Book of the Week #24

Motorcycle Man: Restless by Phil Englehardt (Kingston. NH: Gadsden Publishing, 2004)

Written by Phil Englehardt, this novel tells the story of Ian Payne, a New Hampshire man "on the verge of his mid-life crash and burn. He will take you on a ride through his history of drugs, depression, divorce, and two cross country motorcycle trips. He also has a plan for the future: one last ride before his middle class existence extinguishes his passion forever."

I chose this book in honor of Laconia Motorcycle Week which began June 9, 2007. At 84 years, it is the oldest of the motorcycle rallies which seems appropriate since the inventor of the first motorcycle was from Francestown, NH. The Madison Library blog recently posted an interesting list of bike-related reading that you might want to check out.

"The line of motorcycles grows with each and every mile that passes. There are digital construction signs cautioning motorists to watch for motorcycles. The police details are mostly on bikes looking for morning buzzers and speeders. For the most part the ride is slow and the bikes are two abreast as far as I can see by the time I hit Alton Bay at the tip of the lake. With fifteen miles still to go, the Harleys now rule the road. Fatboys, hogs, speedsters, and Road Kings are all tweaked by their equally diverse owners. There are fat guys, skinny guys, short ones and tall ones. Some are blond, some are bald. Some are shaven and others have long beards. They are from every state in the northeast and some drove even urther. The one common denominator in this melting pot of hell on wheels is attitude." (Restless, p. 122)