Reading is one of my favourites preoccupations and I hardly leave the house without a book in my bag. Who knows, maybe I will need to wait too long somewhere and I don’t want to waste my time, isn’t it? My passion is encouraged by the modern technology: since I got my Kindle where I have around 600 books, life looks easier for those sharing the house with me. As long as I don’t live in a palace – the world is my empire – it would have been quite difficult to accommodate such a big number of books with those already on my shelves. From time to time I donate the books I’ve read, but shortly after, they are shortly replaced with new ones.
Also, for the sake of travel and due to the strict regulations for luggage, my Kindle helps me to save space and money.
One of the main advantages of travel, books-wise, is that for a good amount of time I am disconnected from the Internet and thus, I can easily read in around 2 hours 100+ pages without interruption. No wonder than that one of the best time for reading is when I am not in the front of the computer. Unless I read the books or articles downloaded there.
Once arrived, the best time to read is at the end of the day of wandering and wondering and after my online work is done. Before falling asleep, 2 hours at least of reading will help me have very good dreams.
What’s on my reading menu when I travel?
I have a couple of DONTs: For instance, I never take with me the books from the local library – I can be messy enough sometimes to forget where my head is, so I prefer to put on risk only my properties. I cannot read philosophy, highly scientific, and deeply serious and theoretical books in general – no cuantic physics handbooks when I am on the beach. I also avoid to carry with me books written in a language I don’t manage properly as it means that some place in my luggage will be taken by one or two dictionaries. Also, I am not sure that I can digest too much economy books either. A political science book should be quite easy and on a topic close to my understanding, otherwise it must wait for me till I’m back. It does not mean that if I have enough place in the luggage I will hesitate to buy books on a variety of topics. Surprisingly or not, I am not a big reader of classical travel guides and I rarely have one with me, as I do the proper documentation before the trip and once arrived, I try to use a lot of local knowledge. And, last but not least, I never read poetry on the road, and rarely I do it when at home anyway.
What I really enjoy to read are: novels, especially family sagas or history subjects, preferably on a topic close to the local history of the place I am visiting; travel books – some of them reviewed on the blog – and reviews are also the top reading priorities and every time I find myself in an airport I buy at least one latest issue of one of the biggest travel publications; I like mysteries, especially when I can reach to the conclusion during the flight or any dead waiting time. I also love short stories. Good food and fashion topics can be also chosen for the sake of language, lessons in photography or simply because I am too tired for anything else. If I am in the mood for something special, or I have a long trips ahead, I can carry a notebook with me to take notes, especially if I have a deadline for a book review coming up. As food writing and food in general is my newest passion, I like to read food memoires or food related topics. Biographies are also a favourite topic and I like to spend a good amount of time reading about various personalities.
Curious to know what I am reading right now? On print, The Family Carnovsky, by I.J.Singer, a well written family saga starting at the beginning of the 20th century, and on my Kindle The Scrapbook of Secrets, by Mollie Cox Bryan, a mystery with stay-at-home mums and double lives that I am not sure that I will give more than one star.
Happy reading, everyone. Life with a book is always good!
Ilana on the road 