Free Vacations

My bookshelf is comprised of plane tickets to magical destinations. The best part about these tickets? They are absolutely free. They come compliments of astounding authors, talented writers that have made it their life's work to transport their readers. Some people may drown their sorrows in music, alcohol, food, or social activity. I prefer to lose myself in the pages of a book. 

From my grandmother to her bookworm grandaughter

Louisa May Alcott takes you to a simpler America in "Little Women", draped in swirling dresses and tight-knit families. Her main characters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, become a part of you, to the point where you can't help but stifle a sniffle when (spoiler alert) Beth dies. With L.M. Montgomery as your companion in "Anne of Green Gables", you jet off to the land of "eh?", Canada. Anne's longing to be chosen and accepted is a recognizable feeling most can identify with and each time I delve into her world I learn something new. Karen Kingsbury has endless ideas for the development of the Baxter and Flanagan families in several of her series. Human curiosity holds you captive as you read about the death of John Baxter's wife from breast cancer, Ashley Baxter's single parenting from her Parisian fling, the murder of Kari Baxter's husband, the tumultuous acting career of Dane and Katy Matthews, and the see-sawing love life of Bailey Flanagan. Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic" made it to theaters, but Becky's story doesn't end there. She juggles a long-lost sister, wedding planning, and the birth of her miniature shopaholic, all with an incurable desire to spend money she doesn't have. 


I want to go to Australia. Italy. Japan. Sweden. France. Scotland. England. In person. But, until then, I rely on my favorite authors to pilot A Very Lucky Girl, free of charge, wherever I want to go.