Anjin and I are having a wonderful time. We have managed to take in quite a few sights on the island of Oahu and are getting ready to fly over to the Big Island for the last half of our stay in Hawaii. The people are friendly, the food delicious, and the atmosphere and beauty of the island divine.
As you can imagine, I have not had much time to get online (not to mention the hotel does not have free internet service). I could not resist checking in, however. Thank you to all who have stopped in to read the guest posts so far. Authors Colleen Gleason, Clea Simon and Joshua Henkin did an amazing job, and I'm quite grateful that they not only took the time out of their busy schedules to stand in during my absence, but also put a lot of thought and effort into their posts. I hope you will continue to come back and see what else I have in store for you during my absence.
I haven't been able to blog hop much at all, but a quick glance at my Google Reader took me to My Friend Amy's blog where she has posted the list of finalists for the Book Blogger Appreciation Awards. I was very surprised to discover that I made the final cut, not once but twice! I'm evidently in the running for the awards for the Best Thriller/Mystery/Suspense Blog Award and the Best Commenter/Commentator Award. I still can't believe it! Thank you to all of you who nominated me! I hope you will take the time to vote, whether you are a blogger or not. And as much as I would love it if you voted for me, the list of blogs I am up against are just as worthy and deserving of the award. So please, do vote! The awards will be announced on September 18, 2008.
I have been able to sneak in a little bit of reading, a good chunk I read on the 5+ hour flight from California to Hawaii. I have less than a hundred pages left to go in Natsuo Kirino's Out. It is dark, which I expected, and quite good. The characters are especially well drawn, and I am eager to see how everything turns out in the end. I may even have the novel finished by the time this post goes up. I brought a couple of other books along as well (Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic and Murder on a Girls' Night Out by Anne George), but am not sure yet which I will pick up next. I was tempted to bring more books, but as one wise blogger and fellow LTer pointed out, there are bookstores in Hawaii.
Anjin and I did stop by a bookstore after a fun dinner at Señor Frog's Thursday night. I picked up a copy of Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs (finally, I know!). I was tempted to also get Jeff Lindsay's book Dexter in the Dark, which just came out in paperback, but I decided to hold off for now. It probably will not be for long though. I get rather impatient when a book is in my sights.
I hope that you all have a terrific week! Happy reading!
Just a reminder that I currently have two contests going on for those interested in taking part:
As you can imagine, I have not had much time to get online (not to mention the hotel does not have free internet service). I could not resist checking in, however. Thank you to all who have stopped in to read the guest posts so far. Authors Colleen Gleason, Clea Simon and Joshua Henkin did an amazing job, and I'm quite grateful that they not only took the time out of their busy schedules to stand in during my absence, but also put a lot of thought and effort into their posts. I hope you will continue to come back and see what else I have in store for you during my absence.
I haven't been able to blog hop much at all, but a quick glance at my Google Reader took me to My Friend Amy's blog where she has posted the list of finalists for the Book Blogger Appreciation Awards. I was very surprised to discover that I made the final cut, not once but twice! I'm evidently in the running for the awards for the Best Thriller/Mystery/Suspense Blog Award and the Best Commenter/Commentator Award. I still can't believe it! Thank you to all of you who nominated me! I hope you will take the time to vote, whether you are a blogger or not. And as much as I would love it if you voted for me, the list of blogs I am up against are just as worthy and deserving of the award. So please, do vote! The awards will be announced on September 18, 2008.
I have been able to sneak in a little bit of reading, a good chunk I read on the 5+ hour flight from California to Hawaii. I have less than a hundred pages left to go in Natsuo Kirino's Out. It is dark, which I expected, and quite good. The characters are especially well drawn, and I am eager to see how everything turns out in the end. I may even have the novel finished by the time this post goes up. I brought a couple of other books along as well (Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic and Murder on a Girls' Night Out by Anne George), but am not sure yet which I will pick up next. I was tempted to bring more books, but as one wise blogger and fellow LTer pointed out, there are bookstores in Hawaii.
Anjin and I did stop by a bookstore after a fun dinner at Señor Frog's Thursday night. I picked up a copy of Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs (finally, I know!). I was tempted to also get Jeff Lindsay's book Dexter in the Dark, which just came out in paperback, but I decided to hold off for now. It probably will not be for long though. I get rather impatient when a book is in my sights.
I hope that you all have a terrific week! Happy reading!
Just a reminder that I currently have two contests going on for those interested in taking part:
Oh, your pictures are beautiful and make me nostalgic for Hawaii! We spent a winter in Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu back in 91 & 92. Yikes! Has it been that long? My kids went to high school there and really enjoyed the experience.
ReplyDeleteI already voted for you!
Aloha to you, as well!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. Seems like you are having a great time.
You are reading some good books too!
BTW, I too voted for you...
Ah, you are in Paradise! Kip and I honeymooned on Kuaui and your photos make me want to go back soon :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on being a finalist (twice!) in the Book Blogger Appreciation poll - well deserving :)
Glad to see you are having time to read too...and that you bought Bridge of Sighs!
Continue to have a wonderful vacation, Wendy.
Aloha, Wendy! So good to hear from you and congrats on the nominations. You certainly deserve them!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your vacation and thanks for posting those beautiful pictures!
=) Jill
Aloha! I'm glad you are enjoying yourself. I was fortunate enough to live in Hawaii for a while a few years back and absolutely fell in love with the place. Have a wonderful time in Maui. A bit early for whale season unfortunately, but plenty of spinner dolphins to watch!
ReplyDeletep.s. there's a particularly good borders bookshop at ward warehouse on ala moana blvd..though i am biased as one of my best friends works there!
What a beautiful place. Congratulations on your awards. Enjoy the fun. Hope you brought a couple of books. LOL
ReplyDeleteHawaii is a beautiful place! I wish I'd have the chance to visit one day! I'm glad you've a wonderful time there, Wendy! :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being nominated for the two awards! I'm so happy to see your name there because I voted for you.
Enjoy your vacation and happy reading!
Such lovely pictures! I'm glad you've been having a good time, Wendy. Enjoy the rest of your time there!
ReplyDeleteAnd congratulations on the nominations - they are well-deserved :)
Aloha Wendy! Sounds like you are having a fabulous time.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the nomination!
Guess what? I've just started reading "Out" this weekend. So good.
Oh wow! I would love to visit Hawaii one day. I voted for you! I can tell you that Practical Magic is a great book and a wonderful movie too.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your photos. One day I will get over there... I hope you find time to do some more reading and book shopping :)
ReplyDeleteOh what fun! Would love to be there with ya. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking in and for sharing the pictures from Hawaii - we miss you, but hope you're having fun and will tell us more when you get back!
ReplyDeleteAlready voted for you in Best Commenter/Commentator - in fact, I was one of the people who nominated you :-). How could I not?
See you back here soon, Wendy!
Wendy: The pictures look great.
ReplyDeleteAnd you deserve any award you not only for which you are nominated, but also which you win.
Aloha!! I'm totally jealous you're in Hawaii. ;) Also, thanks so much for finding the time to read and comment on my blog while you're on vacation. That was really sweet of you. I hope you have a fabulous time on the rest of your vacation. ::Hugs::
ReplyDeleteHawaii! You must be having a wonderful time. Congratulations on your well-deserved nominations.
ReplyDeleteWow! It looks beautiful there. I hope you enjoy your trip.
ReplyDeleteI love Hawaii! Sooo not ugly. Gorgeous pics. Have a great time!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the beautiful pictures. Next time though, please take me with you. ;)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your vacation! You've certainly had some impressive guest posters while you've been gone.
ReplyDeleteAloha, Wendy~~
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you and Anjin are enjoying yourselves. The pictures are beautiful and I want more. LOL.
Have a splashing good time there!
Hope you're having a great trip, I'm totally jealous!
ReplyDeleteOh how lovely!! The pictures are gorgeous and I hope you are having a great time. I hope to see more pictures when you return!
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats on the awards--they are both very much deserved nods in your direction!
Gorgeous pictures! Glad to hear that you're having a great time, and fitting in some reading between admiring the view! And congrats on the nominations! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat fantastic photos. I hope you're having a great time. I know I would be.
ReplyDeleteThere are now readers awards too.
What gorgeous pictures!! It sounds as though you are enjoying a taste of heaven!!
ReplyDeleteI am finally able to sit down and respond to all your great comments. It is good to be home again.
ReplyDeleteApril - Thanks! The photos don't do the islands justice though. It really was a slice of heaven. :-)
Serena - Thank you! My husband carried the camera most of the trip and so he gets the credit for taking them. We did have a great time. I already miss having the ocean so close.
Nat - Thanks! As busy as I kept us, I was surprised I was able to get the reading in that I did! LOL My husband made sure I took time out to relax and sit quietly too though. He knows my penchant for wanting to do too much when we travel.
Trish - Thank you so much! We took about 200 pictures in all--some better than others. There were so many great photo opportunities. :-)
Lisa - It was a wonderful trip! I'm so glad we were able to go. It's been too long since we were last able to do something like this.
Alice - It's such a beautiful place, Alice!
Carrie - I can't believe it's over now. I am glad I planned ahead and took an extra day off of work (this Monday), but I'm already wishing I could stretch it out even longer. :-)
I'm so pleased with the way things turned out while I was gone with my guests. I 'm still shocked any of them said yes!
Jennifer - I am glad I could share a few of the photos with you! I wish I could have taken you with me. There was definitely room on the plane going over there. Not so much coming back though. You might have had to stay. Or maybe I could have . . .
Nancy - We had fun. Hawaii certainly is beautiful. :-)
Samantha - It really is lovely. I especially loved the rain forests an beaches.
Tara - Thank you! I wish I could have brought Hawaii home with me--and not just in photos and memory. ;-)
Trisha - Once we got to the Big Island, my internet access was nonexistent, unfortunately. We didn't get to turn the computer on often, but I at least wanted to check in when I could. :-)
Reading Fool - Thank you! You're so kind to say so!
Florinda - And here I go on vacation and am not able to get out and comment like usual. What will people think? ;-) I do appreciate your vote!
We had a really nice time in Hawaii. I definitely missed all of you too. I had over 1000 posts in my Google Reader when I got back--I couldn't believe it!
J. Kaye - I wish I could have taken you all with me. We could have had a blogger convention! :-) I'm not sure how my husband would have felt about that though.
Rhinoa - Thank you! I do hope you will be able to go one day. There was quite a diversity in tourists--people from all over the world visiting.
Jen - If you ever get the chance, do visit Hawaii! It's such a beautiful place--and so rich in history.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your vote! I want to watch the movie, Practical Magic again now that I've read the book. Refresh my memory. :-)
Iliana - Oo! I will have to check out your review of OUT. My review is all written and now I have to decide when to post it.
Congratulations to you too on your nominations!
Nymeth - Thank you! And congrats to you as well!
Melody - I hope you can visit there one day too! And thank you so much for your vote! I still can't believe I was nominated!
Wisteria - Thank you! I did bring books along--even bought a few while there. :-) I couldn't help myself, the book glutton that I am.
Mariel - I was so young when I lived in Hawaii--although I do have memories of being there, none are of the touristy variety. :-)
We didn't make it to Maui this trip, unfortunately. We only had time for two of the islands. Gives an excuse to go back someday.
Jill - Thank you so much! I've decided I wouldn't mind moving to Hawaii at least part of the year. I just wish I could afford too. :-)
Wendy - It certainly was paradise! I told my husband that next time we go, we have to visit Kuaui--one of the less touristy islands (although I know you find tourists everywhere).
I am looking forward to reading Bridge of Sighs. I do enjoy Richard Russo's writing. :-)
Thank you for the kind words!
Gautami - Thank you so much for your vote! Now that I am home again, I wish I could walk into those pictures and be back in those spots. Back to reality though.
Linda - Thank you! Did you get to see the big waves when you were on the North Shore? I imagine I'll be watching some of the surfing competitions on TV if I can just to see if I can get a glimpse of where we visited. :-)