11 November 2014

Bookish Things: Vacation Reading, Shorter Edition

Lately I've been counting down the days until my next island vacation, and now it's quite imminent. My husband and I usually travel to the Caribbean over his October fall break because (1) it's when he can get the time off from teaching and (2) it's super-low season and therefore more affordable. The empty beaches are just an accompanying perk.  This year, however, we've mixed it up in a couple of ways.  Last year, too many of our favorite restaurants in Anguilla were closed during October, so when we found really reasonable airfare for travel in November, we decided to sacrifice a fifth night on the island that an October stay would have afforded us and booked for four nights in November instead.

(And did I mention that this year I will be celebrating my birthday in Anguilla?  That also might have had a factor in our decision to travel in November!)

In addition to a change of calendar, we're bringing along a travel companion this time around: our about-to-be-14-years-old granddaughter.  We've begun a tradition of taking our grandchildren on a special trip with us when they're teenagers, and now it's Ava's turn.  Her older sisters and cousins have visited New Orleans, Vieques, Tortola, and St. John with us, and all of those places were well-suited to their various travel styles.  We knew that, like her sister Kate before her, Ava would appreciate Anguilla because she's the kind of laid-back kid who can create her own entertainment AND she loves to eat.  Restaurant prices being what they are on Anguilla, she very well may eat us into the poorhouse, but introducing her to our favorite spots on our favorite island will be worth it.

Anybody who knows me knows that second only to planning my actual vacation, planning my vacation reading is my favorite activity. I spent a couple of very happy hours over the past weekend test driving potential vacation books, and the photo above shows the ones that have made the cut.  I do realize that taking six physical books on a trip that only last four nights is verging on the ridiculous, so I will probably take three of these and rely on my e-reader for the rest.  Running out of books on vacation ranks right up there with other nightmares such as appearing naked in school. Since I will probably need more than one book for each long day of travel, and one book for every day that I'm there, this is a very real fear.

The ones that I know for sure I'll take the physical editions are The Martian, since I can't get a free e-book download (because it's already published), and just about everybody I know has already raved about it, and The Book of Strange New Things, for the same two reasons.  It's curious to me that both of them feature space travel, a topic I wouldn't necessarily claim as holding much interest for me. It's also curious to me that both books are written by men, as the overwhelming number of books that I read are written by women.

That leaves:

The Half Brother by Holly LeCraw -- the first 50 pages are well written and it's a prep school setting.  Pretty much my jam.

Get In Trouble by Kelly Link -- she's supposed to be a literary and creepy writer.  The first story I read hints at more promising things to come.

Leaving Before the Rains Come by Alexandra Fuller.  I loved both of her previous memoirs.  Books set in Africa (in her case, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Kenya) are also my jam, but this one is set in Montana. So I'm torn.

Funny Girl by Nick Hornby.  Because Nick Hornby.

They're all advance reading copies, all to be published in January or February of 2015, and I'm looking forward to all of them. But what do you think, Gentle Reader?  Do you have opinions about any of the above books? Which ones should earn a spot in my travel bag?

25 comments:

  1. One caveat about THE MARTIAN: while 98% of those who've read it have loved it, some found the scientific explanations too technical (he did a lot of research to be sure everything was accurate). Here's my tip: they are short and skim-able.

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    1. Michael, I am 100% okay with skimming. But I also am kind of a science geek, so I'll be good either way.

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  2. Your travel plans sound fantastic!

    I would take Funny Girl. Because Nick Hornby.

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  3. I agree with Michael Kindness--skim the science-y sections of The Martian if they're not your thing. They weren't mine, but my skimming, I ended up enjoying the book. Big Kelly Link fan here--didn't know she had a new book coming out, hurray!

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    1. It's the first Kelly Link I've read, and I like it. which is cool because our store is hosting the launch party for her next year.

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    2. !!!! We may have to communicate off-blog so I can give you my credit card number and you can send me a signed copy of her book!!!!!

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    3. Sure -- you can email me at my work address, which is emily [at] odysseybks [dot] com, if you'd like to talk about that possibility. Kelly is great!

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  4. Ha I was ONLY going to suggest The Martian, even though I haven't read it. I don't know annny of the others. But I'm so psyched for you that you get to go there over your birthday!

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  5. Anguiiiiiiilla! And your birthday! What a shiny November this will be for you. : )

    I like the idea of reading The Martian on a beach...although I guess a desert would be more appropriate. Just pretend the ocean isn't right there.

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    1. Pretty much gonna be the shiniest birthday ever.

      Anguilla is really an arid island, so I'll just turn my back on the ocean and read facing inland. Good call.

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  6. Oh, what fun! Birthday dinner at Veya?

    I have been collecting vacation-reading books too (though all are e-reader since to save weight) for the past few months and am looking forward to finally reading them soon! :)

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    1. We almost did Veya on my birthday night, but we decided to save them for our last night on the island instead.

      Still trying to find a place for our first night, actually, that's in the west end. Picante hasn't gotten back with me yet to confirm my reservation request that i made on lne...

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    2. Tramonto is always a favorite of mine at night, with the lights of SXM, though I prefer their lunch menu (clam spaghetti!). I've never been to Mangos but want to try it this trip... Picante would be fun w your GD though - hope they get back to you soon!

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  7. I love that you take special trips with your grandchildren. Some of my favorite memories are the special one-one-one trips that I took with my mom and dad as a kid/teenager.

    I have to add my support for The Book of Strange New Things. It's a really unique story and it made me think about faith and what it means to be human and have relationships in new and interesting ways. I can't wait to hear what you think!

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    1. I forgot that you'd read that one. THanks for the vote, as my FB friends were really kinda trashing it. But I really like what I've read so far.

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  8. Awwww I love that you take the grand the grandkids on a trip when they're teenagers. That's the best. Yay family! Also YAY for The Martian!!

    For your other option I would say Funny Girl because, as you said, Nick Hornby.

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    1. The Martian and the Nick Hornby are the two clear favorites.

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  9. I would definitely take the Nick Hornby - but then again, I would read his grocery list! Happy travels....

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    1. Yeah, I like him. Do you know his columns from McSweeny's that have been collected into various books? Those are my faves.

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    2. Yes! I subscribe to The Believer because of Stuff I've Been Reading. Seeing the magazine in my mailbox is one of my favorite days of the month....

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  10. Your upcoming vacation sounds awesome and it is super cool that you take grandkids on trips, making them all wordly and cool.

    The Martian is fantastic, and I realllllllllllyyyyy want to read the Michel Faber book. I heard it compared to The Sparrow, which was pretty fascinating. Enjoy!!

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    1. Oooh, haven't read The Sparrow, which I know is terribly negligent of me. I'll let you know how the Faber is.

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  11. Bring them all and leave them in the office with Rose-El so I can read them when we get there on 16 December. That's how I found you-- and I love most of the books you suggest.

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Please, sir, may I have some more? (Comments, that is!)