My Vacation Reading, Part I

I didn't do anywhere near the amount of reading I expected to on vacation last week. I had a bag full of books and magazines but only managed to finish two and a half of the books. And many two-thirds of another.

I fell short of my goal because this vacation was only half as long as last year's, and we didn't have many long stretches of driving. Plus, I had to take over the car half the time. I was cool with that because I'm a Twenty-first Century Woman and want to fulfill my responsibilities. Also, the maniac I travel with can't be trusted behind the wheel for long periods of time, especially in the morning when he's careening madly off the highway looking for a Dunkin' Donuts or a Tim Horton's so he can feed his tragic caffeine addiction. Traveling with the wretchedly mad requires a great deal of attention.

Can you tell I spent part of last week reading Away Laughing on a Fast Camel by Louise Rennison? I'm a little afraid I'm outgrowing dear Georgia's journals. The books are so similar that I can't tell one from the other, and for a while I worried that I'd read this one before. In fact, I only picked this book up at the library because I'd read there was a new volume out about Georgia's adventures in Hamburger-a-gogo land. I read a third of the book before I accepted that this was not it.

However, Georgia is funny and, as far as I'm concerned, the template for many, many teen characters who have followed her into print. There are many imitators but only one Georgia Nicolson.

I'm still determined to read that book about her trip to Hamburger-a-gogo land.