In Arizona, we have this little thing called October Break. It used to be very little - just a couple days off school. This year, the kids have a whole week of vacation. Our week on our houseboat (a timeshare kind of thing) very conveniently coincides with October Break this year, so we're headed off to Lake Powell for some R & R. I'll be offline, with nothing prepared to auto-post in my absence. If you need to contact me, try smoke signals. Hee hee.

We all know the most important part of taking a trip is planning which books to bring along. This is especially critical when houseboating since there's no access to Border's out on the lake. Thus, you have to choose wisely. I wanted a mix of "beachy" reads and more serious books, but I ended up picking these:

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly - I'm about a third of the way through this one. So far, I'm really, really liking it.

Hush by Jacqueline Woodson - I'm loving Woodson these days, so I want to read all her books. I've had this one out from the library for about a month. About time I got to it.

Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix - I love me some Haddix. All of the books I've read by her so far have been more the sci fi/adventure/thriller type - this one should be an entertaining departure. I'm reading it as part of my volunteer work for my kids' elementary school.

The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar - My contact at Harper Collins sent me this ARC. I've heard lots about Umrigar, but have yet to experience her work for myself. We'll see if I get to it.

One Lost Boy: His Escape from Polygamy by David Beagley - I got this one from Cedar Fort. It's a slim memoir about a boy whose father abandons his family to pursue life as a polygamist. Polygamy always seems to be a hot topic, especially among Mormon-haters. Beagley is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the mainstream church, members of which have not practiced polygamy in over 100 years) - it will be interesting to read his perspective.

I know, I know - the list is eclectic and not exactly light beach reading. I don't usually care for that kind of fluff anyway. Who knows if I'll get to one book, let alone five, but you know I'm going to pack them all - just in case. Hope y'all have a good week - I'll catch up with you when I return!