Free Reading List
22 Books for the Crossing
Curated for the QM2 Literature Festival at Sea · November 2026
The Trip
- Dates: November 28 – December 5, 2026 · 7 nights
- Route: New York (Brooklyn) → Southampton, England
- Ship: Queen Mary 2 — the only ocean liner in regular transatlantic service. 8,000-book library. Working planetarium.
- From: $1,667 per person + tips (double) · Includes Britannia Restaurant, champagne in cabin, private group cocktail party
Booking open · See the full itinerary
Seven nights between New York and Southampton. Twenty-two authors aboard.
Each reading track offers a different way to experience the transatlantic crossing — with books by the historians, novelists, and thinkers who'll be sitting at the next table.
The History Buff
Ocean liners, empire, and the route beneath the hull. Frankopan, Bettany Hughes, Philippe Sands — all aboard.
The Romantic
Love stories that cross water. Jenny Colgan, Fern Britton, and the devastating Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín.
The Explorer
Espionage, thrillers, and the Atlantic itself as subject. David McCloskey, Linwood Barclay, Simon Winchester.
The Deep Diver
Classical literature reimagined, psychology, poetry. Natalie Haynes, Philippa Perry, and Iris Murdoch's The Sea, the Sea.
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