her rope when a surprise inheritance throws her a lifeline and pulls her into a different direction.  Both stories are interesting with likable main characters.  I liked them both which doesn't always happen in dual timeline books.   The pacing was quick and the characters felt like real people.  I adored the ending and it has me wanting to read more about the infamous Dole race.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Goodreads: Wild Ride: A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships by Hayley Arceneaux

Blurb:  In this boldly optimistic debut memoir, Hayley Arceneaux details how she overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to grab hold of a life greater than she'd ever imagined. With her signature upbeat messaging, Arceneaux recounts her odyssey, from her cancer diagnosis at age ten and the yearlong treatment that inspired her goal of working with pediatric cancer patients, to living through her father's terminal cancer diagnosis, to getting her lifelong dream job at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as a physician assistant. She was sure she'd finally attained the life she wanted, and then the amazing and unimaginable happened: She was invited to go to space as a St. Jude ambassador.
Throughout the book, Arceneaux encourages readers to fight for the life they want, saying, You have to hold on, because you don't know what great thing can come and change your life. Take the chance and you will feel, and learn, and grow, and become even more you. Following your dreams can take you to dreams you didn't know you had.

Arceneaux's uplifting story is the inspiration we all need today. She offers wisdom and lessons in courage to anyone fighting against the odds. And through it all, she reveals how resilience and faith can help us grab hold of the life we've always wanted and live it to the fullest.

My Thoughts:  Hayley was Will's PA at the very beginning of his time at St. Jude when everything was scary and uncertain and our lives had been turned upside down.  It was still in the beginning of Covid protocols so it felt like we never knew what was going on or saw the same person twice.  Until Hayley showed up.  She was friendly and was the first person who really took the time to get to know us and really let us know it would be okay.  Because of that, my review could never be unbiased.  But I found the book incredibly honest and authentic.  Her journey is unique filled with frustrations and setbacks but with a strong family support system and a fantastic outlook.  I have met Hayley's family and I can say that they seem as wonderful as she makes them out.  My Rating: Loved It (5 Stars)