DJ_Lewis Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Hello everyone, I am new here but you seem like a friendly bunch so I look forward to your recommendations on this little question. I am going on a long journey, 12 hours by plane, 3 days by train and am travelling light so, what 2 books should I take with me on this leg of my travels? I tend to read good modern fiction, Booker lists etc etc. Many thanks David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Hi David, and welcome to the forum! I'd say your choices would have to depend on what kind of things you usually like reading. If you're only going to take two, I'd make sure they were ones you are pretty much assured to enjoy, and also that they're quite thick, so you don't run out of reading material while you're travelling. Personally, I usually take a selection of about half a dozen average-sized books away with me when I'm travelling any distance, and keep at least three in my rather large handbag, so that I cah change my mind depending on my mood. I also try to take different kinds of books with me. For example, when I went away in the summer, the books I took with me included: Anne of Green Gables by L M Montogmery; Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See; Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde; The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards; Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; and also an iPod stocked with audio books (at the time, I was listening to Mansfield Park by Jane Austen); So, six very different books there to ammuse me in my travels, only one of which I didn't enjoy much (Half of a Yellow Sun - I just couldn't get into that one at all). Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy your choices and have an excellent trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Welcome to the forum. For a long journey I would definitely take The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Such an amazing book. I'd also take 'Macbeth' and the accompanying York Notes! I'll let someone else have a go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Ken Follet's Night Over Water and Shirley Conran's Savages are particularly good reads over long haul flights and to continue on holidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 ... Shirley Conran's Savages are particularly good reads over long haul flights and to continue on holidays. ooh, I can heartily agree with that one - a fantastic read! Definitely one you'd want with you if there was ever any chance of you being stuck on an island too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 The Poisonwood Bible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aromaannie Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Shirley Conran's Savages are particularly good reads over long haul flights and to continue on holidays. ooh, I can heartily agree with that one - a fantastic read! Definitely one you'd want with you if there was ever any chance of you being stuck on an island too! Yep I completley agree too - great book:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 You could always try The Stand - Stephen King, which I'm told is the third longest book. War and Peace is the penultimate longest...anyone know what the longest book is? Welcome to the forum. Have a good trip and let us know what you took, and what you read. Pp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Lewis Posted December 25, 2007 Author Share Posted December 25, 2007 Thank you all for your suggestions.....and Happy Christmas everyone! I have some great new ideas to research, thanks for that. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Another book oddly suitable for a journey is Desmond Bagley's thriller High Citadel. Surprising that it was never made into a film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Lewis Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 Hi Oblomov, and thanks again. I see you live not far from me, I am near Marlborough. Do you know of any reading groups which meet near here? I have tried online but can't find any. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Hi Oblomov, and thanks again.I see you live not far from me, I am near Marlborough. Do you know of any reading groups which meet near here? I have tried online but can't find any. David Sorry, can't help you with that. Try Googling or check in the local library? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Long journeys need longish books to last the journey, but ones with good narrative drive to keep you occupied, and also not too heavy going - they have to actually be relatively light, I find, otherwise it's too easy to get distracted, look out of the window, or fall asleep - Thomas Pynchon or James Joyce are bad travelling companions, for example. I am currently reading JG Farrell's The Singapore Grip which would fit the bill nicely; I'd always recommend David Mitchell's books, but they fit the criteria well, too. But I've read so much while travelling that it's almost impossible to choose. I do, often, like reading books based around the areas I'm travelling - perhaps that's a good place to start looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 If you haven't left yet or plan to travel again. Tale of Two Cities, Anything by Michael Connolly (Crime), Rebecca by Du Maurier, The Annasi Boys by Neil Gaiman. There's a variety there so you can put it down if you aren't compelled to go on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Long journeys need longish books to last the journey, but ones with good narrative drive to keep you occupied, and also not too heavy going - they have to actually be relatively light, I find, otherwise it's too easy to get distracted, look out of the window, or fall asleep . Excellently put and I agree 100%. If you try reading Victor Hugo's Les Miserables on a plane, you are more than likely to try and jump out of it (the plane, I mean). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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