I Sleep Around: The Humorous Memoir of a Nomadic Writer, by Sue Ann Jaffarian, APRIL2024 LTER
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An electronic copy of this book was provided for review by publishers Harbor Lane Books, via Library Thing.
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As Sue Ann Jaffarian approached retirement, the happily-single paralegal began contemplating how she wanted to spend the foreseeable future. She had never spent time in an RV, had gone tent camping exactly once, and did not consider herself outdoorsy, so the logical thing to do – obviously – was to jump into a 20’ van and hit the road as a full-time RV-er.
Okay, it didn’t happen quite that quickly, and the tale of how it did happen forms the first section of Jaffarian’s breezy memoir. While she’s speaking of her own motivations and preferences, the content would be a fine guide for anyone contemplating this kind of lifestyle change (or even thinking about part-time RV life). Initially, the idea attracted her because she wanted to come up with a lifestyle that would let her continue to write and to travel on a retiree budget. By combining housing and travel expenses in one motorized bundle, and motivated by Travels with Charley, Blue Highways, and Nomadland, she set out on a methodical investigation of the nomadic life. Ultimately, a 20’ self-contained Winnebago Travalto Class B RV christened “Novella”, entered her life. (If none of that verbiage between “Ultimately” and “christened” makes any sense, don’t worry about it. She explains it all as she goes along.)
On the last day of 2018, she set off on her big adventure, and the book segues into how Jaffarian adapts her second career as a writer to her new circumstances. As the author of multiple lighthearted mystery and romance novels, she had multiple speaking engagements on her itinerary, and also briefly added house- and pet-sitting gigs as a way to take a break from the road and also to supplement her income.
The final section of the book deals with the unique challenges faced by RV nomads during the COVID crisis. With travel discouraged or restricted, many rest stops, campgrounds, and restaurants closed, Jaffarian had to figure out how to respond to the challenges. She managed, with persistence and flexibility, and continues to live in Novella, saying she will continue “until I physically cannot do it or it stops being fun.”
This is not a bad book, but the decision to label it a “humorous memoir” is definitely misleading. Overall, once the “how to get into full-time RV-ing” section ends, it reads like a long, chatty, “how I spent my summer vacation” letter, listing lots of stops and the things she saw and did at them. Armchair travelers might enjoy it; anyone planning an extended road trip around the U.S. can find ideas for unusual out-of-the-ordinary stops. Readers looking for madcap misadventures, encounters with colorful old coots, or laugh-out-loud social commentary will need to keep searching.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As Sue Ann Jaffarian approached retirement, the happily-single paralegal began contemplating how she wanted to spend the foreseeable future. She had never spent time in an RV, had gone tent camping exactly once, and did not consider herself outdoorsy, so the logical thing to do – obviously – was to jump into a 20’ van and hit the road as a full-time RV-er.
Okay, it didn’t happen quite that quickly, and the tale of how it did happen forms the first section of Jaffarian’s breezy memoir. While she’s speaking of her own motivations and preferences, the content would be a fine guide for anyone contemplating this kind of lifestyle change (or even thinking about part-time RV life). Initially, the idea attracted her because she wanted to come up with a lifestyle that would let her continue to write and to travel on a retiree budget. By combining housing and travel expenses in one motorized bundle, and motivated by Travels with Charley, Blue Highways, and Nomadland, she set out on a methodical investigation of the nomadic life. Ultimately, a 20’ self-contained Winnebago Travalto Class B RV christened “Novella”, entered her life. (If none of that verbiage between “Ultimately” and “christened” makes any sense, don’t worry about it. She explains it all as she goes along.)
On the last day of 2018, she set off on her big adventure, and the book segues into how Jaffarian adapts her second career as a writer to her new circumstances. As the author of multiple lighthearted mystery and romance novels, she had multiple speaking engagements on her itinerary, and also briefly added house- and pet-sitting gigs as a way to take a break from the road and also to supplement her income.
The final section of the book deals with the unique challenges faced by RV nomads during the COVID crisis. With travel discouraged or restricted, many rest stops, campgrounds, and restaurants closed, Jaffarian had to figure out how to respond to the challenges. She managed, with persistence and flexibility, and continues to live in Novella, saying she will continue “until I physically cannot do it or it stops being fun.”
This is not a bad book, but the decision to label it a “humorous memoir” is definitely misleading. Overall, once the “how to get into full-time RV-ing” section ends, it reads like a long, chatty, “how I spent my summer vacation” letter, listing lots of stops and the things she saw and did at them. Armchair travelers might enjoy it; anyone planning an extended road trip around the U.S. can find ideas for unusual out-of-the-ordinary stops. Readers looking for madcap misadventures, encounters with colorful old coots, or laugh-out-loud social commentary will need to keep searching.
