Library Choo-choo!

Traveling north, traveling north to find you

Train wheels beating, the wind in my eyes

Don’t even know what I’ll find when I get to you

I’m in love with trains. They still have a little romance and mystery about them and a laid-back atmosphere that you don’t often get when traveling by plane or car. I’ve been taking the train since I was little, when I used to visit my grandparents in Vancouver, and I now take the train at least three times a year to visit my mom in Oregon. I keep myself entertained with the free wi-fi aboard the Amtrak Cascades, a plethora of books downloaded onto my phone through Overdrive and a small travel bag with snacks and library books to devour. Trains and libraries… what a wonderful combination!

What’s the most entertaining yet slightly inappropriate book to read on the train? Well, how about Care To Make Love In That Gross Little Space Between Cars?: A Believer Book Of Advice written by some of the most hilarious people, including Amy Sedaris, Simon Rich, Zach Galifianakis and Bob Saget! The book is filled with advice from those least qualified to give it, so don’t take it to heart – but be entertained nonetheless.

Reminiscent of a time when trains ruled the rails, America’s Great Railroad Stations by Roger Straus shows us these symbols of beauty and how we see them today. Sadly, Seattle doesn’t make the list – but Portland does, and what an amazing station it is. King Street Station just might make the list one day after its current renovation.

North American Railroads: The Illustrated Encyclopedia is a beautiful book filled with a short, detailed history on the plethora of railroads that span from coast to coast. From beautiful photographs to quick facts, this book will spark the minds of those who love trains.

Waiting On a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service gives us a view of the Amtrak system and its struggle to become what it is today. In 2008, author James McCommons took a year to talk to those who work and ride the rails, giving us historical perpective of the train industry as well as a people’s history.

The train system has seen a huge rise in service since 2008, has set its largest annual total in Amtrak’s history in 2011 and even has some new competition with the Bolt Bus in 2012!