Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Choosing My Airplane Reading

These things must be done verrrry delicately!
-The Wicked Witch Of The West-

I'll be flying to the US in a few hours. It's a 14-hour trip, so I'll need something to read. This has been at the back of my mind for months, but when I woke up this morning, it was immediately and perfectly clear to me: The Summer Of '49 by David Halberstam would be the perfect read.

This book is about the pennant race that year between the Yankees and the Red Sox and the alleged rivalry between veteran Yankee Joe DiMaggio and that new kid for the Red Sox, Ted Williams. Paging through, it looks as if Halberstam also offers a lot of interesting research and insight about baseball in post-WWII America.

I'm hoping that the movies on the airplane aren't all shite, but in case they are, I'm prepared with another book -- I've packed Terrorist by John Updike. This was not planned. You see, I was supposed to be napping this afternoon, but I couldn't sleep and I thought a few pages of Updike's novel would relax me. Instead, I'm 70 pages in, totally by accident, and it's damn good. I can't wait a whole month to finish it, so into the backpack it went. Hell of a title for an airplane ride, but I'll try to be discreet. Actually, CanadaBoy won't be here for a while --he's my ride to the bus terminal -- so I've got time to whip up a book cover.

These two books should get me all the way to Chicago. Once there, I'm covered. There is a bookstore or two at O'Hare, so I'll browse for something to read during the three-hour layover and the subsequent one-hour flight to Kansas City.

This reminds me of another thing I love about my new book group! When I told them I'd be traveling, the first question out of everyone's mouth was: "Do you have something to read on the plane?" That's a true bookworm question if I ever heard one. Coupled with its immediacy, I think we can conclude that the members of Bookleaves are The Real Deal.

I'm not sure when I'll be blogging again. I got a lot of reading done during July, and I've got beaucoup reviews to share.

14 comments:

Tara said...

Have a good trip. I look forward to hearing your tales when you return.

kookie said...

Enjoy your trip, Bybee. My son Logan is taking a road trip to Kansas City on the 3rd with some of his friends. Wouldn't it be funny if your paths crossed? He'd never know he ran into one of his mom's friends. I'd laugh.

Sycorax Pine said...

Have a great trip, Bybee! I look forward to hearing about your airplane reading (and I too am very behind on blogging my July reading. And, um, my June reading.)...

John Mutford said...

Have a great trip and happy reading!

tanabata said...

Have a great time! And congrats on finding that book group- it sounds fabulous!

Melwyk said...

Safe travels! Can't wait to hear all your reports, both travels and catch-up reviews.

Annie the Superfast Reader said...

I just tagged you for the Blogging Tips meme. Hope you've enjoyed yoru trip!

http://superfastreader.com/blogging-tips-meme-little-grrl-lost-by-charles-de-lint.htm

Kelly said...

I look forward to reading your reviews when you get back.

Bookfool said...

Hope you have a terrific time! I came into the world in Kansas City, so it's close to my heart. I love the comment about your book group. :)

KHB said...

Hi! I hope you had a good trip. :)

I just wanted to let you know that Book Dragon was moving over to http://bookhblog.wordpress.com/ - I know I hate it when I link to someone, and they change their URL without letting me know, so I thought I'd drop you a line.

Anonymous said...

Heh, a book cover sounds like a necessary thing! :D And yes, having something to read on the plane is of utmost importance. Heck, if I'm just going to the doctor's office my husband double-checks that I have a book to read in the waiting room. ;)

MissMiller said...

Sounds like you were well-prepared. Hope the trip is great and you are in bookstore heaven.

MissMiller said...

Sounds like you were well-prepared. Hope the trip is great and you are in bookstore heaven.

Anonymous said...

Buying new books to read on the plane is always one of my favourite parts of travelling. On a recent trip to New Zealand, I managed to finish the 900 page epic that is "Shantaram" - I don't think I would've ever got around to reading it otherwise!

Anyway, hope you enjoy your trip (and your books as well).