My parents didn't understand why I must bring some paperbacks for the long trip. They found out the following day. Our flight to Phuket was delayed. My old man seemed unpleasant to be around, and I couldn't blame him. He wasn't used to the humidity. We couldn't feel the cold. (What happened to the air conditioning?) We were talking about the Andaman Sea for nearly a year, but we must wait for one more agonizing hour. It was a good thing that I brought some books.
The highlands of Indochina was supposed to be part of the itinerary, but I told my parents that we should stick to the coastlines. They haven't made up their minds, as they thought it would be better to spend the first two weeks in Southern Thailand. I loved gazing at the sea. I would get excited whenever I saw the Atlantic Ocean from the distance. Ernest Hemingway didn't inspire me, not Herman Melville either. As a matter of fact, I asked my housemates for their advice (on the books that I would bring for my holiday). I wished they kept their two cents to themselves. Ben Ehrenreich's "The Way to the Spring". Max Porter's "Grief Is the Thing with Feathers". Hideo Yokoyama's "Six Four". I haven't heard these titles, and I don't have any plans of finding a copy soon. Not that I don't have a thing for classics, but I rather not recall the coursework. Besides, we planned to spend a lot of time at the beach (or so I thought).
Which books I would take to the beach? Let me spill the details:
The Book of Wonder (1912) by Lord Dunsany. What an imaginative fellow. His creativity was so infectious, such that I thought of Pegasus (while traveling halfway around the world).
James and the Giant Peach (1961) by Roald Dahl. I read it a number of times, and it would get better. I laughed out hard many times. (And my mother was surprised by it.) I might need to do it if I would get bored.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001) by J. K. Rowling. I was a huge Hogwarts fan, and I missed it. I was delighted to learn that Rowling would pen prequels, spinoffs, and (possibly) sequels. As for the title, there wouldn't be enough of these fantastic beasts. I believed Rowling could come up with another series that would put the spotlight on these creatures. It would be a long list, which won't keep me hooked to the book for long. I must look at the clock from time to time. We might miss the boarding or something.
The Select and The Orphan (2014) by Peter Lerangis. We haven't visited the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, so this novella would do for the meantime.
Demigods and Magicians crossover collection (2015) by Rick Riordan. The meeting between Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase and Carter and Sadie Kane was bound to happen, as the quartet were based in New York. And it would be kind of anticlimactic. It could have been riveting if these novellas were published before "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" and "The Kane Chronicles". I guessed it was better to be late than never.
I noticed a throng of backpackers standing in front of the boarding gate. And then the slight commotion. We would leave in a moment. I wasn't done with the first chapter of "The Select", which I could finish later. Alas, I dozed off during the flight. I completely forgot the books, as there were many things to do in Phuket. And my mother told me so.
