Books that are Exactly as Long as your Flight

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s a great idea, but a little late.

A company called Banda Press is publishing a series of books aimed specifically for in-flight reading. According to their website, books in the One Flight Fiction series can be finished in one to three hours –- exactly the amount of time one might spend on an airplane. Perfect! That means no more getting halfway through a regular book on a flight and then never finishing it once at home. I can’t tell you the number of books that have sadly suffered this fate when I’ve traveled.

The only problem is that this would have been a great idea five years ago when there were almost no entertainment options on board a two-hour flight. Now, passengers don’t board unless they have their portable DVD players, iPods, and Video iPods.

Yes, folks the printed page is indeed dying 30,000 feet above ground. Let’s hope Banda Press can bring it back.

One for the Road: Route 22

by Kelly Amabile on

Here’s a new book that just screams road trip. Well, maybe it’s more of a gentle awe-inspiring hush, but there’s an obvious undercurrent of energy here that may soon motivate you to hit the highway. New York-based photographer Benjamin Swett has created a photo essay of Route 22, the 350-mile highway that connects Manhattan and Montreal. More about this unique travelogue and “Autobiography of a Road” from the Quantuck Lane Press:

While driving along this road one day, Swett was struck by the contrast between the landscape he could see through his car window and the more romantic one he remembered from his childhood. Without any particular plan, he set out to discover how the upstate New York of James Fenimore Cooper and Thomas Cole became this other place-a seemingly lost, untended region of Off-Track Betting Parlors and Tattoo Emporiums, abandoned diners, and ancient buildings crumbling into forgotten canals. The result of his exploration is this book-an insightful and deeply personal meditation on this complicated and beautiful landscape, accompanied by ninety evocative photographs.

Swett is the former director of the Parks in Print program at the New York City Parks Department, and has also produced Great Trees of New York City: A Guide in addition to several other books. Photos from Route 22 can be seen here.

One for the Road: Wish You Weren’t Here

by Kelly Amabile on

As summer travel heats up, the horror stories we hear from vacationers will surely rise — missed connections, flat tires, broken air conditioners in hotel rooms. But it could always be worse somewhere else, right? A forthcoming anthology from Grove Press has collected some of the worst of the worst when it comes to nightmare travel experiences: Wish You Were’t Here: The Black Cat Anthology of Travel Humor, may help put your own travel mishaps in perspective.

This collection of funny tales about the very worst of travel is sure to provide some comic relief whether or not your own summer plans go sour. The anthology includes funny stories like Ludwig Bemelmans’ tale about hiding a toy poodle from an overeager butcher on a luxury ocean liner. Christopher Buckley learns the drawbacks of traveling with a group in the jungles of Belize and Jerome K. Jerome experiences the downside of traveling with cheese. Stinky stuff, maybe?

This July 2007 release was edited by Cecil Kuhne, editor of two other travel anthologies: On the Edge: Adventurous Escapades from Around the World and The Armchair Paddler: An Anthology of Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting Adventures.

Rhinebeck: Terrapin Bistro and Oblong Bookstore

by Kelly Amabile on

I was in Rhinebeck, NY last week, a trendy Hudson Valley outpost in Dutchess County. I could do without the Manhattan-size prices I noticed while window shopping, but it’s still a charming spot to visit for a weekend or Sunday drive. If you’ve only got a few hours to spare (which was the case with me and the friend I was visiting) here’s my one-two punch suggestion for a pair of places to visit:

Dine on duck quesadillas at Terrapin, a New American “Best of the Hudson Valley” restaurant housed in a renovated First Baptist Church, originally built in 1825. The building is fantastic, but we chose to eat outside — despite the close proximity to the street, the veranda seating can be quite nice. Our waiter was uber-attentive but not overly annoying, possibly a chef-in-training at the Culinary Institute in nearby Hyde Park. The place is pricey, but the level of service and quality of food make it a deserving choice for a treat. Save money by eating at the bistro instead of in the main dining room.

When you’re stuffed to the gills on nachos and tapas, take a walk along Montgomery Row and pop inside indy bookshop Oblong Books and Music for some post-lunch browsing. Oblong has that lived-in feeling that makes bookstores so comfortable–the shelves are organized but there is still a sense that you’re roaming through an extra large and overstocked living room. Find one of the few comfy chairs you can collapse in, but be sure to do so with book in hand.

One for the Road: Worst-Case Scenario – The Great Outdoors

by Kelly Amabile on

New this month from the Worst Case Scenario crew is their guide to The Great Outdoors. This comprehensive survival guide will surely come in handy on your next camping or outdoor adventure trip. It covers all the usual threats: bears, grill fires and tent pitching in the pouring rain. So fun, right? I just hope you’re lucky enough that all three of those things don’t happen to you on the same trip!

This essential carry-along covers anything and everything that could happen out there in the wild. The latest guide in this clever series includes profiles of worst-case locations and intrepid explorers, as well as charts and graphs of perilous situations. With detailed instructions on how to get out of every kind of trouble, this almanac provides maximum protection — and something spooky to read around the campfire. Basically, it will save your life and scare you silly all at the same time.