Well Traveled, Well Read

For many, summer is all about the road trip – loading up the car and driving to another state to stay for a while, zipping in the car to a nearby lake or seashore, or making the journey the vacation itself and exploring America along the way by camper or van. Whatever your plans, I suggest an audiobook or two to break up the drive. I am organizing my top 10 picks in order by length, so you can plan your trip. Readers will see from my list that I am a big fan of the memoir in the audio format, but I did try to include some fun fiction as well. Happy travels! Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote is iconic, and you can’t read or listen to the book without seeing Audrey Hepburn in her black dress, pearls, and big sunglasses. I had read this years ago and seen the movie a few times, but when I came across this recording by the talented Michael C. Hall of Dexter and Six Feet Under Fame, I knew I needed to give it a listen. He’s a perfect narrator for this book, and I felt like I was me...

If your summer vacation plans involve trips with family or a fun girls’ getaway or if you plan on thrill seeking or just sitting on the beach, I have you covered with these 10 book recommendations to pair with your summer plans. If you don’t find something that grabs you, please feel free to drop me a line in the comments and let me know where you are going this summer and two of your favorite recent reads, and I will help you find the perfect read! I’m always happy to make suggestions.  If you are planning a multi-generational family trip this summer, I recommend The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. A lonely widower and a struggling teenage girl who is working at the local public library for the summer come together and forge an unlikely friendship through a shared reading list. The books they read help them form connections both with each other and with others, and the books help them to heal.   If you’ll be taking kids on college visits this summer or traveling with t...

My parents used to take up residence in a rented apartment in Paris during the summers when my mom was off work from teaching. She learned to speak French fluently in her 50s, and when my dad returned home in the middle of the summer for work, she would accept visitors. My daughter and I first went together when she was almost 4 months old at the tail end of my parental leave. It’s one of my favorite photos of her, spiky hair and gripping her passport, ready to take her first adventure. We went again when she was 3 and could hardly sit still. Then at age 5, I took her back with my sister-in-law and the cousins. My sister-in-law jokes that her soundtrack of Paris is permanently imprinted with Peppa Pig snorts from those years. What to Do with Children in Paris… In my opinion, Paris is a much better destination for small children than some of the other large European cities. For me, Paris is about wandering the streets and admiring the architecture, sitting in a café enjoying the del...

In college I had a series of relationships with outdoorsy boys who took me camping on Lake Travis and on the Pedernales River. As long as it was just for one night, and we left early the next morning to return to showers, toilets, clean clothes, and eggs cooked on a stove, I was ok (ish) with the arrangement. By graduation, I had outgrown that phase and eventually met my husband who blessedly shares my love of a nice soft bed and air conditioning. I haven’t camped since. Two weekends ago I returned to the great outdoors for a mother-daughter Girl Scout “camping” trip. Our adventure was a little too rustic to really be called glamping but certainly couldn’t be considered camping as the arrangement included cabins, beds, showers, functioning toilets, and perhaps most importantly, a coffee maker. I have absolutely no camping tips to offer, but for those of you who like to camp, we are entering that perfect time of year to be outdoors, and I have some excellent reading tips to share for ...

My husband and I first visited Santa Fe about 10 years ago, and we didn’t love all the Southwestern art. I was busy with work at the time and didn’t do my usual research, and we left wondering what all the Santa Fe buzz was about. Fast forward to this winter when we had an opportunity for a two-night getaway, and we chose to give Santa Fe a redo. I am so glad we did because we had a wonderful trip! On this trip we focused on some of the incredible history Santa Fe has to offer. Where to Stay: La Fonda on the Plaza is in a fantastic location with easy attached parking, and is walkable to lots of shops, tourist attractions, and restaurants. The hotel also has a nice enclosed courtyard restaurant, a lovely rooftop bar with views, and a lobby bar with music on select nights. What To Do in and around Santa Fe for the History Buff: Bandelier  National Monument Monroe Gallery of Photography San Miguel Mission, the oldest church in North America Bandelier National Monument (about 45 ...

Broken Bow, Oklahoma is a wonderful getaway for families with elementary aged children, and this was one of the easiest vacations we have ever taken. It’s a pretty quick drive from Dallas (just over 3 hours), and almost everything we did once we got there was about a 15-minute drive from our cabin.  Where to Stay…  My afternoon reading spot.  I recommend renting a cabin through VRBO (most come with a hot tub and a fire pit, and some have playsets, outdoor games, or video game consoles). I loved sitting on the back porch of our cabin with a glass of wine and a book in the late afternoons. It was so incredibly peaceful. Note that cabins and activities are mostly located in Hochatown, Oklahoma rather than Broken Bow, so that can be a bit confusing when booking.  What to Do…  There are a wide range of outdoor activities. I recommend the following:  There are lots of hiking trails to explore, so I suggest using the AllTrails app on your phone to find ones approp...

My dad and I did our first solo father, daughter trip this winter. We chose Big Bend National Park and surrounding areas as our destination.         Getting There & Where to Stay… Pop at the Gage Hotel bar with his new friend We flew into Midland International Airport and then drove a little over two-and-a-half hours to Marathon, Texas. Marathon is a dusty little town (population of less than 500) and doesn’t offer much except the lovely Gage Hotel. I suggest the Los Portales section of the hotel with rooms opening out into a little courtyard. The pueblo-style rooms feel like you are in your own private ranch house with rustic wooden doors and shutters, tile floors, small corner fireplaces and Mexican and western-style décor and furnishings. The hotel bar and restaurant were also bustling every night while we were there. I loved coming back and reviewing the day over margaritas in the bar followed by dinner in the restaurant. It’s Texas, so it’s a very beef f...