We are back from our vacation in Dominical, Costa Rica and ever so happy with the trip.  Here are a few recommendations and reviews…

Lodging – We spent most of our time at Manu Villas and our last night at Hotel Grano de Oro in San Jose.  Both were superb. 

At Manu, we stayed in the tree house – just magical. The owner Alex and his amazing wife Grace, the private chef/masseuse attended to our meals and wants.  Frankly we have never eaten and slept so well on vacation.  Manu Villas are located just outside the hip surf town of Dominical.  You will need a 4×4, but isn’t that part of the adventure?

Hotel Grano de Oro is a charming old world hotel.  It feels very European with heavy wood and an abundance of water fountains ting-tingling their own gentle rhythms.  The rooms are well-appointed with comfy beds and the food is good.  Gratefully, their airport shuttle is easy and safe as well.

To read:

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

This book is excellent, except for the ending – which, in a word, sucked.  The novel follows two Chinese sisters born into a privileged life in Shanghai.  They were girls with big dreams, beautiful girls…Unfortunately, all was lost to their father’s gambling debts, including their futures – they had been committed to arranged marriages.  Luckily the sisters married brothers; hence their paths were forever entwined – for better and for worse.

The novel is a fascinating glimpse into Chinese culture, history and astrology.  Quickly you attach to the characters, making this book a page-turner.  However the ending, or I should say, the non-ending, basically stops right in the middle of the drama.  To say this is unsatisfying is an understatement, but does this negate the hundreds of pages of compelling storyline?  Not sure…

Nature Girl – Carl Hiaasen

Can you ever go wrong with a Hiaasen book on vacation?  Doubt it.  This book is a riot.  Ridiculously amusing and memorable characters abound throughout the Florida Everglades as Honey Santana – a single mother, has gone off her meds.  

Honestly, she is reacting oddly to the bad behaviors of the men around her…Honey has her own hilarious style of justice that certainly is a fun ride, if not necessarily legal.  Between the outlaw Indian Sammy Tigertail; a wandering ghost; a drug-induced, hand-bandaged, pervert stalker; a shiny, fast-talking telemarketer; and an ex-husband, well, things certainly aren’t dull in the Everglades.  Enjoy the laughs!

The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry

An easy thriller focused around Cotton Malone and the mystery surrounding his father’s death on a nuclear submarine in 1971.  All the crew members died.  They were on a secret mission and US government lied to keep it hidden.

But the secret gets out and Cotton discovers the cover-up.  Why?  What unfolds is a high- stakes chase including the strange clues found in Charlemagne’s tomb, Nazi exploration, rogue officers and corruption at the very highest levels of the US Navy. 

A word of caution, I started reading this book in the morning and could not put it down until the last page had been read late that night.  Just saying, best to not start reading 9pm…

What not to read while staying in the jungle…The Lost City of Z by David Grann

Although my husband enjoyed this book immensely, let’s remember this is a book about a man getting lost on the Amazon.  By the last night, my husband has us was sleeping behind full netting just in case one of the big bugs flies in to plant a parasite that can eat your…ok, you get the picture? 

Great read to be read in bright light and lots of soap, not in an open villa amid the jungle.  Frankly we saw bugs over three inches long, imaginations do run wild…

Just got back from the gorgeous and magical Costa Rica and here’s what I read in order…

 Knit Two by Kate Jacobs.  The story continues the story of her original The Friday Night Knitting Club, both are delightful.  Tears and laughs along with the sticky hierarchy of female relationships…

 American Gods by Neil Gaiman.  Excellent.  Fascinating characters amid a stark view of what we today anoint as Gods…Love everything he writes. 

 Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie.  Alright I know why this book received critical acclaim (slice of different world, some haunting scenes…) but skip it.  The plot is disappointing and the characters really don’t attached themselves to your heart.  It’s a bit cold, everything is from a distance…

                                                                                                              Shadow of Power by Steve Martini.  Liked the courtroom dialog, kind of hated the race plot.  The whole slave/constitution thing just doesn’t have the same impact on a woman as a man…Where were women’s rights in the constitution?  Missing as well.  There is a lot of offense to go around…Read Skin Tight instead…

 Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen.  Murder and laughs – perfecto!  Any Hiaasen book on vacation is fun and will keep you up much later then you intend, just another chapter…It is a riot – the one-armed-weed-wacking thug with a white-out chin…I’m still giggling.

 Promise Me by Harlan Coben.  Fun.  Quick-paced, same amusing characters.  I want a friend like Win…

 And yes, I enjoyed many other fun adventures on the vacation besides reading, that I will share with you in the coming weeks…Just wanted to help out with any last-minute holiday gift ideas…Happy reading!