best books to read while traveling?

[Jess]

hello go fug fans. I have several longish plane rides coming up (and probably a bunch of short ones, work travel), and I need some reading recommendations! What are some good books (recent?) that you can easily pick up and put down without having to go back to remember who characters are or complicated plot points? Right now i have a bunch of lengthy bios on my kindle, but I feel like they need too much concentration. Any suggestions?? thanks!!

[Amy]

I just finished "Luckiest Girl Alive," by Jessica Knoll. Since I primarily read it on my Kindle in waiting rooms, etc., I'd say it's along the lines of what you are looking for. Plus, I enjoyed it! Happy trails!

[Bonnie G.]

if you are looking for serious and heartbreaking reading I recommend Redeployment wholeheartedly. Short stories are great for travel. I read Portnoy's Complainton a flight years ago and laughed so hard and long that my seat mate moved and I got to lay down. I am also a big fan of romance when I fly. It's super engaging and fun, and takes very little brainpower. If you like the genre, I recommend anything by Elizabeth Hoyt (I am currently on the Maiden Lane Series and loving that), Tessa Dare (the Castles Ever After series) or Maya Banks. Jami Alden and Celeste Bradley can also be fun, but more hit and miss than the others.

[Barbara]

I agree, short stories are the way to go. Ruth Rendell does a couple of excellent volumes of them if you like thrillers etc.

[Danielle]

I always recommend David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary and The Realm of Possibility as commuting books because they're bite-sized, particularly Lover's Dictionary, which is the story of a relationship told in the style of dictionary entries, i.e:

exacerbate, v.- I believe your exact words were: "You're getting too emotional.”

Not all the entries are that short but I don't think the longest is more than a page.

Attachments might also work for you, and is just great in general. How To Be a Heroine is a memoir where the author reflects on the books she loved as a girl and how each one shaped her. Each chapter is a different heroine so you could easily pick it up and put it down

[Brooke]

I used to travel quite a lot for work, both overseas and domestically. Most of this was pre-Kindle ownership, so I would travel with 3-4 books in my bag, depending on the length of my trip. Ugh! Anyway, I would usually read mystery novels like those by Sandra Brown or Harlen Coben. They are entertaining and keep you engaged, but not so complicated that you have to keep notes or go back and reference earlier chapters if it is a while between the times you pick up the book.

[Emma]

Brooke wrote: "I would usually read mystery novels like those by Sandra Brown or Harlen Coben."

I second the light mystery novels, I just had two 4-hour flights and read a JD Robb and an old Janet Evanovich.

[Margaret]

Dear Committee Member may be what you're looking for. It's a collection of letters written by a professor--funny and yet heartfelt at the same time.

[Third March Sister]

Jess wrote: "hello go fug fans. I have several longish plane rides coming up (and probably a bunch of short ones, work travel), and I need some reading recommendations! What are some good books (recent?) that y..."

In Romance, I'd recommend Joanna Bourne's Napoleonic Wars spy series. In Fantasy, I'd recommend Terry Pratchett's Discworld books because they're so fun and funny. The Tiffany Aching series he did will conclude this September with his final Discworld novel, I think it's called The Shepherd's Crown. The first one is called The Wee Free Men. Also, he did one about females in a military regiment that's called Monstrous Regiment.
If you're a Clueless movie fan, there's a new book all about the film called As If! Speaking (sort of) of Jane Austen, a redo of Pride and Prejudice called The Secret Diaries of Lizzie Bennett is an easy fun read, and has vlog entries for each of the diary entries in the book (see YouTube, etc.).

[Ann]

Good question! I actually just published a road trip type book, Life After Joe - one that follows a young widow dealing with the loss of her husband as she drives around the country. The story is written such that you can follow the overall story without needing a lot of investment from chapter to chapter.

[Pamela]

Jess wrote: "hello go fug fans. I have several longish plane rides coming up (and probably a bunch of short ones, work travel), and I need some reading recommendations! What are some good books (recent?) that y..."

That's funny- when I have log flights, I like really engrossing, detailed books that suck me in and I can ignore the flight. On a flight home from Scotland with a long layover in Heathrow, I spent the whole day reading One Day- it was a perfect way to lose oneself. Oddly, same thing with a book about the plague on a CA trip a few years ago.

I normally try to match my travel reading with where I am- either writers from where I'm visiting or about it.

[Renee]

I like Phillipa Gregory novels while flying (just finished The White Queen) because they pull you in (so the flight doesn't seem as long) but you can also start/stop, and catch back up pretty quickly.

[Bonnie G.]

Resurrecting this thread which has been dormant since August! Many of us will be travelling in the next month, so it seemed a good time to get some new suggestions going.

I try not to read heavy things while on vacation, so these are all fun reads, and all books I have listened to the audio and approve that as well (though I have read a couple in print too.)

If you are looking for a fun book, I absolutely recommend I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend. If you like audio, this one was super, and it would be good for car rides as it will appeal to most people, teens to seniors.

If you are into memoir, love rock music, and have not read Life you should. (Read and listened to audio).

Another great audiobook for those who like mysteries is The Nature of the Beast. I'm sure its great in print too, but I really liked the reader (who is Tony from Downton Abbey.)

David Sedaris makes me laugh like a madwoman, and my favorite is When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I prefer Sedaris on audio. (Read and listened to audio)

One of my all time favorite books, and the best satire ever Catch-22. (Read and listened to audio.)

[Frances]

Hi all! If you're looking for a riveting audiobook, Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman––read by Lenny Henry––is brilliant! I also enjoyed reading it myself a few years later, which was fun because I "heard" it in Henry's wonderful voice. American Gods (an earlier book that takes place in the same world) is fantastic as well, though I haven't listened to it on audio.

[Bonnie G.]

Frances wrote: "Hi all! If you're looking for a riveting audiobook, Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman––read by Lenny Henry––is brilliant! I also enjoyed reading it myself a few years later, which was fun because I "heard..."

I absolutely LOVED the audio of Anansi Boys. Talk about a perfect match of book and reader.

[Pamela]

Bonnie wrote: "Frances wrote: "Hi all! If you're looking for a riveting audiobook, Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman––read by Lenny Henry––is brilliant! I also enjoyed reading it myself a few years later, which was fun ..."

Thank you both for that recommendation! What a fun read- I will admit I laughed out loud every time he discussed the mother in law. I liked American Gods well enough, but really loved this one!

[Bonnie G.]

Pamela wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Frances wrote: "Hi all! If you're looking for a riveting audiobook, Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman––read by Lenny Henry––is brilliant! I also enjoyed reading it myself a few years later,..."

So glad. I tend to read a lot of dark stuff, and it was such fun to laugh and laugh as I read this book.

[Pamela]

Bonnie wrote: "I tend to read a lot of dark stuff, and it was such fun to laugh and laugh as I read this book. "

I rarely laugh out loud when listening to audio books, so that made it fun! Great recommendation!

I'm now starting As You Wish- the audio book about the making of the Princess Bride. I hope it's good!