I am on a vacation. It’s to a beautiful town in Georgia where Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and all other kinds of not quite humans can live peacefully in year round Halloween. Unfortunately this town is actually inside my Kindle. I call this kind of trip a Book Vacation. And I can’t wait to get back to it.

These last few weeks have been filled with summer activities, a bout of illness, trying to keep the yard under control, the microwave finally dying for real, medical coverage headaches, and all the daily mini heart attacks that two children can cause.

It’s time for this mama to take a break from reality for a bit.

I grew up reading almost anything I could get my hands on. I read a great big book of Sherlock Holmes adventures, Shakespeare’s comedies, and many, many books from the local library. As an adult I read the Harry Potter series as it came out (I still haven’t gotten more than a couple chapters into the last book, though.) I read Mrs. Pollifax’s many missions. I have read nearly everything Sir Terry Pratchett ever published. And most of Georgette Heyer’s historical romances.

Motherhood threw that for a bit of a loop. My first child liked to cut teeth on books. And then discovered the joy of coloring the inner covers of books… Mama’s new books had to be on her phone’s Kindle App or on the actual Kindle.

Now that my youngest is nearly 5 I can have paper books again! And what do I buy? Books about finances, educational books, how to take care of yourself books. And the very occasional Georgette Heyer novel. Not enough fiction. Especially since most of the time the television is on it is for the kids and I do not feel refreshed and invigorated after watching a YouTuber make near pointless crafts or play pre-planned pranks on their friends. (I would actually much rather watch Sarah and Duck or Phineas and Ferb, which is going to be happening a lot more just for my sanity.)

So what’s a fiction novel addict to do? Take the occasional book vacation. There are several current authors I enjoy reading and even preorder their latest books if I catch the notification early enough. One of them is in my Kindle waiting for me to be done visiting Georgia.

I pick a book, pick a weekend, and instead of working on a project or playing catch up on something, I hang out on the couch and dive head first into a story. I am still available for pouring apple juice, and snuggles, and my must-dos get done, but for the most part my priority is getting through a delicious adventure.

If you have been feeling like reality is too heavy, or like the to do lists are getting too long, perhaps it’s time to block out a day or two and read some bubblegum for the mind. If you can’t block off a couple days, pick a time each day to put your feet up and read a chapter or two of something that makes you smile. Stories are part of being human. We seem to need them, crave them, learn from them. That does not change when we become adults. The stories become longer and sometimes more complicated, but they are still stories.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to find out how this book ends. Bye!