great 'spanish' book for flight????

Two days to go before my first trip to Madrid, and a thought crossed my mind. What will I read on the flight?
What a perfect time to read the best of Spanish literature, and who better to seek advice from than.......MadridMan's forum of Spain loving adventurers?
So, my question to you is.......which book will be the perfect way to start this journey? Which book will teach me about the history, the people, the culture, the 'Way of Spain'?
Novel, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, fiction, anything that captures the essence of Spain.
Thank you in advance for your inspiring recommendation!

Wow! Great question! You might want to read through other Spain-related book threads in this forum like \"Are these books good?\" & \"Travelers' Tales Spain (a book)\" . I just did a search and found these two among many.

OR (hehee...), you could print out and read my Madrid/Spain journals from my 2000 , 1999 , 1998 , & 1995 trips. BUT, I doubt these are as stimulating as a real book.

Saludos, MadridMan

How about instead of a book, Hola magazine. I love Hola magazine (too bad it costs $8 a pop stateside).

You know, I ALWAYS have GREAT intentions on transatlantic flights, always taking a good book like a Hemingway or other Spain-related book. But in the end, I invariably only watch the in-flight movies, talk to those around me, and read through the in-flight magazines. I also take my Yahoo Internet Life or Frommer's Budget Travel magazines.

Saludos, MadridMan

Hi Kim, my absolute favorit novel is "El Arbol de la Ciencia" by Pio Baroja. An amazing Novel set in Madrid and you can get a great feel of Spain and Madrid as you read through it's pages. It is a bit long and deep for a plane ride though and your Spanish has to be excellent in order to follow it. Oh, well, just a suggestion.
Jer...

Anyone actually read Iberia by James Michener?

I read "Iberia" about 10 years ago, and liked it. It's dense, though, and perhaps a bit much for (my kind of) plane trips. I like the "Hola!" idea...I always load up on Spanish magazines for the flight home--it keeps me from getting too depressed about leaving Spain. I also listen to the films in Spanish, rather than in English.

I liked Mark Williams' "The Story of Spain" as an introduction to Spanish history. It doesn't contain exhaustive lists of kings and queens, but it does hit on some of the ones you're most likely to hear about.

Tara

I have a first edition of "Iberia," bought when it was first published in 1968. Michener is always a wonderful teller of stories. His descriptions of various cities are easy reading. Michener's observations on the Prado and the painting and people depicted are entertaining as well as informative.

The nice thing about this work, like so many by Michener, is that you can open it anywhere and become immediately absorbed.

When I first bought this book I corresponded briefly with Michener over some our Spanish experiences. We both lived in Pennsylvania at the time. I in Philadelphia, he in Bucks County. He was most gracious, and his letters were charming.

His comments on the politics of the period are dated now. But his stories are timeless.
Cantabene

cantabene, I'm so impressed. Michener has been a hero of mine since my childhood when I first heard of him from the TV series Aventures in Paradise (really was nothing to do w/his book!I had such a crush on the captain of the "Tiki") Michener was my inspiration to travel and to not only explore the sights but the culture of the places I visit. I was unaware of the book Iberia.

I read James Michener's Iberia years ago. It's a "must read" before visiting Spain and a great travelling companion!

I first read Iberia in 1992, as I took my parents through three weeks in Spain. As mentioned earlier, the political insights are dated, but the descriptions of the places and people are timeless. I count this as one of my favorite volumes on Spain. It's a testament to Michener's skill in relating that the book is still relevant today.

I picked up my hardbound copy of Iberia at a second-hand bookstore for $2 US in mint condition. Although a little ungainly in its portability, for the luggage traveler, we found it indispensable. We would read what Michener had to say prior to, or on the way to the place he was describing. It was great!

Michener wrote antother (less known) book that takes place primarily in Spain. It is a fictional account of about 5 teens/young adults and their travel experiences. The book is called "The Drifters" and was one of my favorites (as I was 18 travelling Spain). The book is still in print and isa much easier read then Iberia.

And being of the roughly the same era - The Drifters truly captured the feelings and viewpoints of that generation! Is this called 'dating oneself'?

I'm starting to feel like I've met you guys in "another life". I read the Drifters while I was drivng from Afghanistan (where I had read Caravans)back to Europe in my VW bus. Were they wonderful days to travel, or what?! I had heard stories of Formentara when you walked everywhere and there was no electricity. Many of my friends in the "East" would leave India in the summer to stay on Formentara.