It’s winter in Australia, and I’ve been dreaming about walking on a warm, sandy beach somewhere. My long ebook TBR list includes many beach reads with coastal and lake settings from around the world. The advantages of arm chair traveling via a book include no messy sand to clean up, no sunburn to worry about, and I can read anywhere. I’ve heard about readers who put their Kindles in clear zip lock plastic bags so they can read in a pool or spa bath. Do you have a favorite place to read?
We’re excited that our annual Inspy Romance Back to School Giveaway launched on Monday. We have 19 fabulous prize bundles with 7 paperback bundles, 8 ebook bundles, an audiobook bundle, 2 international paperback bundles, and our Grand Prize includes an Inspy Romance hoodie.
Every comment you make on our blog posts during the giveaway (Aug 15 – Sept 14) will count as an entry in the drawing.
Audiobook prize bundle: Please register using the Google form to be eligible to win the Audiobook prize bundle.
International readers (non-USA mailing address): Please register using the Google form to confirm your eligibility for the International Paperback prize bundles.
Please note: Only international readers and those who would like to win the audiobook bundle need to register via the Google form. It is assumed that everyone else lives in USA and/or has a USA mailing address. For more information, please visit our 2022 Back to School Giveaway Page.
Winners this Week
If you’re a winner, you should have received an email from the author in charge of the giveaway. If not, please email us at: prizes at inspyromance dot com.
Toni Shiloh’s winner is Candy!
Congratulations!
Don’t forget… every comment you make qualifies you to win one of the monthly Amazon card giveaways!
Reader Gathering
Did you know Inspy Romance hosts a Christian Romance Reader Gathering group on Facebook? So come on over… but don’t forget to answer the questions for admittance!
StoryChats @ InspyRomance
Story Chats releases an all-new episode every Friday. This week on Episode 85, Elizabeth, Valerie, and Narelle chatted about medical romance with Heather Gray. You won’t want to miss it!
Listen to our new weekly show on your favorite podcasting app, through the player on our podcast tab, or watch us on YouTube! Wherever you listen or watch, please be sure to hit subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!
Last Week on Inspy Romance
On Monday, We launched our 2022 Back to School Bash! #Giveaway
On Tuesday, Amy Anguish discussed Characters of an Age
On Wednesday, Meghann Whistler talked about Beach Reads
On Thursday, K. Leah shared a look Behind the Scenes (of an author)
On Friday, Angela Ruth Strong shared her Top Ten Deleted Lines
On Saturday, Jan Thompson discussed Christians in Love: Romance Awareness Month (and #Giveaway)
Next Week on Inspy Romance
Monday: Julie Carobini (The Novel of Your Life #Giveaway)
Tuesday: Deb Kastner (Interviewing Emma and a Giveaway)
Wednesday: Emily Conrad (When Opposites Attract: Author/Character Edition)
Thursday: Lindi Peterson (The Storm Before the Rainbow #giveaway)
Friday: Merrillee Whren (New Growth: You’re Still Alive)
Saturday: Teresa Tysinger (An Anniversary and Books with Mature Couples)
New Releases
August 2022
Choose Me for Always, Cowboy (Cavanagh Cowboys Romance 5) by Valerie Comer
A Reason to Stay (K9 Companions Book 9/Rocky Mountain Family Book 5) by Deb Kastner
Not Until Then (Hope Springs 9) by Valerie M Bodden
July 2022
Muskoka Blue (Original Six Hockey Romance 6) by Carolyn Miller
Into the Flood (Seasons of Faith 1) by Milla Holt
The One Who Got Away by Tara Grace Ericson
Love at Second Sight (Fab Forties 4) by Liwen Y. Ho
Seaside Proposal (Sydney Sweethearts 3) by Narelle Atkins (rerelease)
To Begin Again (Rhythms of Redemption 3) by Emily Conrad
Matchmaking Moms of Oceanview Church boxset Books 1 – 3 by Laurie Larsen
A complete list of Inspy Romance books by our authors is always available on our BOOKS tab. Find our audiobooks and our thank-you gifts for newsletter subscribers there as well!
A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.
It’s winter here in South Africa, so it’s no surprise that my favourite place to read is in my chair in front of wood fire.
Hi Narelle! SW Michigan has many beautiful sandy beaches. Unfortunately due to medications I need to avoid the heat and too much sunshine. I enjoy walking the beaches early morning after Labor Day (September 5) – end of tourist season. I do not read at the beach, because I enjoy people watching, listening to the waves, observing the sea gulls in flight and interacting. I usually read at home. Weather permitting, depending on the time of day – mornings on my back deck or in the afternoon on the front patio. Where the shade is. Best wishes.
Hi Jeannette, yes! Reading in front of a wood fire would work for me. Stay warm, and thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Renate, Your beaches sound lovely. Reading in the shade outdoors, when the weather is nice, is always pleasant. We have a section in our yard that’s shaded before midday, and it’s a great place for afternoon reading. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Welcome, I feel that Sundays are the best day of the week. During the summer I like to read outside on our swing when it isn’t too hot, or inside curled up in the AC on one of our recliners with the cats joining me with a glass of iced tea. In the winter I love to sit in the heat in the same recliner with the cats on/around me with a cup of hot tea.
Hi Lori, Reading indoors with a cat nearby happens at my place, too. Hot tea is my favorite. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I like to read on my couch by my big bow window and hopefully the sun will be shining.
For me, the idea of the beach is so much better than the reality! I’m not a fan of the seaside. My favourite place to read is anywhere I can curl up comfortably with a cup of tea at my elbow. That’s usually my recliner!
I love being able to keep up with new books. I just wish I had time to read them all.
For me, nothing beats snuggling down in bed with a good book!
My bed is my favorite place to read.
When it is nice outside I like to read on our patio swing, and when the weather isn’t very nice outside I like to read on our living room couch with my pup sitting right next to me. Have a great week and stay safe.
It’s HOT here in Florida! So, I’m inside in the A/C!!! I want Winter!!! Florida doesn’t participate in Fall.
pool
It’s summer for me in Virginia, but today doesn’t feel like summer. It’s dreary and grey and has rained off and on. Still humid and unpleasant to be outside though.
I Love reading in my bed of an evening Thank you and all the other wonderful Authors for putting the Back to School Bash together I love reading print books and would love to be in the drawing for any of the paperback giveaways it has been pretty humid and warm here in SE Ohio the grandchildren are back in school now and fall is right around the corner Have a Blessed Week!
I love reading in my bed. :)
Where in the house is NOT a good place to read?!? At my kitchen island with a hot cup of coffee . . . the living room loveseat where I can glance out the front picture window between pages . . . in my rec room recliner with (at this time of year) the comforting drone of a baseball game in the background as my husband watches . . . cozy in bed right before I drop off to sleep, “just a few pages, dear, and then I will turn the light off” . . . on my deck listening to birds fighting over the perches on the feeder. Anywhere, any time!
I don’t really have a favorite spot to read. I’m happy reading anywhere! 😊
I’m wearing T-Shirts and shorts now, so winter must be over here in QLD.
I read anywhere I get a chance. I especially enjoy reading before bedtime. Blessings
Hi Narelle!
I hear you! It’s definitely been too long since I got to spend a day on the beach. But hey, that’s what armchair traveling is for, right? I think I’ll read in any comfy place (chair, sofa…). :)
You all are so sweet. I love to read in the kitchen at the table. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
If the weather cooperates, I love to read outside on the back deck!
Lately I’ve been reading inside my car as I wait for my kids to leave school.
i read mostly in my chair but I can say I am over August and will be glad when spring comes.
I’m always curled up on the couch reading dang near 24/7. I live in Atlanta, GA
Hi Lucy, I love the Kindle App because I can read anywhere, assuming I have my phone with me. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Lori, I have a sofa that will catch a bit of morning sun. Although, I’m sometimes fighting my cat for the sun when she decides she has to sit right behind my head, lol. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Geozla, Over the years I’ve done a lot of reading (and writing) in the car. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Milla, A cup of tea and a good book works for me! 😊
Hi Judy, I wish I had more reading time, too. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Ruthie, yes! I love how devices have inbuilt lighting to make ebook reading easier. I was the kid who hid under the covers and read by torchlight, lol. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Jcp, My bed is a favorite reading place, especially in winter. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Alicia, it’s fun when our pets keep us company when we’re reading. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Trudy, I wish I could send some of our cold winter weather to you!! Stay cool, and enjoy reading indoors with the A/C . Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi bn100, it would be nice to read by a pool. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Melynda, I’m not a fan of humidity, and rainy weather with humidity is not fun. It has been gray here as well, and I hope your weather improves soon. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Sarah, You’re very welcome. Reading in bed is fun, and what I’m thinking about doing very soon (it’s almost 10.30pm here). Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Angeline, yes! I’m with you, and looking forward to reading in bed tonight. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Ellen, I say yes to everything on your list, lol. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Bonnie, yes, I’m happy to read when the opportunity arises, too. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Mary, We are a few months behind your weather, but spring is coming! Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Priscila, Arm chair (or sofa, or couch) travelling is the best! Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Debra, You’re very welcome, and a kitchen table would work for me, too. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Patty, yes, co-operative weather is helpful, and our weather forecast is for a rainy day here tomorrow. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Jenny, I have mixed feelings about August ending. I’m looking forward to spring, but I also have a lot of words to write before August ends. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Cindi, I’d love to have more time to curl up on the couch and read. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Beautiful beachy photo!
I read anywhere I can but mostly inside on my couch. It’s very hot and humid in Virginia so I stay inside as much as possible.
Hi Megan, I would love to be there on vacation now! Today it snowed less than 20 miles south of where I live, and the wind chill was bitterly cold. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Doris, yes, reading indoors during the heat and humidity of summer is a good plan. Nothing would have enticed me to read outdoors today – it was way too cold and windy. Thanks for commenting. 😊
So hot in California….
Hi Natalya, I hope you’ll get a break from the hot weather soon. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I love to read in my glider chair!
No beach reading for me, I try to avoid the sun. I don’t like the heat.
I love to read anywhere, but I read my kindle while exercising on my elliptical because I don’t feel guilty for reading in the middle of the day then. I am exercising but enjoying myself while I do it. It’s a win-win situation.
Also I love days when I am off and can relax and enjoy reading for a few hours at one sitting.
I love to read snuggled under covers on my bed. I’d love a really cushy couch or recliner to read in but fornow the bed works :)
Hi Terry, A glider chair would work for me. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Tammy, Exercising provides good opportunities for pure, guilt-free reading, or listening to audiobooks/podcasts. I prefer to read in chunks of time, but sometimes it’s not possible. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Sabrina, I like reading in bed, especially in winter. My cat often snuggles around my legs to stay warm, too. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I probably would not read at the beach, it’s just too messy. I enjoy reading many other places; my recliner, the couch, sitting on my porch, in bed just before going to sleep. I often take a book with me when I am going places and will likely have a wait. I think reading is the best portable hobby.
Hi Martha, yes, reading is the best portable hobby. Thanks for commenting. 😊