In a few weeks, I’m flying out of PDX to travel a few weeks in Europe before studying fall term in England. I’m looking for a good book to take on the plane from PDX to Heathrow (actually, PDX to SFO to Heathrow), and on the 6-7 hour train rides through Europe for when the lovely scenery starts to wear. (I know, I know…but every so often I need a mind-break from gorgeousness.)
I’m considering buying the new reprint of Pamela Dean’s “Tam Lin”, because it’s dense, enjoyable, and (relatively) disposable (as in, I already have another copy); the other candidate is the paperback of “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell”. I feel like I want to go a little more “European” than those two exemplars of American and English academia, though. Thoughts? Those two are definitely the kind of thing I’m looking for, though, except for setting. Literate, interesting, exciting, and probably with a whiff of magic realism.