I guess I should not have been shy about suggesting Harry Potter...BTW you can preorder the 4th one which is to be published July 8.... Amen amen to Beach Music. Another suggestion I haven't seen here is The Flanders Panel--art, history, chess, murder mystery--by Arturo Perez-Reverte...WOW! Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone.

If you try to find A Soldier of the Great War on bn.com or amazon, use the proper spelling for the author's last name-- not mine or some others'incorrect ones. Mark HELPRIN. Available at bn.com for $12 or $6.39 for the mass market paperback. The $12 version is nicer, but still pb. And no, I am not his agent. :)

I may have missed it but I didn't see "MISTS OF AVALON". If you have any interest is the story of King Arthur, Avalon and the Lady of the Lake, this book is a must.

My recommendations have already been voiced but I will second, third and fourth them! <BR> <BR>Harry Potter is excellent and I wait with baited breath for the next one. I have never been embarassed to read them and sit quite happily on the tube on the way to work reading whatever I fancy. I figure why should I be embarassed of what I read when others enjoy trash like the News of the World!!! <BR> <BR>Also read Captain Corelli's Mandolin (Berniere) after several friends told me I should and one bought it for my bday last autumn. Couldnt get into it for first several chapters but glad I persevered - it becomes a beautiful tale. <BR> <BR>Also loved Memoirs of a Geisha, very very good. <BR> <BR>Would like to recommend Elizabeth George books, I also enjoy Dean Koontz (spell?) and Colin Dexter and some of Tom Clancy's stuff... <BR> <BR>My main recommendation would have to be Lord of the Rings. <BR> <BR>Even if you dont usually like sci fi or fantasy you should look at this. I know so many friends who usually read nothing but crime or murder etc and they have loved this. <BR> <BR>You can buy all three volumes in one thick paperback... <BR> <BR>Try it... it's one of the best works of fiction of the 20th Century according to polls last year in the UK... <BR> <BR>Kavey

Al, I get asked that a lot, especially at Halloween. Actually, I'm more closely related to Don Giovanni and Ferdinand I. <BR> <BR>So I thought of three more authors that keep me glued to a book: <BR> <BR>Anya Seton - incredible historical novels (and she got me hooked on gothic romances) <BR> <BR>P.D. James - Dalgleish and the descriptions of London <BR> <BR>Mary Stewart - historical novels, less intense than Seton

Oaul- <BR> <BR>You just missed it, Mists of Avalon was recommended a couple of times. However, I would recommend it with one caveat, which is that even the paperback is a very large book, not really suitable (for me at least) for traveling. My copy is about 9 or 10 inches tall, as well as thick. Most of the other books I've seen recommended here tend to come in a more "normal" size, even if they are long.

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Another book I would have recommended highly, but for the fact that I don't think it's out in paperback yet: Plainsong, by Kent Haruf. A wonderful, absorbing portrait of several characters living in a small town in the American west, who seem to have nothing to do with each other, but by the end of the book their lives are completely intertwined. I loved this book and couldn't put it down. <BR>Other fiction I read recently and loved: Amy and Isabelle, and A Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing.

Gina: <BR> I would like to recommend "Homestead" by Rosini Lippi . It is set in a small village in Eastern Austria during World War 2 - an isolated village and the impact of a major historic event on it - and it's endearing inhabitants. Give it a try.

I have to agree about Harry Potter. I bought the first one just to see what all the press was about and enjoyed it. Will probably read the others. A good airplane series is the Harry Borsch detective series written by Michael Connelly. Concrete Blonde, Black Echo, Angels' Flight, etc. Herman Wouk's Winds of War and War and Remembrance are both outstanding, especially if read back to back. Forget the old TV mini series and read the books. Also, John Katzenbach's "Hart's War" about a prisioner of war camp in WWII was enjoyable.

Good one Bob. I wanted to second his recommendation for Herman Wouk. I read War and Remembrance many many years ago before the movie came out. It fits your criteria very well, Gina. The books are long, there is a lot of history together with a lot of fiction,and it is hard to put the book down.

What a great post! I printed it out, took it to the bookstore and settled on Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" For the past 4 days I haven't been able to put it down. Can't wait to finish so that I can try some of the other recommendations.

Hi, <BR> <BR>Thanks to the person who suggested the link to the "Top 100" books of the century. I will take this to the bookstore, when I finish the 40 other books I have impulse bought and not yet had time to read... ;-) <BR> <BR>I have to say, I consider myself a well read person (and I am not just saying that - I have the degrees to prove it, OK, one is a law degree which does not count) but of that list - I think I have read only 10 or so! I did considerably better on the "readers top 100" and the "Radcliffe top 100". <BR> <BR>has anyone fared the same? or am I maybe too young to have read half of those things in school? (or am I just a dummy?) <BR> <BR>anyway, I wanted to see this marvelous thread back up near the top again - whee! here we go! <BR> <BR>Beth

Looks like your bag will be heavy with books! I am also looking to this thread for ideas for my trip in June....haven't even figured out what clothes to wear, but already thinking of one great book to bring!! <BR>I have to second" The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver (or any of her books, but this is by far the best). Note: A bit difficult to get through the beginning--but keep going, it's breathtaking. <BR>Depending on your tastes, anything by Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale is my personal favorite) or Isabelle Allende (Eva Luna, House of the Spirits...). <BR>But, enough of the intellectual stuff... <BR>I also second the suggestion of "Outlander" by D. Gabaldon. Not my usual interest, but it was a page-turner, lots of fun. <BR>Also, if you decide on the Henry Potter route--SO glad to hear other adults "confess" to reading juvenile literature!--I'd also suggest Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife....great adventure, led by a feisty girl hero, and real cliff-hanging endings. Can't wait until the 3rd one is out!! <BR>Thanks for everyone's great ideas. <BR>Enjoy!

P.S. <BR>To follow up on the suggestion of Jostein Gaarder (spelling???). I enjoyed his second book The Solitaire Mystery, I think was the name...

Did anyone mention Tuesday's with Morrie? Short, but great read. Forget the crappy TV movie. As far as beach reads: Last summer I read 6 Patricia Cornwell mysteries and really enjoyed them. (Forensic pathologist solves murders with help from the FBI). <BR> <BR>Just finished Harry Potter #1. Ans I plan to read the second and third on the way to Florence this week. Does anyone know of anything fictional with a Florentine slant?? <BR> <BR>Besides Hannibal...which, by the way, I loved.

Anyone for 'A Suitable Boy' by Vikram Seth? I know it's about India (ie not on your travels, Gina) but it is HUGE both in size and stature! Then agai, you've probably read it, it being a massive sellersince 1993ish. Good luck making a decision!

Wallace Stegner: Crossing to Safety, Spectator Bird, All the Little Live Things, Recapitulation, Angle of Repose.... Incredible writing--

I'll add a couple of suggestions I haven't seen yet: Sebastien Japrisot's "A Very Long Engagement", a very different type of love story set in WW1, and "Cry to Heaven" by Anne Rice. A friend highly recommended "Engagement" and after I read it and returned her copy to her I had to rush out and buy my own. It's a very moving book set in a war I'm sorry to say I know very little about. "Cry to Heaven" is about the Italian castratti and is a very engaging and beautifully written story -- and not a vampire in sight! <BR> <BR>I'd also like to fifth (or is it sixth?) the "Pillars of the Earth" suggestion, plus it has the added bonus of being very long. And I'll also second the Diana Gabaldon books. The premise sounds a bit silly and far-fetched (time travel??) but she's such a good writer and the books are so engrossing that you find you can almost believe them. They are all page turners and you might not be that anxious to leave your plane seat after all.

I second (or third) the recommendation for the Elizabeth George books, and recommend you read them in the order they were published. <BR>My all-time favorite has to be "The Prince of Tides" by Pat Conroy. Second favorite: "Sophie's Choice" by William Styron. <BR>Just read "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (Hemingway) to prepare for an upcoming trip to Spain and it was riveting. <BR>I know you want fiction, but a non-fiction possibility is Kenneth Clark's "Civilisation." It gives great insights into European culture and history. <BR>Other ideas: "Possession" by A.J. Byatt (particularly if you like the Victorian era and if you liked "The French Lieutenant's Woman"), and "The English Patient." <BR>I do like mysteries for travel, as I get wrapped up in the whodunnit and forget (a little bit) about how the plane is flying. I like the tried-and-true Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, P.D. James, etc., as well as more modern books by Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell. But perhaps these are not absorbing enough or highbrow enough for your personal taste.

I've got to chime in my agreement for Posession - or anything by A.S. Byatt - particularly if you're travelling to England. Also, the Diane Gabaldon books are great - you have to suspend disbelief in order to get into the whole time travel thing - but you have to suspend disbelief to read many novels. I'd also like to put in a conditional recommendation for one of my favorite books: Gospel by Wilton Barnhardt. It's a little bit big to carry, and it can get a little...dense at times (like footnotes in Greek!) but it's about a treasure hunt that ranges from England through Rome, Greece and Africa - check it out - as I said, it's a conditional recommendation. <BR>Have a great trip!

I had originally replied directly to Gina in response to a personal Email from her. I had no idea this query would prompt so many responses. It's obvious that Fodor's contributors have two loves - travel and literature. You may then find some of the following of interest. <BR> <BR>Gina, <BR>You're quite perceptive! My home is a quasi-library; every room has a bookcase <BR>or two or three; the garage has three just for travel literature! From being an inveterate reader of fiction, in recent years I've become more and more <BR>interested in history and biography (particularly of a European bent). In <BR>retrospect, I realize that much of my current interest in travel has been <BR>prompted by the rather ecletic but specialized (is it possible to be both?) <BR>fiction that I've read in the past and return to frequently. Specialized, in <BR>that it is regional fiction, eclectic in that it covers a wide spectrum of <BR>cultural differences, accents and jargon, urban and rural environments. At the top of my list as an all time favorite is the author Ferrol Sams, a general practioner in Fayetteville, Georgia who has written a superb <BR>semi-autobiographical trilogy commencing with "Run with the Horsemen" followed <BR>by "Whisper of the River" and ending with "When All the World was Young". He <BR>has a collection of short stories that are thoroughly delightful titled "The <BR>Widow's Mite" that truly captures the flavor and humor of the rural south. Many Southern women have the tendency to inflect their sentences in such a way that even a simple declarative sentence ends up sounding like a question. In an <BR>amazing and masterful manner, Sams has written a short story, all in monologue, <BR>in which every sentence ends in a question mark! Truly a bravura piece of both comic and regional writing. Ivan Doig's novels of Montana, particularly <BR>"English Creek", are distinctive in their "regionality"; George V. Higgins <BR>captures the idiosyncrasies of blue collar Boston amazingly and embellishes them with the ingrained humor of the Irish who populate so many of his novels. Look for his "Defending Billy Ryan" and "Sandra Nichols Found Dead". Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard have mastered the foibles of Florida, particularly Miami, with phenomenal insight. Evan Hunter, writing as Ed McBain, has written fifty novels set in a police precinct house in the city of Isola, in actuality a very thinly disguised New York City. He has truly captured the essence of New York <BR>from its slums and ghettoes to its moneyed penthouses and the broad range of characters that inhabit them. Interestingly enough to me, all of these authors use humor, from Hiaasen's near slapstick to Sams' gentle smiles, to enhance the ambiance of the environments in which the authors' characters live. <BR> <BR>Now, if you want a book that you can't put down (but can hardly lift up), I've <BR>got three suggestions. Long out of print but worth hunting down is the R. F. Delderfield trilogy commencing with "God is an Englishman". It is a fascinating saga of an entrepreneur, his employees and their intermingled families from the time of the Crimean War to the First World War. Another invitation to a hernia is Galsworthy's "Forsyte Saga" encompassing the novels "A Man of Property", "In Chancery", "To Let", "The White Monkey", "The Silver Spoon", "Swan Song" and "On Forsyte Change". All were faithfully presented in a lengthy series on Public <BR>Broadcasting's Masterpiece Theater a good many years ago. Finally, another <BR>Masterpice Theater series - Paul Scott's "Raj Quartet" encompassing "The Jewel <BR>in the Crown" which gave its name to the television series, "The Day of the <BR>Scorpion", The Towers of Silence" and "A Division of the Spoils". The novels <BR>trace the transformation of India and its peoples, both natives and Colonial <BR>British during and following the Second World War up to the time of India's <BR>independence. A fifth and little known novel of Scott's "Staying On" deals <BR>with a couple of minor figures in the Quartet who attempt to adjust and <BR>accommodate themselves to the changes in India following its independence from <BR>the Crown. <BR> <BR>

My suggestions are neither thick nor fiction. But on my last trip to Europe I read Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes on the way over and A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle on the way back. They were the perfect length to read on the plane and they are both well written and interesting. In fact I was so enthralled with A Year In Provence that I wanted the pilot to do a u-turn and take me to France. Another good one is Italian Days by(I think) Barbara Harrison.

Has anyone read "Fall On Your Knees" by Ann-Marie MacDonald? I'm 300 pages into this 500+ page masterpiece and can't put it down. This is a book that will keep you engaged on the longest of flights. I agree wholeheartedly with one Amazon.com reviewer who says, "The tale told here is captivating in its intricacies of plot alone but the language of this book, its phrases and images that caress then spear, this is the gift of a writer who is truly aware of the magic of words. Never can I recall being so overwhelmed by a single sentence that I had to stop, look about me for a beacon in the real world then plunge again into the waters of this author's imagination." Too true.

Hi: Start with "The Magus" and end <BR>with "Corelli's Mandolin "- and don't <BR>worry about Greeks bearing gifts - <BR>they are both wonderful presents! <BR>Also, for England/Scotland try <BR>Dorothy Dunnett's "Lymond" books <BR>or her series about Nicolas van Poele <BR>- she writes so convincingly you really <BR>see the panorama or history! Fun.

We're getting far afield from Gina's specific trip, but I have recommnendations for England. PRIOR to your trip, My Love Affair With England-- basically a memoir with lots of evocative details about the country. And for absorbing reading, Susan Howatch's Glittering Images and the rest of the series. All the stories take place in a fictional town that resembles Salisbury. I also see that someone already mentioned Pillars of the Earth-- loved it.

Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett, and anything by Jane Austen. <BR> <BR>Katherine - Anya Seton <BR> <BR>I only saw one other vote for Anya Seton (Elvira you're the greatest). Seton's novel "Katherine" is my favorite book. My mother gave it to me when I was 13. I've read it countless times since. It started me on my obsession with English history, gave me my major in college, and still fascinates me. I haven't made it to Lincolnshire yet. Planning on it in March 2001.

I've got a lot of great ideas for future reading--thanks! One of my all-time favorites is "Kristen Lavrensdatter" by <BR>Sigrid Undset, who won the Nobel Prize <BR>in 1928. It takes place in medieval Norway. I have this unforgettable book in one 1000-page volume, but it has recently been reprinted as a trilogy.

TRIVIA: "Correli's Mandolin" is being filmed right now in Greece. Nicholas Cage is the main character, Sean Connery is the father and Penelope Cruz (Spanish actress) is the daughter.

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Just picked up David Guterson's East of the Mountains last night and i'm really enjoying it this morning. But I like Mr. Faulkner's reply, when asked what his top three recommendations were, replied: "Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina." Great book...a long and wonderful munch.

These suggestions are great! I'll be traveling in Italy and was thinking of reading A Room With A View, which I don't think anyone has mentioned. Can someone recomend it?

OK. I'm a Comparative Lit major, so I feel a little sheephish in recommending this book, but I have to say it's one of my all time favorites. - Here goes: "The Stand" by Stephen King. It's enthralling and, in my opinion, well written. Again, like many others that were recommended above (many of which I have read as well), this is one of those that you wish would never end. <BR> <BR>I'll be visiting several countries this summer and I am sure I will benefit from several of the above postings. This is going to kill my little Canon printer, but I HAVE to print this thread.

Am assuming that since you are female you "must" enjoy romance....Please try Outlander by Diane Gabaldon. It is funny, serious and the story is to die for. AND it's long...800 or so pages.

Have you thought about listening to a book on tape? I love them. You can get bridged, or unabridged. It's nice to listen, you can close your eyes, and if you get a reader with a good voice it's wonderful. Enjoy your trip. <BR>Robbyn

Anything by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Most people know her as the screenwriter Merchant & Ivory always work with. She has penned all their movies, as far as I know, translating great classics into screenplays. However, I love her as a novelist. Her novels take place either in India, NYC or England. One of my favorites is Three Continents, a hilarious and rich story concerning a shady guru and the family who fall under his spell, thereby endangering their inheritence and property. The Householder, Esmond in India and Heat and Dust are other great titles.

Dodi - I agree with you on "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. And the great thing is that it's the first in a series of four. Each of them are 900+ pages. I'm leaving for Europe on 6/7 and am taking numbers 2 & 3 with me. The series: <BR>1.Outlander <BR>2. Dragonfly in Amber <BR>3. Voyager <BR>4. Drums of Autumn <BR>For those of you unfamiliar with the books, they're historical fiction with a fantasy twist set in 18th and 20th century Scotland.

Fantastic thread, everyone! :) <BR> <BR>My suggestions: <BR>An Equal Music - Vikram Seth (London) <BR>War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (Russia) <BR>Tandia - Bryce Courtenay (S. Africa) <BR>(sequel to Power of One- more action) <BR>Wild Swans - Jung Chang (China) <BR> <BR>And question: can anyone suggest good books on Vienna, Rome, Paris, & London? <BR>Preferably fiction or easy-reading non fiction, not too long. <BR>

Hi, <BR> <BR>I just got back from a lovely trip to Ireland, and one of the last things I did in Dublin was to go on a "Literary Pub Crawl". It was a HOOT. Actors/guides, putting on short skits from various Irish plays, as well as peppering the "lecture" with hilarious tidbits about famous Irish writers - all while crawling from pub to pub, sampling the craic and the Guinness. I wish I had more time in Dublin, for sure. <BR> <BR>It REALLY piqued my interest - and I shall soon be searching for everything on BRENDAN BEHAN as well as SEAMUS HEANEY and OSCAR WILDE (I have actually only read The Portrait of Dorian Gray by him, can you believe it?) <BR> <BR>So, even though I have yet to read much of the above, you can bet I would include these authors on a book list... <BR> <BR>Beth

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