Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Recommended Reading


Since I will be spending extensive amounts of time traveling on airplanes and hanging out in airports on layovers during my trip to Africa in about a week and a half (crazy!), I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a good, absorbing read.  I would like something fiction that reaches out and grabs you and helps wile away the hours on the plane.

Here are my only guidelines:

#1) It can't be scary
#2) I don't want it to be anything from the Twilight series

Any suggestions??

8 comments:

Karah said...

Ok - these are some of my favorite books. I haven't read the third one but if it's anything like the first two, then it's fantastic.

http://www.amazon.com/These-Words-Diary-Sarah-1881-1901/dp/0061458031/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236747310&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Sarahs-Quilt-Novel-Arizona-Territories/dp/0312332637/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Garden-Novel-Sarah-Novels/dp/0312363176/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

Anonymous said...

I tend to go for classics (To Kill a Mockingbird, Catch-22, or Wuthering Heights) - but if you're like me you won't want to have to think too much on the airplane, or burst into tears...

So maybe something light and funny like Terry Pratchett - any of his Discworld series are fantastic, but you might try Going Postal to get started if you've not read any of his stuff.

I also like mysteries, so anything by Agatha Christie (I recently enjoyed her autobiography). Dick Francis' Shattered is another favorite.

If you're looking for some redeeming value, I recommend C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters.

And for cross-cultural fiction, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini speaks about life from the perspective of a Muslim woman - but I found it an easy enough read on an 11-hour train journey. Of course, I was immersed in Muslim culture at that point, so might not have been as much of a stretch.

Another cross-cultural selection, but closer to where you are going, Alexander McCall Smith wrote a series entitled No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, of which I have read the first two books and enjoyed both. Kind of short, so you may need a couple to tide you over. Anyway, they are set in Botswana, which is just north of where you'll be!

I also recently enjoyed a book of missionary short stories (non-fiction) set in South America. The book is The Man in the Leather Hat and Other Stories by Paul Long. I think it would be as easy to read as fiction, and I found the real-life stories inspiring.

Have a great trip!

molly marie said...

Anything by Ted Dekker. I have a bunch of his books you can feel free to borrow. They always grab me and I just can't stop. Ever. I read his novels in days even when I'm working full time. They are suspense/mystery types.

Also, Redeeming Love is a great love story mirroring the book of Hosea. Throws me off a cliff.

Also, Mrs. Mike is a good love story... Have that one if you want to borrow it.

In fact, I could just throw a bunch of my favs in a bag for you to look through on Sunday if you want me to! Just let me know... :o)

Courtney said...

Yes, yes, yes! That would be awesome. Thanks Molly!

Karah & Elisa: Thanks so much for the suggestions! I will be looking those up today!

Jen Price said...

My mind is escaping me but I read everyone else's suggestions and they sound great! The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency that Elisa mentioned is great, I hear. My mother-in-law has read them. I saw them at Half Price Books when we were there. Hope you find something entertaining! It is a long journey!

Karah said...

Oh yeah, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books are great - I've read them all. They are quick reads, though. They probably won't take you too long. I love Redeeming Love. Pretty much anything by Francine Rivers is fantastic. The Scarlett Thread is one of my favorites by her.

Amy said...

uum in the spirit of what you will be doing..
Red Letters by Tom Davis.:)

Amy said...

oh, or...

There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene. Don't let the thickness discourage you... its a story and if I read it and loved it, anyone can read it. :)