books for travelling?

September 5, 2005 8:22 PM

I'm about to go on a looooong plane trip (two stop overs, 22 hours total travel time.) Can anyone suggest a couple of books? I like non-fiction, true life stories (i.e., about slavery, mafias in different American towns, Irish potato famine, dustbowl accounts.... should be an easy read since I'll be on planes and in airports. Thanks!
posted by WaterSprite to media & arts (22 comments total)

"Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett is a long, but engaging read. Historical fiction, about the building of a church in 12th century.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 8:25 PM on September 5, 2005

Hawk's Rest - A season in the remote heart of Yellowstone is a book that I recently enjoyed. I also just finished Spirit of the Rainforest but it was probably the most violent book that I have ever read. It's an account of life in a Yanomamo tribe. Very eye-opening, though.
posted by Ostara at 8:29 PM on September 5, 2005

Best non-fiction I read in a really long time was The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. Just tons of different and interesting stuff all tied into the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and it's very well written. Great stuff.
posted by dagnyscott at 8:33 PM on September 5, 2005

I just finished re-reading Leon Uris' Trinity for about the ninth time.

It's historical fiction, and could easily take up ten to twelve hours of your time.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:36 PM on September 5, 2005

How The Irish Became White by Noel Ignatiev. Excellent.
posted by oflinkey at 8:43 PM on September 5, 2005

I second dagnyscott's recommendation of Devil in the White City. Great book!
posted by jrossi4r at 9:08 PM on September 5, 2005

This was my latest airplane book: Skeletons on the Zahara : A True Story of Survival by Dean King.
posted by blue mustard at 9:10 PM on September 5, 2005

I third 'Devil in the White City,' and Stephen Pressman's 'Gates of Fire,' is also pretty good historical fiction. On the crime front, Capote's 'In Cold Blood,' if you haven't read that already.
posted by umberto at 9:51 PM on September 5, 2005

For the love of god, whatever you do, don't read The Davinci Code.

Richard Feynman's autobiography, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, is short, very entertaining, has lots of juicy tidbits about the Manhattan Project, and leaves a lasting impression on you.
posted by gsteff at 9:57 PM on September 5, 2005

For something different try Hip: The History. Just try not to take it as serious as Amazon reviewer J. Smith.
posted by dobbs at 10:11 PM on September 5, 2005

Oh, crap. My link shoulda went here.
posted by dobbs at 10:11 PM on September 5, 2005

Seconding "Pillars of the Earth." Also, Irving Stone's "Agony and the Ecstacy."
posted by addyct at 11:14 PM on September 5, 2005

Try "The Mother Tongue" or "Made in America" by Bill Bryson. They are interesting, informative and highly entertaining examinations of the English language (the second is specific to American English). Very easy reads. His "Brief History of Nearly Everything" is also highly recommended if you want to get a quick and entertaining overview of the history of science.
posted by sic at 12:03 AM on September 6, 2005

If you are interested in good historical documentary accounts of American history then you have to read any of Studs Terkel's books. He is a journalistic legend and should be on everyone's readling list.

Giants of Jazz
Working
Division Street: America
Hard Times
The Good War
Race: What Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession
Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Reflections on Death, Rebirth and Hunger for a Faith
Hope Dies Last

posted by JJ86 at 12:56 AM on September 6, 2005

I fourth The Devil in the White City, and as a good non-fiction read recommend Barrow's Boys.

Appropriately it's about travel and exploration, with pretty much each chapter covering an expedition overseen by John Barrow. Full of extraordinary characters and perilous circumstances I came away from it with a real appreciation of how difficult and dangerous travel was in the 19th Century.
posted by drill_here_fore_seismics at 2:15 AM on September 6, 2005

Paul Johnson writes long histories with highly readable prose. Yes, he's conservative, but if that doesn't bother you, he will keep you turning the pages.
posted by IndigoJones at 4:52 AM on September 6, 2005

The Men Who Stare at Goats.
posted by krisjohn at 5:53 AM on September 6, 2005

Fifth Devil in the White City - and his previous book, suddenly apt again, about the 1900 hurricane that destroyed Galveston, "Isaac's Storm."
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:19 AM on September 6, 2005

Thanks EVERYONE.

For the love of god, whatever you do, don't read The Davinci Code.

I tried, it was terrible, and I put it down after about twenty pages.

And I've already read Pillars of the Earth (and every other book Ken Follett has written) - TWICE. That's exactly the kind of book I'm looking for.

OK, I'm book shopping for the rest of the afternoon!
posted by WaterSprite at 7:48 AM on September 6, 2005

"What if? Eminent Historians Imagen What Might Have Been" is a book of "counterfactual history": a collection of writings by famous historians considering what may have happened at key moments in history if some small factors would have changed. For example, what if the mongols would have continued raging through Europe instead of returning east when the khan died? What if the Spanish Armada had reached England? What if Lincoln would not have emancipated the slaves during the war? How Hitler could have won the war.... Really interesting stuff. The different sections are relatively short as well (@25 pages), so they are nice bite-sized chunks that are easily digestable.

The editor is Robert Cowley.
posted by sic at 10:11 AM on September 6, 2005

"Angela's Ashes", by Frank McCourt was good. Non-fiction.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 1:48 PM on September 6, 2005

You were aware, of course, that Mr Follett is, even as we write, working on the sequel to Pillars?

So if you're planning any trips in 2007....
posted by IndigoJones at 4:53 PM on September 6, 2005