I Sleep Around: The Humorous Memoir of a Nomadic Writer

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 show more 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 several 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 and 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. show less

I enjoyed this one. I've looked into RVing as a full-time living arrangement and have spent some time learning about it in FB groups and from TT influencers, etc.

This author starts out by teaching the basics of getting into RVing-as-living and while I wasn't expecting that (I thought this was just an on-the-road adventure tale), this is my favorite part. This is what -I- need to know as a similarly-aged, former paralegal, single female with a cat, who also doesn't go camping. How do you start? This section lays it out. No worries, it keeps your attention and there's humor, too. The next sections are the adventures on the road, and there's humor, friendship, tips, recommendations for places and things to see, what to avoid, etc. At the show more end, the author breaks down her expenses for this lifestyle.

So, all-in-all, I think this is a great tome especially for single ladies of a certain age to read if they're thinking about alternative lifestyles. Thank you to the author, publisher, and LibraryThing Early Reviwers for the copy of this book. show less

received as early reviewer copy

I found this book quite disappointing. It's basically a travelogue about seeing the US in a van over a number of years, with scattered bits about a writer and her life and friends. The travel part was interesting, and some of the bits about writing were as well, but they were few and far between. And while the title says this is humorous, I couldn't really find the humor in it.

How to describe I Sleep Around? Part primer on how to retire to a life on the road with tips and tricks to make the transition to fulltime traveler, part humorous travelogue and touching memoir. Sue Ann Jaffarian will help you keep your body, sanity, and snail mail healthy while on the road for long periods of time. She can help you chose an RV of the right size, the right amount of storage, and any other options you desire. She found "Novella", her Winnebago Travato 59K, to be just perfect for her new life as a nomadic writer. When I Sleep Around takes a break from RV instruction in the first quarter of the book, Jaffarian talks about the business of writing as a professional before circling back to RV repairs. The second half detailed show more the places she visited along her five-year journey.
As an aside, I found it interesting that she chose to switch to RV life before officially retiring from her job as a paralegal. Juggling both the planning for a life on the road and finishing up a career must have been exhausting and emotional.
The section on RVing during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown was interesting for those of us who were housebound for that period.
Jaffarian makes the claim that travel changes you. I would have loved for her to expound on that. Tell me more about that metamorphosis. I am so curious! Another wish - I wish Jaffarian would have included a compiled list of all of the attractions she was able to take in along her journey. It would have been cool to have a directory of interesting places to visit. High on my list is the Tabasco factory. Pictures would have been cool, too. show less

What a wonderful story. So happy to hear about Sue Ann’s awesomeness. The whole second act of a life so well lived, and as I wrote this, I just think of her and just wish her nothing but the best. So many tips and tricks of “van life” but also the story of COVID’s impact on the other side of a population.

I love the idea of living life on the road while visiting the National Parks, so I was curious about RV life. The first third of the book was the best part. It is divided into chapters dedicated to good practical advice for those considering living in a mobile home. Even though I am unlikely to ever take the plunge myself, I found it interesting to learn of all the details that goes into making this major shift in lifestyle. The author covers everything from plumbing mishaps to money matters. The writing is matter of fact and light-hearted. The rest of the book is a chronological account of her experience from her first 2 years of RV life. This moves quickly but is a little boring. (There is a lot of ‘I met old friend so & so for show more lunch and then drove to town X’.). She must have a gazillion friends as she seemed to meet up with people in every small town in America. She also visits quirky sites, does some pet-sitting and book-signing gigs.
I was provided with an ARC (thanks to the author & publisher!) and I am voluntarily posting my honest review. show less

I had never heard of this author until I got the free book through library thing. Now I feel certain I will pick up more of her books. The book was a combo of how-to, memoir and travel - And worked on every level. I learned enough to decide that while nomadic life has some awesome upsides, renting an RV once in awhile might be enough and that I don't need to own one LOL.