ON A PLANE
Format: Physical, planes have little lights
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When you're on a plane you basically want to be anywhere else at all, despite how much mental and emotional preparation you put into it. There's nothing you can do except immerse yourself in something else to keep yourself from wondering how many hours it will take for your elbow to merge with the elbow the large man next to you, because there's no way in hell you are giving up that arm rest. So why not read a nice story about a girl who lives in the woods with her father? Ok, it's not that nice, but it's completely riveting and you won't be able to put it down. Why did he steal his daughter away and tell her her family was dead?? How will they survive with so few supplies?? Being far from a decrepit cabin in the woods won't look so bad after a while.
ON A HORRIBLE BUS
When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams Format: Physical, buses also have little lights
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There's literally nothing worse than being on a bus for a long period of time and nobody can tell me otherwise. I don't care how fancy the bus is, your legs will never be comfortable and the people around you will never be pleasant. For some reason long bus rides across states always make me my most thoughtful. But the environment of a cramped bus with horrible people in it who declare themselves bus DJ isn't super conducive to that. So let Terry Tempest Williams have the deep thoughts for you, specifically about being a mother, being a daughter, being a woman, and existing in the world. This is a quick, powerful memoir that will match your emotional wistfulness on the bus (maybe that's just me?) And you don't even have to be embarrassed about crying as you read, because there are probably 15 sobbing infants already. You'll be lost in the shuffle.
IN A CAR
Format: E-book or Physical, depending on how late you'll be in the car
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When I'm on a long car ride, I want something vaguely thriller-y. But I can't be able to race through it, because then it's over and what do I do for the next four hours? (Just kidding, I sing along to Sia songs, that's what I do). This is a mysterious and creepy novel that you have to take the time to sort of puzzle out. Two different stories are being told at the same time, but in different directions. A woman who is living alone raising sheep is finding some of her flock brutally killed. By who or what? What else is going on? The writing is beautiful and the sense of unease is palpable. You will be thoroughly entrenched in this story during your road trip.
HIKING IN THE WOODS
Format: Physical, for the outdoorsy romanticism
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This isn't a fun read by any means, but it is a really, really good one. Hanya Yanagihara writes her island locations so well, you can actually feel the jungle around you, even if you're maybe just near a midwestern lake. It's not a quick read, but it's a great immersive book to revisit over the course of a trip, especially when you're outdoors yourself. When you have to put the book down to do some hiking, it'll stay in your head. If you like books within books that have troubling characters and mystical turtles that give you physical immortality with a terrifying side effect, check it out.
BONUS: DO NOT READ IF HIKING IN THE WOODS
Format: Physical, because you do NOT need to be reading this at night
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I actually just read this in a long car ride recently and oh my god, I would not have been able to handle reading it if I was in any sort of foresty surrounding. In this horror novel, a hiking/camping trip in Sweden goes horribly wrong when a short cut is taken. NEVER TAKE SHORT CUTS. If you liked The Blair Witch Project, you'll like this. It was actually horrifying. The tension is built expertly. Just maybe read it somewhere with no trees.
AROUND THE CAMPFIRE
or, A Creepy Out of Print Book of Short Stories You've Never Heard of
Format: Physical, for creepy flashlight usage
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There's nothing better than reading stories aloud or hearing them read aloud. And now that we're not in elementary school, there aren't a lot of opportunities in regular life to show off your reading aloud prowess. Around a campfire is a perfect time, though. The scarier the stories, the better. I like to go in not knowing what to expect, so I tend to choose books of short stories I've never heard of. It's a risk, but it can pay off when you and your friends are completely unable to fall asleep in your tents. Outside is scary.
What do you look for in the books you take on trips?
