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The 11 Airplane Reads You Need on Your Kindle Right Now

    Photo Credit: johncatral

    Somehow, even as in-flight entertainment expands with Wi-Fi and more movies and TV channels, we still find our planed-in selves watching leaden reality TV or “Limitless" for the zillionth time. And it can seem that as Bradley Cooper’s brain power expands to limitless proportions, ours dwindles to a slow drag -- and so do the minutes on board. That's why we’re refreshing our airplane reading with some recently published picks. Nothing makes the time zip by from takeoff to landing like an engrossing book. We’ve rounded up a full range of titles, from lighter reads that’ll make you LOL to dense, chewy prose that you’ll mull over for days. All of these 11 spirited reads are so engaging and juicy, you’ll almost miss the drink cart going by. (Don’t worry. We said "almost.")


    Any others to add? Let us know in the comments section below!

  • 1. The Japanese Lover, by Isabel Allende

  • Question: What’s better than star-crossed lovers? Answer: Ones that pine for each other through a lifetime of longing. Isabel Allende, who wrote “The House of Spirits” and “Daughter of Fortune” is on familiar turf here spinning out a story of secret desire and lovers separated by the Japanese internment camps of World War II. With a sprinkle of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “Love in the Time of Cholera,” a dash of Marguerite Duras’ “The Lover,” and a big splash of fairy-tale fantasy, this novel will appeal to any true romantic.

  • 2. M Train, by Patti Smith

  • Musician Patti Smith’s memoir “Just Kids” was a heartwarming, shattering look at her youth as an inseparable duo with Robert Mapplethorpe. That detailed account of their nickel-and-dime existence landed her the National Book Award. But for her fans, that tale ended just before her musical career took off, leaving out some of the most striking parts of her life. In this follow-up memoir, Smith doesn’t dole out the next section of the story in a linear fashion; rather, she flits around different points of her life, musing over the loss of her husband or pondering her children in a way that feels thoughtful and present without being overly precious.

  • 3. City On Fire, by Garth Risk Hallberg

  • Literary critics have been falling over themselves with praise for Hallberg’s opus. It’s been crowned 2015’s Great American Novel, and, clocking in at more than 900 pages, it also serves as a great argument in support of buying a Kindle. But those with lengthy overnight flights and a desire to sink their teeth into a truly meaty read will appreciate the scope of this novel, in which multiple storylines run like threads through the tapestry of New York City.

  • 4. Modern Romance, by Aziz Ansari

  • There’s no doubt that Aziz Ansari’s star is ascending. The former “Parks and Recreation” sidekick has now become the leading man on his show, “Master of None.” And following a similar path as his former costar, Amy Poehler, Ansari has released a book. “Modern Romance” is a manifesto of sorts examining the state of dating in 2015. Subjects like online dating and sexting are covered, but really Ansari could bring his wit to any subject and we’re sure it would be hilarious.

  • 5. Purity, by Jonathan Franzen

  • Jonathan Franzen has proven adept at charting the complex interior lives of Midwestern suburban families in “Freedom” and “The Corrections” -- efforts that won him critical raves and the coveted seal of approval from Oprah’s Book Club. In his latest book, Franzen takes that same unblinking approach with his heroine, Purity, aka Pip, as she stumbles through young adulthood and its romantic entanglements, idealism, and student debt. The plot is hardly universal coming-of-age stuff -- there are activists on the lam and murder to start -- but it’s a masterful tale that’s invited comparisons to Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations.”

  • 6. After Alice, by Gregory Maguire

  • Author Gregory Maguire has made a successful writing career out of revisiting childhood literary classics. His most notable to date, “Wicked,” flipped the script on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and launched a famed Broadway musical. Now Maguire turns his attention to the universe Lewis Carroll created in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Fans of the fantastical will be happy to follow the white rabbit down the hole to Wonderland again.

  • 7. Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert

  • There was a time when it seemed Elizabeth Gilbert would primarily be known for eating her way through Italy, praying in India ashrams, and falling in love in Indonesia in the juggernaut that was her memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love.” But her latest book could spark an even bigger cultural conversation. In "Big Magic," Gilbert provides something incredibly rare -- a real discussion about inspiration and artistic endeavors. Where does the creative spark come from? Can it be fostered? Can it simply die? These questions can haunt any creative pursuit, but Gilbert attempts to shine a light on the most mysterious of human efforts.

  • 8. Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard

  • Chances are there won’t be another book or movie for “The Hunger Games” after this holiday season. (Sorry, J.Law fans.) But those in the market for another gripping young adult novel will be in good hands with Victoria Aveyard. This fantasy/action-adventure novel checks all the boxes for big, bombastic entertainment: Supernatural powers? Check! Revolutionary upheaval? Check! Star-crossed lovers? Check! Like the original Hunger Games book, the narrative of "Red Queen" is driven by a strong female heroine and a plot that grows more tense and tangled as it hums along.

  • 9. The Improbability of Love, by Hannah Rothschild

  • “The Goldfinch” and “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” demonstrated that there’s nothing stuffy about the world of Old Masters. There’s always a flamboyant artist, a backstory, and a fierce landgrab when the painting in question proves to be worth immeasurable amounts. “The Improbability of Love” deals with the latter, as a swirling cast of wealthy characters from academics to oligarchs pursue a painting that moves hearts and minds the way only art can.

  • 10. The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins

  • Paula Hawkins’ novel “The Girl on the Train” is poised to inherit the thriller crown from Gillian Flynn's “Gone Girl,” and it’s easy to see why: This gripping tale with unexpected twists and an unreliable narrator is more electrifying than a third rail. And just like Flynn's Oscar-nominated tale, this novel was rushed into movie production by Hollywood. But don't wait for the silver-screen version, which could never capture the most gripping aspect of this book -- namely being trapped inside the dark, decomposing mind of an addict as she struggles to retain memories that could uncover a murderer.

  • 11. The Vacationers, by Emma Straub

  • Sometimes it’s hard to pick up a book about murder, war, or even climbing Everest when you’re on vacation. Why break the relaxing spell? But Emma Straub’s novel doesn’t just suspend that sunkissed, beachy feeling of being away -- it animates it. Her comedy of manners follows the story of one family reunion in a rental house in Spain. There’s a certain Oscar Wilde-ian aspect here to the way characters come together and fall apart, and come together again. Relationships are tested, love is found, and far too many tapas are consumed over the course of one getaway.

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