A Week At The Airport: A Heathrow Diary - Alain De Botton

I had heard about A Week At The Airport when we were travelling last September. Philosopher and writer, De Botton has been approached by the owners of Heathrow Airport to spend a week in the airport's new Terminal 5 as its very first "Writer in Residence". I admit that the whole concept sounds like a huge marketing ploy but I was also a little jealous - I would love to get paid to live in and write about an airport!

I have not read any of De Botton's previous and more extensive works so this 107 page book has really only given me a tiny taste of his work and his style. I can't say that A Week At The Airport was everything I was expecting it to be but it was a delightful, reflective and thought provoking read that has just made me want to jump on another plane as soon as possible!

De Botton starts off by declaring himself a lover of travel and the humble airport;

While punctuality lies at the heart of what we typically understand by a good trip, I have often longed for my plane to be delayed - so that I might be forced to spend a bit more time at the airport.

This quote immediately connected me with De Botton - I have also often made this wish!

The book seems to meander along with little structure or focus - and I don't say this in a negative way. De Botton has obviously chosen to write about those specific moments and people that have captured his attention during his week in the airport and yet each of his reflections could easily applied to broader situations - I connected with a lot of what he wrote about from my own experiences of being in airports. I especially liked the section about the emotionality involved in our experiences of meeting our loved ones at airports;

We may spend the better part of our professional lives projecting strength and toughness, but we are all in the end creatures of appalling fragility and vulnerability. Out of the millions of people we live among, most of whom we habitually ignore and are ignored by in turn, there are always a few who hold hostage our capacity for happiness, whom we could recognise by their smell alone and whom we would rather die than be without.

I had thought that this book would contain more in depth information about the structure and world of Heathrow Airport itself but I was not disappointed by what I received instead.

Has anyone read other works by De Botton? Would they recommend them?

Home Again

Back at home following our amazing 4 weeks away. Sometimes it feels like we have been gone for ages and at other times (like returning to work!) it feels like we have never left.

I think my body and mind are still trying to work out which time zone they are in but I am really looking forward to catching up on reading all of your blogging from my time away - I feel so out of the blogging loop right now but hopefully I will catch up soon. Please let me know if you think there is something in particular I should track down to read - and any great reading recommendations from your own reading over the past month - I can never have too many recommendations!

I'll also get around to letting you know what I have been reading while I was away - and the books I picked up on my trip (all I can say is that I am glad that Emirates had a 30kg allowance for checked in luggage!!).

I'm also looking forward to sharing some of my favourite moments and memories from my trip - when I get them all worked out in my own head! But for now I'll leave you with this photo at the top of my post - from the balcony of our hotel room in Paris. Ahh Paris!

Only 1 More Sleep!

Only one more sleep until we head overseas! I think I am organised - am looking forward to getting away and having an adventure.

The books above are the ones I will be taking with me - I think I have been very disciplined! I am sure I will buy more while we are away but to begin with I have;

True Pleasures: A Memoir of Women in Paris by Lucinda Holdforth. I have already started this one and I am really enjoying it. The author is an Australian woman who spends some time in Paris after finishing a job exploring the lives of famous women who have lived in the city and gained inspiration from it.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. This is the last book I have of this author to read - I have really enjoyed the other two so I thought this would be a safe bet to take on the plane.

Inside The Whale by Jennie Rooney. I bought this one when I was in Sydney a little while ago. It is not a big book so it won't take up too much precious room but it sounds really good - set in England around the time of WW2. Has anyone heard of this one??

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (audio book) - I'm not sure how this one will go as an audio book but I really wanted to take it and this was the only way I could fit it in!

So, I will see how I go with these and other books I find along the way. I will try and check into the blogging world while I am away but if not I will see you all when I get back in 4 weeks! Happy reading everyone!

Suggestions for Travel Reading Please!

It is now less than 5 weeks until we fly away on our trip to Ireland, the UK and Paris (but who's counting??!!) and I am starting to think about a book (or books) to take away with me.

I have already put The Secret Garden onto my ipod as an audio book - I gave a beautiful copy to my goddaughter for her recent 4th Birthday but I am ashamed to say that I have never read the book myself. I know an audio book is probably not the best way to appreciate and experience this one but I thought it would be a nice, light option for the plane or for when I'm feeling too wiped out for anything else.

I would love to hear from all of you about any suggestions you may have for other books I could take with me - both audio and hard copy. On my last trip overseas I actually did quite a bit of reading in those times at 3 and 4am when jet lag would not let me sleep! I am thinking I would like to have books set in the countries I am visiting - especially the UK (a place I love reading about even when I am not there) and I would love a book that isn't too heavy and yet has really good character development and involvement. I'm also thinking a nice historical novel from one of these countries or areas might be good?? I was thinking about taking The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters but I am thinking it might take up a bit too much room in the bag.

Any suggestions and ideas greatly appreciated!