The Sunday Salon and Vacation Reading...

Hey, I'm finally back from vacation! What an awesome roadtrip we had! The Outerbanks of North Carolina, which was our first "planned" destination, was beautiful. So much variety when it came to nature, which includes animals and land. We tent camped in the dunes in the  Cape Hatteras National Seashore and experienced how quickly the weather can change in this area. We went from beautiful hot, to extreme winds (which eventually did our tent in once), to an amazing storm (which finally did our tent in and anything that was lying on the tent floor, such as our cell phones!) I found some great bookish things along the way... which included an awesome bookstore AND my first encounter with an actual Little Library! Plus, like any good reader, I bought some books about some of the places we visited. Now, did I get any reading done? NO! I tried to settle down and read, but there was literally (no pun intended) so many things to do and see, I never got to crack the spine of the book I brought. Sorry, Brian Meltzer, maybe next time.

First, here are the books I bought along the way. From books on The Outerbanks, to books on the rich history of North Carolina pottery and in particular pottery from Seagrove, NC., to a book on Lighthouses and even a book on the USS North Carolina, the most highly decorated American battleship of WWII, which is now a museum ship and is located in Wilmington, NC. There's also a book of poetry by Marge Piercy, The Moon is Always Female, that Gee Gee, owner of  Buxton Village Books recommended, and that Chelsea Newnam of the now defunct blog, Ethershop, says of Marge Piercy, " It is not every day that a collection of poetry aligns itself so staunchly with the issues of the heart and the female spirit that it is hard to put down." And I have to say, I have enjoyed reading The Moon is Always Female and a review will be up soon. Thanks Gee Gee for the great recommendation! You'll also see in "The Pile" a "library book", that I picked up used in the Factory Antique Mall, in Verona, VA. It is the largest antique mall in America, and I have to admit that Jim and I had to ask directions on how to get back to the front doors to leave. (Yes, it's that big with all sorts of rooms off of the main drag). Anyway, the book is A Citizen-Soldier's Civil War and it is the letters Brevet Major General Alvin C. Voris wrote to his beloved wife, Lydia, during the Civil War. There are 428 letters and they are so interesting with such touching & romantic sentiments at times, I just had to read the whole book. Hard to see from the photo is a book on The Wright Brothers called First Flight published by The National Parks. We visited the field in which that first flight was taken in Kill Devils Hill, NC. (This part of the town use to be in Kitty Hawk). Jim likes to say I achieved first flight there too because I flew a really cool kite that I bought from Kitty Hawk Kites there.

Also in "The Pile" is a book called Lighthouse Ghosts and Carolina Coastal Legends by Norma and Bruce Roberts. I can't resist a good ghost story. And I also picked up Wave by Suzy Lee, a beautiful wordless book that reminded me so much of the beaches beyond the dunes we camped in. It was so relaxing to listen to the waves crash as we settled down for the evenings.

One of the highlights of the trip was the accidental discovery of a Little Free Library on the main road as we were traveling from our campsite to the tip of Hatteras Island. Located in Waves, NC and put up by Pamela Strausbaugh, Pamela actually put up two libraries! One for adults and a "Jr." library for younger readers! First of all, they were beautiful! So well made and I loved the idea of the Jr. library! There was even a hook for a dog leash on one of the posts. But next to each library was a place to sit and read! An "adult" bench next to the adult library and a childrens adorondak chair next to the Jr. library. Great job, Pamela! Someday I'll be putting up a Little Free Library and I was so excited to actually see one in person! Here are a few more photo's...

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Of course, no reader on vacation would mind checking out a cool bookstore, right?!......

As we were making that trip to the tip of Hatteras Island, I also saw the cutest looking bookstore. It looked like someone's house, it had an inviting aura about it, and so I begged Jim to please stop! (okay, maybe I screamed, "STOP!" as I realized it was a bookstore we were zooming by.) Buxton Village Books owned by Gee Gee Rosell was definitely worth a stop! It had everything you'd want in an independent bookstore -- a friendly person running the place, who loved books and loved to share them with you (that would be owner Gee Gee), a great selection of books, a section of local books, and a gently used section of books!


Gee Gee was so nice. We talked about books, about the Outerbanks, about Chick with Books, she let me wonder around with my camera and take pictures, and told me about Buxton Village Books. If you are ever near the Outerbanks, NC, near Buxton or somewhere you can get to this bookstore, GO THERE! It is a great independent bookstore with lots of charm and a woman who knows her stuff! I will definitely be going back there! Of course you can find Buxton Village Books online (nice website too)... here's the link.

That about does it for the bookish parts of our roadtrip. I have plenty to read and will probably never finish it all! But that's why we have TBR piles! Something I DID read THIS past week was The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens. It was the selection for book club this month and I really enjoyed it. I'll be reviewing it this week, but in a few words it was like a cross between a police procedural and literary fiction with a dose of horror film... the part of the horror film where someone decides to check out the basement and you're on the couch yelling, "NO!!".

Question... Have YOU seen a Little Free Library Yet?!?

Happy Reading... Suzanne