This vacation is exactly what I needed after all the mad packing and moving. I’m enjoying a lot of resting and reading. Granted I still have a lot of work waiting for me when I return to the States but for now I’m thoroughly enjoying Germany. I’ve been catching up on a lot of reading and will have lots of books to tell you about.

Has anyone read the Inspector Morse series by Colin Dexter? I chose Last Bus to Woodstock for the plane ride. I liked the story for the most part although I had some quibbles about some aspects of the plot but for now I’d say I’d seek out the second in the series. Anyway a full review later.

I’m now very close to finishing Keeper and Kid by Edward Hardy. I found out about this book through some of you and it’s been a really fun read so far. I’m also near the end of Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison. While I’m enjoying it, I feel like I’ve read it before. Could that possibly be?! I don’t think so but there are some things that feel very familiar about it.

Speaking of witches, we were in the lovely Harz Mountains this weekend. According to German folklore, witches meet up on the highest point of the Harz during Walpurgisnacht. You’ll see lots of “witches” – dolls/puppets on front doors, stickers on windows, etc. I love it.

The Harz is dotted with picturesque towns, some smaller than others.

Isn’t this view beautiful? I took this while walking along the trails in Lautenthal. We stayed in this charming town overnight and the next morning we set out to discover more of the Harz.

We found Stolberg to be the perfect place for more picture-taking and a good place to celebrate a big birthday – I turned 40! Am I too old to be called Bookgirl? Nah.

In Stolberg we had our fill of Bratwurst, ice cream and of course cake and cappuccino. We took countless pictures of the castle and oohed over all the Fachwerk buildings. I’ve been to the Harz several times and each time we discover such beautiful places. One of these days I’d love to spend a week up there taking in the natural beauty, fresh air and maybe even treating myself to some pampering at one of the many spas.

I still have to tell you about the books I’ve added to my wish list after a visit to some bookstores in Hannover but I’ll save that post for another day.

Ahh, I’m feeling so much better now that my books have been set free from their boxes and are once again on the shelves. I’m so sorry I’ve been out of touch with everyone but I’ve been busy moving. We had a few snafus but for the most part everything went well. There is still much to be done but that will wait for later.

For now, I love that I’m only a few minutes from a Half Price Bookstore and Book People. My bookgirl radar was definitely on when we found our apartment. I can’t wait to fully discover Austin again. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived there but I’m excited about going back to favorites and getting reacquainted with the city.

Now I’ve got to pack a suitcase because tomorrow we are off to Germany. Actually, the clothes I can throw in quickly, it’s deciding on which books to take which takes some time.

This time around I’m hoping to do a bit of blogging while I’m away and of course blog visiting. I’ve missed you guys. So hope everyone is doing great and more book talk soon!