Review: Out of the Box by Julie C. Morse

Title: Out of the Box
Author: Julie C. Morse
Format: Paperback
Publisher: iUniverse
Publish Date: May 22, 2012
Source: I received a copy from the PR; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're an armchair traveler.
• You don't mind blurring between truth and fiction.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "When she was little, Uncle Bob filled Julianna’s head with positive thoughts – while filling her room with wild souvenirs from his exotic world travels. There was the painted wolf skull from Siberia; a jagged, blood-stained rock from Mount Everest; and a faceless voodoo doll from Africa. He whetted her appetite for adventure and convinced her that nothing was beyond her reach. Then, when she was sixteen, he invited her along on his far-flung adventures. To the teenager, Uncle Bob was Superman and James Bond combined. But even as she grew up to realize that he wasn’t really magic, there was something magical about her favorite uncle.

Bob Harris lived life by his own rules, and it took him on great adventures and to the heights of success. Parts of that life were also shrouded in mystery. Now nearing eighty, he reveals his true identity to his beloved Julianna – imparting wisdom, inspiration, strength, and some real surprises, too. Bob’s story is a testament to the power of the American dream – and to his personal passion to live life boldly."

My Two Cents:

Out of the Box is an interesting book. The story is about an uncle and his niece that go on all sorts of interesting travels. The interesting thing is that even though the book is based on true stories, the niece in the book is a combination of several real-life characters so it's a true story with some untruths. It was an interesting combination. I was sort of wondering what was real and what was not real throughout the entire book, which in turn sort of took me out of the book. I almost wish that the book would have been a full non-fiction book (as it was billed) or that it had been a fully fictional book so I didn't have to wonder.

As an armchair traveler, I loved the travel stories. Uncle Bob goes to some really fascinating places that are way off the beaten path. I loved seeing the things that he saw and reading about the experiences that he had.

I sort of wished that the book had been organized a little more linearly. There wasn't really a good sense of time throughout the book.

I think that this book will really appeal most to armchair travelers who want to read about places that you really don't get a chance to see in books that much.