Reading on holidays: how to choose your books?

reading is boss

One of my favorite moments when I pack is choosing the books that will accompany me on vacation. I thought it might be nice to explain how I can select a small list of novels to read by the pool or the beach.

Here are my 5 steps to creating your summer reading stack!

Define the number of books to take away on holiday

books and sun glassesIf you prefer to read books in paper format rather than ebooks, you are certainly faced with the problem of weight. To avoid paying extra expenses when travelling by airplane, or to avoid having to choose between your shoes and novels, it’s best to be realistic and avoid carrying 10 500-page books for a week, when you’re struggling to read an average of one book a month.

As I read a lot, I decided to take a book a day off. Some will tell me that it’s not much if you spend your day reading and I agree with them! Except I don’t spend all day reading! I just got back from a week’s vacation in Turkey. Between sport, showers, meals, aperitif and evening, I found time to read an average of 3 hours a day. I spend a little more time reading when it comes to rentals.

In 3 hours, I read a paperback novel of fewer than 250 pages. Counting one book a day, I’m sure I won’t run out of books, especially if some of the books I’ve chosen are pavers!

Read on the plane

You must also take into account your means of transport. If you’re going to drive, you’ll read little or not at all, while by plane you’ll have plenty of time to immerse yourself in a good novel. If you don’t want to read only the duty-free catalog, plan a book in your carry-on baggage (with a bit of luck you will have your airline’s in-flight magazine which sometimes turns out to be quite nice).

For 10 days of vacation, I took 10 novels with me, two of them more than 500 pages long.

Search your library

Often we are tempted to buy new books to go on holiday. It’s perfectly normal, I do too. However, given the number of books I own and haven’t yet read, I start by searching my library for titles that I really envy and which I often postpone reading because of lack of time.

Dare to vary the literary genres

enjoying a napIt would still be a pity to read several books in a row without varying the types of reading. I know some of you are not bothered at all by reading 5 thrillers in a row, but I like the change.

So, since I had 3 feminine novels to take with me, I decided to choose 3 other totally different ones.

All found in my library

Ask your bookseller for advice

He doesn’t deliver in 24 hours, but he’s got good pieces of advice!

It does not have hundreds of thousands of references in shelves, but it always has the indispensable and often superfluous.

He’s got two arms, two legs and a sense of humor, and that’s worth the trip!

Buy books at your holiday destination

The seaside resorts are often full of small press points or small bookstores that offer a wide range of novels. Every summer we go to the Landes, to Mimizan where I love to roam the department rather well provides pocket books at the local press point. If you look carefully, you will always find something to make you happy. So, above all, keep an eye out and enjoy your holiday!