A-Castling I Go

Thanks to a certain family member's job, I get to tag along to Munich and visit castles (while he works—hee!).

My list includes only recommendations, given our short time there...

Herrenchiemsee (which according to author Sara Lindsey is fun because it's in a lake & you take a boat to get there & it's like Versailles on crack)

Linderhof (which according to author Anna Campbell has a Turkish pavillion that will blow your mind)

Neuschwanstein (because it's the original Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle built by mad Koenig Ludwig II)

Residenz (which according to Sara is a downtown palace that has jewels)

Hohenschwangau (near Neuschwanstein, according to historian Alison Lodge)

Has any one of you been to Munich? If so, what did you do and see there? What were your highlights?

Picture Day Friday

Venetian Green Court Shoes early 1800s England

My TBB List for Aug & Sept

I just returned from RWA with two boxes of books. And yet, here I am, buying books. Well, yes. I'm shameless, I read fast, I cannot have my TBR bookcase be even slightly empty.

So here's what I have on my list that I'm going to send off to Amazon as a one-time deal towards the end of August. It includes new releases for August and September. It also includes books from earlier in the year that I hadn't gotten around to reading, books on an author's backlist that I'm working through, and a few quirky additions.

"Siren of the Seas" by Tessa Dare

"A Lady of Persuasion" by Tessa Dare

"Never Love a Lawman" by Jo Goodman

"Easy on the Eyes" by Jane Porter

"Knight of Desire" by Margaret Mallory

"The Maiden's Hand" by Susan Wiggs

"At the King's Command" by Susan Wiggs

"Just Breathe" by Susan Wiggs

"Written on Your Skin" by Meredith Duran

"Tempt Me at Twilight" by Lisa Kleypas

"To Tempt a Knight" by Gerri Russell

"The Most Wicked of Sins" by Kathryn Caskie

"The Last Hellion" by Loretta Chase

"When a Texan Gambles" by Jodi Thomas

"Winter Fire" by Jo Beverley

"A Most Unsuitable Man" by Jo Beverley

"His Captive Lady" by Carol Townend

"A Handful of Manhood" by Gaby Hauptmann (German author)

"The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown

"The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover: A Knights Templar Mystery" by Michael Jecks

"Breakout Novel" by Donald Maas

"Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin

"A Picture History of the Grenville Family of Rosedale House by Mary Yelloly Aged Eight and a Half Years Old" text by Lindsey Stainton

What's on your list? Do you buy your books at Amazon? Or do you usually wait to buy on the release date from a brick-n-mortar store? If you do buy at Amazon or another online bookstore, do you simply put in a large order days in advance and then read as Amazon sends them?

Picture Day Friday

Happy Birthday to Georgette Heyer! She turns 107 on Sunday, August 16.

A paean to all things Richard Armitage by AustenProse: "Yes, gentle readers, I do freely admit to succumbing to the charms of a handsome face and sexy voice as quickly as the next fawning female in selecting a Heyer audio book recording of Sylvester solely based on its reader, Richard Armitage. For those who know of this talented British actor, I need say no more. For the benefit of the unenlightened, (and I am truly shocked by your egregious remiss), he is known for his dark, brooding, bad-boy looks, piercing blue eyes, and hypnotic voice. The good folks at Naxos Audiobooks may have (un)knowingly chosen the one actor who could elevate Georgette Heyer into the limelight that she so richly deserves. He speaks — and half the world swoons."