Got a ticket for my destination.”
Travelling seemed a whole lot simpler for Simon and Garfunkle. All they carried was a suitcase and guitar. Me, I had enough reading material to last me an entire round the world trip (maybe two of them). To whit:
- three electronic devices capable of storing books (laptop, iPad, Ipod)
- Daily Telegraph
- various work related documents
So why then did I feel compelled to add to this collection by purchasing two new books in the airport??. I was only away for two nights and the flight lasted just 1.5 hours.
The answer is that put me anywhere near a bookshop and I find it hard to resist. It gets even harder to resist when I know I am going to be travelling and might, just might, get that horrid experience of ‘having nothing to read that I like.’
I tried my best this time. I really did. I decided while packing that I wouldn’t take any ‘real’ book with me. I would rely on my iPad. Two hours before leaving home, I wavered. ‘You can’t use your iPad during take off or landing. I can’t just sit there for 20 mins at a time without anything to read! So maybe I could just take this little one with me.’
My inner voice told me not to be stupid. So out of the case it came.
I did look at the promotional counter at the airport. But saw nothing particularly enticing so walked away with halo intact. But then of course I needed to buy a newspaper so had to walk past the shelves in the W H Smith outlet. And they had a buy one, get second half price deal. Which included Zadie Smith’s NW.
And so my inner dialogue went down this path
“She was named in the Granta list today. I liked White Teeth so I should read this one shouldn’t I?
You don’t need to buy it, you could get it from the library.
Yes, I know but they probably won’t have it yet…..
It’s a bargain. I’ll get it.”
And did I read it? Nope. Did I even open the book while I was away? Nope
Will I read it soon? Um, probably not. It’s cozying up to the 100 or so other books on the ‘waiting to be read’ shelf right now. Along with the other one I bought: The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer
On the plus side, while away, I did read Snowdrops by A. D Miller – posted the review earlier today and began reading Dark Fire, the second in the Shardlake series by C J Sansom. Both of which have been good antidotes to the rather gloom and doom books I read more recently.
My next trip is in a week. Question now is whether I can manage a whole week with just iPad or do I succumb and take one real book with me…….