Angela (Ang) "Nature Loving Gypsy"
Energetic grounded optimist who loves to explore, which is why I got the nickname “Gypsy” mainly because I don’t sit still very long and therefore am missing in action at times. Always the last to get packed up after a BOM trip, mainly because I don’t want the weekend to end.
Amicably divorced (twice) Mom of 3 daughters – Kami 32 Teagan 29 & Molly 18. A recent Grandma to the love of my life grandson Theo! Oldest of 5 siblings – 1 sister Theresa (Leader of the BOM book club) and 3 brothers Michael Christopher and Patrick. Aunt to 5 nieces and 2 nephews. Raised by Hippie loving “Young” parents in the 70’s and spent time living outside of Chicago in my early twenties Huntington Beach and Oahu Hawaii.
I absolutely LOVE being a part of the BOM Squad as it affords me the opportunity to read and travel and spend time laughing and relating to other wonderful women. I also enjoy following my gypsy daughter Kami to all ends of the earth and exciting adventures like the Camino Spiritual Way Pilgrimage from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago, Spain, and hopefully New Zealand next.
Environmental Science BS Degree & MPH in Health Resource Management / Emotion Code Practitioner / Currently a Convergint Service Coordinator scheduling Fire Alarm Inspections all over Chicagoland.
Favorite Genre: Historical Fiction
My 3 BOM picks to date:
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Tolles immerses us in an elegantly drawn era with the story of Count Alexander Rostov. When, in 1922, he is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the count is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him a doorway into a much larger world of emotional discovery.
Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.
(Picked this book because of my Dad Tom, it’s his “favorite” book of all time, which is saying a lot as he read hundreds of books in his lifetime, and this is my favorite of the 28 BOM books we’ve read so far)
Whisper Network by Chandler Baker is a #MeToo-era workplace thriller about four women at a law firm who decide to take a stand against their boss, Ames, who has a history of inappropriate behavior, leading to a catastrophic office shift, uncovered secrets, and a murder mystery.
(Picked because one of our initial group members Tina wanted this one as well as a 2nd book, so I offered to make this one of my picks because I didn’t have another in mind and it sounded good, I was watching Big Little Liars at the time too)
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano – Set in Chicago, William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos.
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?
(Picked this one because of the very intriguing cover and setting in Chicago so the trip would be close to my home 😊and I had watched the Dear John Apple series which was based on Ann’s very popular book Dear Edward, so I knew it would be good)
