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The Road to Roswell
The Road to Roswell: A Novel | Connie Willis
A delightful novel about alien invasions, conspiracies, and the incredibly silly things people are willing to believesome of which may actually be truefrom the Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of Blackout and All Clear When level-headed Francie arrives in Roswell, New Mexico, for her college roommates UFO-themed weddingcomplete with a true-believer bridegroomshe cant help but roll her eyes at all the wide-eyed talk of aliens, which obviously dont exist. Imagine her surprise, then, when she is abducted by one. Odder still, her abductor is far from what the popular media have led her to expect, with a body like a tumbleweed and a mass of lightning-fast tentacles. Nor is Francie the only victim of the aliens abduction spree. Before long, he has acquired a charming con man named Wade, a sweet little old lady with a casino addiction, a retiree with a huge RV and a love for old Westerns, and a UFO-chasing nutjob who is thoroughly convinced the alien intends to probe them and/or take over the planet. But the more Francie gets to know the alien, the more convinced she becomes that hes not an invader. That hes in trouble and she has to help him. Only she doesnt know howor even what the trouble is. Part alien-abduction adventure, part road trip saga, part romantic comedy, The Road to Roswell is packed full of Men in Black, Elvis impersonators, tourist traps, rattlesnakes, chemtrails, and Close Encounters of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth kind. Can Francie, stuck in a neon green bridesmaids dress, save the worldand still make it back for the wedding?
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elkeOriginal
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Pickpick

Alien abduction, lovable characters, a goofy roadtrip romp through the Southwest. All SO Roswell! As a Connie Willis fan, I give her leeway when the book goes on a bit long…but she skillfully writes a nonverbal alien that resembles a tumbleweed into such a heartwarming lil buddy of a character. It‘s all about connection & learning to communicate. With some men in black level conspiracy theorists along with playing slots in desert casinos. 👽

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Traci1
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was really enjoying this one to begin with, but it just stretched on too long. The story was cute, and the audio was well done. But I'd have liked it more if it were shorter.

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quietjenn
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Pickpick

One of the sillier, lighter offerings from Connie Willis, who even at her worst (which this isn't) I adore. It took me some time to really get into this complete mash-up of a book, but once I did it was a full-blown good time

elkeOriginal This is on my list so am glad to see you liked it! 6mo
Centique I havent read this one but i am a big Connie Willis fan too so i must get to it! 6mo
60 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Eyelit
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Pickpick

This was a fun romp of a sci-fi road trip venture with a tacked on love story towards the end. A low pick because it‘s way too long for what it is - but I‘m not super duper mad about it. This book would make a good tv miniseries methinks. 😄

47 likes1 stack add
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rmaclean4
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Mehso-so

This was a silly, fun, science fiction romance. It was a fun diversion. I thought it could have been edited to make a tighter novel without losing its flair. 2.5 🌟

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Christinak
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This book is making me laugh out loud!
#ABookThatYouPickedWithoutReadingTheBlurb

28 likes1 stack add
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Decalino
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Pickpick

This wacky, light-hearted first contact story starts with a young woman traveling to Roswell for her college roommate's wedding. When Francie is unexpectedly waylaid by an alien, she ends up on a wild road trip with stops in Las Vegas and beyond. The least realistic aspect: someone under 30 calling 5 people in an emergency but not texting anyone. A bit repetitive but still a pick because I love Connie Willis and the ending left me smiling.

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silentrequiem
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I'm back on the #bookspin bandwagon for 2024! I need to get through my TBR!

@TheAromaofBooks

Lindy 🍀 10mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 10mo
18 likes2 comments
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NataliePatalie
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Mehso-so

A fun ride, but definitely did not need to be 14 hours long. Felt a bit dated at times despite being published this summer. The author doesn't seem to know how cell phones work, or what Las Vegas is like. She is also almost 80 years old which might have something to do with it 👽

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Bluebird
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I achieved my goal for the readathon! 26 hours read
Finished 2 books, started a third

Road to Roswell is campy and wacky. Alien abduction, a UFO convention, a road trip, and romance…with Men in Black and an Elvis impersonator. A silly but fun read. I got bored in the middle—it was a tad too long. But fun for what it is. The audio version is the way to go for this one.

#2 of the Sebastain St Cyr series did not disappoint, reading book 3 soon.

Andrew65 That‘s a brilliant total. Well done 😂👏👏👏🙌🍾🥂🥳😍 13mo
11 likes1 comment
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MaggieCarr
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Mehso-so

Well. That was a trip. The only other book I can compare it to is Kevin Wilson's Nothing to See Here. Odd yet relatable is the strangest of ways.

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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Francie is heading to her bff‘s planned wedding to a UFO nut hoping to prevent it from happening. Then she finds herself abducted by an alien and the adventure really begins. This book was so much fun! Great characters, good humor, and it doesn‘t take itself too seriously. I really enjoyed it and plan to dig into Willis‘s backlist.

43 likes3 stack adds
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NotCool
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Pickpick

This has lots of Willis standbys; the missed connections and building absurdity of romantic comedy, in-depth research into genres, miscommunication, the hapless friend, the guy who isn‘t the one the protagonist was set up with being the one she likes. And I love that all, I do. But I did wonder if the last few years had made me more cynical then I needed to be too enjoy this whole heartedly.

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Tea_and_Starstuff
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I'll probably be reading the tagged book for the rest of the month, so it's time to post my Bingo board!

One Bingo managed, my other reading is too scattered :)

Free Spaces were:
1. Harrow the Ninth
2. Nona the Ninth
3. Legendborn
4. You Could Make This Place Beautiful
5. Into the Riverlands

Reading by Country:
A-F: Algeria - The Tongue's Blood Does Not Run Dry
O-Z: Sweden - An Elderly Woman is Up to No Good

BarbaraJean I‘m interested to hear what you thought of Legendborn (and Road to Roswell when you finish!) 1y
Tea_and_Starstuff @BarbaraJean - yes! Legendborn is on my "need to make a listsy post" list, but a brief summary is that while it was slower to start for me I found it very compelling by the end, fascinating theme exploration, and I'm looking forward to the sequel! And I think I'll finish Roswell today - 94 percent done right now 1y
9 likes2 comments
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Bookboss
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Pickpick

Connie Willis is one of the great science fiction writers of our time. This book is a light-hearted road trip with a found family and a bit of romance. I loved it. Francine goes to Roswell to be the maid of honor at her friend‘s wedding. She is hoping to talk her friend out of marrying a UFO conspiracy theorist. Alas, she is abducted by an alien. Road-trip and shenanigans ensue. It was silly, but adorable and compelling!

35 likes2 stack adds
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readswellwithothers
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I am purposefully not calling this a “review” because the fact that I cannot take one more minute of this story is not the book‘s fault.

The simple fact is that I am just not a “madcap adventure” kind of gal.

Also (yes I am, indeed, *this* rigid) I had no problem with the alien aspect but I could not let go of fact that one of the main characters didn‘t go pee or have a snack for like 24 hours and never got grumpy or just tinkled in the sand.

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CSeydel
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Pickpick

Connie Willis at her madcap best. A mashup of screwball comedy/road movie/alien invasion with a perfectly wacky cast of characters including the most lovable alien since Project Hail Mary‘s Rocky. Are there easily avoidable misunderstandings? Naturally. Does everything work out in the end via totally implausible turns of events? Of course! But none of that detracts from the highly entertaining romp through the desert and the world of UFO hunters.

49 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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CSeydel
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Omg you guys! I‘m so excited! I created a NetGalley account back in 2018 or so but with work and family issues I neglected it completely. But I just remembered I had it and on a whim I requested the new Connie Willis book coming out in June. I was SHOCKED to discover I got it! Literally my first time requesting and receiving an ARC. I love Connie Willis and I can‘t wait to read this one!!!! 😍

SaunteringVaguelyDownwards Ooh, I didn't know this was coming out! I too love Connie Willis, and this looks like a great beach read. Stacked! 2y
40 likes1 comment