19 books about the joys & terrors of transportation

At the Los Angeles Times book blog, Carolyn Kellogg, Nick Owchar and David L. Ulin came up with a list of books about the joys and terrors of transportation.

The titles on the list starting with C-words:

"Car" by Harry Crews. A man eats a car, one piece at a time, for money. Satirical, edgy and smart.

"Crash" by J.G. Ballard. Nobody wants to get in a car crash -- except for the subculture in this novel, full of people who find cars sexualized. Car crashes, mmmmm.

"Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang" by Ian Fleming. The James Bond author's only book for kids, the story of an inventor, his family and their marvelous floating, flying car.

"Christine" by Stephen King. The 1958 Plymouth Fury is beautiful, but she's dangerous. Reading this book will make you understand the terrifying possibilities of automobiles.

"Cosmopolis" by Don DeLillo. A young billionaire tries to cross Manhattan in his stretch limousine as the world begins to come apart.

Read about the other titles on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue