Sunday, July 18, 2010

Vacation Picks

Mere ChristianityIt's the vacation time of year, and consequently, time to choose which books come with me.  I will be away from home for a good two weeks.  If I packed 5 books (plus my just-in-case-Kindle) for a 4 day trip, then how many should I pack for a 14+ day trip?  Admittedly, I only read 3 of those books on that 4 day trip, but my question remains.  How many?  Which ones?

The Grapes of Wrath (Penguin Classics)This may be my big opportunity to get some reading done (we'll see) which means I want to consider my 2010 goals (including my Summer Slimdown).  I wanted to read some C. S. Lewis nonfiction this year, as well as some Charles Dickens, so maybe I'll bring Mere Christianity and  A Tale of Two Cities.  I also wanted to read another Pulitzer, so maybe I'll bring The Grapes of Wrath, or The Good Earth.  There's always the ARC and pre-reading books for my son for school, and I've really been wanting to read A Room With a View.  Those (plus my just-in-case-Kindle) should be good, yeah?  All of these books are on my TBR shelf, which is a handy bonus.
The Good Earth (Enriched Classics)
I'm really bad at estimating.  Whether it is how many books to bring, how many people at the concert, or how tall my ceilings are.  I need a reference to figure it out logically; pure raw estimating just doesn't work for me.  How do you decide how many books to bring?  How are your estimating skills?  Do you get weird looks when you load crates of books into your car along with your luggage? (or am I alone in that embarrassment?)

2 comments:

  1. Am TOTALLY with you, this is the most traumatic holiday related decision ever - much more significant than such trivial details like where to go or what to do. I have been bugging the Husband for ten days about what he is taking so that I can factor his books in too. Today he just said: look, I don't even know what I want for dinner tonight, let alone what I want to read in ten days time. (He'll only end up taking some lameo economics textbook). Anyway, the major dilemma is: will I feel guilt if I don't take the big clever books that I can't concentrate on the tube, or I will I feel boredom when I open my suitcase and see them?

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  2. So true...I totally forgot to talk about the mood factor. How on earth am I supposed to predict what my literary mood will be for the next two weeks?? There's only one solution: bring more books.

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