Help A Sister Out

Okay, I am flying to New York on Sunday, and I need a book to read. Here are my requirements:

  • Available in paperback, as it is cheaper and also because I have small hands and find a lot of hardback books cumbersome to hold;
  • A kickass story, preferably fiction;
  • Something that makes me look really cool.

Ideas?

23 Replies to “Help A Sister Out”

  1. I thought about taking Infinite Jest but that mofo would put my luggage over the weight limit.

  2. No shit.

    I don’t know if it will make you look cool and it’s not fiction, but What the Dogs Have Taught Me by Merrill Markoe is hysterical. And it comes in paperback.

  3. My Life in Heavy Metal, by Steve Almond.

    Reasons:

    1. Short stories are good for reading chunks at a time/
    2. His writing is HOTT.
    3. And also makes you think.
    4. He replaced Neil Gaiman as my favorite author. This was no small feat.

    Otherwise, the aformentioned Gaiman’s American Gods. SO good.

    Or maybe Ender’s Game if you are feeling nerdy. It passed the time on my flight from Korea, so.

    And finally! Always bring a copy of the Believer for the plane!

  4. You want a book that makes you look cool? That would depend on the persons you’re trying to impress. But are outward appearances even an important criteria? I guess I’ve not been single in a while. If someone cares enough to look at the title, then they will see someone who is simply reading the latest best seller, or they will see someone who charts their own course in life. The latter normally provokes more curiosity.

  5. I’m bringing Pride and Prejudice with me on my trip because it’s small in paperback and I’m the only person in the free world who hasn’t read it. Also bringing The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

  6. I’m late, but I suggest the The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. I’ve almost finished it and have enjoyed it very much.

    Also, I like reading everyone’s suggestions. I have both The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and You Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon on my bookshelf at home but haven’t read them yet.

  7. i’m the wrong person to ask, since i was bored silly by American Gods, which makes me think i’m totally missing some important piece of dna, since everybody i know seems to think neil gaiman is the second coming of tolstoy.

  8. american gods came to me at a time when i was writing a thesis show about place/cities/nations/etc. in spring of 2002, and that undoubtedly had a huge effect on me.

  9. Anything by Jennifer Weiner. She wrote Good in Bed, In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes. I’m not sure about her “cool” factor, but the books are totally cute semi-fluffy stories that are great plane reads. And make you feel good inside. A win-win as far as I’m concerned.

  10. I am leaving my first phone comment ever to let you all know that i love nyc and loathe laguardia and would rather eat glass than fly here again. Film at 11 unless my next flight gets cancelled too.

  11. Annika? THANK YOU. I think _American Gods_ might just be the most boring novel I have ever (almost) read. And this is coming from someone who worships Neil Gaiman’s _Sandman_ work, as well as his short stories.

    (Sorry, Lorie Anne. The book still sits in my car, if that means anything.)

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