Thursday, May 01, 2008

Booking Through Thursday, 1.May

"Quick! It’s an emergency! You just got an urgent call about a family emergency and had to rush to the airport with barely time to grab your wallet and your passport. But now, you’re stuck at the airport with nothing to read. What do you do??

"And, no, you did NOT have time to grab your bookbag, or the book next to your bed. You were . . . grocery shopping when you got the call and have nothing with you but your wallet and your passport (which you fortuitously brought with you in case they asked for ID in the ethnic food aisle). This is hypothetical, remember…"

I've been in similar situations at airports, train stations and bus depots. On one occasion I was distraught over a recent event, so I grabbed the fattest novel at the newsstand. Luckily it was a good one. I tore the book from its carrier bag and began to read as I walked the moment I left the newsstand. I read madly throughout the whole leg of that journey, from the airline gateway, on the plane, at the baggage claim, everywhere.

The book's title was a line from a song. That was at least ten years ago, but I always think of the novel, the trip and the distressing situation whenever I hear that song.

4 comments:

cj said...

That's the best thing about books, isn't it? They have the ability to take us away from even the worst situations, if only for a brief time. I've used them to help me catch my breath many times.

So, which book was it? Do you remember?

cjh

teabird said...

And the song was...........

CJ maybe have caught her breath, but I hyperventilated, just reading the question!

Anonymous said...

I'll give you both a clue: it's a song by The Guess Who.

Mary Beth said...

Most terminals have stores with books in them, don't they? And if they don't, they should be mandatory like restrooms. If I were in my car, I would be okay because I always have a book in the backseat in case I get into an accident:)You can never be too prepared for this kind of emergency!
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