What I’m Packing for Our Trip to the Family Cabin

Because yes, I do need a whole library just to survive vacation.

I’ll admit it right now. I am a chronic over-packer when it comes to books. Clothes? I can manage to be reasonable. But reading material? I need options. Lots of them. My Kindle is loaded, my tote bag is full of paperbacks, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This week, we’re heading up north to our family cabin in Michigan. It’s a short trip before school starts, a little escape into the quiet woods. We’re squeezing it in after a summer that brought a lot of grief, sadness, and the kind of loss you never really prepare for. It’s been a season of heaviness, but also one of slowing down and remembering what matters most.

This trip feels like a chance to breathe again.

And as we get ready for school to start, I’m still trying to wrap my head around how on earth I have a child going into 10th grade (how??), I’m also grateful for this little moment to reset and reflect before the busy season of back to school.

This was only a month and a half ago and he has already grown even taller. 😭

Of course, the real question is—what books am I bringing?

Let’s start with my Kindle picks, which I like to think of as my guilt-free travel-friendly library that takes up zero space (so I can justify the two extra physical copies in my suitcase, right. Right?). Here's what I'm packing:

📖 Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver

A talent agent hires an actress to play the part of “novelist” on a book tour for his agency’s publicity-shy client in this delightful rom-com from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club Pick One Day in December

She’s playing the part of romance author, but has she found her own real life love story?

Talent agent Charlie Francisco has three problems: a divorce that ended his screenwriting career, a business he never planned to inherit, and a take-your-breath-away romance novel whose author wants nothing to do with its publication. The book is a surefire hit, if only his agency can find someone to “play” author on its summer book tour.

Enter Kate Elliott, a former soap actress who’s miraculously right for the part at the very moment her life seems to be going all wrong. Kate is still recovering from her own divorce and Charlie’s job offer is a lifeline. She agrees to the pretense for all interviews, signings, and appearances surrounding the novel’s publication. But she can’t know who really wrote the remarkable story—the one so beautiful it’s made her believe in love again.

When Kate and Charlie meet they’re all friction and sparks—the one thing they have in common is they’re determined to play their respective parts. But as the summer heat ups and the lies get bigger and bigger, can they stick to their lines . . . or will they go off-script?

📖 A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox

Set in the waning days of the Dutch Golden Age, this enchanting, lush reimagining of The Little Mermaid is perfect for fans of Jesse Burton’s The Miniaturist and Leigh Bardugo’s The Familiar.

The Dutch Republic, 1650. One fine spring day in Friesland, twenty-year-old Clara van Wieren is faced with an ill omen: a whale, beached and rotting in the noonday sun. But Clara doesn’t believe in magic and superstition, and this portent is quickly dismissed when a proposal from a wealthy merchant arrives, promising Clara the freedom she seeks from her mother’s overbearing rule.

When her attempts at overseeing the household at the family’s estate lead to her chance encounter with a young man with russet hair and sparkling eyes the color of the sea, she finds herself strangely drawn to him. As Clara grows closer to Maurits, she must choose between the steady, gentle life she has been raised for and the man who makes her blood sing.

But Maurits isn’t who he seems to be, and his secrets, once hidden beneath the waves, threaten to rise up and drown them both. And when an ancient bargain, forged in blood between the mythical people of the sea and the rulers of the land, begins to unravel, Clara finds herself at the heart of a deadly struggle for power.

📖 Taste the Love by Karelia Stetz-Waters and Fay Stetz-Waters

A delicious, heartwarming romantic comedy about big dreams, life-changing friendships, and the people who bring out your best.

Six years ago, eco-chef Alice Sullivan and her culinary-school rival almost gave into the burning tension between them. But those kisses? Just the heat of competition boiling over. Sullivan never expected to see Kia after graduation . . . until Kia crashes back into her life with a plan to buy Sullivan’s beloved Portland greenspace.

Kia has worked hard building her social media empire as the big-hearted glitter-bomb queen of the food-truck scene. Now she’s one step away from opening a foodie utopia for underrepresented culinary talents. But Kia’s plans catch the attention of a bulldozer-happy food conglomerate, and now both Kia and Sullivan’s dreams are on the line. When a legal loophole turns out to be the only way to save what they each love most, they’re left with one option: pull off a very public fake marriage to obtain the deed to the land and keep their old rivalry under control.

📖 Pugs and Kisses by Farrah Rochon

From the outside, veterinarian Evie Williams appears to have the perfect but boring life. She is desperate to figure out a way to shake it up, but gets more than she bargained for when she finds her fiancé in bed with another woman. Suddenly, Evie is without a fiancé or a job, and isn’t sure what her next steps should be. That is, until her college crush, Bryson Mitchell, returns to town.

Now, a nationally recognized veterinary surgeon, Bryson is stunned when he encounters Evie Williams for the first time in half a decade. When they learn the animal shelter where they used to volunteer is in danger of closing, the two must work together to save it. It has Bryson wondering, can he and Evie also save the friendship they once shared and finally bring it to the next level?

📖 Only Lovers in the Building by Nadine Gonzalez

Wanted—no, NEEDED: a summer escape with beach reads, cocktails…and a little romance on the side.

After her legal career comes to a sudden and humiliating end, Liliane Lyon books a restorative summer rental at The Icon, a quintessential Art Deco building in Miami Beach, where her only plan is to bask in the sun, read, and sip cocktails. But soon she’s enchanted by the colorful community, including university professor Benedicto Romero—resident tortured poet, whose sole intention for sabbatical is to indulge in brooding introspection.

When they discover a shared passion for romance novels, Lily and Ben are soon spending hours reading together by the pool, the spark between them unwittingly giving the other residents the impression that they’re experts in matters of the heart…no matter that IRL their disastrous love lives bear little resemblance to the stories they’re reading.

But while Ben and Lily can pinpoint a trope a mile away and give excellent advice to others, they can’t make sense of the sizzling chemistry between them, and the suggestion of a professional podcast suddenly forces them to consider the long-term. So what if it means working even closer together! So what if their banter makes Lily's head spin! It’s the summer of taking chances, but a word to the wise: Miami isn’t the place for growth and rebirth. It’s the place to get messy.

A mix of romance, whimsy and fun… just what I need for life in the woods.

Then there’s my nonfiction stack, because even when I’m on vacation, I love to reflect and grow. I’m bringing two books I’ve already started and am really enjoying:

💡 Attitudes of Gratitude by M. J. Ryan
This one is also our August pick for The Literary Assistant Book Club!

If you’re craving a more intentional, grounded mindset this season, I’d love for you to read along with us. You can join the book club right here on Substack (just upgrade for $5 a month) and be part of our growing community.

💡 Make Money Easy by Lewis Howes
This is a practical and encouraging read that’s been helping me reframe how I think about money, goals, and creating a sustainable business. I’m taking it slow and highlighting a lot.

So yes, I’m probably bringing too much. And yes, I’ll likely read only half of what I’ve packed… ok, less be honest, more like 1/10. But having all these books with me feels like bringing a group of friends along for the ride. They need me and I need them.

Whether I’m curled up in a cabin chair, out at the lake, or just grabbing a few peaceful minutes before making dinner, I like knowing I have the perfect read waiting for me.

Now I want to hear from you…
How do you pack for a vacation? Are you more strategic with your book choices? Or do you, like me, bring the whole shelf just in case? (this is a judgement free zone.)

Wishing you a peaceful end of summer,
Melissa

As a community we have now donated 16 books to women who need them.💝

For every membership upgraded to $5, we donate a historical fiction or romance book to a local women’s shelter.

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