Classics of literature! What books do you have at your Airbnb?

[Laura2592]

We have a mini library at our Airbnb and are always looking for new titles to add.

Right now we have a lot of classics of literature for both adults and kids.  We have some horror/Stephen King type stuff, accounts from Navy Seals, black history, trashy bodice ripper romance novels,  quirky looks at history or economics (Tipping Point, Freakonomics) etc.

I would say the most popular books are the box set of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" which I invariably find pulled out.

What books do you have or recommend for your listing (if you have any...)

[Ann72]

@Laura2592  The scary stories book sounds perfect for your house!

I've worked in the book business for 40 years, so like all my friends in the biz I have too many books 🙂   There's everything from classic crime fiction to literary fiction to children's books to humor, history, and art.  I like collections of short stories so I have Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Raymond Carver, Chekhov, Katherine Mansfield, and contemporary writers.  As Anthony Powell said, "Books do furnish a room."  Essential!

[Fred13]

@Ann72 Now that is a library!

[Mark116]

@Laura2592  We have some coffee table books, Italy, Rolling Stones, American Junk, another art book and couple others that are in the living room.  Then we  have a collection of basically our cast offs, both hard cover and paper back, so some horror, mysteries and other odds & ends that are in the side table drawers of both bedrooms. 

[Mark116]

As a traveler, I love places with lots of books, vacation is a great time to read the classic(s) you never got around to or read something you typically don't buy yourself whatever genre that might be.  But, I'm pretty sure no one ever reads any of the books in the listing. 

[Cheryl464]

Here in rural British Columbia visitors seem to like local history and wilderness adventures. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

[Ann72]

@Cheryl464  The first author I thought of for your library was Canadian Farley Mowat, author of NEVER CRY WOLF and about 50 other books; then I would recommend RING OF BRIGHT WATER (about otters), Gerald Durrell's MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS, INTO THE WILD, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, A WALK IN THE WOODS, ALIVE, and THE PERFECT STORM.

@Laura2592  If you're looking for more classics, many publishers do uniform editions and they're so pretty I always want to own them all.  Check these out from Penguin/Random House:

[Cheryl464]

Thanks for your suggestions. I’ll read some of those myself. I especially enjoy stories about women conquering the wilderness, kayaking, hiking and generally living alone in nature. So do some of my guests which strangely enough are mainly single women. 

[Sarah977]

@Cheryl464  Have you ever read "The Survival of Jan Little" by John Mann?  It's an unforgettable and incredible account of a deaf and blind woman who survived alone for months in the Amazon jungle after her husband and daughter died. 

[Ann72]

@Cheryl464  Oh, then how about ADA BLACKJACK?  And I love two memoirs by women with grit - THE ROAD FROM COORAIN by Jill Ker Conway and DON'T LET'S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT by Alexandra Fuller.

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  As a home-share host, I don't have books in the Airbnb room aside from local travel books. But guests are shown my bookshelf in the living room and told to avail themselves of anything they like. I have a shelf with books that they can take with them with them if they haven't finished before they leave, and a shelf of those they can read while here, but stay in my collection.

I find that guests like books of short stories, as they are easy to pick up and put down and don't have a long list of characters you have to keep straight when you're chilling on vacation. Most of my guests gravitate towards the good literature, but many also go for the thrillers, which are usually fast reads. Funny books are also popular.

And a lot of guests will leave me the books of theirs they brought that they finished while here.

As I don't offer TV or streaming services, I tend to get guests who are readers.

[Fred13]

@Laura2592 One of the biggest things with our (island) guests is reading, so we do have developed a solid collection; favorite subjects - mystery (Baldacci, Lee Childs, Patterson, etc) and historical 'Age of Sail' type of adventure books, including the classics (Stevenson, C.F Forester, Patrick O'Brian, etc.)

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Laura2592 

We have some ‘Classics’ in our library. I just snatched a few here.. I hear lots of laughter and fun coming through the walls, but I’m not sure whether it’s down to the books or some of the games we provide.

 

 

 

 

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  Oh, I'd love to read the "Crap Holidays". I'll bet it's quite entertaining. (Could also make guests realize how good they have it at your place, and refrain from nit-picky complaints). I had a vacation from hell once, too. They can be funny in retrospect, but certainly not while they're happening.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 

There's about 5 of those "Crap Holidays" books as well as a collection of "Crap Towns" and we have a few taking the Mickey out of British holidays too.. So funny. And there's a whole collection of 'Ladybird' books which children use here in the UK to learn to read, except this collection has taken the easy reading concept and taken on subjects like " Men, and the importance of the shed", "How do Housewife's work?", " The Ladybird book of dating". All so funny. We find them strewn around the house and in all different bedrooms!