Vacation Time Reading 2019

It is that time of year again--vacation time. Whether vacation is hanging out at home and not running the daily work rat race or going somewhere special, we all need the time to get away. We are leaving for the Outer Banks on Saturday after dance recital, so the week is going to be hectic. Not sure what I will get done before I leave, but my books are already packed. I went through them today and took a few out to lighten the load and added a couple I had just bought.

Here is what is making the trip:

What are some books you're looking forward to taking on vacation?

My Favorite..Summer Time Memory

My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info and the upcoming subjects visit the My Favorite Meme.. page.

Our summer vacations have created many wonderful summer memories. Though I don't have the pictures with me, I think my favorite moments from the Outer Banks include the many years we attended the children's theater at the Roanoke Water Festival Park. This week is The Wizard of Oz. When the girls were younger we attended every year. It's been a while, but I recall those days fondly.

What is your favorite summer time memory?

My Favorite..Dream

My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info and the upcoming subjects visit the My Favorite Meme.. page.

Dreams are so much fun. We are encouraged as children to dream big, but then we become adults and we tend to satisfy ourselves with smaller dreams. I have two favorite dreams and they are tied to each other.

My first favorite is to retire to Manteo, North Carolina. It's my favorite spot on earth. I can't wait to see it again in a couple of weeks. We've begun looking at property on the Outer Banks, but probably won't be able to buy in Manteo since rental income would help finance having the second house. Manteo isn't exactly the hot spot for OBX rentals. It is, however, a nice place to spend some time walking the boardwalk in downtown, grabbing an ice cream at Big Buck's, popping in at Downtown Books or any of the other shops, or hanging out on the waterfront. It's where we go to relax, which is why I would love to own property there, but anywhere on the Outer Banks would make me happy.

When I retire to the Outer Banks (hopefully Manteo), I would like to write full time again. I love selling real estate, but my true joy is writing. That's why I continue to blog despite my crazy work and personal schedules.

What are some of your favorite dreams?

And We're Off

Heading down to the Outer Banks tonight. I'm bringing the laptop, but I won't be blogging every day during the week. I hope, however, to have a couple of first chapter reviews for you and I'll try to write up reviews as I read through the books I'm bringing with me.

Vacation and Other Fun Stuff

Bodie Island Lighthouse,  North Carolina

Well, the first full week of summer vacation has been an adventure. The Lil Princess (8) had pink eye last week and now the Lil Diva (10) has it. I'm praying I don't get it or I might not be able to drive to North Carolina on Friday. Hard to drive when you can't see.

I'm excited about vacation this year. This is the first vacation in years where I'm not planning to work. Yes, I could write, but instead I plan to catch up on reading and enjoy the time away. I'm contemplating not bringing my laptop, but I'll probably bring it because I like my mine better than the hubby's and I like to check the news. I won't be posting here as often as usual, but there will still be posts up.

The main reason I won't be working this year--my last day at Pump Up Your Book is on Friday. I've enjoyed the last five years working in online book promotion, but now I feel God is leading me in a new direction. I'm still praying for guidance. I'm not certain of his plans. It's scary making a change. I've made many wonderful friends during my years with Pump Up Your Book. I got the chance to read a ton of great books. I'll still be hosting authors on virtual book tour for them, but the clients featured here will not be mine. I'll be updating my disclosure policy.

Thank you for your continued readership. The Book Connection has grown a lot this year. We have more subscribers and more daily hits then ever before. I am truly grateful that so many people are enjoying the site.  Here's hoping you have a fabulous summer!

The Book Connection is on Vacation!

The Book Connection will be on vacation from July 2nd - 10th. There may be an occasional post during that time, but we'll pick up our regular schedule on Monday, July 11th.

Enjoy your week!

We're Back and Vacation Time Reading

We arrived in Massachusetts earlier today. As always, the Outer Banks was fabulous. I highly recommend it to families of all sizes, especially those who enjoy water sports, fishing, and local arts and culture.

As I mentioned at Book Tours and More this week, this was partially a working vacation. In addition to writing projects and virtual book tours, I read and reviewed the following books:

Prairie Tale by Melissa Gilbert (reviewed July 5th)

The Last Operative by Jerry B. Jenkins (reviewed July 11th)

State of Reservations, Book 3 in the JGDS series by Elysabeth Eldering (reviewed July 12th)

Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James (review will appear at Book Tours and More on July 29th)

Plan B by Steven Verrier (review will be posted at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection on July 30th)

I also read Lingering Spirit by Marilyn Meredith, Evenings on Dark Island by Rhett DeVane and Larry Rock, Bowdancer III--Warrior Women by Janie Franz, and Capturing Karma by K.M. Daughters, the fourth book in The Sullivan Boys series. Reviews for three of these will appear soon. I am writing up a cover blurb for Bowdancer III.

It was wonderful to be away, but it is nice to come home and be in a familiar place where you can relax comfortably without dreading a long ride afterwards.

Look for news on our big Summer Book Giveaway coming soon!

Getting Ready!

We're leaving on Friday for our annual trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We'll be gone until July 18th, but I still have several authors lined up to post while I'm away:

July 6th - Rebecca James
July 8th - Nancy Thayer
July 9th - Diana Raab
July 13th - Katie Salidas
July 14th - Vincent Zandri
July 15th - Marilyn Meredith
July 16th - G.F. Skipworth

I also hope to blog at least a couple of times from the beach. Giveaways will pick up again, once I return.

I hope you're enjoying your summer!

And...We're Back

You were probably expecting a shoreline photo, but keeping in mind how much I love Christmas, and how excited I was to learn that The Christmas Shop & Island Gallery reopened last year, I wanted to share one of the photos from there.

This is a three-level store carrying Christmas decor, antiques, and local books and artwork. They've also added a jewelry store, a bird room, a T-shirt boutique, museum shop and a general store where Outer Banks Fudge company serves coffee and sweets.

We always make at least one trip to The Christmas Shop when we're down south.

The weather wasn't as good as in past years, but that seems to be the story for most of the east coast. I was just reading today that a tropical storm is forming near Florida. Sounds like we planned our vacation at the right time.


We also try to stop in at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island while we're there. The above photo is the fountain they have out front. If you walk off to the right of the fountain, you can view the coastline through a magnifying lens, and let the kids dig in the sand while you enjoy something cool to drink or a bite to eat from their gourmet shop.

The kids love the aquarium because they have a tank with live animals in it that they can pet; slimy animals from what they tell me.

The Book Connection will back to a very busy schedule in September and I have about a dozen reviews to post from all that reading I got done on vacation.

Don't forget about all the giveaways we're running right now:

* Sea Changes by Gail Graham

* Summer Inspirational Reading Giveaway

* Beach Trip by Cathy Holton

* American Lion by Jon Meacham

* Is Your Ghost Holy? by Shay Bills

Most of these giveaways run until August 31st. The one for Jon Meacham ends on August 27th, and Shay's on September 2nd.

Don't miss the chance to win these great books! Enter today by clicking on the above links to each giveaway and following the instructions in each post.

It's good to be back!

Off to the Outer Banks

The picture above was taken last year at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island in Manteo. We go there almost every time we're on the Outer Banks. They have a large tank with live animals that the girls can touch. They say they don't like the sting rays because they're too slimy.

We're leaving for the Outer Banks tonight and won't be back until August 16th. Thanks to technology, however, there will be plenty to read while we're away. I have several spotlights and guest posts set to run, so keep checking back in with us. If I can get a good Internet connection down south I'll even pop in and let you know if I've discovered any great books in the many used book stores along Route 158.

We hope you'll follow The Book Connection, bookmark us and let your friends know we're here. There are several summer reading giveways running right now, so make sure you enter those. And don't forget to check out The Kids Book Connection from time to time. That blog will be on hiatus while we're away, but once we come back we're planning all sorts of fun stuff for that site.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!