In less than three weeks, I will be flying across the Atlantic Ocean. That's a long flight, and the plane won't have screens on the backs of the seats (watching movies on planes is never satisfying anyway), so I will definitely need some reading material. Two main factors make the decision of what to bring rather tricky.
First, I need to own the book or books I choose to bring with me. I don't want to haul library books to a different continent and probably leave them behind by mistake.
Second, these hypothetical books need to be ones I won't get tired of reading in an hour or two. I am usually incapable of sleeping on planes, so I'll need something to do to spend the hours in the air. This rules out all nonfiction.
After some cogitation, I decided to bring Fredrik Backman's Beartown, which I haven't read yet but have been meaning to for years, and James Herriot's All Things Wise and Wonderful. I don't actually own Beartown, but Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors and I do reread his books (most of which I already own), so I didn't mind buying a used copy from Thriftbooks.
If I was going on a road trip, my choices would be entirely different. Even if I'm not driving, I can't read physical books in the car because I tend to get slightly queasy after twenty minutes or so. This leaves audiobooks. The thing is, I've found that I absolutely hate listening to fiction. Don't ask me why. For audiobooks, I much prefer nonfiction. My favorite audiobook I have ever listened to on a road trip is Cary Elwes' As You Wish, which is about the making of the 1987 The Princess Bride.
What book(s) would you bring on a plane or road trip and why? Do you have rules for what kind of books you bring when you travel, or do you prefer other means of entertainment? I'd love to know!
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