Away from home again for a big line dance event this weekend — where we stay up too late and get up just in time for the start of the next day of workshops and dancing.
I packed only one paperback because it’s a long one (World Without End by Ken Follett for Big Book Summer) and I figured I wouldn’t get much reading time except for the travel days, anyway. Plus, in a pinch, I’d have books on the iPad and my current audiobook on my phone ( Demon Copperhead, another Big Book Summer read).
But our travel day down to Florida was longer than I thought — with a minor delay in Boston and a stop in Maryland — and I’ve had a little unexpected reading time in the morning, so I need to decide what my next book will be so I can download it before the flight, and I’m regretting not bringing another book for one of my numerous reading challenges along!
Also, I forgot to pack my Bluetooth earpiece for listening to Demon Copperhead on the plane. I’m debating whether I should take a vacation from reading challenges, too, and just start a random e-book I’ve been wanting to read, or buy an airport copy of Demon Copperhead for the return flight today, and read it as a print/audio combo.
Puzzling over this reading dilemma is a good distraction for me, because as I was traveling through airports and spending time in crowded rooms, I’ve been reading through a big chunk of World Without End that’s set during the time of the plague sweeping across Europe, killing thousands upon thousands, with the first sign being a sneeze. You can imagine how many sneezes I heard in the airports on either end and on board the plane! (I know the air on the plane is filtered once you’re in the air, but we kept our masks on anyway.)
Currently Reading
World Without End by Ken Follett
This is an engrossing family saga that you can sink into as love, war, and other human dramas play out over the 1,025 pages. I’m going to hate coming to the end of it, actually, although my cheap paperback copy does contain an excerpt from Column of Fire to lure me right into the sequel to the sequel. But that one’s not on my Big Book Summer Reading Challenge list!
Currently Listening
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
That’s all the time I have for now! Please let me know what you’re reading in the comments!
This post is linked up to both Sunday Salon and The Book Date.
Sunday Salon is to encourage conversation about books and bookish things, but can expand into many other topics. The weekly link-up and Facebook group are hosted by the busy bee Deb Nance of Readerbuzz.
This post is also linked up to It’s Monday, What Are You Reading, hosted by The Book Date.
I’m a big Kingsolver fan and definitely liked Demon C. — one of her best, I think, though I did love Poisonwood Bible. Your trip sounds stressful but fun. Enjoy.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I’m a big fan of reading whatever sounds good at the moment. I’m a huge mood reader though so reading challenges usually end up going unfinished for me lol
I always pack books for travel, usually one too many, then I also get lured in by the books in the shops while I wait for my flight. You’d think I’d learn! I hope you figured out what to do so you don’t get caught with nothing to read or listen to. My advice? Ignore the challenges and pick something you want to read.
I must have books for a trip. I tend to pack my Kindle with lots of extras, but I still feel compelled to buy books when I’m traveling.
I thought Demon Copperhead was excellent, if bleak.
I agree with Helen…drop the challenges if you feel like doing so.
I love Demon Copperhead and hope you can get back to it soon.
I hope you had fun at your event. Your descriptions don’t really make me want to travel though. Wow! When you do a big book, you really do a BIG book. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Drinks by the pool sound good! And ha ha right about sneezing? I think we’re way more cognizant of that now lol. And reading about plagues would make it even more so. 🙂
Hope you had a great time!
Kingslover is on my TBR and you just bumped her up; I think I read Follett ages ago but can’t remember which exactly…it was forever ago. I’m pretty sure I met him once though (pretty sure he has or had a home here on my island and we met at a local literary thing …but this was forever ago). I’m with you on the masks btw no shame no shade.