Airplane travel equals guilt-free reading to me. So for 5½ hours, each way, I was able to devour a book in its entirety.

I chose Flush by Carl Hiaasen as my 'going to Florida' book because it takes place in Florida and because I love Carl Hiaasen. He shares so much of his love of his home state while solving environmental crimes with intriguing bad guys.

A Woman of Independent Means is the only book I've read for a second time (there are so many books to read, why would I re-read one?). This book was gifted to me on my 30th birthday. I wanted to read it again to see if it had the same impact. The answer was, "Yes, even more so."

At the turn of the century, a time when women had few choices, Bess Steed Garner inherits a legacy—not only of wealth but of determination and desire, making her truly a woman of independent means. From the early 1900s through the 1960s, we accompany Bess as she endures life's trials and triumphs with unfailing courage and indomitable spirit: the sacrifices love sometimes requires of the heart, the flaws and rewards of marriage, the often-tested bond between mother and child, and the will to defy a society that demands conformity.

The author, Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, provided so much insight about life. It has the added advantage of having the story being told solely through Bess' letters to others. She encapsulates so much of what I love in life: history, family, travel, love, letter writing and so much more. This novel was the ideal end to my own travels.