Tag adventure

Saying ‘The End’ at St. Peter’s

Reg Spittle 10 Comments

Like books, long-distance treks sometimes save the best for last. There were countless highlights (and some lows) during our 260-mile journey that began in Tuscany, but the finish at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City moved Sue and me. Like reading a great book, we didn’t want the month-long trek to end. The Way of St. Francis is one of four adventures that make up my second book, due out soon. If you want to be among the first to hear when it is published, send me a note through “contact” on my website, regspittle.com.

Alex Woods: A Coming-of-Age Story Rooted in Friendship

Reg Spittle 1 Comment

A meteorite strikes, changing lives. A mother tells the future. A boy battles seizures. An old curmudgeon walks a dog named after Kurt Vonnegut. Mix in some marijuana, a fatal diagnosis, an unlikely friendship, and a journey borne out of love.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods is a coming-of-age story that is one of my favorite books of 2020. In his debut novel, Gavin Extence tells the story from a boy’s point of view as the bookish, bullied 10-year-old forges a seven-year friendship that leads him to incidents he never would have imagined. Extence creates a boy’s voice that reminds me of Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. Not as dark, but equally observant of the world and the people around him. Laughs and tears guaranteed.