Monday Discussion: Vacation Reading-- How Do You Choose?

Here at the BPL RA Dream Team, we have 2 staff members on vacation and another one who will be leaving in 10 days.  Also, most schools are off during the week either before or after Easter.  So, the question of what to read on vacation has been coming up frequently these days.

Some people like to match their reading to their vacation. others save special books so that they can be read with a more uninterrupted time frame, still others pick the book based on if they can get it in a small mass market paperback or ebook version for easy traveling.

Let's take me for example.  I will be taking a Revolutionary War themed road trip on my next vacation.  For our family audio book experience we are going to listen to the Revolutionary War, Newbery Honor classic, My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier in the car.

But for my personal reading, I am thinking of finally reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin, since it is long, the second book in a trilogy, and I have a paperback advanced reader copy that a colleague passed down to me.  I know I won't love it as much as The Passage, mostly because I am not a fan of second books in trilogies in general (they are too plot oriented for my tastes) but I know I need the second book to get the third.

I briefly considered a themed read, but decided against it since I will want to read for escape, and as much as I love American History, even I will want a break after being immersed in it all day. Also, I really want to read The Twelve in as close to a single sitting as possible. But, interestingly, my husband almost always does a themed read to go with our vacations.

The point is there are always extra considerations beyond just what you are in the mood for when planning your vacation reading.  I also always bring more books than I will need, even when space is tight, because it would be a nightmare for me to run out of books to read on vacation.  That could ruin my vacation, actually. In fact, I usually drag along many back issues of The New Yorker as a backup.

What about you?

For today's Monday Discussion, share your thoughts and stories about what goes into your decisions as to what to read on a vacation.

For past Monday Discussions, click here.