Length, complexity, story/mood/themes, etc.
Personally, I like a simple, upbeat book I can finish during the duration of the vacation (shorter). For example, my last vacation was a short 5 day resort trip and I read “A Man Called Ove” and found it the perfect vacation book (would love to hear similar suggestions too!)
So what do you look for in a vacation book?
by Hysteric-Eric
17 Comments
I like used mysteries and they’re usually paperback and recyclable when I’m done.
We usually take two trips a year to my wife’s family’s cottage. For the first one I bring a book of Greek plays (unsure what I’ll move on to when I run out) and for the second I usually bring a long classic – something like War and Peace or Infinite Jest. Not very beach-ready, bit I always get a lot of reading done up there so I like to take advantage of it.
I like something shorter, cozy, happy (or at least a mostly happy) ending, and not too emotional overall. I don’t want to cry unexpectedly while on vacation. Something in the romance, mystery, fantasy, or sci-fi genres. Generally just a fluffy book that I won’t mind setting down in the middle of a chapter, but that interests me enough to make me want to pick it up over scrolling on my phone.
I look for relevant reads specific to the location. Written by local authors, translated works, or stuff in a “X-inspired” universe. For example, when I was in Korea last year I read a mix of Korean fantasy, translated works by Korean authors, Korean historical fiction, literary fiction, and a memoir by a Korean. My boyfriend also read a really good urban fantasy duology set in Seoul. When I’m camping I make outdoorsy reading lists, and I had a great French reading list for that trip as well.
Lots of pictures, popups are always a nice bonus.
long (mostly ebook so i have many many books easily at my disposal instead)
Not requiring a lot of concentration.
Not spoiling the mood. (Donʻt let the name fool you. Do not read The House of Mirth as fun vacation read.)
Something simple, interesting, doesn’t require too much concentration
Nothing particular in terms of genre or depth. Moreso I prefer something with short chapters or frequent section breaks. Something I can pick up and put down at short intervals.
“Is it a paperback I’ve owned for years without reading it that I can now force myself to read by bringing it with me” is pretty much it.
I bought all 9 of The Expanse books around a year ago and I’ve only managed to make it through 2,5 of them. I can’t wait for an upcoming trip abroad, I’ll definitely manage to read at least 2 of them (I don’t dislike the books but I watched the whole TV series last year and was obsessed, I think I needed a moment to distance myself from it before starting on the books.)
Demanding, complex, long. I literally have Magic Mountain in my luggage heading to Mallorca right now 😀
Happy and adventurous. Don’t really care much about long, short or dense.
Just not something that might have a dystopian theme or dark setting.
My last camping vacation I brought hard copies of Phoenix Guards, and Beowulf in case something happened to my Kindle and I couldn’t read any of the hundreds of books I have on there.
Nothing happened to my Kindle. I read Salvos. It was a series I started just before going camping.
So I guess whatever I’m currently reading + comfort reads that I haven’t read in a while?
Usually it’s short and fun romance or fantasy. I take my iPad and download a load of different books in my kindle app as I’m never sure which one I want to read. I never take actual books because if I end up reading fantasy they are usually really big books (like LOTR) and they’re just too bulky to carry anywhere.
One that can get wet / sandy and a story that will not rip my heart out.
I don’t think I have them, but maybe I should. Finishing the Divine Comedy and Catcher in the Rye overwhelmed me a bit on a vacation. Meanwhile I finished the Silmarillion (which has a lot of passages about water) and the first 3 books of Earthsea by the sea, and it was an amazing experience. The books made me want to go in the water and the water made me want to read. It was a very pleasant cycle.
None at all! I just read whatever I happen to already be reading at the time. It’s gotta be something light enough to read for hours when I’m tired on a plane for sure (so, like…probably not Montaigne), but I’ll probably be reading something like that anyway.