Have Book, Will Travel

I was waiting for a train the other day, and had a sudden flash of happy memory; a book I had read largely on public transport a few weeks earlier popped into my head and I enjoyed a brief moment of enjoying it all over again. (The book in question, in case you’re wondering is The Portable Veblen, one the best books you’ve never heard of, in my humble opinion). So this got me thinking about books and travel.  Are there certain kinds of books that are better suited to reading on the go than others? And if so, what are they?

First and most importantly, it’s best to avoid deeply emotional tear-jerker books in public. I’m a big crier, and it really doesn’t take much to set me off so I need to be especially careful, but sometimes it’s just unavoidable. A couple of weeks ago, the woman standing behind me on the train was reading and working her facial muscles like a gymnast in order to hold back the tears. Personally, it just made me want to give her a hug and then become best friends, but I do appreciate the awkwardness of her position, and that not everybody would react the same as myself in this moment.

Also problematic: a book that is too absorbing. This can be a tricky balance but you don’t want to miss your stop. As they like to say in the business world, this is a known issue. Authors who tend to especially long sentences are the worst for this. Therefore, although I love their work, I would dissuade you from attempting Paul Auster or Catherine Lacey while travelling. It isn’t really worth the risk. Most 19^th century literature falls into this category too, so choose your classics with care.

If you’re a reader and a public transport user, it’s hard not to notice, and subsequently despair, when you see a train carriage full of people staring at their phones. A friend of mine went back to work last year after having time off to be at home with her little kids. She had not commuted in rush hour since before mobile devices became so ubiquitous, and she was shocked (and appalled. Of course she was appalled: she is my friend after all). For most of us it’s probably been so gradual that we’ve barely noticed. 

However, don't despair!! These "book ninja's" are doing what they can to get more people reading on trains. It isn’t just me who feels kinda smug when I pull out my book, and look across the carriage to other book readers, silently saluting them as members of my club. Being able to share books and a love of reading is a beautiful idea, and you can become a book ninja and stealthily recruit new members to books on the rail

Further Time Wasting

I don't really understand the world sometimes. The image I used above came from this website where you can buy videos of women crying. I am not sure why you would pay for something like that? Surely you can just go up to a woman and discuss society's unrealistic expectations of her ability to juggle work, motherhood and personal beauty maintenance all while being forced to live with a stupid pay gap and just watch her cry for free... but, um, if you want or need a video of a woman crying then you should totally check out that website.