Ok so I am on a plane for 27 hours - what shall I read?

[flagging]

I need a few really unputdownable/page turning books that easy to read (no Kafka please) but not crap fiction either. Last time I did a huge flight I read Angela's Ashes and before that Twilight! Any suggestions as I spent ages in Waterstones yesterday and didn't buy a thing.

Ah yes Touching the Void. My DH and I have both read that one, except he read it on the Tube while commuting to work. Picture smartly dressed suited man sitting on the Tube holding a book with one hand, while other hand is clasped over his face in disbelief and horror at what Joe Simpson went through. Fantastic reading though...

I will also second (third, fourth, whatever) The Book Thief, another great read

Flagging and Pounamu - if you liked Touching the Void I would read any about the disaster on Everest in 1996. They'll make you cry but are gripping. I liked Boukreev's the best but there are many

Haven't finished it yet but if you like an epic 800 pager The Crimson Petal and the White is good so far...

Also Wolf Hall for another good, long book....

Anything by Lesley Pearse! I love her work. Favourites are 'Trust Me' and 'Hope'. But they are all fab! I think you should make room for one more in your luggage! :)

Have just ordered The Climb. Read reviews of Book Thief but I don't like Holocaust literature (Primo Levi finished me off) so not sure it is for me.

If you like Touching the Void try Andy Kirkpatrick's Psychovertical.

Would also recommend Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

Joe Simpsons other books are fab - This Game of Ghosts been my favourite. Its like reading about my youth of climbing in the Peak District, hanging round Sheffield, going out to the Alps. Love it.

Just thought - White Spider by Herinich Harrer. If you liked Touching The Void then you'd like this one.

I suggest Sophie Hannah's books. Intelligent, readable, gripping.

Try reading the side of a packet of Valium for 5-10 mins then sleep for the rest of the journey. Be sure to ask someone to check you're still breathing before everyone disembarks.

Try Shantaram - one of the best books I have ever read and it kept me engrossed on a long haul

Wild Swans by Jung Chang helped me through pre-eclampsia - effectively took my mind off it. It's an autobiographical account of three generations of women in China, before and during the Cultural Revolution.

He last book I read and really enjoyed was Ken Folletts Pillars of The Earth.

Flagging - would love to know how you get on with The Climb