With airport waits so long, has anyone got a great suggestion for an interesting book to take along?

I just go finished reading Sunshine by Robin Mckinley. Loved it! Vampires, Cinnamon Buns and a very a girl named Sunshine - what more do you want.

Sunshine was recommended by NPR - they did a story about books that are good to travel with - not too taxing, but entertaining.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...oryId=91364064

There's a huge thread that's been running for years with lots of great suggestions.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34540831

sea,

If one is heading off to Normandy, allow me to recommend Pegasus Bridge. Written by the late Stephen Ambrose, this compelling, briskly-paced book retells the mission of British airborne troops assigned to capture and hold a key landmark that preceded the seaborne assault of June 6, 1944 - and one that would play a crucial role in the success of that "Longest Day."

Come to think of it, you needn't be traveling to Normandy to enjoy Ambrose's superb depiction of courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Both of Barack Obama's books are interesting (his first one is fascinating) and it's a head start in understanding Europeans.

Hi S,

I have found "An Introduction to Philosophy" to be an excellent travel companion for those long flights and long waits.

I am fast asleep by page 10.

If you're going to do any cathedral viewing, Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" is fascinating. Good book anyway for any time...I think.

Sueciv:

I loved that book and find at times I could not put it down.

jdc

I'm almost done with a lifestyle changing book. It was excellent. An exploration of the modern food industry. And from an impartial source. It was very informative. You learn all about the corn industry in this country and all about pastoral farms. Well it is better than I'm making it sound. It was a top 10 book of the year according to the NY Times.

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

http://www.michaelpollan.com/

As I read the title, I wondered if I should suggest the Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett...I started it yesterday, stayed up until 1am reading and did not want to leave the house this morning.It is a true page turner and I can see it would get you through the longest flight or the dullest train ride.

I see I have already been beaten to it!

"World Without End" Ken Follet's sequel to Pillars.
Loved his book "A Place Called Freedom"
Any book he has written is good reading.

I always throw some small paperbacks in my carry-on when I travel. Some of my favorites are the Inspector Maigret mysteries by Georges Simenon and the Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters. They are very entertaining and don't take up much space!

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food" are both great books (as someone suggested).

"The Poisonwood Bible" is absolutely wonderful - I was so engrossed on a flight two years ago that I could not put it down until it was finished. That trip was definitely much shorter. Just love the book!

I've just finished 'The Last Battle' by Cornelius Ryan. It is about the battle for Berlin at the end of WWII. Told from German, British and American perspectives. Superb writing.

Also 'Temples, Tombs and Hieroglyphs' by Barbara Mertz (she's Elizabeth Peters who writes the Amelia Peabody mysteries). I don't like her mysteries but she is an Egyptologist who writes well, and this is a good book.

Michael Pearce's mysteries, which take place in pre-WWI Egypt are good, as are Charles Todd's. They are set in post-WWI England. Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus and Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse mysteries are also top-notch.

The first time I wished an overseas trip would take longer was when I was reading "THE GOOD GERMAN". The movie was horrendous, but the book was amazing.

I have just read two books by Ariana Franklin that are sort of CSI meets the Canterbury Tales--a &quot;doctor to the dead&quot; set in the Henry II mid-1100s. A female doctor has to hide behind her male Moor companion to escape the cry of witchcraft as she solves murders. The titles are <i>Mistress of the Art of Death</i> and <i>The Serpent's Tale</i>.

I am reading &quot;Away&quot; by Amy Bloom. It's the story of a young Jewish woman whose family is killed in Russia. She emmigrates from Turov to the US and then goes on to have some pretty wild adventures. I'm about 2/3 through and I plan to see what other books Ms. Bloom has written. It sounds amazingly sad, but somehow it has a comical and plucky voice.

I also just read Edith Wharton's &quot;Age of Innocence&quot; again - my daughter and I did that on a long train ride to Paris. I liked it so much I then re-read &quot;House of Mirth&quot;...

On a much lighter note...

My other daughter put Ellen DeGeneres' latest book on my iPod and I had a great travel day from the US back to Zurich laughing out loud to this.

gruezi

Just finished Living in a Foreign Language by Michael Tucker (LA Law). It's about buying a home in Umbria. Loved it.

&quot;People of the Book&quot; is intereting if you are going to Budapest or Prague or anywhere.

I think it is fun to read books that incorporate places I am going to visit so I can get some historical (albeit fictional) perspective. Some of my favorites are:
England: Pillars of the Earth (mentioned above) by Ken Follett and The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory
Venice: In the Company of a Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
Florence: Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant and Painting Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis
Rome: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Those are the ones that come immediately to mind. . .