Vacations and Books

 Hello Dear Readers, 

Vacations and books… How do you decide what books to bring? What genre, what author, how many?! If you are like me and know you will need more than one book, picking books for vacation can turn into its own separate packing list and challenge.

 I find when I have a vacation in the works, I start worrying and dreaming about what books I’ll bring, especially if I am traveling on an airplane. I know if I’m on an airplane I read paper books all the way. No one will tell me to close my book for takeoff and landing. Plus, I like to use my book to put my boarding passes in, receipts, ticket stubs, photos of my loved ones, brochures and maps of places we visit, etc. The book(s) turns into a type of treasure box for the here and now as well as in the future when your fingers dance across it on your shelves.

With my vacation coming closer, I start scouring my To Read pile at home, then my wish lists on Goodreads. I know, like packing outfits based on the weather and destination, my desire to read some books might change with my mood and experiences, especially, if my kids are with me, I need something I can jump in and out of but then also something I can dive into during moments I might find time to myself. Do I want new authors or tried and enjoyed authors? Rereads or new reads? And then genre’s?! So many options and questions to fuel a habit that brings you joy. As with any good dragon, I find a corner of my room turning into a hoarded stack of book treasure potentials.  

Then comes the test of timing, as the vacation draws near and is like 2 weeks away- what do I read?! What if I start a book and it is too long and I’m almost done, but *boom* it’s vacation time! I don’t want to carry around a book that will be done within hours of vacation reading time but do I really want to abandon that book at home? I also don’t want to try to sleep at night without my relaxing reading time…  What’s a girl to do!

All these thoughts lead me to my current vacation preparation mode. I’ve been scouring my To Read list and finally, I think, narrowed my books down to 6, see image. I have new authors, authors I know who shouldn’t disappoint me, I have a cross section of genres and a few to stretch me as a reader as any good vacation adventure might do. Now, I can pivot my focus to other packing lists and vacation to- do’s. Phew!

What is your vacation book mode?