I rarely read anything more plotful than the Crate and Barrel catalog anymore.
I mean in print. I read a number of blogs. But those are not airplanishly portable.
Yes. I'm going on an airplane. On Saturday. All by myself. But more on that in a moment.
So, with the reading. It tends to be pointless to start a book when I know that the inbetweens will be so long I'll have to start it over to refresh my memory. And my New Yorker subscription went the way of the mornings where you roll out of bed just in time to put on a cute dress and makeup for brunch.
I did, however, just finish I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley. I really enjoyed it. My high school friend Nicole introduced me to her writing, and her stories are short and fun, in manageable babynap or metro ride sized chunks.
Actually, Nicole suggested her new book, but when I went to buy it, the store didn't have it, so I bought that one instead. And the new one is hardback, which I am not buying for travel.
And here is what I'm leading up to: Have you read anything light and easy and fun lately? Something that would be perfect for a plan ride and/or an evening or two? I would love some suggestions.
Because here is the thing. I am flying to LA for work. I would mention the fact that I'm going to sleep all by myself in a hotel room for four nights all by myself but that might sound like I'm gloating all by myself, so I'll just keep that to myself. All by myself.
Heh.
And by that of course I mean that I'm going to miss my husband and my baby terribly. All by myself.
I'm even going to see California Jane while I'm there. Ohhh, fun!
I mean, in a missing my family terribly every moment kind of way.
So, I could buy magazines for the plane, but it's so much more fun (and so much easier to keep your mind off certain or even just likely death) if you can get lost in a delicious book.
The Twilights would be perfect. But alas, I've read them.
It needs to be paperback, and easy to dive into. Also, nothing that will make me cry. I hate crying in public.
Anything you've loved lately?
if you like twilight why not read The Host ? Same author, better book.
ReplyDeleteCity of Thieves by David Benioff. It is conveniently paperback, and unbelievably readable.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. It's trashy. Like take Nora Roberts, make it more erotic and trashy, and throw in vampires, shapeshifters, and necromancers.
ReplyDeleteI also got Hunger Games, but haven't started reading that one yet. It sounds kind of heavy, but I've heard great things about them.
You *might* enjoy Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" series - filled with lots of literary puns, excellent light reading for booknerds.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the Ken Follet books, which are likely long enough to last a 6-hour flight. A little more dense than Twilight, but not terribly taxing.
David Sedaris! "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" is his newest.
ReplyDeleteHave you read David Sedaris? Hilarious short stories and essays, along the same line of I Was Told There'd Be Cake (only way funnier in my opinion... I wasn't a fan of that book). They are a pretty quick read, so you may need two of them depending on how much sleeping you do on cross-country flights.
ReplyDeleteHow about some chick lit? Have you read Emily Giffin's books? It's series, but the books can be read apart with no issues. Start with the first one, Something Borrowed. Light reading, chick lit, so fun!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I also heard that Chelsea Handler books are HILARIOUS. I haven't read it yet, but it's my next book to read!
ReplyDeletea of all i read I Was Told There'd be Cake 2 years ago and thought she was SO hilar. love her, and love stories set in NYC
ReplyDeleteb of all, i also REFUSE to read things that will make me cry
c of all, i would rec any Chelsea Handler books for short essay type stuff, and for light (but still smart) chick lit i would rec Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella, Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews, Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James, or Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl (this is considered a romance novel, be warned)
Sookie Stackhouse series! Trashy, easy to pick up and put down, and very portable!
ReplyDeleteread the #1 ladies detective agency series ... it is so awesome. but then again you live state side and may have seen the show on HBO. Just my 80 paise for you !
ReplyDeleteThis is going to sound silly, but it's not. I'd recommend "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. It's the story of a boy named Nobody Owens who's raised by ghosts in a cemetery. A friend gave it to me and I really enjoyed it. It's a great read for a plane and will probably last through a four-day trip (but not a three-hour tour).
ReplyDeleteI second Texpatriate. When Engulfed in Flames was good and if you've never read it, so was David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day. I also loved Sh*t My Dad Says. Forget crying in public, I was laughing out loud on the plane! It's by Justin Halpern
ReplyDeleteThe Hunger Games. They're technically a young adult novel (trilogy actually, 3rd book coming out end of August) but AMAZING and well written. I devoured the first two in a couple of hours each.
ReplyDeleteHave you read amything by Bill Bryson? He's a travel writer, and very funny.
ReplyDeleteI'm just finishing up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. If you like crime drama type novels, this is a good one!
ReplyDeletedefinitely agree with the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...also recommend Keri Arthur's Riley Jenson Gaurdian Series it's a good vamp/werewolf read...have fun in LA!
ReplyDeleteAgree with Anonymous, Sh*t My Dad Says is hilarious, although I did laugh so hard I cried a couple of times.
ReplyDeleteI remember those days of being by myself when being alone was a total act of rare subversion. "You're going to the bathroom without me?" came the child's whine through the door.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your trip. Go with David Sedaris.
Can You keep a secret, by Sophie Kinsella
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Sedaris comments, but you are better off downloading a few of his NPR performances. As much as I enjoy reading him, *hearing* him relay his stories is so much better.
ReplyDeleteThe best book I've read this year is called The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I can't sing its praises enough. And The Art of Racing In The Rain is also phenom.
Too bad I have a Kindle now, or we'd be having another one of our Book Exchange Happy Hours.
That said, you can totally borrow my Kindle for your trip. I've got Sedaris, Stockett, and a few nifty others. Let me know! I'm working Saturday morning in Dupont (9am) and will be stopping by my bar early evening Friday for about an hour. I can drop it off at yours, if you want it.
One Day. Very easy to read and addictive.
ReplyDeleteYou might also try Marian Keyes. Her books are great and generally not too heavy...perfect for a plane ride. (But not Anybody Out There; best saved for a time when you don't mind a tear or two!)
ReplyDeleteI read so many books and can never remember the Authors.
ReplyDeleteThe girl with the dragon Tatto is goo as is the sequel the girl who played with fire. Marion Keyes is great for a laugh, Rachels holday is kinda funny and last chance saloon.
The city of glass, city of angels, and city of...(Cant remember, maybe fire??) trilogy, cant remember the author is good in a twilighty teen sort of way easy reading and very enjoyable. The guy who does that brit car programme Top Gear , Jeremy "someone or other" is a bloody hilarious read. Clarkson, thats him Jeremy Clarkson. :-)
Thanks to all your readers who have just provided me with a list of reading for the next few months. Maybe you should do a post on getting us to list our best ever book. Have a great trip all by yourself and enjoy that peace and quiet all by yourself, and the having to feed only you, all by yourself. :)
If you're into crime thrillers, you can't go wrong with Michael Connelly novels. The Concrete Blonde, The Poet, The Narrows, and The Lincoln Lawyer are all awesome.
ReplyDeleteIf you liked Twilight, you might like the Pretty Little Liars series. It's totally young adult/teen fiction, so an easy read and insanely addicting. Not very deep, of course. I also recently read a book called The Forgotten Garden (Kate Morton), which looks scary because it's 600 pages, but I read it in two days and it is WONDERFUL. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is another easy read, but you might cry, I guess. Depends on how empathetic you are.
ReplyDeleteYay California! I used to live in LA and somehow end up there about three weekends a month.
The Sookie Stackhouse novels are easy reads and mostly cheap - as long as you're not buying the new ones.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, David Sedaris if you haven't read them all. My favorites are When You Are Engulfed in Flames and Me Talk Pretty One Day.
I'm reading the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin right now and ... eh. I started off loving it but I'm loving it less now. And it's in hardback. So this really doesn't answer your question at all. Last week I read 4 delicious mystery novels (2 Kathy Reichs and 2 Patricia Cornwell) but I don't recommend doing that unless you want to think everyone is trying to murder you. I'm really no help at all. Have you read the Steig Larsson (I'm unsure on the spelling of both his names) trilogy? It's not really light plane reading but I really enjoyed all three books.
ReplyDeleteOh! I thought of one. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It had me crying by page 8 but that was more of a "this hits too close to home" scenario than a "this book is so good I WEEP" scenario. It was an easy, entertaining read about a not-so-easy subject and when I finished I was completely satisfied. It is a perfect airplane read.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of Jen Lancaster. I have read all of her books and found myself laughing audibly on planes, in the middle of NBA playoffs, on the train, etc. Her first book is "Bitter is The New Black." Each book is her life and her humor. Love her so much that I read her blog almost daily. All of her books are available in paperback except the most recent. Other book titles are "Bright Lights Big Ass," "Such A Pretty Fat," "Pretty in Plaid," and the newest, "My Fair Lazy."
ReplyDeleteAnd just my two cents, the Larsson series is good, but not light hearted and it took me 300 pages into the first one for it to "grab" me. Not a plane read :)
"Lost on Planet China" by J. Maarten Troost. Or his other books, "Sex Lives of Cannibals" or "getting Stoned with Savages" Although you have probably traveled far more than I have so maybe not.
ReplyDeleteI like to read fun things when I'm traveling, nothing too heavy. Love Jennifer Crusie for fun, smart easy reads. Jen Lancaster is good, too, and you won't worry about not reading it all at once. Just finished Meg Cabot's Insatiable - she's a great YA author [The Princess Diaries series] who also writes adult fiction.
ReplyDeleteHands down, one of my favorite, most brilliantly written, books is Mil Millington's Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About. Seriously. Cannot stress enough how great this book is.
For brain candy, try Hester Browne's Little Lady Agency series... total fun fluff, all in paperback. http://www.amazon.com/Little-Lady-Agency-Hester-Browne/dp/1416514929
ReplyDeleteI know I commented already, but I TOTALLY agree with anyone who said Hunger Games. VERY good, am counting down the days til the 3rd book comes out.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought you wanted fluff, so I didn't suggest The Help, Still Alice, Book of Negros, We need to talk about Kevin, Lovely Bones, Hitchhikers Guide, I Don't Know How She Does It, Water for Elephants, Hannah's Dream, Getting Rid of Matthew, Smashed, Twenties Girl, Sleepwalking in daylight, or Animal Farm, all of which are my most favourite books ever.
Some Canadian suggestions:
ReplyDeleteYou would love "A complicated kindness" by Miriam Toews. Order it if you have to.
CBC's (the NPR of Canada) Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean. They are all interconnected short stories, sometimes a bit too sappy but still good to read (or download). I personally like reading them better.
Marissa
Oooohhh four nights all by yourself? Wow, lucky fish!
ReplyDeleteI second Bill Bryson and Marian Keyes. Good for planes. Easy to read. And someone said the No.1 Ladies detective series. In fact anything by Alexander Mcall Smith I like. 44 Scotland St. Very quick easy reads. Maeve Binchy is also easy light reading. Whitethorn Woods I enjoyed.
I also love Ben Elton and Kate Atkinson
Have you read Don't lets go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexander Fuller? Maybe not for this trip but sometime down the line.
Have fun!
"A Bad Day for Sorry" and "A Bad Day for Pretty" by Sophie Littlefield. Sort of like chick lit meets Missouri meets crime/mystery.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your trip, mama!
Light books aren't my forte' but I did find the Twilight series to be a guilty pleasure last summer. That said, if you haven't already read Wicked, I'd recommend that as a new take on The Wizard of Oz. I read that there is a silly remake of Jane Eyre called "Jane Slayer" - I think it's some sort of vampire spoof on the Victorian classic but I haven't read it yet.
ReplyDeleteThe best books that I read recently were "The Help," "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (sp?)," and "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." The latter is non-fiction, very interesting, and can be read quickly but it is not light. "The Help" isn't fluff but it probably won't make you cry. I can't say the same for the Potato Peel Pie Society but that one is also so sweet and the characters will stay with you for a minute. Not sure if they're in paperback yet.
if you're thinking about the Bill Bryson rec, i'd say pick up A Walk in the Woods - short-ish and very funny.
ReplyDeletealso, along the lines of Sedaris is David Rakoff - Don't Get Too Comfortable is a collection funny, engaging short stories.
happy travels!!
For travel friendly books, I suggest the Stephanie Plum serie from Janet Evanovich. The only problem is the risk of not be able to stop laughing.
ReplyDeleteGaL
Born to Run. I can't tell you how much I love this book. It's why I took up running and will persist. And it draws you in.
ReplyDeleteThe Memory Keeper's Daughter. I finished that one yesterday. Twilight Children. I gave that one to Cowgirl. My Horizontal Life is hilarious. If you ever need book suggestions, I'm your woman. I'm a reader, reader, reader. So is Cowgirl.