Spotlight: Tightwads on the Loose by Wendy Hinman
Hello, dear Audiobooks Fans! I am really glad to let you all know that Tightwads on the Loose, another award-winning and generally well-received novel is also available in audiobook format. I feel this could be a great summer listen, excellent to enjoy on long lazy afternoons.
This is the first book that author Wendy Hinman releases in audio format. Tightwads on the Loose is basically a travel adventure book about the 7-year, 34,000-mile voyage she took with her husband aboard a small, sometimes violently rocking sailboat during which she alternated between feats worthy of Wonder Woman and Suzy Homemaker.
Tightwads on the Loose was, in fact, selected for study under the literature program for Western Washington University and won the Journey Award and the Readers Favorites Award for best true life adventure story.
We glimpse the following plot lines from the Publisher’s Summary:
Imagine spending 24 hours a day with your spouse in 31 not-so-square feet for years, crossing the Pacific Ocean on two gallons of fuel, and tossing spaghetti marinara around your living room then cleaning it up while bouncing like ice in a martini shaker.
Tightwads on the Loose tells the story of Wendy and Garth, lured to sea by the promise of adventure. They buy a 31-foot boat that fits their budget better than it fits Garth’s large frame and set sail on an open-ended voyage, never imagining they’d be gone seven years or cover 34,000 miles at the pace of a fast walk. They live without most “necessities” and learn that teamwork and a sense of humor matter most as they face endless “character-building opportunities.”
They make a long-anticipated visit to the island where Garth had been shipwrecked as a teenager, only to find it had become a penal colony. An electronic catastrophe in the Solomon Islands leaves them without navigation equipment, which forces them to trade their free-wheeling lifestyle for one that seems straight out of a ’60s sitcom: jobs at a US Army base in the Marshall Islands.
In Asia, they dodge typhoons and ships that threaten to turn their home into kindling. Finally, they endure a grueling 49-day nonstop ocean crossing. None of this prepares them for their arrival “home” to a post-9/11 America which leaves them wondering what had changed more – them or the world. Tightwads on the Loose offers a fun listen to the armchair adventurer or anyone afflicted with wanderlust.
If you are curious and want to find out more about the author, you should know that Wendy Hinman is an adventurer, speaker, and the award-winning author of two books up until now – Tightwads on the Loose and Sea Trials.
Her other book, Sea Trials: Around the World with Duct Tape and Bailing Wire, seems as delightful as the read I am enjoying now, and I would very much listen to a narrated version of it. Sea Trials focuses on the gripping story of a family in a tireless quest to sail around the world despite daunting challenges including a shipwreck, rebuilding a boat on a remote island, and threats from wild weather, pirates, gun boats, mines and thieves, a broken rig, scurvy and starvation.
Wendy Hinman is a sought-after speaker with international recognition that likes to share entertaining tales filled with humor and inspiration, as well as wise tips and examples at conferences, libraries, bookstores, private clubs, and in media interviews. You should visit her website to find out more.
Also, thanks to the incredible storytelling talent of narrator Robin Karno, the audiobook version of Tightwads on the Loose simply comes to life with great comedic timing, and a talent for capturing the flavor of the voyage and accents of the cultures that the characters visit in their 34,000-mile journey around the Pacific. You can find Robin Karno’s clips on Soundcloud and on Logamp.
I will post a review for Tightwads on the Loose in the upcoming weeks, and until then, take care and stay safe!
Victor Dima
Latest posts by Victor Dima (see all)
- Discover Baseball Humor, A Collection of Stories from Master Storytellers, gathered and narrated by Ward Paxton - May 2, 2024
- Review: The Wild Fall by Katherine Silva, performed by Lisa Roumain - April 14, 2024
- Review: City in Ruins by Don Winslow, performed by Ari Fliakos – Editor’s Choice Award for Excellence in Entertainment - April 3, 2024
