Long flight first thing monday morning – No iPod so any recommendations on what may be a suitable read to distract me from the fact that I will be flying for 10 hours with just two engines.

Had thought about getting Boy Racer but it looks like complete tosh, so I am now thinking about Geoff Thomas' book but that might be only marginally better looking at the chapter format

Any other bikey books or crime thrillers that come strongly recommended.

The Geoff Thomas book is OK, not great but certainly better than the "I'm a Texan don't you know" book from a decade ago.
Just bought the Gobby Scouser book, from a quick flick it appears that he has a well defined sense of humour.

Airframe by Michael Crichton?

I read that on my last flight to Hong Kong

Actually don't! its not that good a read 😉

The other option is to walk up to the magazine selection at WHSmiths before the flight and grab 4 magazines with your eyes closed, remember pay for them without looking, then and only then when the flight is on its way, reveal your jems for the Journey 😉

Cool! I got Practical Fishkeeping, Grazia, Poultry Monthly and Anal Rampage Readers' Wives.

That would cover most bases then BD, would love to see the face of the passenger sat next to you reading that lot 😉

I always seem to to pick the seat next to the 18st American who has an unhealthy interest in firearms and cheap beer!

Reading this at the moment. I didn't know much about him before, other than he's a bit of a nutter.

Turns out he's a bit of a nutter. Good read though.

I dont normally read fiction books but we got this at the airport last time

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jan/06/featuresreviews.guardianreview26

Is very readable.

however I thought this book was great but a bit dry

Also I'd recommend this very very readable

Guns Germs and Steel – Jared Dymond
Origins of the British – Stephen Oppenheimer

The count of monte cristo got me to Thailand and most the way round it: it's 1000+ pages but pacey

I can full recommend the books of Simon Winchester or Peter Hopkirk. Non-fiction, but thoroughly engrossing reading.

i downloaded the first couple of episodes of lost when it was first on and watched it on my laptop on a plane. the woman sat next to me asked me to turn it off 😆

Well, it's not bikey, or crime orientated, (actually not quite true), but I'm reading a book by Kate Griffin called A Madness Of Angels, which is a sort of Fantasy fiction, set in modern day London, involving Urban Magic, and it's utterly wonderful, Kate is a brilliant prose writer, and she does great characterisation. Her first childrens book was published when she was 14, apparently. Really worth checking out. Plenty of violence in it, too.

Given that you're looking for distraction on a flight, then, rather than disappear up my own backside telling you all about the great and worthy books I read, I'll just recommend page-turners that you have a chance of finishing on the flight:

Touching The Void – Joe Simpson (no further explanation needed…but if you haven't read it, try it, I couldn't put it down once I started)

If you'd prefer fiction (seemingly poo-pooed by some here…why??), then how about a nice well crafted thriller? I can recommend two writers: anything by Harlan Coben or Tess Gerritsen will keep you turning the pages. Hey, they're never going to win the Nobel Prize for literature, but I can't resist a good old thriller sometimes.

Enjoy the flight.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is a good big read. I thought it was great.

Talking about critically acclaimed worthy shite though, I strongly recommend you DON'T take Infinite Jest by David Foster-Wallace. It's unmitigated bollocks and will also tip you over your baggage allowance.

NOC by NICHOLAS ANDERSON, isbn 978-1-929631-85-8
He was getting his bike serviced here yesterday, interesting man to say the least.

I picked up The Brass Verdict in WHSmith the other day from a very succesful 'placed by the till so people buy this on a whim' stand. It turned out to be a pretty good legal thriller, very much in the can't put it down category, but an easy read as well if you know what I mean.

would love to see the face of the passenger sat next to you reading that

Nah, if you want to scare them you want this.

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth is one to sink into.

Its also the best book to take when you're waiting at the doctors or at A&E. It makes the time go, and when the Indian doctor sees you're reading an Indian book, its just like being in BUPA. Nothing is too much trouble.

I'm really enjoying the dangerous book of heroes. Small bite sized tales of all sorts from marlborough to the gurkhas.
I'm embarrassed to think that this may be a childerens book, but I've learned a lot; how britain introduced the abolition of slavery, the magna carta barons loads!
Very easy reading and simply written.
http://www.borders.co.uk/book/the-dangerous-book-of-heroes/1216921/

Bronson.