Thursday, June 24, 2010

I Believe I Can Fly...


...as soon as I've chosen my books for the 14+ hour airplane trip!

Everything else has been packed since last night, even though I don't leave until Sunday afternoon. It always comes down to the books, doesn't it? I've got 2 picked out for sure, but am plagued with indecision about the others:

Definitely
1. Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles - Simon Winchester. I've been saving this up like a piece of candy. Shanna described the first chapter, which is Winchester's visit to Jeju Island, the number one honeymoon site for Koreans, and I could hardly stop laughing. Also, it's fun to read about journeys while on a journey.

2. Kon-Tiki - Thor Heyerdahl. Jeane read this one a while back and I was inspired by her review to run right out and buy it. Then it sat on my shelf for a while, but this last semester we had a short reading in the English Conversation book based on Heyerdahl's adventure which reminded me that it would be perfect travel reading.


Maybe
1. Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri. I should work on reading more from my lovely Pulitzer collection. I'm pretty sure I'll be adding to it during my vacation.

2. Tinkers - Paul Harding. Usually I read the new Pulitzer on the block as soon as I find it. Don't know why I'm dragging my feet this time. Maybe we just need some quality airplane time.

3. To Serve Them All My Days - R.F. Delderfield. Bookfool gave me this one, and it looks as scrumptious as I envisioned. But do I want to tote a Chunkster along with my other selections?

4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski. Jill from my BOOKLEAVES book group loaned this one to me months ago and I've been hankering to read it, but yeah, another Chunkster.

5. Bang The Drum Slowly - Mark Harris. I've got football fever, watching World Cup night after night after night. What better way to cool my blood and cleanse my palette than with a classic novel about baseball? Here's a bonus: No vuvuzelas!
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My decision seems even more crucial this time because I have a premonition that my luck has finally run out and I'm going to be cruising in the middle seat with strangers on either side of me during this journey. I need reading that will make me forget my plight. All of the above are strong contenders, but which will go and which will stay? Luckily, The Spawn is showing up this weekend (I presume to either bid me fond farewell or borrow my DVD player while I'm gone) so I may have him pull a title or two out of my St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap.
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I'm out of Blogland until late July, so happy reading and have a great summer.

13 comments:

B said...

I hope you have a wonderful trip and a flight that isn't terrible :) I look forward to hearing your thoughts on what you've read when you return.

Anonymous said...

Happy travels! Sorry I can't help with the book dilemna, but I've only read Edgar Sawtelle. And that's a hefty book to be lugging around.

Jenny said...

Whenever I am packing books for a flight, I tend to forget all the hauling around of them I will have to do. Then I get tired of them and begin to loathe them. I recommend leaving Sawtelle and bringing something slightly smaller. You can always gaze out the window with dreamy eyes if you run out of books.

Have a great trip!

Unruly Reader said...

Bybee,
Will miss your posts while you're away, but look forward to hearing the results of your travel reading upon your return!
Safe travels --

Anonymous said...

Hope you have a wonderful time!

Unapologetically Mundane said...

My roommate just gave me a collection of Pulitzer-winners for my Kindle, so I'm right there with you on Jhumpa.

Bookfool said...

I've been away, myself, so I missed the fact that you were leaving. I hope your flights have been decent and your reading is marvelous! Dial-up sucks.

Jodie said...

Hope you avoided the middle seat and had a wonderful time.

Sycorax Pine said...

I have had Simon Winchester's Korea on my shelf for some time, so I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it. And "Interpreter of Maladies" is phenomenal, although it had that quality that really excellent short stories often have for me - they are so finely and subtly and minutely crafted that it is impossible to put your finger on exactly what it is that makes them great.

Happy travels! Here's hoping for an aisle seat...

Sarah said...

And this is when I start thinking that having an e-reader makes a bit of sense, don't you? Because you could "pack" all these wonderful books plus dozens of others, and make the tough decision on route. As much sense as this makes, though, I still don't think I'm going to buy one....:)

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Eva said...

I hope your vacation's going wonderfully! :D

Susan said...

Miss you! I hope you're having a fabulous trip, book-twin. And if you're like me, you've been picking up books while you're away......am very anxious to find out about your trip, and what you've managed to read! lol