Snapshots at St. Arbuck's

We've all heard "stop and smell the roses". R.G.Ryan gives us this opportunity. Life outside the corporate world. (Yes, it still exists.) Tender, funny, memorable moments caught with an impeccable wit and understanding. Meet the folks that gather at the coffee bistros. You'll not only hear the voices, you'll see the people.Do yourself a favor, take a break and read Snapshots at St. Arbucks.

I adored this book from the opening lines. RG Ryan writes like you were sitting across the Starbucks table from him, discussing the people who wander by as you sip your latte. His slice-of-life vignettes always have a point buried somewhere in them. They entertain and they give you hope. He's restored my faith in the value of community, family and the Third Place in the community. I can't wait for volume 2!

Each story in this book is like a delicious morsel to be savored. The detailed stories RG writes make me feel like I am sitting right next to him at my local coffee shop. I don't know when a book has made me laugh or cry so much. RG Ryan definitely has a gift and he has generously shared a little glimpse into his life with us. This book is for lovers and dreamers alike. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Very difficult to put down. When you finally manage to break away - the pages full of delicacies from the many real observations, conversations, confrontations and interactions at the "St. Arbucks" coffee houses in various locations across the US and in similar scenarios as far away as Barcelona, Spain - will change the way you think about the day-to-day stuff of life that once seemed so inconsequential. Now it's the details that matter, and now it's the glimpse into the journey of the individuals introduced; whether young, seasoned, the beautiful or the forgotten. We're reminded of the wonder and awe of living, and the tragedies hidden or ridiculously hilarious personalities in full display existing in the fellow humans we are privileged to do life together with every day.

Reading through Snapshots At St. Arbuck's is like drinking a long, cool draught of water on a hot summer's day. It made me laugh, cry, feel things I haven't felt in years and, most of all, it made me hope. "Hijacked by hope in a neighborhood coffee bar" may be the subtitle, but it's what will happen to anyone who takes the time to read these stories--stories about common people caught up in common events in the most public of places, a neighborhood coffee shop.