Vacation Post #1

Arrived at the beach yesterday afternoon, and much thanks to the beach gods as the temperature is actually nice and not overwhelming hot like back home.  The Hubs isn't coming down to the end of this week, but I'm down here for the full 3 weeks.  :)

I actually got quite a bit of reading done last night- finishing up Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- I forgot that Fleur briefly meets Bill in this book and shows some interest in him.  I really love how layered J.K. Rowling's books are- the end of book 4 looms large in how book 7 plays out.  I am just so in awe of Rowling's writing.  Cedric's death in GoF is so much more tragic in the book, and Fudge goes from preening politician to obstinate ass in just a few pages.  Which of course sets up book 5 and the introduction of the villain I dislike the most- Delores Umbridge. 

Also started Dog On It last night, and I'm probably about half way done since I was the first one up this morning.  Is there anything better than reading in the ocean breeze?  So far I'm really enjoying the book, which is told from Chet the dog's perspective.  It's a bit Bunnicula for the adult crowd- and I still read that series, usually adding one to my Readathon Pile O' Books.

Should be hitting the beach in a bit, and then I need to take a nap so I can stay up late to try to get into Pottermore.  I know, I'm a nerd.  I'm especially a Harry Potter nerd.  I have made peace with this.

Ocean City Reads

 Ocean City, here I come!  Well, not right this second.  Right this second I'm packing.  I don't actually leave for the beach until Saturday, but today (which is Wednesday but this won't post until tomorrow) is the day I'm packing since I'll be traveling to Northern Virginia on Friday to travel to the beach with my Mom. 


The fun part of packing is picking out what books I'll be taking to the beach. Although I have a Kindle and a Nook, I like to take lots of print books since I won't take my ereaders on the beach, and around the house leaving them laying about is dangerous because my nieces and nephews, while varying degrees of cute, are miniature and not so miniature creatures of MASS Destruction. Seriously, had George Bush found them in Iraq he would have been instantly vindicated.

So here's the library books I'm taking:
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
World War Z by Max Brooks
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Cohn and Levithan
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (which I totally plan on telling my niece Kerry that's it's about her and her sisters and which she'll totally believe before saying "Hey! That's not nice!" And then I will simply remind her that she's pretty. And she'll ask why I always say that to her, and I'll just smile and pat her on the head).

The books growing mold on my To Be Read Shelves that I'm taking:
Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton
Haunting Jordan by P.J Alderman
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin
Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
Obedience by Will Lavender
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Dog On It by Spencer Quinn
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (for Book Club)
and Curse of the Wolf Girl by Martin Millar

Now do I honesty think I'll read all of these books? Heck, no! But I am going to the beach for three whole weeks. And while I love, love, love my crazy, loud, dramatic family, I will need lots of escape, and reading is always the best way to get away without physically running away. 

And I want choice in case any of the books start sucking. I refuse to waste my time reading sucky books. I plan on overcoming my insistence on finishing books despite their high level of suck, thus wasting hours on crappy books. No more!

Everyone knows the best part of vacation is reading! The one year I didn't read as much I spent an entire rainy day watching a Toddlers and Tiaras marathon. God knows how many brain cells I killed that day!  Even the worst book in all the world would have been better than that show.  I blame the fact that our culture is obsessed with watching car crashes and rubber necking on my ability to watch not one, but six or seven episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras back to back.  My brain was held hostage!  And, and... I made my family watch it too and refused to change the channel, but it only took a few minutes before their brains were held hostage too.  I am so ashamed.


So which books do you think would make prime beach reads?  If you had to choose from my list, what would you start with?  What is your most memorable beach read?