decisions, decisions

It's that time of year again. Next week we leave for a week on the Outer Banks for our off-season vacation--when the beach is relatively deserted and the water is still warm...

 

...a perfect for time to read, write, and dream. This week, in addition to packing my bags and closing up the house, I have to assemble a collection of books to enjoy while we're away.

 

I started my search on Amazon with my favorite authors (Elizabeth Berg, Ann Patchett, and Anne Lamott), checking to see if they had any new releases I might have missed.

 

Next I scanned through Amazon's "frequently bought together" and "customers also bought" lists.

 

The best sellers list. The New York Times best sellers list.

 

A list of Pulitzer Prize winners.

 

And a list of books recommended by friends, none of whom appreciate literary fiction or creative non-fiction like I do, so what good are they?

 

Next I went through my own bookshelves looking for books I bought but haven't gotten to yet and books I've read before and should really read again. (On Writing by Stephen King or Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, for starters).

 









This gets complicated. All you have to go on is someone else's word, a brief overview, and luck. You have to decide ahead of time if you want something light and easy, something deep and meaningful, or funny, or scary, or exciting to read. Which is why I tend to haul so many books along with me on vacation, more than anyone could read in week--in a year, for that matter. Something for every mood.

 

Not only that, but vacation is the perfect time to write, during the long hours on the beach with only the sea gulls for distraction.



 



 

Will I make progress on my WIP, revise one of the manuscripts collecting dust in a file somewhere, or start something new? The possibilities are endless, exciting, intriguing.

 

Then, every day I have to decide whether to enjoy the water, walk in the sand, or nap.

 

Decisions, decisions! The only thing I am sure about is that vacation will be too short for any of this. Totally too short.

 

What do you like to read at the beach? Suggestions are welcomed.

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"No man needs a vacation so much as

the man who has just had one."

~Elbert Hubbard~

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Today it feels like fall. The wind has picked up, there's a chill in the air, and it's raining steadily. When we get back I'll be ready for the change of seasons, but not a moment sooner. And you?

jan