While I love traveling to see friends and to do things and even to work, my favorite vacation definitely includes plenty of time to read on the beach. And read I did! I brought seven print books with me and oodles more on my Kindle (thanks, Netgalley!). I know it's overkill, BUT I never want to be stuck somewhere with a book I'm not enjoying, so I need to have some variety.
The interesting thing? Not once did I pick up my Kindle.
One reason is that I definitely chose my print books carefully and took only books I was particularly excited to read. Another reason is that a lot of my reading time was spent on the beach or by the pool - not exactly the best environment for electronic devices (although I did notice a LOT of people of all ages with e-readers at the pool!). And yet another reason is that when I have a print book in my hands and I finish it and I close the books and stack them up... I guess it feels like more of an accomplishment. I need to change my mindset, because finishing a book on an e-reader is just as VALID. It just feels different somehow.
My suitcase certainly would have fit into the overhead bins more comfortably if I'd left the print books at home!
I was not the only one reading this week! I was vacationing with my family and we're a mix of voracious and reluctant readers. My brother and my mom were both devouring The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay this week. My brother doesn't read a lot of fiction, preferring nonfiction unless he's on vacation, but he's read and loved Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan books and the Hunger Games trilogy this year! What else should I recommend to him?
My dad kept himself occupied with a John Grisham book (which he claims to like because "the lawyers are the bad guys") and my brother's girlfriend K was alternating between a fluffy beach read and The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. She's totally inspired to pick up some Hemingway next and I just might be inspired to pick up The Paris Wife so I can talk to her about it.
It was lovely to talk books with my family over the week. Even though it's something we're all doing separately, it's also something we can do together.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'll post some reviews of the books I devoured while on vacation, so look for that (blog might be a little slow for awhile until I catch back up). And in the meantime, I'm just going to concentrate on happy things (like the BRIDGE IS OPEN AGAIN*) and dream of the day I can take another week off to read!
* This is a big freakin' deal. I have to cross this bridge to get to work, so for the past 5 months my commute has doubled and I've had to change my schedule so I'm almost never home before 7-7:30. It is seriously a bummer. And now it's oooooover!!!!! Woo hoo! *happy dances*
