Books for the Beach -- Any Suggestions?

I'll be out of the office, out of state, and off the grid for the next six weeks (paternity leave + holidays + vacation in TX, PA, and Hawai'i). I haven't had six solid weeks to myself in...well...ummmm...since 1998. Whatever should I read?

My daughter and I are biting off a few pages of Smart Mobs each night. I've dusted off a book by Thomas Jefferson. I've got back issues of MSDN magazine, and I plan to buy a book called Cultivating Communities of Practice that a friend recommended. But this probably won't last me a week on the beach, much less six.

What books do you recommend?
I like idea books. No self-help guides, please. Fiction is okay.

Comments

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  I brought American Psycho with me to Belize. Although you get some wierd stares, it's an interesting book.

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking is one that you can read and absorb in paragraph-sized bites.

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  The 9/11 Commission Report

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  Where @ in TX and PA? It's kinda' freaky that I live in TX (DFW) and am also going to PA (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) for the holidays.

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  Recent Fiction: Life of Pi
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0156027321/qid=1100296454/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-6900153-5313605

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  I'll throw in a bit of cyberpunk since you want some idea &amp; fiction books:<br>&lt;i&gt;Cryptonomicron&lt;/i&gt; by Neal Stephenson (rollicking adventure packed with clever flights of fancy and speculation).<br>&lt;i&gt;The Diamond Age: A Young Ladies Illustrated Primer&lt;/i&gt; also by Stephenson (thriller you can share with your daughter! ;)<br><br>Since life is less without philosophy, but a little abtruse with it, try &lt;i&gt;The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition&lt;/i&gt; by Lewis Carrol, edited by Martin Gardner.<br><br>Finally, I heartily second the Hawkings and Hofstader suggestions.

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2004
  Cryptonomicon
  
  Neuromancer

• Anonymous
  November 13, 2004
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 13, 2004
  I'd second Diamond's GGS, but on second reading, it leaves a funny taste in the mouth :)
  
  For big-idea-non-stop-page-turners, I'd say Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything.

• Anonymous
  November 14, 2004
  The Stand (Un-abridged version) by Stephen King ought to fill the whole six weeks.

• Anonymous
  November 14, 2004
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 14, 2004
  If you haven't read Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson yet, you should! Cryptonomicon is also good, but a later work and much longer.

• Anonymous
  November 14, 2004
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 14, 2004
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 15, 2004
  Bangkok8 by Jeremy Burdett; best novel I've read since (If you haven't already read it): Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

• Anonymous
  November 15, 2004
  The Fat Fallacy - Will Clower Ph.D. not quite self-help but an interesting book on nutrition written by a smart guy not trying to sell stuff (apart from the book that is). Quick read.
  
  Positive Discipline - Jane Nelson "encourage, don't praise."
  
  

• Anonymous
  November 16, 2004
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 17, 2004
  Someone already gave you the first one I'd recommend... "Cryptonomicon". Another great read is "Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World."
  
  Enjoy your vaction Korby!

• Anonymous
  November 22, 2004
  A Week at the Beach: 100 Life-Changing Things You Can Do by the Seashore. We wrote it just for the beachgoer who wants to get the most out of those precious ocean minutes. Enjoy!
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/156924491X/104-6882687-3750320?v=glance
  
  

• Anonymous
  November 29, 2004
  The comment has been removed

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  August 18, 2005
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  March 19, 2006
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