Last week, we asked the Guardian Books community what they read or listen to on their commutes to work. Here are some of their responses, as well as some advice about books to steer clear of if you want to avoid sobbing in front of strangers. You have been warned.
For brief commutes: short stories and non-fiction
@GuardianBooks it's like travelling with an enviously eloquent friend. Such a delight to read. #guardianbooks pic.twitter.com/k8JuFGlqWX
— tom st. clair (@justtheonedear) October 9, 2015
@GuardianBooks Runaway by Alice Munro. The novel's chapters are short stories in themselves, so it does allow you to put it down.
— Kathy Stevens (@KathyStevens91) October 11, 2015
@GuardianBooks @martabausells Short stories collection pic.twitter.com/RkWLMCXF1s
— Nada Purtic (@nada_purtic) October 9, 2015
@GuardianBooks @martabausells short books that take you far away from reality (like 3rd Policeman or Heart of Darkness) worked best for me.
— Alexander Velky (@AlexanderVelky) October 9, 2015
@GuardianBooks On my way back from work (Sydney); reading abt 'born-translated' fiction: Coetzee, Ishiguro, Mitchell pic.twitter.com/LGbVSofyrM
— Joshua Mostafa (@JoshuaMostafa) October 9, 2015
@GuardianBooks on the train with some Huxley today! pic.twitter.com/1m95jYfOpr
— Patricia Reads (@patriciareads1) October 9, 2015
Some reads will put you in the right mood for productivity
@GuardianBooks Amy Poehler "Yes Please" is laugh-out-loud great and get-to-work-all-inspired great
— Alicia Lux (@spikeydlux) October 9, 2015
... or for winding down after office stress
These will help you forget your surroundings
@GuardianBooks @martabausells re-reading Watership Down took me away to the Surrey Hills instead of the crowded Vic line!
— Jason Collins (@Jascol88) October 9, 2015
Anything by Paul Bowles I would also recommend for total absorption, and a page turning narrative.
@GuardianBooks @martabausells a bit of SciFi or fantasy is the only thing that can distract me from the horrors of the tube
— sarahfairbairn (@sarahfairbairn) October 9, 2015
For me, a compelling, page turning read is the best book for any journey.
I read Jake Arnott's 'He Kills Coppers' from start to finish on a coach journey from Manchester to London.
Writers such as Northern Irishman- Brian Moore, Marge Piercy, Hans Fallada, and more recently -Anna Funder, are other writers I would recommend for their page turning qualities.
I've taken books I've very much wanted to read on trips, but just haven't been able to concentrate beyond a few pages.
@GuardianBooks reading #Malice by Keigo Higashino. Brilliantly written. #ReadingOnTheDelhiMetro #Books pic.twitter.com/3hOO9yQmye
— BIGSNA GILL (@bigsna) October 9, 2015
Guardian staff I just read a great book, in my opinion, for a commute: Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill.
It was so absorbing I barely noticed the 90-minute train ride and it's slim too, which is a bonus (I'm with @palfreyman on this, as I prefer a hard copy of a book and don't want to be carrying anything too heavy around).
It's also a good example of a book that can be devoured in a couple of journeys, which I like in my commuting week. It reminds me that one of the only good things about such a lot of travelling for work is being able to spend a lot of interrupted time devoted to reading.
@GuardianBooks @martabausells re-reading these ! Unlike Tom Ripley I haven't murdered on my train ... too crowded ! pic.twitter.com/ljGHnDzv7E
— talentoimproviso (@clanc87) October 9, 2015
Guardian contributor I used to love reading PG Wodehouse while doing a long schlep from Tooting Bec to Camden. Writing so good, and so delightful that it could even make me endure the horrors of the Northern Line.
#GuardianBooks great crime thriller with strong sense of humour, One Good Turn saved my boring commuting for 1 week pic.twitter.com/HtLqHPs07k
— enrique ojeda (@enriqueojeda12) October 9, 2015
Audiobooks can help camouflage your choice – and put off strangers
@GuardianBooks audiobooks on the bus :D Love, Sex & Other Foreign Policy by Jesse Armstrong laughing keeps people away from your seat!!!
— Alice (@alicepalace2) October 9, 2015
Although you can always use other methods
#teamhanya #ManBooker2015 Indeed & yes my bookmark startles each & every man who dares look into my lap on the tube pic.twitter.com/lM2dWnhvpF
— Marianne C T (@bronzebygold) October 13, 2015
For long commutes: immersive novels and travel writing
No better way to beat my daily 140 km train commute than to read a book of rich travelers experiences #guardianbooks pic.twitter.com/5pThG23ugy
— ppeter (@ppeter_TNIE) October 13, 2015
@GuardianBooks I read Ian McEwan's 'Atonement' on my flight to Turkey. 4 hours felt like 4 minutes 😝
— Jess Alexander (@j94lexander) October 9, 2015
@GuardianBooks travel books like The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux. I have long commute...
— Mohsen Danaie (@Mohsend) October 9, 2015
@GuardianBooks Terry Pratchett. Always witty and entertaining on long journeys
— Jennifer Vennall (@JAVennall) October 9, 2015
And here’s what not to read – unless you like sobbing in front of strangers
@GuardianBooks don't read Stoner on your commute unless you like sobbing in front of strangers.
— Tonia Collett (@dreamsinbooks) October 9, 2015
Not everyone agrees, of course
@dreamsinbooks @GuardianBooks Hm. I don't read Stoner on my commute bc I would hate to sleep past my stop. :|
— Ida Grasman (@IdaGrasman) October 9, 2015
@IdaGrasman @GuardianBooks Ha! I don't read anything by Jonathan Franzen for the same reason.
— Tonia Collett (@dreamsinbooks) October 9, 2015
The same goes for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
@GuardianBooks I finished The Book Thief on the tube, BIG mistake. Just so many tears...
— Amie Louise Bailey (@amiebailey) October 9, 2015
Not Beloved by Toni Morrison – if you want to make it on time
@guardianbooks I once missed my stop completely while reading 'Beloved.' Probably shd commute w lighter topic.
— CurlingRiver (@CurlingRiver) October 9, 2015
@CurlingRiver @GuardianBooks Totally enthralling, can understand you missing your stop.
— Patricia Jonas (@PatriciaJonas7) October 9, 2015
Or any of these – who knew this was so common
@GuardianBooks NOT Dennis Potter, unless you want to miss your stop
— A Milisic-Stanley (@MilisicStanley) October 9, 2015
@GuardianBooks missed my stop on the train, was reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Oops
— Clare (@devilmaeclare) October 9, 2015
I was once late for a legislative hearing while listening to Toni Morrison read 'Paridise' @GuardianBooks https://t.co/VbQEAPOkqR
— Phyllis Hildreth (@phalcon7) October 9, 2015
@GuardianBooks @martabausells The ones that make me miss my stop. Today it's #DoctorSleep #StephenKing #inlove #cantstopreading
— randomthoughts (@onlifelovebooks) October 9, 2015
@GuardianBooks once read The Lottery and was shaking when I got off
— Atiya Abbas (@AtiyaAbbas) October 9, 2015
Ultimately, it all comes down to this.
@jamesjrobertson @GuardianBooks @martabausells Commuters have so much to learn from War and Peace.
— Gary Chapin (@Accordeonaire) October 9, 2015
Which are your favourite commute reads? Let us know in the comments.
When I feel hollowed out by a day of exhausting interactions and corporate falseness, I find I need to read something spiky, hard, weird and unapologetic. Modernist novels like Ulysses are often just the thing, or JG Ballard, or poetry like TS Elliot. I dip into them and it's like remembering you are alive. (Ebooks are great, there is always something at hand which is what you need. )