Incase you wondered:
Yes, I did fall off the face of the earth.
But only for a little bit.

On May 6th I promised you a new post the following week directed to non-readers who want to talk to readers. I promise that post is coming. But not yet.

Summer is here and with it may come vacation plans! Hopefully. Summer without a vacation is so 2020, am I right?

So get out your suitcase because I’m about to share an algorithm for packing books that will change your life.

Packing clothes when I’m going on a trip is something I can deal with. But packing books is not such and easy task. I obviously have to pack the one I’m currently reading, but even that’s complicated because I’m probably going to want to read more of it between the time I pack and leave on my trip or have access to my pack. So that goes in my carry-on or purse very last so it’s on top and easy to get to.

And unless I’m going on a two hour vacation I’ll probably need to bring a backup book. (Who am I kidding? I would bring two extra books for a fifteen minute excursion.)

So, as I’m packing my books any time I go on vacation I start piling them into the suitcases like there’s no tomorrow. What if I finish my current read and have a hankering for a dystopian novel? better pack three of those. What if I read the first in the boxset I got for Christmas? Probably need to take the whole box. What if something on my vacation reminds me of that book I haven’t had any interest in but have seen sitting on my shelf for the last three years? I’ll probably read it. And maybe its sequel.

My luggage quickly gains in weight as I start replacing my clothing with the collections of Charles Dickens and the entire Little House box set. Why do I need extra clothes? Aren’t the ones I’m wearing fine?

The thought of running out of books is terrifying! I start to have a nervous breakdown just thinking about the idea of finishing a book and not having a replacement. I forget that other parts of the world have bookstores. I could probably buy a new one somewhere. — No, I’ll probably get snowed in on my summer vacation and won’t be able to make it to the bookstore. And the internet would probably be down and I’d have no way of getting an e-book.

Therefor, I created the ideal algorithm to help you decide how many books you need to take on your vacation. And because I’m not a huge fan of complicated math problems, I’ve made it simple.

First, take the number of nights you’ll be away from home (e.g. 6).

Now, double that (e.g. 12).

And finally, add three to whatever number you got (e.g. 15.)

Voila! Now you have a completely reasonable number of books for your trip! And just remember, clothes are a minor necessity. Books are an absolute! You should absolutely be allowed to take whatever crazy number of books on your vacation if it will make the experience more enjoyable!

So, tell me in the comments how you handle the traveling reader dilemma! How many books do you take with you? Do you buy more while on vacation? Is there a certain kind of book you like best for vacations?