Sunday Salon

 

This Sunday, we braved the trip back from Eastern to Western shore of Maryland across the infamous Chesapeake Bay Bridge where traffic has been known to back up for 8-10 miles, and were truly blessed to find NO TRAFFIC!!!  We've completed the first part of our vacation - spending two weeks with grand-daughter both in Maine, and then this past 4 days at Ocean City MD.  I hadn't been to O'City since I was a kid, and it certainly has changed.  The ocean part is still the same.  The gorgeous wide beach, the crashing breakers (made a tad more scary due to rip currents being kicked up by an off-shore hurricane), the soft sand, the shore birds, the para sailers, the sand forts, and lots of sun.

The boardwalk is much more developed with tons of rides, hundreds of food establishments, and enough ice cream establishments that one was never more than 100 feet from the frozen delights.  The best part though was just spending quality time with kids and grand child, a blessing we don't get too often anymore given everyone's busy schedules and distance in residences.

So the grandchild has been returned to parents, and we are spending a quiet Sunday evening watching the SOX and eating take-out Chinese at my sister's house in Northern Virginia.  On Tuesday, we're off to California now for the second part of the trip, so again, the blogging will be limited.  I've been reading, and taking some notes so I can post when I do get to a computer, but frankly friends, posting reviews is not a high priority right now.

I brought a spare suitcase with books, but I'm not making much progress.  I'm not sure if it's the vacation mind-set, but I've started several that just didn't click.  For instance, I'm determined to read Tony Hillerman, but couldn't get past the first 20 pages of  The Blessing Way.

I also have book marks in (and can't seem to get to far with)
The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace
The Day the Falls stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Fitzgerald's Ruse - a mystery I really want to read by Mark de Castrique
This is Not the Story you think it Is by Laura Munson (so far it sure isn't and I'm not sure it ever will be.)
All Over the Map by Laura Fraser  (really all over the place, and I can't find a comfy spot in it to grab.)

I've got several on my MP3 to listen to in audio:
Bel Canto by Amy Pratchett
The Island by Elin Hilderbrand (my current "ear-read"--and a true beach book!)
Rituals of the Season and Winter's Child both by Margaret Maron - one of my favorite mystery writers
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Wolf, read by one of my favorite narrators, Doneda Peters - a classic I've been trying to get to for years.

The only ones I'm definitely loading in hard copy for now are:
Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny's newest one
The Good Psychologist - my current read and a very good one!!!

Two or three others will probably make the cut, but it will depend on room in the suitcase and my mood.  Stay tuned to see what I end up with.  I feel sorta like I'm choosing American Idol here.  It's making the decision to break down soon and buy an e-reader much more likely.

For now, it's back to the Sox.  Happy Sunday, happy last week of summer, and happy reading.