Update

You may (or may not) have noticed my lack of posting over the last week or so. That is because I was on vacation, my first one in awhile. I spent the week with my grandparents, including 3 days in Savannah, GA. If there is one city in the South that you should visit at least once in your life, it's Savannah. It is such a quaint, easygoing and gorgeous town with tons of history. There is really something for everyone, including us literature lovers. Below are some of the literary moments I caught in Savannah.

The Mercer-Williams House

This house was made famous by the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I've never read it (and I don't really intend to), but it is a big deal in Savannah where residents simply refer to it as "The Book". In fact, the statue found on the cover of the book is now kept at the Telfair Museum under a 24 hour guard.

The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home

This is the house where Southern writer Flannery O'Connor spent the first 13 years of her life. It wasn't open for tours when we went by, so I'll have to do that when I get back to Savannah. It sits on the lovely Lafayette Square and one can just imagine little Flannery playing there.

The cathedral that the sign mentions is the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. It's directly across the square from the house and is open for tours on most days. With its stunning architecture and gorgeous art, it is a definite must see for visitors.

E. Shaver, Bookseller

One cannot visit a city without checking out the local bookstore, and Savannah has a great one. E. Shaver, Bookseller is located in an old house on Madison Square and has 12 rooms stuffed with books. They have a wide selection ranging from local and regional history to children's books. They also have a pretty good selection of classic literature, almost as big as Barnes and Noble's selection. This is a must visit place for ALL readers. I promise, you won't leave empty handed.

While on vacation, I was also able to pick up some really good books:

-A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor. What better place to pick up an author's work than in their hometown?

-Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. My grandparent's Barnes and Noble was having a great sale (50% off most of their stock) so I couldn't resist picking up a few good reads.

-Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Also 50% off.

-The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Also 50% off.

-Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. Found an edition from the early 20th century in wonderful condition at an antique store. Couldn't resist.

-The Crossing by Winston Churchill. Okay, so I thought that this was a novel by THE Winston Churchill. Who knew that there was more than one? This novel is actually by an American writer named Winston Churchill who wrote historical fiction in the early 20th century. Oh well, still a good buy.

And finally I have a couple more things to update you about:

-I am going to begin The Complete (and Unabridged) Jane Austen series either this week or next week, so be on the lookout for that. I hadn't forgotten, I just wanted to get in a Flannery O'Connor review before my trip to Savannah.

-I just joined goodreads.com, which is a great (and FREE) website that lets you basically keep track of all the books that you have read and the ones that you want to read. You can also check out what other members are reading, and get ratings and reviews of different books. If you are already a member, let me know so I can check out your bookshelf. You can see my shelf here. There is also a link on the sidebar as well as a widget showing books that I am planning on reading.

-Today marks the 1 year anniversary of Complete and Unabridged. You can see my introductory post here. Thank you to everyone who reads and comments on this blog. I appreciate it.