My favorite books to bring on an airplane/vacation

Why am I passionate about this?

If you’re at all like me, then finding time to sit down and read a book is incredibly challenging given how busy our everyday lives are. It seems like the only time I truly can dive into a book is on vacation. And so, all of the books I recommended I have either read on vacation or on an airplane. In my opinion, a good vacation book needs to be two things. It needs to be a quick read and it needs to be impossible to put down. When I sit down to write a book, I try to keep both of these in mind!


I wrote...

The Last of a Dying Breed

By Carl Michaelsen,

Book cover of The Last of a Dying Breed

What is my book about?

Noah Riordan's life has been nothing but an unforgiving downward spiral, and every choice he makes just speeds up his decline. Justin Carter's life is the envy of many men, his successful and praised life as a sheriff is only rivaled by his life as a husband. Both men stop being strangers on a very bad day, with Noah and his union brothers making a poor choice of friends, and Justin making a poor choice to pull the trigger. Now, Noah's downward spiral just accelerated to dangerous speeds, and Justin just fell off of his cloud-nine life, and started his new path, where the line between redemption and vengeance increasingly blur. Both men race on a very dark trajectory that can only end in edge-of-your-seat panic.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Terminal List

Carl Michaelsen Why did I love this book?

The ultimate thrill ride from start to finish, Jack Carr’s first novel following Navy Seal Commander James Reece is one to remember. I bought this book at the airport in Anaheim, California, and started reading while waiting for my flight. A few delays and a five-hour flight later I had finished the entire book. It is a fantastically written book, laced with complex characters, government, and corporate conspiracies, and reminds us all why you must always be wary of those closest to us.

By Jack Carr,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Terminal List as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**SOON TO BE A TV SERIES STARRING CHRIS PRATT**

'With a particular line in authentic tradecraft, this fabulously unrelenting thrill-ride was a struggle to put down' Mark Dawson, bestselling author of The Cleaner

James Reece has nothing to live for and everything to kill for in the debut thriller from former Navy SEAL Jack Carr, perfect for fans of Lee Child and David Baldacci.

On deployment in Afghanistan, Lieutenant Commander James Reece's entire team is killed in a catastrophic ambush. But the deaths don't stop there, and Reece soon discovers that this was not an act of war by a…


Book cover of Die Softly

Carl Michaelsen Why did I love this book?

In terms of pulse-pounding mysteries, they don’t get much better than this. Following a high school student in a rural town, Die Softly is a dark and twisted story that keeps you guessing until the very end. Even though I read this book for the first time many, many years ago, I still enjoy picking it up and bringing it on vacation with me. It is a quick read, perfect for a long-ish flight, and never gets old.

By Christopher Pike,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Die Softly as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Herb just wanted to photograph the cheerleaders in the school showers. He planted his camera high in the corner where no one could see it, and rigged it to a special homemade timer. He did this Thursday night, and he hoped by Friday night to have an exciting roll of film to develop. But a girl dies Friday afternoon. On the surface it appears to be nothing more than a tragic car accident. But when Herb finally does collect his roll of film, he develops a picture that shows a shadowy figure sneaking up on the girl who dies-sneaking up…


Book cover of The Outsider

Carl Michaelsen Why did I love this book?

Fans of Stephen King’s horror will be happy. Fans of Stephen King’s suspense will be even happier. This book is undeniably long, but is absolutely impossible to put down. Another purchase I made in an airport, I found it completely riveting. This is one of those books that you will think about long after you put it down. Stephen King is masterful and his writing in this story is as close to perfect as any book I’ve ever read. 

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Outsider as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When an eleven-year-old boy is found murdered in a town park, reliable eyewitnesses undeniably point to the town's popular Little League coach, Terry Maitland, as the culprit. DNA evidence and fingerprints confirm the crime was committed by this well-loved family man.

Horrified by the brutal killing, Detective Ralph Anderson, whose own son was once coached by Maitland, orders the suspect to be arrested in a public spectacle. But Maitland has an alibi. And further research confirms he was indeed out of town that day.

As Anderson and the District Attorney trace the clues, the investigation expands from Ohio to Texas.…


Book cover of Prince of Thieves

Carl Michaelsen Why did I love this book?

I can’t think of a book that has had more of an impact on me as a writer than this book. I read this book over a weekend spent in Maine a few years ago and it has been at the top of my list of favorites ever since. This book is filled with morally ambiguous characters that you just can’t help but love. To this day, I don’t think the character of ‘Jem’ will ever be topped. A truly great book for fans of complex romance, classic stories of cops and robbers, and the all-encompassing mission to better one’s situation.

By Chuck Hogan,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Prince of Thieves as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author of The Strain comes a tense, psychologically gripping, Hammet award-winning thriller.

Four masked men—thieves, rivals, and friends from the tough streets of Charlestown—take on a Boston bank at gunpoint. Holding bank manager Claire Keesey hostage and cleaning out the vault were simple. But career criminal Doug MacRay didn't plan on one thing: falling hard for Claire. When he tracks her down without his mask and gun, their mutual attraction is undeniable. With a tenacious FBI agent following his every move, he imagines a life away from his gritty, dangerous work—a life centered around Claire. But before that…


Book cover of Hard Contact

Carl Michaelsen Why did I love this book?

Obviously, this book is not going to be for everyone. Some might not be able to get past the fact that it is a Star Wars book based off of a video game from 2005. But, if you can get past that, then buckle up for a gripping tale of war and brotherhood. Set in the first weeks of the Clone Wars, Hard Contact feels more like a Tom Clancy war thriller than a space opera. This entire series is gritty, grueling, gut-wrenching, and impossible to put down. 

By Karen Traviss,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Hard Contact as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As the Clone Wars rage, victory or defeat lies in the hands of elite squads who take on the toughest assignments in the galaxy ... On a mission to sabotage a chemical weapon research facility on a Separatist-held planet, four clone troopers operate under the very noses of their enemies. The commandos are outnumbered and outgunned, deep behind enemy lines with no backup - and working with strangers instead of trusted team-mates. Matters don't improve when Darman, the squad's demolitions expert, gets separated from the others during planetfall. Even Darman's apparent good luck in meeting an inexperienced Padawan vanishes once…


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What You Do To Me: A Novel

By Rochelle B. Weinstein,

Book cover of What You Do To Me: A Novel

Rochelle B. Weinstein Author Of When We Let Go

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Not only am I the author of seven women’s fiction novels, I’m a voracious reader who believes she was raised by Judy Blume and Sidney Sheldon. In our broken home, reading was an escape, a salve for the wound, a place where I felt heard and understood. My novels touch on deep emotions—real and relatable. If I don’t capture that feeling when I’m reading through my drafts, I dig deeper. And that’s the thing about a great book, that gut punch, that slide under my skin, I get you. There’s no better read than the one that pulls the heartstrings and gives you all the feels.    

Rochelle's book list on tugging on every one of your heartstrings

What is my book about?

What You Do To Me follows Rolling Stone reporter Cecilia James on the hunt to find the muse behind a famous love song, all while managing an estranged relationship with her father and boyfriend Pete.

Inspired by Hey There Deliah, the dual timeline stretches across the sunny beaches of 1970s Miami with star-crossed lovers Eddie and Sara, to the glittery music industry of 1990s LA. For music lovers and fans of that first, unforgettable love, What You Do To Me is the story of a love song with equal parts heart and harmony.

What You Do To Me: A Novel

By Rochelle B. Weinstein,

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends comes a moving novel of two unfinished love stories and the music and lyrics that bring them together.

Journalist Cecilia James is a sucker for a love song. So when she stumbles across a clue to the identity of the muse for one of rock’s greatest, she devotes herself to uncovering the truth, even as her own relationship is falling apart.

While writing an article for Rolling Stone, Cecilia works to reveal the mystery that has intrigued fans and discovers a classic tale of two soulmates separated by fate and circumstance. Rock…


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