It’s finally that time of the year! We leave Saturday for our annual trip to Germany to visit my husband’s family. I can’t wait to spend time with family and friends, and who knows maybe I’ll even get caught up in the World Cup fever.

Will we be spending most of our time in the Niedersachsen area but we’ll also be in Belgium for a week as my husband is participating in a calligraphy workshop. While he’s doing that I’ll be busy exploring, sampling Belgian chocolates and of course hunting down the best of the booksellers. Neither one of us has been to Belgium before so we are quite excited.

I may drop in on you guys here and there as I know I will miss you bunches but I’m looking forward to hours of uninterrupted reading, train travels, long walks in the parks and just relishing life.

Hope you enjoy some fabulous reads and see you after July 23. I promise to be back with lots of pictures and tales of newfound books.

I was at Barnes & Noble today at lunch and discovered all kinds of goodies.

Monica Ali has a new book. I really want to read it after having enjoyed Brick Lane and it’s set in Portgual. I really want to go to Portugal. I also saw this book. I know it’s chick lit but it sounds promising doesn’t it?

Then I found Fine Books & Collections magazine. I had never seen it before but I think I’m in love. There is an article about Margaret Atwood’s autograph machine, some interviews with book collectors and even the ads are interesting. I can’t wait to read it cover to cover.

As if all that wasn’t enough when I got home I had a package from my friend Isabel. She sent me two Muriel Spark books as I couldn’t seem to find any in Dallas! I now have A Far Cry from Kensington and The Bachelors. Both look delicious.