This is always the hardest part of packing for me. Deciding on clothing, shoes, and toiletries is the easy part. Frankly, I'm the type who could live in the same jeans or dress for three days at a time. But what the heck do I bring with me to read? What book (or books) could possibly encompass all my reading needs whilst I am away? What book (or books) is long enough to get me through the entirety of my vacation? These are just some of the questions I ask myself when I'm packing up my bags.
It's a process we bookworms all go through and, boy, can it get messy.
Step 1: What is on my nightstand right now?
I, usually, only read one personal book at a time. This means there is only one book in progress on my nightstand. I always try to finish this book a day or two before I head out on vacation so that I can start fresh. If, however, that is not possible, the nightstand book is a candidate for vacation. To make the cut, my nightstand book has to be at least 350 pages long and less than 50% complete. If travelling by car, it can be any type of binding. If travelling by plane, I will only take a paperback.
If the book is long enough to get me through a short vacation, the nightstand book will be the only book I pack. If it's not long enough, we're on to the next phase.
Step 2: How much do I think I will read?
This is a complicated question. I will read while travelling by plane, but I never read when travelling in a car... unless I know I will be in the backseat the whole time. If I'm heading off to visit family or friends I will read much less than if I'm travelling solo or with The Husband.
The vacation destination plays a HUGE role as well. Week on the beach? I'm reading a lot. Foreign travel and/or seeing lots of sights and doing lots of things? My reading will be limited to the in-transit moments and nights.
I tend to read fiction while on vacation so I know I'll read that faster. But! I have been known to take non-fiction when travelling domestically. I try to estimate my page speed against how many days/hours I plan on reading my chosen material.
Once I have a general idea of how much time I think I'll have to read, I start thinking about mood.
Step 3: What will I be in the mood to read?
As a mood reader this one can be hard to predict. I have, however, learned over the years that I enjoy certain kinds of books with certain kinds of locations. Travelling to family basically means picking whatever looks good at the moment. Going to the beach? Give me all the door-stopper sized fiction please! When I head abroad, I tend to love books that feel like or relate to my destination.
Now that we have estimated pages read and the mood I'm in, we can start to pick out our titles.
Step 4: Grab all the books!
Yes. All of them. I rampage my shelves (and sometimes the library) grabbing titles I think will be a good fit for my timeline, activity level, and destination.
Sadly, I do not own a Mary Poppins bag so reality comes in to play.
Step 5: Reassess my options.
Okay, so I have this pile of books, and they clearly won't all fit in to my bag. What's a reader to do? Well, this reader likes to go for balance. I will pick one book I am reasonably sure meets all my needs and will last for the majority of my vacation. Then, I pick a back-up book. Sometimes I pick a third.
But that's it! (*tosses long-form magazine like The Atlantic on to pile for good measure*)
Step 6: Pack
This is my last chance to consider my options. My nightstand read or first book choice go in to my carry-on bag. The other books go in to the suitcase. Unless! My first choice is thin. Then the second choice book also goes in to the carry-on.
Step 7: Doubt
If there is any space at all left in my bag, I will consider adding another book. You know... just in case. I will then also wonder if bringing a library book is a good idea. Inevitably, I'll decide it's not and take any library books out of my bags. Then I find myself repeating Steps 4 through 6 all over again.
Step 8: Leave and wonder if I packed enough books which is an absurd question because I have never once run out of reading material. Not once. Ever.
The Husband and I are headed out on vacation on Saturday and I'll be bringing the first book Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series with me. I will also bring the second book in the series as a back-up. But do I bring the third as well? Hmmm...
Of course, I could just use the old Nook reader we have lying around and load it up with many, many titles... but where's the fun in that? #teamdeadtreebooks
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