Back from vacation!

Just got back from a great 5-day cruise to Canada aboard the Carnival Triumph. This was my second time doing this itinerary on Carnival (I went last year on the Victory) and we had a wonderful time.

I have tons of laundry to do and lots of work to catch up on, but I'm going to crank out a review of the trip tonight while it's all still fresh in my mind. At some point I'll get photos up, too, but for now, I'll stick with the highlights.

Overall, the trip was great, and I'm looking forward to writing up some helpful info for anyone else who is planning this trip in the near future. Time to put another load of clothes into the dryer and get cracking on that review!

Book review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This is now one of my favorite books of all time. It was so good, I couldn't put it down, but I hated for it to end, too.

The novel is told in a series of letters, a clever story-telling device that works beautifully. The plot centers around Juliet, a 32-year-old author who is successful in her career, but less so in her love life. Living in post-World-War II London, Juliet starts up a pen pal relationship with residents of St. Peter's Port in the Channel Islands. The character development in this novel is simply brilliant, and the authors weave in historical information about the war seamlessly. The book is funny, educational, heart-wrenching, joyful and a wonderful read. Add this one to your reading list, post haste!

Next up on my summer reading list: The Jane Austen Book Club.