In about 7 hours I will be on my way to Pennsylvania to see the folks, the sibling, and her brood. I am incredibly excited, although not so much about the red eye flight with two layovers.
I once read that Connie Chung can fall asleep anywhere - like, in a warzone, in a helicopter, you name it. I cannot even fall asleep on the couch, much less an airplane. As a result, when I fly, I stock up big time. My reading for this trip includes:
A Very Long Engagement by Sebastien Japrisot
L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy
Anne Sexton: A Biography by Diane W. Middlebrook
Cotton Comes To Harlem by Chester Himes
And for when I need a break, I also have the new issues of Glamour, Vanity Fair, Harp, and Premiere.
A good book can make five hours in an airplane seem like an evening at the movies. One time, reading Little Women and another time reading Revenge by Stephen Fry (a modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo), I didn't even notice when the plane landed.
What are your favorite airplane books?
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3 comments:
Hi Mary!
This reminded me of reading on my trip to Puerto Rico last January. I was reading Laurie King's "Justice Hall" (one of my favs of the series- although they are really all my favorites) and I was sitting right over the wing of the airplane so I had no view of the ground/sky. I missed both the take-off and the landing b/c I was so wrapped up in the book. Not knowing the plane was in the air, I got up and felt that strange in-the-air-feeling while walking to the bathroom and was instantly ushered back to my seat by the steward. I couldn't believe we were actually in the air and that I had totally missed the whole thing.
I like reading lighter nonfiction when I'm flying. Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour got me through some rough flights. Michael Ruhlman's series on chefs (The Soul of a Chef, The Making of a Chef) helped me survive feeling barfy all the way to San Francisco.
I save fiction for my bed.
I allow myself to read all the trashy fashion magazines I want when I'm flying. This was more of a luxury before I started letting myself read all the trashy fashion magazines I want at baseball games, when visiting a friend who might also enjoy them, and on weekends and paydays. And also some other times, too, for no good reason.
When I take books, my main criterion is that they not be heavy. I don't have a "type" of book I like to take on planes.
I have, however, finally mastered the art of sleeping on a plane. I'm often asleep before we take off and am woken by the "thump" of landing. Those are the best flights. This has cut down on my reading quite a lot.
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