Reinventing Mike Lake

by R.W. Jones

“People tend to do pretty drastic things when they come to the conclusion that there is nothing left to fear. I wasn’t always like that, and I still may not be like that at all. With her gone, something changed. An emptiness that I never knew possible came through like a train you never see coming, and I never saw it coming.”


When Mike Lake’s wife unexpectedly passed away, he needed a change to help overcome his despair. He chose to hit the open road with his faithful dog, Bahama, as his co-pilot. During his travels, Mike rekindled with estranged family members, soaked up some sun in the Florida Keys, and got lucky in Las Vegas. Along the way Mike searched for his direction in life, reinventing himself to be the man he was meant to be.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

R.W. Jones is a former freelance writer with a passion for reading, writing, and traveling. His career has allowed him to cover numerous sporting events and interview some of the biggest names in sports. Jones's first novel, Reinventing Mike Lake, was published in May 2012. He currently lives in Virginia with his wife, Jessica, their dog Kokomo, and cat Charlotte.

Reviews

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok, very predictable.

The writing is ok, story is ok, it's just ok. Nothing really grabbed my attention. It was actually kind of cliche, sad guy eating and drinking his way through.

[Philip Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

This was not my normal choice of reading however the story was very gentle and endearing. A nice easy pleasant read that left a smile on my face.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep saying "not my usual book " when I read something that isn't horror or thriller, but I say that a lot, so maybe stories like this are becoming my "usual".
Good story, it's a novella but could easily be made a novel without being boring. It's written like a fictional auto biography, not a lot of action but an interesting adventure of a 32 year old widower trying to find himself. After spending a year shut in his house in mourning he gets in his car with his dog and takes off for the unknown to figure out who he is in his new life without his wife.

[DENISA HOWE · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was at first a book I couldn't put down. The main character was going through the death of his wife and best friends and pondering what they never done. I traveled with in to reconnect with his family and they to reconnect with who he was. Most o the book was the characters thoughts and day to day living. He did fine himself and lve agan at the very end. The ending was rather fast especially since most of the book was slower paced and then BOOM the end.

[Les · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time choosing between 2 and 3 stars. The first half of the book was promising and I was looking forward to some insight or at least and interesting narrative. However, most of the second half of the book read like a rather boring travelogue as the main character described what he was doing much the way someone would write postcards from summer vacation. The author did recover a bit at the end of the book, but it really wasn't enough.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reinventing Mike Lake is an inspiring look at a young man's journey from tragedy to self discovery. On the road along the way we get to meet some great characters, not the least of which is Mike Lake. There is some Mike Lake in all of us, and a lesson to be learned from him in this highly-entertaining first novel. Looking forward to Jones' next book!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a nice story about something that many people have to go through when someone important dies...finding a new normal. It was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed that I had been to many of the same places as the main character Mike did.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read. Loved the experiences during the story teller's time in one of my favorite cities, Key West. This was simply a story of how one man dealt with beginning to live again after the death of his much loved wife.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It started out a little slow and I wasn't sure I really wanted to finish it but it picked up when Mike went to Vegas. I think he was a very sweet person and you can tell he loved his wife very, very much. I also like happy endings and am glad this book had one.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had so much more potential! I also thought it ended rather abruptly.

[Keith Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read of a broken man on a journey to discover who he is and what the rest of his life will become. The ending seemed a bit sudden, but overall a good read.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't one that was super fast paced or one that I couldn't put down, but still one I enjoyed. There was something calming in reading his journey of discovery.

[Joy (Clyda) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book...prefer a mystery though.

[Kerry Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet little book, telling the story of how a man works through his grief by heading out on a series of road trips to various destinations in the U.S.