I retired and celebrated in French Lick, Indiana!

Today is my official retirement date! Thanks to the generous benefits the federal government offers, I had a lot of sick leave to use, so I have been phasing myself out of my job for the past few months. This has really helped me mentally prepare to leave my dream job. My last day of work was September 19th, and what better way to celebrate than spending time with extraordinary elephants! We immediately headed to French Lick, Indiana for animals, nature, reading, and relaxation. This trip had a significant book-related tie-in. 

Book Mail!

It’s always a good day when there is a book in my mailbox. I’m grateful for The Poisoned Pen, an independent bookseller, in Scottsdale, Arizona, who sent me a signed copy of The Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz. The gorgeous end papers are perfect for fall! The dust jacket protects a beautiful hardcover. I look forward to reading this!

The Back Room - Riveting Stories Author Event

I recently learned of a new resource for author events: The Back Room: Cocktails and Conversations with Your Favorite Authors, hosted by Hank Phillippi Ryan and Karen Dionne. I was intrigued when I saw the fall line-up of authors and decided to sign up for this one first. The structure of this author event is different from other events I’ve participated in the past over Zoom. There are four authors present, and the event begins with brief introductions by the hosts and authors. Next, they participate in a “get to know you” game before everyone is divided into breakout rooms. During the break-out rooms, attendees are able to see and interact with each author for about 15 minutes. This event included authors Madeline Martin, Rose Carlyle, Mansi Shah, and Marybeth Mayhew Whalen.

Finally, my September reads…

My reading time has been rather inconsistent this month due to retiring and traveling. We’ve also remained busy working on the greenhouse landscaping. We’re really close to being finished, but that also means we will be moving on to more fall outdoor projects. Here’s a look at our greenhouse progress…

In September, I was still able to read eight books in total: six audiobooks and two e-books. I read a couple of novellas; one was excellent! I read the latest Anthony Horowitz novel, which was outstanding! I also made progress on Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series. I suppose this was a month for reading serial books because I also read another Orphan X thriller. With all the changes occurring in my life, I made it a priority to read some books for personal growth, too. Furthermore, I hope you enjoy browsing the books I read and that you had a great month of reading too! 

Reaching for my next book,
-Natalie 📚