I’ve been making some progress in my reading challenges but find that I’m not much in the mood to write up reviews. What can I say, I’m just enjoying my vacation. But yesterday, I wandered into the city center, browsed in the bookstores, had a delicious cappuccino, and finally was able to put a few words together on some books. Maybe I was just lacking some caffeine – ha.

The big news is that I finished my Southern Reading Challenge. Yay. Of course a big thank you goes to Maggie for hosting this challenge.

I read Sights Unseen by Kaye Gibbons, Gods In Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. I can’t say which book I liked best to be honest because all three were very good and very different. Some had a bit of sadness, a touch of magic and/or a wild romance but they all had a lot of Southern charm. You can click on each title for my reviews.

Also Dolce Bellezza recently announced the third Japanese Reading Challenge and yes, I’m joining it again. It was one of the few challenges I finished last time so I must join again. You only have to read one book between now and January 2010. How easy is that? I haven’t decided which book(s) yet but I do know that I’d love to try another Banana Yoshimoto novel or another by Haruki Murakami. I have books by both waiting on my shelves so we’ll see which I end up choosing.

Hmm, I think I need another cappuccino now. I guess a walk back to the city center is worth it, and besides I’ve gotta work off all those baked goods I’ve been eating. Hee.

So, how about you? How are your reading challenges coming along?

We went out for a stroll along the lake by Gifhorn’s Schloss yesterday and had such a nice time enjoying the warm, sunny day. As we walked along the path we could see the windmills from the windmill museum in the background.

We’ve been to the museum before, which is really a nice visit as you can go inside the windmills and even buy some fresh baked bread, but this time around we just opted for walking along the lake.

We could hear the laughter from the people on the paddle boats, the joyful shouts from children playing, and of course the bicycle bells when riders would get close and warn you to make some room for them.

I love the soft crunching sound of our footsteps on the path and hearing the chirping of birds in the trees. It can be quite meditative. We stopped often along the way to take pictures of birds, ducks, the windmills and any other little thing that caught our attention.

Of course I brought a book with me for when my husband was taking a bit longer with the picture taking. In case you are wondering, I’ve started Persuasion by Jane Austen and am quite loving it and the heroine.

“Anne, with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character, which must have placed her high with any people of real understanding, was nobody with either father or sister: her word had no weight; her convenience was always to give way; – she was only Anne.”

More adventures from Germany next post.