Holiday

by abookormore

Tomorrow I’m taking a flight to Greece for 10 days- not trying to brag just providing context (yeh Olivia they’ll all buy that) and instead of packing I’m trying to formulate a blog post on this trial: what should I bring to read?

Deciding what books to take on holiday should have been one of the labours of Hercules.

Usually in such a time I’m faced with trying to balance the desire to be optimistic about the reading I’ll get done, along with the practical dilemma of not being able to pack hundreds of books. However, I was lucky enough to get a kindle last Christmas so this problem has been somewhat eradicated.

But issues remain.

If this week I find myself relaxing by the pool, do I really want be holding an electronic device? I’m leaning towards a ‘no’ here for obvious reasons, so dabbling between physical and electronic books seems to be the best option.

Let’s take a look at some stunningly groundbreaking conclusions I’ve reached:

Physical books

  • Take paperbacks. I’m of the opinion this should be a definitive rule. Despite the beauty of the hardback, they take up more room and you’ll only end up ruining their pretty dust jackets.
  • Bring shorter books so you can pack more. It probably didn’t need to be said, but if you have an e-reader you can download all those long windy classics on there for free instead to save space.
  • Don’t worry about taking a particularly summery book or a fluffy YA if you’re not into that genre. It’s what a lot of people suggest and it probably does help you get into that holiday spirit- but hey, if you want to take Great Expectations to the beach you go for it.

Electronic books

  • It’s apparent that you can download how ever many you like, so why not get something out of your comfort zone? All sorts of books are free on kindle so there’s no harm at all in trying something new whilst you’re on your flight. You’ve added no extra burden to your luggage if you don’t like it.
  • Browse lists of the free books available (they’re not all Homer and Jane Austen- you’d be surprised). You will have no worries about running out of reading material.

And finally, if you’re interested, here’s what I’ve decided to take with me:

  1. Grimm’s Fairy Stories, Jacob Grimm (electronic, free)
  2. The Odyssey, Homer (electronic, free)
  3. The Foxhole Court, Nora Sakavic (electronic, free)
  4. Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card (paperback)
  5. Curse of the Sphinx, Raye Wagner (free on e-readers if you sign up to her newsletter)
  6. The Waves, Virginia Woolf (paperback)