Friday, July 21, 2006

Give Me A Ticket For An Aeroplane...




Okay, I've already got the ticket for the aeroplane. Now here's the hard part: What books am I going to take with me to read on the eleven-hour flight and during my layovers in Tokoyo and Chicago?

I'm thinking small and skinny. I've been saving back some books. Here are the most likely suspects to make the journey with me:

1. THE STRANGER - Albert Camus
2. 21 STORIES - Graham Greene
3. PASSING - Nella Larsen
4. NEVER CRY WOLF - Farley Mowat
5. SHOGUN - James Clavell (okay, it's not small and skinny, but it's an epic story, and Clavell is a great storyteller. Plus, I am passing through Japan, even if it is just the Tokoyo airport and airport-hotel!)
6. THE POET AND THE MURDERER - Simon Worrall
7. Several true-crime books by Ann Rule
8. THE SEA - John Banville

Sigh. So far, nothing feels right. Oh crap -- am I going into one of my rare persnickety moods about reading material? Maybe I should put them all in my backpack, just in case!

Actually, I only have to worry about getting to Chicago. There's a nice bookshop at O'Hare, and I could buy something for my last layover and the short trip to Kansas City.

(At times like these, travel can seem so stressful, she thought wryly.)

4 comments:

Les said...

This is always such a problem for me! I never stress about what clothes to pack, but when it comes down to titles and quantity of books, I feel on the verge of panic. What if I don't pack enough and run out of reading material? What if the books I choose to take in my carry-on bag don't grab my attention? I, too, am about to head out of town and have been walking around the house, piling up books for the short 5 day vacation. Hope you're having better luck than I am!

Anonymous said...

Ah, the curse of bibliophiles everywhere - what books to pack on holiday!

I've heard great things about 'The Sea' so I would definitely include that one. Another slim volume that I recently read is 'When the Emperor Was Divine' - a look at one family's experience with the US Japanese-American internment camps during WWII. Another good, quick read: 'Into the Wild' by Jon Krakauer.

Pack 'em all - you never know what kind of reading mood you'll be in!

Anonymous said...

Go and grab The 47 Ronin Story by John Allyn. Great read that is quick and fun.

Casey said...

America's president just spent the weekend reading Camus:

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/11/060811231406.rsxjfr54.html

Weird.