What should I read on the plane?

[Courtesy Flush]

I have two very long plane trips coming up (round trip = two flights). I'm going to Europe, and I want to bring along a fun read. Nothing too heavy. Just light reading, and plenty of it.

Two examples of light reading that I loved are A Confederacy of Dunces and Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump is an under-read classic!)

Any suggestions?

[taterguy]

1. Almost any Carl Hiassen book

[terrya]

5. 2nd a vote for Carl Hiassen

Any of his books is very entertaining airplane reads. Hell, they're entertaining, period. No matter where you are.

[Courtesy Flush]

6. I've read a few. Good suggestion!

[NightWatcher]

2. I cant read on a plane, I get woosie

I drink a rum and diet coke, pull a hat over my eyes, and listen to Radiohead very quietly

[Deep13]

3. Something about surviving snake bites.

:evilgrin:

[1gobluedem]

4. Something from Bill Bryson

I always read his travel books on planes; they're easy to read, informative, and hilarious.

"Neither Here Nor There" is his book on Europe and "Notes from a Small Island" is his book on England. I'd recommend both and/or "In A Sunburned Country," his Australian book.

[bicentennial_baby]

11. 2nd this!

Also, his Appalachian Trail book! Even his history of American English language is awesome! I bought that when I was homesick in Paris :)

[seaglass]

7. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. It's a truly amazing

story - it's non-fiction, easy reading, well-written and you won't be able to put it down.

[Midlodemocrat]

8. Wally Lamb's I Know This Much is True.

I recommend it to everyone who asks me. It is a simply fabulous book.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. Snakes on a Plane

:evilgrin:

[datasuspect]

10. what should you not read might be a more pertinent question

-Field Ordnance and Pyrotechnics Guide

-Jihad. A New Pillar of Islam?

-10 Easy Steps to Effective Methamphetamine Manufacture

[Parche]

12. The best books out

[Courtesy Flush]

13. Yikes. I said light reading

Might be a good book, but I want a throwaway, fun vacation read.

I'll keep yours in mind for later.

[sakabatou]

14. When I went to Israel in 2000

I brought my gameboy and just played it for the whole trip.

[Courtesy Flush]

15. Not an option

First, I don't want to invest in anything expensive. Second, I don't play video games much, and third, I prefer books anyway.

[sakabatou]

19. Your call.

[seemunkee]

16. Something that takes place where you are going

A Movable Feast, A Year in the Merde, or anything by Colette if you are going to France/Paris

[philosophie_en_rose]

17. About a Boy or anything by Nick Hornby

Lighthearted, hilarious books (although there are some heavy topics)

[Taverner]

18. Freakonomics

I just read that on an OAK->DEN flight. Quick light reading.

[hippywife]

20. If you are female,

I would recommend Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you are male, I got no clue. Enjoy your trip! :hi:

[jmowreader]

21. If you have a laser printer handy...

print out a stack of NTSB reports on airliner crashes and put them in a three-ring binder.

[pokerfan]

22. Airframe by Michael Crichton

I read it flying cross-country a few years ago. One of the flight attendants saw me reading it and commented on how much she loved it.

The plot follows Casey Singleton, a quality assurance vice-president at the fictional aerospace manufacturer Norton Aircraft, as she investigates an in-flight accident aboard a Norton-manufactured airliner that leaves three passengers dead and fifty-six injured.

Several real-life incidents are also explored; the accident itself is closely modeled on a 1993 accident aboard a McDonnell-Douglas MD-11:

China Eastern flight 583 had an inadvertent deployment of the leading edge wing slats while in cruise flight. The autopilot disconnected, and the captain was manually controlling the airplane when it progressed through several violent pitch oscillations and lost 5,000 feet of altitude. The captain regained stabilized flight, declared an emergency because of passenger injuries, and diverted to the US Air Force Base, Shemya, Alaska. Two passengers were fatally injured, and 149 passengers and 7 crewmembers received various injuries. The airplane did not receive external structural damage, but the passenger cabin was substantially damaged.

[Zavulon]

23. Bring your laptop instead, start playing a game of your choice,

minimize a browser that you have handy to call up at a moment's notice, and when you get a nosy neighbor looking at your screen bring it up and click on this link, which you should already have in your address bar:

http://www.thecleverest.com/countdown.swf

Kidding aside, I really enjoy Sean Doolittle's books: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-6590521-9098559?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sean+doolittle&Go.x=8&Go.y=10