Book Groups who really like to experience their reads will love this book!  ~ Sheila

Off The Beaten Page takes a look at a variety of incredible books and quite literally takes you there.  If you read Devil In The White City how would you like to take a trip to get a bird’s-eye view of Chicago?  The Scarlet Letter or Mystic River could land you in Boston; or in my home state of Minnesota I can go where William Kent Kruger solves his crimes with Cork O’Conner on the north shore, or where F. Scott Fitzgerald (or Charles Lindbergh for that matter), walked and lived in the vast areas of this state.

Off The Beaten Page is a book that will release your imagination to taking the next step within your reading either through the authors or their characters, or their books.  No matter where you live, this book will have you looking at your reading in a whole new way.

When Terri Peterson Smith spoke at our local library this past summer I was intrigued by her writing.  I love to do the little extras with my own book club like bringing food and drinks that are mentioned in the book to the discussion.  We even occasionally will dress the part or “set the scene” for our reading as well… yet Terri inspired me to think beyond the walls of the living rooms we meet in.

Off The Beaten Page not only gives suggestions of books to venture our and explore, but also ideas of where to stay and what to do once you get there.  With each state that is suggested, there are a list of books to read that go with the area, sight-seeing suggestions, restaurants, and hotels.

Did you know that Stephen King’s famous book The Shining was created while King stayed in The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado and wound up basing his book off the hotel (the hotel was about to close for the season when King and his wife stayed there, creating the creepy empty atmosphere that led to the book).  The Stanley Hotel is now open year around and plays up the book setting well with a maze (eep!) and a Ghost Adventure package.

Books about books are awesome, and this book takes it to the next level of book adventures.  It doesn’t matter where you live or how far you are willing to travel, there is a book setting everywhere that you can explore.  Off The Beaten Page inspires you to start your own bookish adventures, which I hope to do with our book group as well!

Author Terri Peterson Smith writes a travel blog with suggestions for book clubs.  One of her posts I read today was about the “Gone Girl” experience.  If you live near Cape Girardeau, a lovely river town in southeast Missouri, you can find much of the movie set as well as the book information.  “The Bar” had closed down at the time of the filming of the book, but the owner has reopened it, a now go to place because of the book and the movie.  I think… that is SO cool. 🙂

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press (May 1, 2013)