Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Reading Retreats: My Home Away From Home

My grandparents' house is my home away from home. My grandma and I say that my parents' house is my first home; my grandparents' house is my second home; and college is my third home. =) I spend a lot of time at my grandparents' place--in fact, I just spent the night at their house last night! It has been more than wonderful to live so close to them, and their property is lovely.

The picture above is an area in their front/side yard. There used to be a really tall tree there that created a canopy, but they had it cut down and moved the fountain from the back yard to the front. The picnic table is nice there, and doesn't the lamp post add a nice touch? =) This picture was actually taken last year, I think, and I was reading Shadow of Colossus by T.L. Higley.

Higley's books are great! I actually won City of the Dead, the second book in her Seven Wonders series, over a year or two ago, and I loved it! I ended up getting the first book in the series (Shadow of Colossus) and then getting an ARC of Guardian of the Flame (the third book) while I was away at college. I cannot wait until her next book Petra: City in Stone comes out this fall! Higley really transports her readers into exotic locales of the past, and the mysteries and action in her books are fantastic!

Anyway, going back to my grandparents' house, I have a lot of great memories there, and I don't know how many books I've brought over there to read! Do you have a special place where you've read a lot of books? And do you want to share about any books you're really looking forward to reading this fall? (I've learned my lesson from Kav--I won't ask for you to pick just one! You can tell us about any number of books you can't wait to read!)

Once again, happy reading!

8 comments:

Kav said...

Oh -- oh -- oh -- Bridge to Peace by Cindy Woodsmall. It comes out August 31 -- I forgot that one!!!!! (as in books I'm looking forward to coming out).

Love your grandparents' garden. Is that mulch or gravel under your feet? (budding gardeners want to know).

Amber Holcomb said...

I loved Woodsmall's When the Soul Mends, and I remember you giving her first book in this new series a rave review! :) So I can see why you would be looking forward to this one!

And I asked my mom, and those are wood chips. (I should know this, but I wanted to hear from someone else who knew before I made up something to answer you!) My mom was thinking that maybe they were redwood chips...?

My grandparents actually have a garden out back, too, and lots of flowers and greenery in different places around their house. :) It's quite pretty!

~Amber

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

Ooooo I can't wait for Bridge of Peace either! I'm with Kav, the first in the series is awesome. A Hope Undaunted is at the top of my Christian fiction list and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead are at the top of my young adult fiction list! There are many many more that I really want but I'd be typing all night LOL!

I love your grandparent's back yard it is sooo pretty! No wonder you love to read there.

XOXO~ Renee

Amber Holcomb said...

Renee,

Sounds like a series I'll have to keep in mind! ;) And I think A Hope Undaunted is at the top of everybody's wish list! I know what you mean about the list that goes on and on--there are so many great ones coming out soon! :D

This picture was actually taken near the front of my grandparents' house, but the backyard is really pretty, too! :) I love reading in and out of their house--all around, it's just so cozy there. It really is my home away from home!

~Amber

Project Journal said...

*HUGSSSSSSSSS*

I'm home!!!!!!!

If I was there, I'd give you a huge hug with a running start, girl!!!

Lol!

Missed you bunches and bunches! But I'm back thankfully now!

I can't believe I was gone for Reading Retreats week, sooooooo not fair!

I love being at my grandparents house! They live about ten minutes from us, so it's definitely my second home, no doubt about that. I'm actually here rigth now! Just finished swimming a bit ago (another perk is they have a pool!).

I put up a post about a couple things we did on my blog. It seems kind of hurried, let me know if I sound too frazzled!!
*hugs*
Talk to you later,
Hannah

Julia M. Reffner said...

While We're Far Apart by Lynn Austin
The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund
Her Daughter's Dream by Francine Rivers
Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner

Winter 2011:
Angel Sister by Ann Gabhart
Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes
Book of Days by James Rubart
A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell

And I'm sure by then I'll think of many more. I'm really looking forward to reading B.J. Hoff and Marylu Tyndall for the first time.

Amber Holcomb said...

Hannah,

YAY!!! I read your blog post, and it sounds like you had an amazing time in London! It's so nice to have you back, though. I missed you, too!

And no worries--feel free to catch up on all the posts for "Reading Retreats" week if you'd like! If that's too overwhelming, though, you can just join us for some of the fun weeks coming up! ;) Check out the "Coming Soon" section in the sidebar for a sneak peak at all the fun awaiting us!

And your situation sounds so much like mine! My grandparents live about 10 to 15 minutes away from us, and they have a pool, too! ;) Of course, it isn't really "swim-worthy" most of the time, because it's an indoor heated pool and it costs a lot to keep it running (and it takes a lot to keep it clean!), but I have some great memories swimming up there. ;)

Great to have you back!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Julia,

Great list! :) I have yet to read Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers, though I got a copy for my birthday and I'm still saving it! But I'm sure once I read that I'll want to read the next one, too!

And after having read She Walks in Beauty, anything by Siri Mitchell sounds good!

I'm so excited you're going to start reading books by BJ Hoff and MaryLu Tyndall! :D The one I really like that I've read by BJ Hoff is Song of Erin--a 3 book collection. And I love ANYTHING by MaryLu Tyndall!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Amber