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, London, the Jersey Shore (not to be confused with the TV show) and Jamaica.  
• I love my dog, Scout. He's a rescue dog and he's the best! 
• I am a 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.
• 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. 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. She has written a few books about Highclere Castle and the real Downton Abbey.  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.