Books – the Cheapest Vacation You Can Buy!

Books are a special kind of magic!

To me… books are a special kind of magic!

I tend to go through spurts where I read constantly – in the carpool line, making dinner, at karate, at dance, etc… Then I go through spurts where I don’t crack the spine of a book for months. Right now I am smack dab in the middle of three books, well, one play and two books. Basically, I am at the beginning of a regular reading marathon… at least for me.

Every year I set a reading goal for myself… In the past it has always been 12 books! Yeah, I know – that isn’t that many, but come on… I have a full-time job and two kids that do dance, karate, t-ball, cheer leading camp, etc. etc. etc. So, for me to find time to read even just one book a month is often hard. So, I have always set my goal low… one book a month… and hoped that I actually exceed it. In 2013 I exceeded my goal of 12 books by 5 and read a total of 17 books… I WAS EXCITED! In 2014 I raised my goal, just a little, to 20 books and I managed to read 26! Yeah, last year was a big reading year for me. This year 2015… I have decided to increase my goal again – I plan to read 30 books! It is already February 27th and I have only finished 4 books… I’m a bit behind and not getting off to a great start, but I have time. Right?

What I’m currently reading:

Collected Stories by Donald Margulies
Bright Side by Kim Holden
Kyland by Mia Sheridan

What I’ve recently finished reading:

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
A Time To Live (by Jonas Lee) – This is the second book in his series, the first was A Time To Reap which I finished last year. Time Travel – Science Fiction – FUN-FUN-FUN!
Redeemed (by P.C. Cast) – This is the FINAL book in the House of Night series – Vampires, Goddesses, and possessed minions… OK!

So… the whole point of my post, which I never really got to is this… Books are a wonderful escape into a world you never knew existed. They are a vacation for your mind and cost only pennies compared to what most people spend on actual vacations. So, take a stay-cation… grab a good book… and let it take you to places you’ve never been.

Travel back to 1912 and ride on the Titanic in Titanic by Filson Young
Let Sophie Kinsella entertain you with her Confessions of a Shopaholic series
Get lost in the world of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Experience Victorian times and laugh at the comedy of Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest
Cringe from freight as you read Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Relive childhood memories as you read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
Fall in love with Frances Mayes’ Under the Tuscan Sun
Feel seduced by Christian Grey in E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey series
Get to know a new, self-published author and pick up a copy of Awaken, Beginnings, or Revenge by yours truly…
Pick up a collection of short stories and get drifted out to sea in FINAL SHIPS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (including my short END GAME)
Indulge yourself in a collection of poetry with Private Words Unspoken…