If you’re wondering whether this book list was inspired by the 1987 John Hughes movie Planes, Trains & Automobiles, you’re correct. At least, it was inspired by the movie title—and […]
The post Take a vicarious trip with these novels set on planes, trains, and automobiles appeared first on Modern Mrs Darcy.
If you’re wondering whether this book list was inspired by the 1987 John Hughes movie Planes, Trains & Automobiles, you’re correct. At least, it was inspired by the movie title—and ever since, haven’t we all been using the phrase? As summer approaches, my mind is on road trips, vacations, and all the ways we travel. It got me thinking about the books that hone in on different forms of transportation and voilà! This book list was born.
Whether or not you intend to hit the road, take to the skies, or ride the rails in the coming months, our transportation-minded fiction book list can take you away with this fun array of novels set on planes, trains, and automobiles. Some characters are traveling short distances for quotidian reasons; others are embarking on grand adventures. We feature a variety of genres, with literary fiction, contemporary fiction, mystery, historical fiction, thrillers, and even romance. Of course, we’re only scratching the surface here: I hope you’ll share your favorites in our comments section, and continue to think about your favorite reads that take place on planes, trains, and automobiles.
Novels set on airplanes
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This YA novel from Jennifer Smith features two teenagers falling in love on an intercontinental flight. When Hadley misses her flight by a mere four minutes, she’s devastated: she’s supposed to fly to London for her father’s second wedding and missing the plane ruins everything. But then she hits it off with a handsome British teen in the waiting area, and things start looking up—especially when the two find themselves sitting next to each other on what is now their shared flight to London. They get on so well that they wonder if fate brought them together—but then they’re separated in the chaos at Heathrow, and it will take a miracle for their paths to cross again. My family enjoyed the film adaptation that released last fall. More info →
In the spirit of her debut The Paris Wife, McClain’s biographical novel chronicles the life of Beryl Markham, who is best known for her 1936 solo flight across the Atlantic. Markham was the daughter of British colonials, raised in East Africa’s Mau Forest “before Kenya was Kenya.” She’s known as an aviatrix, but McClain clearly relishes highlighting how Markham enjoyed flouting conventions of all kinds. More info →
It’s 1947 and photographer and war correspondent Janey Everett plans on writing a biography about famed aviator Sam Mallory whose plane disappeared while fighting in the Spanish Civil War. His plane wreck was recently discovered, making Janey even more invested in her project. She tracks down Mallory’s old flying partner Irene Foster, whose exploits during a 1937 round-the-world flight remain an unsolved mystery. While Irene initially disavows all knowledge of Mallory, Janey eventually convinces her to share the tale of her own fascinating flying career, complicated relationship with Mallory, and everything that happened next. Content warnings apply. More info →
The first in a trilogy of flirty and spicy airport novellas sized just right for breezy summer reading. Ollie, an airport-based pet groomer, develops a serious crush on the handsome frequent flier she sees every Tuesday at the gate by her shop. When a runaway pup brings Ollie face-to-face with him at last, she discovers he’s not just a pretty face. Bennett is a professional risk assessor by day, romance novelist by night, and to Ollie’s great surprise, he needs her help. This is just the ticket if you need a quick win for your reading life. (Open door.) More info →
This suspenseful thriller is filled with satisfying twists and turns. It’s a normal morning for flight attendant Cassie Bowden: she wakes up with her usual hangover in a Dubai hotel room and tries to remember what happened the night before. And then she notices the man sharing her bed is dead. And not just dead: murdered. She can’t remember what happened but it doesn’t look good for her. So she decides to go to work as planned, get out of the country, and pretend as if nothing’s wrong. But Cassie can’t run from her alcoholism and lies forever. A suspenseful novel with satisfying twists and turns. More info →
An epic dual timeline tale with complex characters. Marian Graves, daredevil aviatrix, had an unconventional life from the start. She and her twin are rescued as infants from a sinking ship in 1914, then raised by their disreputable uncle. By 14, she drops out of school to pursue her dream of flying by way of unconventional means and a dangerous patron. Her career builds until she finally gets to attempt to circumnavigate the globe by flying over the North and South Poles—but she disappears in Antarctica. In the present day, actress Hadley Baxter is tasked with playing Marian in a biopic. She sees this role as her chance to show Hollywood what she can do, not realizing how much she has in common with Marian. Content warnings apply. More info →
Novels set on trains
It was supposed to be the perfect crime. But an avalanche stops the Orient Express in its tracks just before a passenger is found murdered in his berth, foiling the perpetrator’s getaway, and trapping 13 potential suspects—each with an airtight alibi—in the train car with Inspector Hercule Poirot. This is a classic for a reason. Audiobook lovers: Dan Stevens’s narration is fantastic. More info →
Three women’s lives become entangled over the course of Labor Day weekend, 1935, when the storm of the century slams into Key West. The story is told from multiple perspectives, those of three different women who seem to hold little in common, but whose lives are about to intersect in ways no one could foresee. Helen is a Key West native, poor and pregnant, fleeing her abusive husband. Mirta is Cuban, newly married to a man she barely knows, and just beginning her honeymoon. And Elizabeth, who’s come south on a dangerous search for a long-lost loved one. A captivating novel about a little-known historical event. More info →
A twenty-something overcomes the impossible to find love and the family she longs for in this time-slip romance inspired by Kate & Leopold. Adrift and lonely, 23-year-old August moved to New York City with hopes of leaving the past behind and building a new life. To her great surprise, things start going well. She bumps into Jane (literally) on the Q line, developing a serious crush on the beautiful girl with the retro punk rock look. August is terrified she’ll never see Jane again, but then she does—on the Q line. It turns out Jane has been stuck on the Q line since the 1970s. If August and Jane are to get their happy ending, Jane needs to figure out how to get her unstuck—with the help of her friends, of course. Delightfully frothy and feel-good. More info →
This meta locked-room mystery is a lot of fun, especially for readers who enjoy characters breaking the fourth wall. When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invites debut author Ernest Cunningham to their crime-writing festival aboard a famous luxury train, he’s only hoping to mingle with peers and get some inspiration for his second book. But then, one of the attendees is murdered and it’s time for the rest of the authors to put their detective hats on. If anyone can solve a crime, it should be mystery writers. Except…that means mystery writers also know how to commit a crime. More info →
Regular commuters tend to keep to themselves, even if they see the same people on the train every day. 57-year-old magazine advice columnist Iona sees nothing wrong with this. She and her dog Lulu take the train without talking to anyone and it suits them well. Until one day a fellow commuter almost chokes on a grape and is rescued by another commuter who happens to be a nurse. It forms a bond for the train car, as the eclectic inhabitants learn talking to strangers just might be worth it after all. More info →
In this imaginative piece of historical fiction, the Underground Railroad of history becomes a subway—an actual locomotive, powered by coal and running on an actual track below the surface. Whitehead drew inspiration from Gulliver’s Travels and real-life heroine Harriet Jacobs for his story of Cora, an enslaved Georgia woman who sets out on a heroic quest to find freedom in the North. A 2016 National Book Award Winner for Fiction and a 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction. More info →
Novels set on automobiles
Be forewarned: this YA novel is sure to inspire wanderlust. After her family (or what’s left of it) impulsively moves from California to Connecticut, Amy has to get her car cross-country. There’s just one problem: because of a tragic accident, Amy doesn’t drive. Enter Roger, an old family friend who volunteers to come along for the ride, and who is dealing with his own heartbreak. Before long, the two friends decide to ditch her mom’s carefully-orchestrated route in favor of the scenic route, stopping to see familiar haunts, old loves, and plenty of small town America. Matson adds color to this sweet story with emails, receipts, and playlists galore. More info →
Chinese immigrant Charles Wang made his fortune with a cosmetics empire in America, only to have it ruined by a financial crisis. After he loses everything, he decides the family should return to China to reclaim their ancestral lands. He pulls his son Andrew and daughter Grace out of their respective colleges, grabs his wife Barbra, and sets off on a cross-country road trip to his daughter Saina’s house in New York. What starts as the road trip nobody wanted turns into a chance for each family member to take stock of the way their wealth and privileged lifestyle has impacted them, how their lives changed once the children’s mother died, and whether they can grow closer together now. More info →
Snappy dialogue, a zany cast of characters, and a heart-warming plot make this the perfect escape. Francie lands in Roswell, home of the original UFO crash, steeling herself to talk her best friend out of marrying a UFO true believer. But before she can make any progress she’s—you guessed it—abducted by a tumbleweed-shaped alien and forced to drive like the blazes across the New Mexico desert. Along the way the duo acquire a merry band of misfits including a charming con man, a little old lady with a secret, a Western-loving retiree, and a UFO-chaser. This was pure delight, but with a backbone. More info →
Have you ever wondered what cats are really thinking? Meet Nana, a sarcastic feral cat who was rescued by Satoru five years ago. It’s a good arrangement: Satoru gives him treats and sometimes he lets Satoru pet him. One day Satoru puts Nana in the van and they set off on a road trip around Japan, final destination unknown. As they meet Satoru’s old friends, Nana tries to make sense of why they’re on the trip and why these strangers are so interested in him. Needless to say, Nana and Satoru have different opinions, culminating in a heartwarming tail. I mean, tale. Translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel. More info →
When Noelle’s TikTok about her recently deceased grandmother’s secret first love goes viral, she unexpectedly reunites with her high school rival Theo in this contemporary romance. Gram almost married Theo’s grandfather Paul decades ago but never told Noelle, despite how close they were. Currently unemployed and at loose ends with her life, Noelle decides to go on the honeymoon trip that never happened and Paul and Theo join her for the road trip. Noelle and Theo have a chance to get to know each other as adults, making for a chemistry-filled banter-laden time. This also explores grief and making peace with high school aspirations and expectations. This was one of team member Leigh’s best books of 2023. (Open door.) More info →
A fun low angst road trip romance! Megan never planned on staying in Florida after graduation but years have passed without her even leaving the state but a friend’s wedding in Quebec is about to change that. When her ex-friend Scarlett suggests they road trip there, Megan reluctantly agrees. As they grapple with what ended their friendship all those years ago and realize they’re attracted to each other now, they also face a blizzard, Only One Bed, and time to figure out what they want with their jobs and each other. (Open door.) More info →
Do you have a favorite novel set on a plane, train, or automobile? Please share in the comments.
P.S. 9 books to read before (or after) a cruise vacation and Travel around the world with these 20 novels.
The post Take a vicarious trip with these novels set on planes, trains, and automobiles appeared first on Modern Mrs Darcy.
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