Is there anything better than reading on vacation? I don’t think so. I make sure every time I travel to take some time to slow down and read to my heart’s content. And in August, I was lucky enough to take off a week and half for two very different vacations.
Colorado
First, my boyfriend and I planned a trip to Colorado to hang out with his family. We stayed with his aunt and uncle in a little town outside of Denver. They have a perfect view of the mountains. I spent quite a few hours out on the porch reading What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty and glancing up every few chapters to take in the view.
If you look closely you can barely see the mountains behind the haze.
The highlight of this trip was definitely white water rafting down the Arkansas river. I’d never been to Colorado or seen any mountains so this was an amazing rookie experience. We had to drive about two hours from the rafting office to the river’s drop-off location so I also got to experience the mountains that way. And I took advantage of my book on the way back when our driver was driving a bit too fast for my liking. Thankfully, I can read in the car and not get sick!
Here’s just one of the views I had while driving to the river for rafting.
Look at how fashionable we are!
Because my boyfriend’s family has so many birthdays in August, we ventured to Barnes and Noble to pick out a few gifts. I have the same taste in reading as his aunt and grandma so I was tasked with providing recommendations! I chose Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
Iowa
Then, a week later, I took off for Okoboji, IA, home to the Iowa Great Lakes. My family has been staying at the same resort, in the same room, for almost 20 years. It’s the ultimate relaxing vacation consisting of leisurely walks by the lake, daytime naps, adult coloring, cards, and of course, reading.
My favorite place to read is on the dock that’s lined with at least fifty bright yellow sun chairs. It’s the perfect place to people and boat watch, intermittently nap, and get into a really good book. I always choose something relatively light that has an amazing story. This year, I read The Girls by Emma Cline and started the third book in the Gentlemen Bastards series by Scott Lynch.
Besides reading on the dock, my boyfriend and I made our way a few mornings to the coffeeshop Arnold’s Perk, which is a play on the town’s name, Arnold’s Park. We’d grab a coffee and then sit on their front porch in mismatched patio furniture and read for a few hours.
One of my favorite things about a resort town is all the quirky shops that pop up during the summer season. There’s a bookshop I frequent that’s really a barbershop. The owner collects books throughout the year and then sells them out of the back of his shop. Sometimes the books are $1.00, sometimes their .50 cents. Or occasionally, they’re free!
Reading on vacation is probably my favorite way to read and I’m so thankful I got two opportunities to do so this summer. Do you like to read on vacation? If so, what do you like to read?
2 comments
I *love* reading on vacation. I usually take a book that I’ve been putting off reading because I know that I’ll have fewer distractions. Your favorite reading spot sounds like a winner!
I do the same thing with books I’ve been putting off! It’s nice to get a good chunk of time to devote solely to reading.