Gina Rae Mitchell

Undomesticated Women, Anecdotal Evidence from the Road by Anna Blake | #AuthorGuestPost #BookReview #NonFiction #TravelMemoir #Horses | @IReadBookTours @annablake9 @annablake.author

A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour.

Quick Summary

“Undomesticated Women: Anecdotal Evidence from the Road” by Anna Blake takes readers on a captivating journey through the author’s year of living compactly, pulling her A-frame trailer, the Rollin’ Rancho, alongside her faithful canine companion, Mister.

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Book Details

Undomesticated Women: Anecdotal Evidence from the Road by Anna Blake
on October 23 2023
Genres: Adult Non-Fiction 18+, Travel, Memoir
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 325

Welcome to our year of living compactly. My dog, Mister, and I took to the road pulling our A-frame trailer, the Rollin’ Rancho. I’m a traveling horse trainer/clinician, who became a non-essential worker during the COVID-19 lockdown. Then, in 2022, we bounced back. We were nomads looking for horse training adventure and liver treats. Work paid for the trip; it was part clinic tour, part travelogue, part squirrel hunt. But mostly an unapologetic celebration of sunsets, horses, RV parks, roadkill, diverse landscapes, and undomesticated women.

It’s a book made of made of adjectives and nouns, blue skies and tornado watches, resorts and reservations, open roads to the horizon, and one-lane dead-ends. We emerge from the truck in a cloud of dog hair and sunflower shells, like disoriented and scruffy rock stars in a GPS haze, not entirely lost or found.

This book isn’t about training, although there are horses in it. It’s a follow-up of Stable Relation, my first book, but my life changed in ways I would never have guessed, so don’t expect the usual sequel. Undomesticated Women is a travel memoir, a peek behind the curtains of what my job is like. I wanted to see this beautiful country, do some time travel, and explore thoughts and memories now that I’ve become a gray mare.

Mister would tell you it’s his memoir about being tasked with the unreasonable job of guarding me against a wild range of dangers. Like eating dinner late.

Source: iRead Book Tours, Received from the author or publisher for review.

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Purchase Links for Undomesticated Women

    BookShop/IndieBound 

BN     BAM

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My Thoughts on Undomesticated Women

“Undomesticated Women: Anecdotal Evidence from the Road” by Anna Blake takes readers on a captivating journey through the author’s year of living compactly, pulling her A-frame trailer, the Rollin’ Rancho, alongside her faithful canine companion, Mister. As a traveling horse trainer/clinician turned non-essential worker during the COVID-19 lockdown, Anna Blake and Mister embark on a nomadic adventure fueled by a desire for horse training and liver treats. The book unfolds as part clinic tour, part travelogue, and part squirrel hunt, offering readers an unapologetic celebration of sunsets, horses, RV parks, roadkill, diverse landscapes, and undomesticated women.

The narrative is a rich tapestry of adjectives and nouns, blending blue skies with tornado watches, resorts with reservations, and open roads with one-lane dead-ends. Emerging from the truck in a cloud of dog hair and sunflower shells, Anna Blake and Mister navigate the roads like disoriented rock stars in a GPS haze—neither entirely lost nor found. While the book isn’t centered on horse training, horses are woven into its fabric, providing a unique perspective behind the curtains of the author’s profession. It serves as a follow-up to Blake’s first book, “Stable Relation,” offering unexpected twists and turns in her life’s journey, now seen through the lens of a gray mare.

“Undomesticated Women” is a travel memoir that transcends its genre, delivering insightful thoughts born during long, quiet, solitary drives. Anna Blake’s writing is heartfelt and animal-loving, creating a memoir that resonates even with those who may not consider themselves “horse people.” Throughout the book, readers discover useful gems, making it a rewarding read regardless of one’s familiarity with horses. Mister, the loyal companion, adds his perspective, humorously framing the memoir as his own tale of guarding against a wild range of dangers, including the seemingly unreasonable task of eating dinner late.

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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I love to read books through my  Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription. 

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Guest Post

Readers and Writers

I love books. All writers are readers first and in the mind of a reader, there is usually the seed of a writer. Some of us just water it more than others.

I wasn’t a good reader in grade school. My parents didn’t read, and we didn’t have the childhood books my friends loved. Reading became my passion with Mrs. LaBelle, my high school English teacher. Sometimes my book reports were twenty pages long because I had discovered reading and wanted to talk about books so badly. The poor woman! But instead of complaining about my wordiness, she gave me independent study. Bless all teachers for the impact they have on our lives.

I recently read a statistic that 48% of the people in the United States have not read a book in the last year. I was both totally shocked and completely understanding. My desire to read never goes away, but life happens. There were years when I read constantly, especially in my 20s as I tried to make up for not making it to college. Then I bought a fixer-up farm in my 40s and for the first two years, I was too exhausted to read.

My current book, Undomesticated Women, was written after the COVID-19 lockdown. I set out on a 14,000-mile road trip with an A-frame trailer and my dog Mister, returning to the job I love. I’m a traveling horse trainer. The visual beauty of the road welcomed us, and we visited some amazing women. We met strangers who felt like lost friends.

What I didn’t expect was that I’d have the best reading year of my life. I listened to audiobooks to stay awake while driving, but you know how books are. They possess us in ways we can’t expect. Sometimes, I feel the need to apologize for listening to books on tape. Other times I’m just so grateful that there are other ways to access the world of books. It feeds my greed.

This is my first virtual book tour, but I know I’m among friends. I am an avid blogger; I taught myself to write by blogging. So, being here feels familiar and welcoming. Readers, like the women I wrote about, are a rare breed. We’re often introverts who like alone time, words, and coffee. Readers are undomesticated adventurers, wandering off to other times and unknown places. And willing to be as vulnerable and curious as any character in a book. We are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

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Purchase Undomesticated Women online from your local bookstore.

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Easy Amazon Links

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Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share. 

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Giveaway!

Win a signed copy of Undomesticated Women, Anecdotal Evidence from the Road by Anna Blake (one winner) (USA only) (ends Feb 9)

Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!

Official Tour Page for Undomesticated Women

Full Tour Schedule:

Jan 15 – Cover Lover Book Review 
Jan 16 – Leanne Bookstagram 
Jan 17 – Cheryl’s Book Nook
Jan 18 – My Reading Getaway 
Jan 22 – @chaoshappinessbookmama 
Jan 23 – fundinmental 
Jan 24 –Locks, Hooks and Books
Jan 25 – Celticlady’s Reviews 
Jan 25 – Gina Rae Mitchell
Jan 30 – FUONLYKNEW 
Jan 31 – Rockin’ Book Reviews 
Feb 1 – Liese’s Blog 
Feb 1 – Splashes of Joy
Feb 2 – Diane’s Book Journal 

Undomesticated Women, Anecdotal Evidence from the Road Book Tour Giveaway

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Book Title: Undomesticated Women, Anecdotal Evidence from the Road by Anna Blake
Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 325 pages
Genre: Travel Memoir
Publisher: Prairie Moon Press
Release date: Oct 2023
Formats Available for Review: print-paperback (USA only), ebook (EPUB, PDF)
Tour dates: Jan 15 to Feb 26, 2024
Content Rating: PG. oblique mention of dysfunctional family, no sex, drugs, etc

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