In this October best books to read while traveling list, I went with Ian Fleming’s James Bond books for the second month in row. I read my first Ian Fleming books of the year in my September book list. In total, I’ve knocked out 6 fiction books this year.
I started the year with negotiation books that I covered in my January book list, February book list, and March book list. If you’re wanting to learn more about negotiation, check out the books that I read in the first quarter of the year.
For the second and third quarters, I dove deep on personal finance books in my April book list, May book list, June book list, July book list, and August book list. While I did have several misses on books, I found a ton of books in this category that I highly recommend.
Best Credit Cards to Use to Buy Books
There are currently 5 transferable point programs. Of these programs, American Express, Chase, and Citi are the ones that I earn and redeem points with most often. Capital One and Marriott are 2 other programs that you can use to book award flights and hotel stays.
For personal credit cards, the Chase Freedom Unlimited is great to use for Amazon book purchases. Current cardmembers earn 1.5% cash back while new cardmembers earn 3% cash back on all transactions in the first year.
If you also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can convert cash back earned from the Freedom Unlimited into Chase points. These points can then be redeemed for award flights and/or hotel stays.
The Citi Double Cash credit card is the best personal card to use for Amazon book purchases. This card earns 1% cash back when you make a purchase. You’ll then another 1% cash back when you pay your bill for a total of 2% cash back.
You’ll want to pair the Double Cash card with the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige. With either of these cards, you can convert your cash back into Citi points. These points can then be used to book award flights with Citi’s airline partners.
Business owners should consider using the American Express Blue Business Plus. This card earns 2X points on all transactions and has the best return on spend on Amazon purchases of any business card.
A second business credit card option is to pair the Chase Freedom Unlimited with the Chase Ink Business Preferred. The cash back earned from the Freedom Unlimited can be converted into Chase points if you have the Ink Business Preferred.
Top 3 Best Books to Read While Traveling
Diamonds Are Forever
Bond travels to Sierra Leone to bust a diamond smuggling operation. It’s here that he meets gang member Tiffany Case, who’s involved in the operation. The story follows Bond to London and then onto New York where he meets up with his old CIA friend, Felix Leiter.
The plot takes Bond, Case, and Leiter to Las Vegas and then back to New York. Bond and Case board the RMS Queen Elizabeth to head back to London. Diamonds Are Forever concludes with Bond killing a diamond smuggling gang member that kidnaps Case on the ship.
Recommend: Yes
From Russia with Love
The Soviet counterintelligence agency, SMERSH, plots to take Bond down once and for all. Tatiana Romanova, a Soviet “defector” in Istanbul who meets up with Bond, claims that she’s fallen in love with him after seeing him in a picture.
With the help of Darko Kerim, the British station chief in turkey, Bond and Romanov escape on board a train to Paris. SMERSH executioner Donovan “Red” Grant, who’s on board the train, unsuccessfully tries to kill Bond. The story ends in Paris with Bond struggling for his life after Rosa Klebb, SMERSH’s head of executions, attempts to kill him.
Recommend: Yes
Dr. No
Bond is sent to investigate the death of the MI6 station chief in Jamaica. The chief was investigating Dr. Julius No, who lives on a nearby island, runs a guano mine, and is rumored to have a dragon.
Bond meets up with a friend Quarrel who takes him to Dr. No’s Island. It’s there that Bond meets Honeychile Rider. After Bond and Rider are captured, Bond is forced to navigate an obstacle course, built by Dr. No, that tortures him. The book ends with Bond and Rider escaping back to Jamaica.
Recommend: No
Which Books are in my Shopping Cart?
I like to keep a running list of books in these posts that peak my interest. As you can see below, there are a number of book categories. The goal each month is to dive deep into a topic via 2-3 books.
Business & Money Books to Read while Traveling
- Happy Money by Elizabeth Dunn
- Unconventional Success by David Swensen
- A Random Walk down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
- The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
- Set for Life by Scott Trench
- The Simple Path to Wealth by J L Collins
- The Coffeehouse Investor by Bill Schultheis
- Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier
- The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, Michael LeBoeuf
- The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, Jay Papasan
Self Help Books to Read while Traveling
- How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler, Charles Van Doren
- Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
- 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
- Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
Biographies & Memoirs Books to Read while Traveling
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
- The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich
History Books to Read while Traveling
- All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein
Spy Nonfiction Books to Read while Traveling
- The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
- The Billion Dollar Spy by David Hoffman
- The Cuckoo’s Egg by Cliff Stoll
- A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre
Engineering & Transportation Books to Read while Traveling
- The Grid by Gretchen Bakke
Conclusion on the Best Books to Read While Traveling:
Reading is a skill that I’ve continued to work on by focusing on books that peak my interest at the time. Hopefully my best books to read while traveling list includes books that you’ll find interesting and enjoy too.
What about you? Which books did you read while traveling this month? Do you have any book recommendations? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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