If you’re planning a trip, only paperbacks will do. Of course, you’ll need a book for the plane, and another for the ride back. Plus, don’t forget how boring all those delays can be, and if it really snows, well, you could be at the airport for days. Best to be prepared.

If you’re going someplace warm- or just wish you were- it’s absolutely essential to include David Baldacci’s ONE SUMMER. After fifteen years of thrilling us with non-stop mystery and suspense, he now presents us with a novel that goes straight to the heart. Jack Armstrong believes things can’t get much worse when he finds himself losing his battle with a terminal illness. But when Jack’s beloved wife Lizzie dies in a car accident, all that holds him together is the need to care for their three children. When Jack miraculously begins to heal, he feels it’s his destiny to take his family to spend the summer at the South Carolina oceanfront home that Lizzie held dear.

I just found a terrific paperback that harks back to Christmas time. Cecelia Ahern’s THE GIFT is about keeping the spirit of the holiday alive all year. Successful executive Lou Suffern is a typical modern man; his work comes first, and everything else comes second, including his wife and family. Completely out of character, one cold morning he buys a cup of coffee for Gabe, a homeless man outside his office building. Gabe turns out to be far more than he appears to be, especially as he embarks upon the task of teaching Lou to appreciate the gift of time.

We all wonder about “the road not taken.” But what if it were possible for us to change the path of our life and find out what would have happened had we made a different choice? THE OTHER LIFE, by Ellen Meister, poses just this question. Part science fiction, part exploration of the bonds between a mother and child, this novel imagines a portal to another existence for Quinn Braverman. But as the portal begins to close, which life will she choose, and what will the consequences be?

Natalie Wexler’s THE MOTHER DAUGHTER SHOW also examines the same sometimes contentious, always compelling bond. The author lives in Washington, D.C.; her two children graduated from Sidwell Friends School, so when she writes of a prep school whose parent body includes the President and First Lady, she speaks from experience. When their daughters are ready to graduate, three moms take on the annual musical revue, in hopes of connecting with their offspring who are growing up way too fast.

Need to pack a book for the man in your life? I recommend GROWING A FARMER; HOW I LEARNED TO LIVE OFF THE LAND. The author, Kurt Timmermeister, had just opened a second successful restaurant in Seattle when he decided to purchase a nice house in the country. Instead, he ended up with a four acre spread which was covered with brambles and littered with garbage. Timmermeister started by being fascinated with where our food comes from; he planted a small vegetable garden of tomatoes, squash, and leafy greens. Then, he began to make his own honey from hives he purchased, and to use his apple trees to make cider and vinegar. Before he knew it, he was a full time farmer.

Before heading back to the real world, indulge yourself with THE ESSENTIALS OF FABULOUS, and find out why “because whatever doesn’t work here anymore.” Author Ellen Lubin-Sherman is a branding expert, and no one’s better qualified to whip us into shape. The Brooklyn born guru uses all her wit, charm, and vision to show us how impeccable manners, diversifying your base of friends, and keeping a positive attitude can lead us to being the fabulous creatures we were born to be.

These paperbacks are such good reading, you can even stay home and escape in your easy chair. It will certainly cost a heck of a lot less.

Michall Jeffers is an accomplished Cultural Journalist and an avowed bibliophile. She writes extensively, both in print and online. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. Michall is a voting member of National Book Critics Circle. www.michalljeffers.com