Pre-Departure Planning

I leave in exactly one week. Seven days from now I'll be sitting in the Chicago airport, waiting to catch a flight to Manchester and wondering how I will then get to Leeds. Train? Coach? Taxi? I'm sure I'll get there somehow - I'm in England after all, not Mongolia. I think that line will probably be running through my head as I run into the blunders and annoyances of traveling. England, not Mongolia. England, not Mongolia.

Yet instead of packing, instead of actually figuring out the logistics of how I'm going to get to Leeds from an airport in a whole other city, I've dedicated my time to deciding which books to bring with me for the plane and my 6 hour layover. They need to be light (preferably paperback), have appropriate covers (as haughty jet-setters may cast a judgmental glance in my direction from time to time), take up time, and have appropriate meaning.

The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
Seemingly perfect for a flight to Britain: portraits of Lady Mary, Lady Elizabeth, Prince Edward, and Lady Jane Grey by a prolific British biographer.

Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
A 650 page piece of classic English literature. I hate to admit it but the only reason I haven't begun this book yet is because of how incredibly unsuccessful the Reese Witherspoon film version was. That sounds horrible. But if a major studio adaptation starring an Oscar-winner and American sweetheart cannot garner viewers than is the book going to really keep my attention? Doubtfully.

Delizia by John Dickie
A hardcover historical exploration of Italian gastronomy. Literally the perfect book for me - the history of Italy, through its food. However, I'm not going to Italy...on this flight. I'm going to a land known for puddings and tasteless sauces. And potpie. I hate potpie. I love pesto genovese. This will only torture me.

Throwing these titles aside, I decided to reread Elizabeth Gilbert's monster success Eat, Pray Love and take another stab at Nabokov's most famous work, Lolita. I have a friend who read Eat, Pray, Love in Thailand and found it cringeworthy; Gilbert's self-indulgent 3 month vacation really upset her. However it is all about personal journeys, growth, learning - all that good stuff that I'm hoping comes from my trip abroad. Plus it is light and fluffy - a good balance to Lolita. It seems as though I only read Lolita when I'm in Europe. I began it 3 years ago while abroad in France for the summer. Can't say why I let it go, but I'm excited for the chance to actually savor it this time.

I've also considered bringing crossword puzzles. But who am I kidding? The only times I can do those are Mondays (easiest puzzles of the week) and during Physics class.

I have a slight suspicion that I will get on the plane, see a James Macavoy film available, and again not pass page 100 of Lolita.