Does anyone else struggle to read on a trip? I always bring a book or my kobo with me and have every intention of reading on the plane or during downtime but just never seem to get to it. I’m not talking like relaxed mini vacations, but holidays where you’re travelling.

I just saw someone else’s post asking about books you found organically before they blew up on TikTok, and I totally misread it at first--my brain skipped the "TikTok" part entirely!

So now I have to ask the question I thought they were posing: What books have you discovered completely by chance, with zero online influence?

I mean books you stumbled on, or judged by their cover, or had only the recommendations of friends or family or maybe a random bookseller/ librarian.

For me, the most random finds tend to be in the poetry section--I love looking through the shelves until a title grabs me. But my ultimate chance discovery was just a few months ago The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, which a bookseller literally pulled off a sale cart, when I asked if the store had a short story section. (I have since read it and found a few favorite stories and authors I will be picking up again in the future!)

And my holy grail has to be The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas. I have never seen this mentioned in any online space, which is criminal, because I absolutely adored it. the perfect blend of sci-fi, mystery, and philosophical musings—what would nonlinear art look like? How disconnected would you become with that kind of time travel at your disposal?

So, what’s yours? What books found you?

Does anyone else struggle to read on a trip? I always bring a book or my kobo with me and have every intention of reading on the plane or during downtime but just never seem to get to it. I’m not talking like relaxed mini vacations, but holidays where you’re travelling.

When my son was five, he asked if we could make up our own holidays like Christmas and Easter. I said we could and as a result, I chose to dedicate a day to reading each year.

I chose August 30th as it's the birth date of Mary Shelley (who authored my favourite story) and so every year since we have celebrated Mary Shelley Day by gifting books to each other and spending the day reading.

I was just browsing book catalogues, looking for books to gift my children and partner, and it made me wonder if other people also had book-based holidays that they celebrated.

If you do have a book-based holiday or tradition, I'd love to hear about it!