Travel Reading
I love a good book. There are so many wonderful books out there that no matter what your taste, there’s sure to be some wonderful new work at the local bookstore for you to experience. There are too many good books available for me to waste my time forcing myself to finish a bad one.
Except when I’m traveling. If I have to squeeze into an airplane seat between a fat man with gas and a little girl with a cold and no manners, I want to have SOMETHING to read. I don’t want War and Peace or A Brief History of Time. When I’m traveling all day, I don’t want a book that will challenge me. I just want a light read that will keep me entertained for the duration of my flight.
I don’t remember when or how it started. I’m sure it began with a simple case of realizing at the airport that I had forgotten to bring something to read. But I have developed a tradition of picking up a book at the airport bookstore on my way to and fro. I’ve discovered some really good new authors this way. I’ve also picked up some awful clunkers that weren’t even worth finishing.
The key to finding a good book for travel day is picking one with short chapters. I know that goes against everything you’ve come to learn about fine literary works. But on travel day you’ll be interrupted from your reading dozens of times. A light read with short chapters will help make the time go by without the frustration of finding yourself pulled in and out of the complex structure of a lengthy work.
Stepping out of your normal reading habits when you travel heightens the sense of novelty that comes with a voyage into unknown territories. It also makes you appreciate your favorite author and an uninterrupted read in a comfortable chair all the more when you get home.
