How to choose the perfect book to read on a plane ‹ Literary Hub

July 11, 2024, 10:11 a.m.

I recently took a couple of long flights and was wondering what books to pack for the flight, so here are a few guiding principles, in no particular order, to help you put together your in-flight library.

I dedicate this piece to the person on my flight back from Italy who audibly reacted to nine uninterrupted hours YellowstoneI know there’s a book out there that can tear you away from those sexy Westerners.

Choose a book that distracts.
Flying is full of humiliations and discomforts, so it’s ideal to bring a book that will grip you and draw you in. A suspenseful thriller or something scary or speculative should do the trick. Perhaps a mystery novel about a locked door or a beloved classic from your childhood that you’ve been meaning to read again? There are already so many stimuli on a plane; you don’t want to look up and be distracted by the guy cutting his toenails or wondering what Yellowstone is not okay at all because you haven’t seen a horse in two hours and thought this was a cowboy thing.

Avoid density.
30,000 feet may not be the best altitude for that theory book you’ve been wanting to challenge yourself with.

Avoid books in which something bad happens in or with an airplane.
Obvious, but it’s best to avoid the subject of airplanes altogether. This is especially true if you’re a nervous flyer or someone who thinks flying is pure hubris and believes that if man was meant to fly, God would have given us wings.

Choose a book with a protagonist who overcomes challenges and adversity.
The way airlines treat people these days can feel like you’ve been thrown into the trials and tribulations of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey template. Embrace those plot cliches and choose something where a character comes out stronger and wiser at the end of the story despite having to contend with numerous delays, hundreds of dollars worth of toiletries through the TSA, and legroom fit for an Apollo capsule to the moon.

Choose something that you can easily hide and show.
There will be distractions on your flight, so be prepared. You want to be able to easily pick up your book if you lose your place because the drinks cart bumps into your shoulder, your neighbor fidgets, or you are pushed through another crowded shot of a dozen or so Yellowstone Cowboys sit around a table and not a single horse in sight.

Do not bring anything that you have written yourself or that is about you.
This is a niche problem, but if I look over and see your face on the book cover, I’m going to be annoyed that you’re doing something so performative in public. Be polite to your fellow travelers: Don’t make them fear that they’re about to end up in the background of a TikTok.

Don’t bring anything too big.
There’s a guy at my YMCA who’s constantly banging these huge hardcover books against the metal lockers, and I can only imagine the havoc he creates on an airplane. If a book is so big that it rips the bag in the seat in front of you, it’s too big.

Bring lots of short books.
This is the way to go in my opinion. Lots of small books solve lots of problems on board: you can easily take a few out for the flight and put the rest in the overhead bin; you have lots of options and you will feel a sense of achievement if you read a lot of books on your trip.

Side note: Which airline is cool enough to set up a novella-only imprint dedicated to on-board reading?

Bring something that makes you happy.
Overall, an airplane is the perfect place to leave your expectations behind. For a while, you are switched off. Read something “embarrassing” or “unliterary” – you are in the Heaven, only the birds can judge you!

It’s just you, your book, and a 7″ picture of Kevin Costner in a dizzying array of cowboy hats constantly in your peripheral vision. Happy flying!