My Vacation Mistake

Discovered this archival post through a recent link and want to add anything by Sarah Vowell is delightful and PERFECT for traveling. The Wordy Shipmates is where to start. https://bookshop.org/books/the-wordy-shipmates/9781594484001 But also Bill Bryson is a celebrated comedic travel writer. A Walk in the Woods about his adventures on the Appalachian trail are perfect for both people who backcountry hike and those who would never. https://bookshop.org/books/a-walk-in-the-woods-rediscovering-america-on-the-appalachian-trail/9780767902526 But his other books about living abroad in England and Australia are beloved by fans.

I have an awesome summer book recommendation if you are looking for suspense and romance! I just read “The Friend Request” by author Charles Soto and I could not put it down. It is a Facebook love story about two high school sweethearts who reconnect later in life to find that they both now live in two totally different worlds. Chase is a ultra rich business owner dealing with some scandalous family issues and Carly is a struggling single mom desperately trying to care for her disabled son. I absolutely loved the characters and found this to be an entertaining and addictive book! I am sure I will be re-reading it again on the beach!! Hope you check it out
http://authorcharlessoto.com/

Biographies and anything from the Humor & Entertainment section on Amazon are always a nice idea and you won’t end up crying your heart out. When in doubt, read a small review or ask a friend to read it if you hate spoilers.

I know exactly what you are talking about. Had the same misfortune on my honeymoon. I brought Brothers Karamazov, a very serious Dostoyevsky read, about religion, life, death, meaning of life; and Kate Atkinson something “behind the museum doors”, which to my liking was too simple. I would say take something like: Audrey Niffinegger “The time traveller’s wife”, F. Scott Fitzerald “Tender is the night”, Iris Murdock ” The sea, the sea”. They are on the serious books side, but rather easy to read and with a thrill. I could not put them down.

Omg I did the same! I got the audiobook version of the girls from corona del mar and cried on the whole flight to Hawaii.

I can tell you what book NOT to read on your vacation:

RUBY by Cynthia Bond

I picked it up at the airport after having finished another book quicker than expected, and read RUBY during the tail-end of my trip in Hawai’i. Although *incredibly* well-written (it had to be, otherwise I never could have finished it), it is BY FAR the most graphic and horrifying story I’ve ever read. I didn’t know anything about the book when I picked it up (again, at the airport, mainly because the options were so limited), but the BACK of the book suggested that it was a love story. YAY! Love stories are great, and I can handle a little bit of “tormented past” character backstory. Little did I know…

I still can’t shake the images in that book, even weeks later.

I would definitely say any autobio by any comedian. Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler, anything like that just make the vacation BETTER!

Yes! Last summer, my first read was Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She’s amazing.

I just graduated and am SO excited to finally have reading time that is not mandated! (Total killjoy, no?) First up on my reading list this summer is Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin.

I have to recommend the “Call the Midwife” series! A few of the anecdotes are sad, but really they’re mostly heartwarming. I read Sharp Objects on the flight home from Cancun, and let’s just say I am glad it was the flight home rather than the flight there!

I read Lucky by Alice Sebold (author of Lovely Bones) when I was on vacation. Its a memoir about rape. A great book, however it was very sobering and sad. It really changed my mood from vacation and beach mode . I am glad I am not the only one who experiences this. Thanks for these great recommendation!

I used to travel internationally for work a lot (seven trips to China in one year! Added years to my face & lower back, but I digress…) and these are my favorite, favorite books to read on the road and/or beach:
5. Local paper and/or rag mag from wherever you are (Grazia in the UK, yes please! Crazy censored Shanghai Daily? OK!). It’s fun to see what’s happening, what little (or big) news is going from the perspective of the place you’re in. You may have to really hunt for this, but it’s a great way to know more about a place and make local friends and/or conversation with local folks.
4. The Art of Fielding
Great for a long weekend getaway in the early fall; plus: baseball. You’ll miss the characters when you’re done
3. This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Topper
Read in a day on the beach in Croatia. Laughed out loud. Dark AND funny!
2. And Then We Came to The End by Joshua Ferris
It’s like: work sucks and everyone knows it so hang in there, little tomato!
1. Skinny Dip by Carl Haissen
best thing I ever bought at the airport. Light AND intelligent. Predictable? Sure. A day read. Nice on a boat, too.

I just listened to the audiobook version of So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. Jon Ronson is hilarious and it starts out really great though drags in places.

As for vacation reads, I’m bringing food memoirs! I don’t think you can go wrong really. Delancey, Bon Appetempt, and Life from Scratch!

I read Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides when I was pregnant with my 3rd child. Worst choice possible. Freaked out and hormonal, I actually threw the book away.

Cakewalk is hi-larious! A silly and fun summer read :)

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I read George Orwell’s 1984 while on a cruise.. not a good idea at all!

The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellanga. The tale of a book restorer who goes to Florence after their devastating flood in 1966. Finding love, and a treasured book of erotic poems and drawings. I could NOT put this book down.

Has anyone read Susanna Kearsly? I read Mariana while on vacation several years ago and have been trying to recreate the experience ever since.

I really enjoyed reading The Age of Miracles – I didn’t read it on vacation, but it would be perfect.

I’m also a fan of bringing long mass market paperback books. When we went to Mexico last year I brought the second in a fun fantasy series, The Wise Man’s Fear. Super dorky, but great for really getting engrossed in it over vacation, and it lasted the whole trip. I also have great memories of reading a Robertson Davies book, probably Rebel Angels, on a vacation in Cape Breton.

We’re not taking any vacations this summer – does anyone have a good book recommendation for pretending to be on vacation?

Cakewalk by Kate Moses
a good summer read :)