We missed out on today’s bike ride because it was raining but given that we’ve hardly seen any rain for months here I was quite happy to hear the thunder and rain. Of course my first thought was that I wanted to spend the whole day in bed (aren’t rainy days perfect for that?) and just read but lots of little things had to be taken care of.

One very good thing this weekend was our date night at the bookstore. We haven’t been going to the bookstore as regularly since vacation and even after as we’ve had family in town and so on but this is one routine I really couldn’t wait to get back to.

I caught up on my Bitch and Memories reading and found out I have to investigate further Kali for Women and The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt. I also picked up the latest edition of BookPage and can’t wait to see what books are a must read this season.

I also just realized that it’s almost time for the annual Texas Book Festival so I need to start planning which authors I must see.

Anyway, that’s a bit of the news from here. I’ve just started reading The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell and so far it’s quite good. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

I still seem to be in catch up mode since our trip and the more time I’m away from the blog the harder it seems to make a full return. But, here’s a new week and let’s see what changes. It probably doesn’t help that I keep thinking of my vacation. We had such a great time in Germany. I really enjoyed meeting up with friends, going to a new city and just relaxing. I’ve been traveling to Germany almost every year for the past 10 years and I love that I feel at home and yet there is still so much to explore. Needless to say, I wish I was still over there exploring.

Anyway, as I mentioned in my previous post my return back has been filled with lots of activity and work has really been draining. My home is also in need of some major organizing; I still have my backpack on my Studio floor waiting to be emptied out and put away. I must do it soon as I bought some very fun rubber stamps in this shop and I can’t wait to clear off my tables and get crafting.

But let’s get back to book talk. In my last post I mentioned the packages that were waiting for me and I will tell you about those but first let me tell you which books I did read while on vacation. I was on a roll and it was great. I hope I get to review these as most were really good and deserve more than a passing mention but here were my vacation reads:

• A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
• Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
• Call Me Princess by Sara Blaedel
• The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson
• The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
• The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olson
• The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon
• Postcards From A Dead Girl by Kirk Faber
• The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller

I didn’t make any book purchases while in Germany, which is a bit of a shocker, but I did visit several bookstores and my book list got longer. I’ll tell you about those books in another post.

And, I haven’t forgotten that while I’ve been away Carl V.’s R.I.P. Challenge was announced. I have been keeping away from reading challenges this year (save for the Once Upon A Time challenge) and I can’t resist this one either. So I need to decide quick and join in.

Alright it’s time to catch up on my current read. More soon.