I usually pack one paperback novel with me for my trip abroad, which, by the way, always happens every year during the fall season. And while there, I visit an English bookstore and buy 8-10 books to bring back with me to last me the year. And then I do it again.
This fall I am staying put, and doing mostly weekend trips to, somewhere driveable, so that I can take my dog with me, so this list of books to read from Conde Nast Traveler couldn’t come at a better time:
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Dreamy and strange and darkly funny. Kept me enthralled for hours. —Andrea Whittle
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Honestly, I’m not sure I would have finished it if not for being strapped into a seat for 12 hours. —Alex Postman
Too Fat, Too Loud, Too Slutty by Anne Helen Petersen
It’s the high-brow, feminist alternative to picking up a tabloid for your flight. —Meredith Carey
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
The woman can do no wrong in my eyes. —Lale Arikoglu
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
It’s perfect for when your life is paused at 30,000 feet. —Louis Cheslaw
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
I know, I’m the last one to read it. —Laura Dannen Redman
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Sunglasses hide the tears. —Caitlin Morton
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
It made me want to go back and re-listen to Darkness on the Edge of Town (plus, it’s the basis for his Broadway debut!?!). —Laura Dannen Redman
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
Sure, it’s a little heavy for sun and waves, but it sucks you right in and boggles your brain. —Betsy Blumenthal
Crazy Rich Asians series by Kevin Kwan
Super light and silly and exactly what you want on the beach. —Rebecca Misner
I wanted to read it before it hits theaters next year. —Alex Postman
When in French: Love in a Second Language by Lauren Collins
A hilarious and surprisingly informative memoir by a New Yorker staff writer. —Andrea Whittle
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Not sure if you can class a spy novel about the Vietnam war as a ‘beach read,’ but I can’t stop thinking about it. —Lale Arikoglu
Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
I love her writing—this is a follow up to My Name Is Lucy Barton. —Rebecca Misner
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of Strout’s portraits of small town America. —Katherine LaGrav
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
All-time favorite. Best read in one sitting. —Andrea Whittle
Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan
A beautiful story about family and secrets that can shape it, for better and worse. —Alex Postman
LaRose by Louise Erdrich
Justice, atonement, Native American history, grief, love—this book has it all. —Katherine LaGrave
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Better and easier than Netflix. —Caitlin Morton
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
His passing in May was a tragedy; I had to pay a few tribute hours. —Louis Cheslaw
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
I don’t even know what book I’m on anymore. Five? Six? —Laura Dannen Redman
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