Location has also its influence. After I retired, I took some solo trips to places where I had worked (when the dollar still bought something) and one of these was Paris. I spent some days in the antiquities section of the Louvre which I had never had time to see before. (This was about the time of the looting of the National Museum in Iraq, and I wanted to see some ancient artifacts while they still were available. My main impression was that our present-day religions are really late-comers to human history.)

At DeGaulle Airport on the way back to Boston, I picked up the “DaVinci Code” for the flight, and was hooked into it by the opening, set where I had been literally standing a few days before. So passed a reasonably entertaining few hours.

Years later, when the movie came out, I reread the book, and was appalled by how bad it was…I actually preferred “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” which I had read years before, also on a trans-Atlantic flight home.

I am no literary snob, but I like my light entertainments entertaining. I still find rereading a Dorothy Sayers mystery, even when I know the outcome, more rewarding than any number of pre-programmed—- swear that some of these are plotted with a computer program—- potboilers. They are the literary equivalent of a Philip Glass symphony… a few familiar ideas pounded, hashed, rehashed, and regurgitated in an unappetizing mess.

This rant is getting out of hand. Count me among the ones who see the end of civilization as we know it, and leave it at that.

The best books to read on airplane flights and I guess this would be especially true for longhaul flights is one of those fat fantasies, like Steven Erickson’s novels. Try and read those in a single flight.

re: 12 on Murakami – glad it’s not just me, then!

What I like best about the novels are the (real? pseudo? who knows?) tactical insights. In the same novel he has to cross a thinly guarded (one man every 100 yards) defensive line. Surprising and killing a guard is no problem and the next guards are too far away to notice the event, but there are vultures flying about and as soon as there is a body, they will congregate and that will alert the guards down the line. I never would have had that thought.

Reacher is always thinking about the situation and his thoughts have this (superficial at least) tactical insight which is interesting and unexpected. He may be wrong or misguided but you never think “no stupid why did you do that?” or “how could you not see that?”.

Next one (‘Nothing to Lose’) is out in June. Can’t wait.

Also good in this regard (expressed thoughts about what is going on that are clever and interesting and for all I know right) is Jeffrey Deaver (Lincoln Rhyme novels and others) though his body count is ridiculously high.

How about sweat, dig one’s nails into the armrest, and pray to a god one doesn’t really believe in to allow the plane to land safely? That keeps me pretty busy for any flight of four hours or less.