About Me:

Here I am at Ernest Hemingway's House in Key West, Florida 

• I love to travel and I am a self proclaimed beach bum.  My favorite vacation destinations are Key West, Maui, Ireland, Italy, the Outer Banks, London, the Jersey Shore (not to be confused with the TV show) and Jamaica.  
• I love my dog, Scout. He's the best dog. ever.  
• I am mom to two sweet boys, Dylan and Declan.
• My favorite spot to read is at the beach.
• I originally started this blog as part of my professional development plan as an English teacher in order to keep up on the books that my students and I read.  It ended up being such a worthwhile experience that I stuck with it and I'm glad I did as I was able to provide many advanced readers copies and novels to my students.
• I have been blogging since December of 2009. Some of my book  recommendations have been featured in magazines, such as Woman's World  (July 16, 2012 issue).
• I've been married since December 20, 2008.  Check out some of my wedding photos here.
• I enjoy taking photographs, especially when I travel. For me, taking photos has always been just for fun; however, a company in Chicago used my picture of a Key West sunset on an invitation to their annual party. I was extremely surprised and honored! I also won a photography contest when I took a picture at Valley Forge National Historical Park. 
• I also love to be active and enjoy swimming and hiking. Fun fact: I've biked down the steepest paved road in the world....twice!
• I am a Pennsylvania certified teacher. My certifications include: Middle School English Language Arts and English Language, Literature, and Composition 7-12.  Also, I am a certified Reading Specialist K-12.
• I participated in Independent Bookstore Day as a featured blogger at Chester County Book Company. They had a display of my latest recommendations. Also, through Chester County Book Company, I had the opportunity to interview Jenny Han in front of a live audience...truly a dream come true!
• Feel free to email me at Chris327@mac.com if you have any questions or send me a tweet at @beachbum2199.  Thanks for stopping by!

At Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, which is home to The Long Room. It's the most beautiful library I have ever seen!

Here I am at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.
I am at "Mark Twain's Rock," which is the rock he wrote about in his "Letters From Hawaii."

Here I am visiting Highclere Castle (home to Downton Abbey) in Hampshire, England. I had the opportunity to meet The Countess of Carnarvon, the author of the Real Downton Abbey books. I was also able to attend cocktail hour in the library (*swoon*) and tour the castle. 

My featured blogger display for Independent Bookstore Day at Chester County Books 

In this picture, I am visiting Jane Austen's house in Chawton, England. It is here where she revised Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. She also wrote Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion here.