Square Up: 50,000 miles in search of a way home by Lisa Dailey
Publisher: Sidekick Press, (March 30, 2021)
Category: Memoir, Travel, Family Travel, Adventure Travel, Grief
Tour dates: January 17-February 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1734494556
Available in Print and ebook, 272 pages
Description Square Up by Lisa Dailey
Have you ever wished you could run away and leave your life behind? Born on the “Day of the Wanderer,” Lisa Dailey has always been filled with wanderlust. Although she and her husband had planned to take their family on a ’round-the-world adventure, she didn’t expect their plans to come together on the heels of grief, after losing seven family members in five years.
Square Up shows us that travel not only helps us understand and appreciate other cultures, but invites us to find compassion and wisdom, heal from our losses, and discover our capacity for forgiveness, as well as joy.
My Thoughts Square Up by Lisa Dailey
Lisa Daily and her husband, Ray, have always loved to travel and had planned on taking the two young teenaged boys on a trip. However, in the period of 5 years, she lost seven loved ones, including her parents and younger brother. Grief and depression struck and put her in a rut. After awhile, her husband brought up the idea of traveling again. With gentle persuasion, she finally agreed. They both wanted to show their boys parts unknow to them.
Since Ray was in the military, the family mostly flew in military planes to keep the cost down. She explains how terribly uncomfortable and cold these planes are and highly recommends bringing a blanket and dressing warm.
The family traveled all over Asia. They took a longer stop in Vietnam and Cambodia so Ray could volunteer since he is also a dentist. I loved her descriptions of all the places they travel over the period of 7 months. One of my favorite stories from the family’s travels was of the Rat Temple in Deshnoke, India. The rats, over 25,000 of them are believed to be ancestors, reborn as rats. As with any Hindu temple you visit, you must remove your shoes before going inside. So, there are rats crawling over your feet and even nibbling on occasion. You can also buy food outside, to feed the rats. I love animals but I will not be going their! LOL!
Towards the end of their journey and with a lot of hassle getting special travel visa, the went to Ghana in Africa. Ray was to volunteer doing dentistry there as well. Once there, they found out there were even more road blocks to him volunteering.
Though there were a lot of difficulties in the 7 months, the family persevered and Lisa started dealing with her grief in a more positive way. Right after I started reading ‘Square Up’, my sister passed away. She was the 5th death in 3 years for me. Four of them were in the last year. So, I had to stop reading the book for awhile. It was triggering for me at the time. However, I am so glad I picked it back up! I love the lessons Lisa learned during the journey and I think some have rubbed off on me.
If you love reading travel adventures, you will love this book! If you have suffered loss, there are lessons to be learned here! I loved this book so much that I am sure I will read it again. Because there are so many books, I want to read I rarely read the same book twice! I highly recommend ‘Square Up’ and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received the eBook for my honest opinion.
About Lisa Dailey
Lisa Dailey is an avid traveler and writer. In her time abroad, she unearthed new ways of looking at her life through her discoveries in remote corners of the world and she continues to enrich her life through travel. She is currently working on a recipe anthology as well as her first work of fiction. A native Montanan,
Lisa now makes her home by the ocean in Bellingham, Washington, but returns to her roots every summer for a healthy dose of mountains and Big Sky.
Lisa is the owner of Silent Sidekick and Sidekick Press where she helps guide authors through their publishing journey.
Author Website: https://lisa-dailey.com/
Travel Blog: https://northwestrambles.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nwrambles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisadailey1724
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisad1724/ & https://www.instagram.com/nwrambles/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nwrambles/
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Giveaway Square Up by Lisa Dailey
This giveaway is for 3 print copies One for each of 3 winners. This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on February 12, 2022 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.
Follow Square Up by Lisa Dailey
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Andy K. Amazon Jan 20 Review
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Betty Toots Book Reviews Jan 26 Review & Excerpt
Jas International Book Promotion Jan 27 Review
Katy Celticlady’s Reviews Jan 28 Guest Review & Excerpt
Am Goodreads Jan 31 Review
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Laura Lee Bound 4 Escape Feb 4 Guest Review
Jas International Book Promotion Feb 6 Facebook Live interview, 8 PM CST
Bee Book Pleasures Feb 8 Review
Bee Book Pleasures Feb 8 Interview
Karen T. Amazon Feb 9 Review
Michael L Amazon Feb 10 Review
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Feb 11 Review
Africa and Asia must be amazing–they’re so lucky to have seen all these places!