When I had originally begun to plan my trip to San Diego to visit my parents I had thought I would take the Kindle but dismissed it because I don’t actually purchase books for it. No need to buy a book when there are so many public domain books available for free. I had dismissed taking the Kindle because of this, because, what classic could I possibly read that could be engrossing and full of plot and hold my attention for four hours on a plane, that would keep me from noticing turbulence or worrying about whether the person next to me had a bomb in his underwear, or just worrying about being 35,000 feet in the air in a can of flying sardines? There is no classic that could possibly help me out in this situation.
So I began planning to take actual books and then wondered how to fit them in my luggage because I would have to take more than one naturally. I mentioned my book fretting in a blog post a couple weeks ago and several of you asked why I didn’t take my Kindle. I told my Bookman what I had been thinking and he gawped at me, then started naming off possible titles.
I quickly realized how completely silly I am. There’s plenty to choose from amongst the classics. So many in fact once I got started thinking about it that now I have such a long list of possibilities I am going to have a difficult time finally deciding. Here is the list of what I am considering:
- The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf. Woolf’s first book. It has Clarissa Dalloway in it and I have never read it. I’m on the fence with this for a plane ride though as it isn’t really a page turner.
- My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. Short stories on a plane is something I’ve never done so I’m not sure about them. Humor is good though.
- Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley. I’ve read The Haunted Bookshop and expect this would be light and silly and a bit of comfort since it is about books.
- The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer. Heyer’s first book and a swashbuckler. I’ve not read Heyer before so this one is very tempting.
- The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nothing like adultery to keep one’s mind off things. I haven’t read this book since high school.
- Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim. I loved Enchanted April and suspect this one to be delightful and charming.
- The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. Another swashbuckler this one with a mysterious and disguised hero.
- The Warden by Anthony Trollope. I’ve never read Trollope.
- The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe. Melodramatic gothic yumminess.
- Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini. Another swashbuckler of sorts set during the French Revolution. The hero goes from lawyer to actor to revolutionary, politician, and fencing master. Now that’s versatility!
- Ivanhoe by Walter Scott. This seems like it has enough plot twists and turns for multiple plane trips and Robin Hood and Friar Tuck even make an appearance.
There are a gazillion more I could add to the list and probably will before departure the end of March. Bookman is not going with me so there will be no Kindle arguments.
The best thing though because I am taking the Kindle, I can load all of these books and more onto it and not decide until I buckle my seatbelt. I can take a small library with me and it will take up less space than a trade size paperback and not even weigh a pound. It is an embarrassment of riches.
Must admit I gasped too when I started reading this post (I must have missed the previous one or I would have been there responding too!) because plane travel is the exact reason I am considering a Kindle (or eBook reader of some sort. Good suggestions here – particularly Trollope and Von Arnim (she’s written more too…). I guess you’ve read Wharton, because I think Wharton is eminently readable even if not cheery. And there’s George Gissing’s New Grub Street … great late Victorian read.
Oh the list could go on … but I do have to question Heyer. Is she a classic? I suppose she is in a sense but… (I haven’t read her either but will be reading her this year in preparation for a Jane Austen and the Regency conference.
Wow, the possibilities of a Kindle seem quite fascinating, when you really think of it a bit.
You’ve got a great assortment of books to choose from here….. I would be quite bamboozled. I am right now enjoying the reading of a classic “The Moonstone”. Reading it proves to me that some books, written over a century ago are well worth reading.
I admit that the only reason I would ever consider a Kindle is because of long haul flights. I generally take 3 books for most trans-Atlantic flights (in case I decide I don’t feel like one, and I usually go through 1 and a half).
Elizabeth and Her German Garden is one of my absolute favourites, so I would definitely recommend that, and The Scarlet Pimpernel is such a fun read that it will surely make the time pass more quickly! I’m just starting my first Trollope (Lady Anna) but I’m really enjoying it and the writing is so readable that I think he’d also be perfect for a long flight. So many choices! I adore Heyer, but The Black Moth, to my thinking, is not one of her best. I’d recommend Friday’s Child or The Grand Sophy if you’re just starting – both are very fun reads that showcase Heyer’s skill as a storyteller.
That is exactly what I use my Kindle for – to carry my portable classics library whereever I go.
Have a safe and enjoyable trip!
Excellent list! I think Parnassus on Wheels would be perfect for the plane — good comfort reading that you won’t get bogged down in. The Woolf one is great, but I think it’s probably not enough of a page turner for plane reading. After my experience with Waverly, I’d think multiple times before reading Scott on a plane, but maybe that’s just me
Load up that Kindle! That’s exactly what it’s for! I think you’ll enjoy Parnassus — I much preferred it to the Bookshop one.
Do not take Wodehouse on the airplane unless you want to be detained by the air marshall for laughing like a crazy woman, or to receive the emergency Heimlich manoeuvre because you are bent double and appear unable to breathe. Seriously.
What a delicious selection! But I agree with Sylvia: save Wodehouse for when you’re not in a position to be straight-jacketed.
I’d go with my old favourite Trollope, and take the Jeeves stories along just in case.
I agree with Claire that The Black Moth is not Heyer at her best- The Corinthian, Frederica, Regency Buck and Arabella are my favourites.
I think The Scarlet Pimpernel is quite a bad book, fun if you’re in the mood but also predictable, melodramatic and potentailly irritating so might give that a miss.
Best of luck with your choice and your flight!
What fun! Another von Armin! I need to read it too. And I’ve always wanted to read Udolpho. Now I can see why you’d want a Kindle… certainly fun to take a whole library with you but with only the weight of a single volume! Perhaps some Dickens as well?
Yup, this is when even I, rampant technophobe that I am, see the benefit of the Kindle. It must be really good for travel. I would recommend the Anthony Trollope as I find him easy to get into, and I loved that Elizabeth von Arnim as I find her so soothing. But the good thing is, you can try a little of each until you find the one that’s right for you in the moment.
Jeeves makes wonderful plane reading. Thsi is the one argument that could convince anyone to buy an ereader I think because every reader knows the horror of picking the wrong book for the plane.
True … I remember doing so a few years ago on a long flight from Australia to Washington DC. I could have kicked myself. Ever since then I make sure I have at least 2 with me but the an e-Reader would, as you say, be the shot!
The Kindle is great for planes but you might want to take a “real” book also. I was miffed a few weeks ago to find out that I had to turn my Kindle off during take off and landing because it’s an electronic device. Otherwise it was great to have. I took it to Scotland for a week and did all my reading on it.
Oh, the things you don’t think of! And we readers never like to waste a reading minute do we! I think we need to build up a nice little Pros and Cons list …
I have always, always wanted to read Udolpho. And by reading your post, I so want to buy a Kindle …but my husband wont let me – he says I can only buy it if i ever promise never to buy a physical book again
. Since thats never happening and it is a fair argument since books are taking up a major space in our home …I will suffer in silence.
Well, I hope you enjoy your trip and get good amount of reading done!
I liked Parnassus on Wheels much better than the Haunted Book Shop! So many excellent books on this list…you should be fully occupied. Have a great trip!
Sounds like you are good to go with some great reads on your Kindle. You are reminding me to download some of these freebies before my next airplane trip!
You are so funny. Have you ever read Matthew Lewis’s The Monk? Utterly, UTTERLY silly Gothic melodrama that pulls out literally every single Gothic cliché in the book and takes itself hilariously seriously. I read it on the plane to Australia, and laughed the entire way (well, I fell asleep for the last 5 hours). I’d highly recommend it, and definitely in the public domain.
I have somehow avoided the fear of the “wrong book,” so usually don’t mind just throwing my current read in the satchel on the way out the door. The only problem is if I’m almost done with a book – to bring or not to bring? Modern life is so difficult.
This is a persuasive argument for getting a Kindle. I do wish the reading experience with it was brighter, less gray, and that it was a very simple matter to save and collect passages of note.
Yeay for being able to take as many books as you want! They sound good. I just listened to the audio of my first Jeeves and Wooster books and it was lots of fun. Not sure Hawthorne is quite as engaging for a vacation but I remember enjoying it. I should reread that one of these days.
That first paragraph you wrote…that’s what keeps me from traveling (well also lack of funds, but it’s good to have another excuse to fall back on). It looks like you’ll have a great selection of books to choose from. I’ve not read that Heyer, but her books are usually fun romps so you might give it a try. The Scarlet Pimpernel is fun, too. I’m sure you’ll find something to match your mood from this list! And you get to go somewhere sunny and warm!
I will do anything to avoid getting on a plane, but your Kindle selections sound super. I am reading The Code Of The Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse at the moment. I’m not sure anything would keep my mind off flying, but it’s very funny – so that, and a stiff drink, just might do it for me.
Spink-Bottle!
You have a great list here, but in case you need some more suggestions, how about Kafka’s Metamorphosis, that will fit into your four hours nicely, or something lighter, a swift one like Austen’s Northanger Abbey. If you’re not insistent about the Classics, but probably you’ve read this already: Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, or his recent one offering book suggestions for his PM.
I really liked Trollope’s Barsetshire novels. There’s a lot humor in them, as I recall.
whisperinggums, sorry to cause the gasp
There’s lots of von Arnim in the public domain, yippy! I had thought of Wharton too since I’m reading a biography about her but I’m not sure if she is airplane reading. Still, I’ll put something by her on the Kindle just in case. Oh, and already have the Gissing on the Kindle but haven’t read it yet. Maybe that will get my attention. I’ve not read Heyer but she seems like a minor classic, at least this one it in the public domain.
Cipriano, oh yes, so much to choose from and the list is limited. My to-read “bookshelf” at Manybooks.net is vast in length. I’ve heard The Moonstone is fun. Enjoy!
Claire, I’m glad so many on my list are favorites of yours. I bodes well. Unfortunately The Black Moth is the only Heyer book in the public domain and thus free. I shelled out for the Kindle but haven’t bought a single book for it. Thanks for the recommendations though I’ll have to see if my library has them.
Molly, thank you. With my portable library I will be prepared for long waits and delays. Can’t beat that.
Dorothy, I’m leaning toward Parnassus but there is still plenty of time for me to waffle. And ixnay on the Scott. I forgot about your Waverly experience. I’ll save Ivanhoe for another time.
Isabella, you are such an enabler! Thank you!
Sylvia, so you’re saying if I read Wodehouse I might be in danger? Hmm, we’ll see how daring I feel once I board the plane. And by mentioning Spink-Bottle you are only encouraging me you know
Colleen, since planes make me feel like I am in a straight-jacket I might be okay
Sarah, Trollope is very tempting. The Scarlet Pimpernel I expect is rather bad but in one of those overblown funny kinds of ways. I hope.
Daphne, there is lots of von Arnim available very happily. I was thinking of adding some Dickens. Oliver Twist maybe or Pickwick Papers. Hard to decide!
Litlove, maybe you’ll get a Kindle of your own for your next holiday?
I know you loved the von Arnim I remember your review and have been longing to read it ever since. So maybe I’ll try Trollope on the way out and von Arnim on the way back when soothing is what I will be needing.
Jodie, I am always terrified of picking the wrong book for a plane trip and so, like other book readers end up taking too many books. So yes, the Kindle in this respect is a marvelous thing.
Karen, really? even with the wireless turned off? Good to know, thanks!
Vipula, I think you need to start negotiating for a Kindle. You can promise you will never buy another book written before 1923 since you can get all or most that you’d want to read for free. That could be a good bargaining chip!
jenclair, you like Parnassus better than Haunted Bookshop? That’s promising. Parnassus is definitely towards the top of my choices.
Kathleen, oh yes! manybooks.net is my favorite place to get free Kindle books.
Emily, oh yes, The Monk is a hoot! I read it a couple years ago and had so much fun with it. If I am almost done with a book I always have to take a second one along. Don’t want to be caught with nothing to read!
Richard, e-readers will get better eventually, they are still quite new. The magic combination will come along inn a few years and then even you will be tempted
Rebecca, I have apparently been missing out on a lot of fun never having read Wodehouse. You are right about the Hawthrone. I want to reread Scarlet Letter sometime but an airplane might not be the place for it.
Danielle, I’m sure whatever I choose to read will be great and if it isn’t it will be easy to read something else. The thing about going to San Diego this time of year though is that compared to here, there will feel rather hot!
Grad, so many Wodehouse endorsements I’m beginning to think I might risk the air marshall and the straightjacket!
Arti, Unfortunately Kafka is not in the public domain and I don’t buy books for the Kindle. Austen, however is another matter. Loved Life of Pi. Martel has a new book coming out soon and I am really looking forward to it.
Bonnie, humor is good. Thanks for the tip!
Since you are interested in correspondence, I recommend “Right Ho, Jeeves” for an entertaining flurry of telegrams. “The Code of the Woosters” is notable for mayhem and cow creamers. They’re pretty much all unspeakably hilarious.
I just finished Udolpho. I think I appreciated it for inspiring other writers (especially Austen’s Northanger Abbey–now I get jokes) than I actually enjoyed it. It’s long. It’s repetitive. But if you do read it, could you please count for me all the times Emily faints?
Did you take the Woolf in the end?
I still can’t get my head around the Kindle or e-readers, I love the smell and feel of old books. The only new books I read are Persephone Books (a real treat) mostly I stick to 1930s penguin classics!
Sylvia, I will add Right Ho, Jeeves for sure. Thanks!
Andalucy, when I get to Udolpho I will be sure to count how often Emily faints
Flo, I took the Woolf but did not read her. The time and place just wasn’t right. I love print books too but for traveling the Kindle wins