# Recommend a book for me to take on vacation. Need answer before Thursday. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129 "2016-06-11T18:32:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/1 "2016-06-11T18:32:38Z")
Tell me what book to purchase for my upcoming vacation. Fiction, non-fiction, biography, whatever. I am wide open. Don’t ask which authors or genres I enjoy, I don’t want to limit the recommendations. It is a long plane ride. I don’t want responses consisting of just titles, so please support your choices. Thanks! mmm ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/2 "2016-06-11T21:02:13Z")
I recommend “John Dies at the End.” It’s sort of absurdist science fiction, in a HGttG vein. Only funnier. It has drug abuse, demonic possession, aliens, and interdimensional travel; something for the whole family. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/3 "2016-06-11T21:14:39Z")
“The Moon’s A Balloon” by David Niven. It’s probably not the most reliable memoir, but it is a very entertaining one. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/4 "2016-06-11T21:29:50Z")
_The Passage_ by Justin Cronin. Getting it out of the way, yes, it’s a vampire/end of the world thing. I remember reading an interview with him where even he said ‘Oh my god. I’m writing a vampire book?’ It’s way more than that though. On the plus side, it’s first in a trilogy, and if you like it, you’ll have more to read. It’s really about life and love. And survival. I recommended it to my dad, (not a huge reader) and he raced thru the first two and pestered me for a couple of years about “When is the third one coming out? Huh? HUH? You’re going to buy it and let me read it, right?! RIGHT?!” I did and he will . ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/5 "2016-06-11T21:34:29Z")
[Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8520610-quiet) Excellent well-written accessible book on a subject that isn’t often touched and - bonus - title most likely to dissuade your seatmates from striking up a conversation when you want to READ, DAMMIT! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/6 "2016-06-11T22:39:08Z")
_The Ancestor’s Tale_ by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins is a world famous evolutionary biologist and in this book (loosely modeled on _The Canterbury Tales_) he walks us back in time starting with our species all the way back to the beginning. It’s quite a long book, but each chapter is rather short. And while it’s meant to be read from front to back, each chapter is fairly well self-contained so you can skip around if you like, or circle back and read some earlier parts that might make a bit more sense after having read the latter parts. Dawkins is an excellent science writer, and I’d say this was one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/7 "2016-06-11T23:15:36Z")
I guess I should chime in here and note that the book you recommend should be available as a Kindle download. A couple of those suggested are not (The Moon’s a Baloon and the Ancestor’s Tale). I am packing very light on this vacation, so even a paperback is too much extra weight. Sorry I didn’t mention this in the OP, but I didn’t think it would be an issue. mmm ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/8 "2016-06-11T23:23:40Z")
Pick an anthology of stories in a genre you like: Best American Mystery Stories, 20xx Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year, xxxx This way you will like some of the stories and can skip over others you don’t like. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/9 "2016-06-11T23:27:28Z")
The first book in either of two series by Jim Hines - Stepsister Scheme in the princesses series or Goblin Quest from the Goblins series. More about them at his [website](http://www.jimchines.com/) (including the first chapter available in pdf to get a feel for them.) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/10 "2016-06-12T00:03:48Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I guess I should chime in here and note that the book you recommend should be available as a Kindle download. A couple of those suggested are not (The Moon’s a Baloon and the Ancestor’s Tale). The Moon’s a Balloon _is_ available as a Kindle download [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002RI9AIQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?\_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002RI9AIQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) So’s the Dawkins book [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004GHN2XU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?\_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004GHN2XU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/11 "2016-06-12T00:18:00Z")
You can download “Moby-Dick” for free from Project Gutenberg. I took it on a trip to China and it came in very handy. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/12 "2016-06-12T00:40:32Z")
I recently downloaded the complete HP Lovecraft collection for Kindle, for free. Got it at the Arkham Archivist dot Com website. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/13 "2016-06-12T00:46:26Z")
Two recommendations: [Shantaram](https://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330537) by Gregory David Roberts. An autobiographical novel about an escaped Australian thief surviving in India. Very well written and engrossing. [The Lies of Locke Lamora](https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/055358894X) by Scott Lynch. A fantasy novel about a con man living in a city similar to Renaissance Florence. Funny and imaginative. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/14 "2016-06-12T01:04:09Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > The Moon’s a Balloon _is_ available as a Kindle download [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002RI9AIQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?\_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002RI9AIQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) > > So’s the Dawkins book > > [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004GHN2XU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?\_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004GHN2XU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) It seems they are available at Amazon UK but not Amazon USA. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/15 "2016-06-12T01:18:57Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > “The Moon’s A Balloon” by David Niven. It’s probably not the most reliable memoir, but it is a very entertaining one. I read that as a kid. Still remember busting a gut laughing at the part where he describes in school they all had to strip for the doctor and bend over. The doc came up behind each one, grabbed his balls and said, “Cough.” But this one kid thought he’d said, “Off!” and tried to take off running with the doc’s hand still firmly clutching his balls. Ouch! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![btcg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@btcg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/btcg)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/16 "2016-06-12T07:58:51Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Tell me what book to purchase for my upcoming vacation. > > Fiction, non-fiction, biography, whatever. I am wide open. > > Don’t ask which authors or genres I enjoy, I don’t want to limit the recommendations. > > It is a long plane ride. > > I don’t want responses consisting of just titles, so please support your choices. > > Thanks! > mmm State of Fear by M Chichton EXCELLENT! ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/17 "2016-06-12T23:06:49Z")
“Cultural Amnesia” by Clive James. It’s a series of essays on various people - from Hitler to Coco Chanel to Miles Davis to Jean-Paul Sartre to W.C. Fields. Plus plenty you have never heard of. They are beautifully written (James is a wonderful linguist). and while I don’t always agree with his opinions, they are so well expressed and so thoughtful that you find yourself deeply engaged with the subject. Most of the essays are 4-10 pages long, so it’s easy to dip in and out of. And if you don’t like a particular subject, just turn over half-a-dozen pages and go on to the next one. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/18 "2016-06-12T23:31:29Z")
Hmm. Covering several genres, how about… History: _Founding Brothers_ by Joseph Ellis, about the Framers in their relationships with each other - as friends, allies, foes and frenemies. Won the Pulitzer and deserved it. Historical novel: _Aztec_ by Gary Jennings, a big, sprawling novel about a peasant who rises to become an interpreter and courtier to Montezuma just as the Spanish arrive. Plenty of intrigue, exploration, war, sex, love, hate and pagan rituals. Magnificent. Science fiction: _Tuf Voyaging_ by George R.R. Martin, a collection of interrelated stories about a sarcastic starship captain and self-made ecological engineer who goes from world to world, offering his services and not always doing what he’s paid for. Great stuff. Detective fiction: _The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes_ by A. Conan Doyle, a collection of some of the best Holmes tales. Still great reads after all these years. Thriller: _Await Your Reply_ by Dan Chaon, a spare, eerie novel about family and human connections in the Internet Age, and how we might never really know one another. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/19 "2016-06-13T01:24:42Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Historical novel: _Aztec_ by Gary Jennings, a big, sprawling novel about a peasant who rises to become an interpreter and courtier to Montezuma just as the Spanish arrive. Plenty of intrigue, exploration, war, sex, love, hate and pagan rituals. Magnificent. I also liked his _The Journeyer_, about Marco Polo. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129/20 "2016-06-13T02:52:11Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Tell me what book to purchase for my upcoming vacation. > > \< . . . \> > > It is a long plane ride. _Cat’s Cradle_ by Kurt Vonnegut, because, y’know, peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me-to-take-on-vacation-need-answer-before-thursday/757129.md?page=2)