Reeeeeally long train or plane ride?
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth In this 1400 page search for a boy suitable for marriage in post-colonial India–apparently they are hard to come by–Seth sets up a Jane Austen-like comedy of manners amongst a group of young people trying to make their way in a new India.  Their parents and a political back drop get in their way.  Riots, parliamentary arguments, art, music, courtesans, and one young woman taking charge of her life.  (My Indian friends tell me boys suitable for marriage are still hard to come by.)

Want to annoy your family with facts about the REAL first Thanksgiving?
A Great and Godly Adventure by Godfrey Hodgson According to the publisher: "The first Thanksgiving wasn’t celebrated with turkey (there weren’t any in Massachusetts) and didn’t take place in 1621. Indeed the settlers, who probably didn’t think of themselves as Pilgrims and were most certainly not revolutionaries against their king, were lucky not to be wiped out during their first winter. They probably would have been had the local Indian population not been affected even worse by disease and starvation."

Want to ignore your family?
Can’t putdown-able mysteries are a good bet. Authors to try for this: Henning Mankell, Jaqueline Winspear and Walter Mosely. And Seventy Seven Clocks by Christopher Fowler has the unique distinction of offing the most people per square page inch as any mystery I’ve ever read. And they are all from the same annoying family!  Perfect Thanksgiving reading material.

Actually like your family & just need something to read while digesting & the rest are watching the Big Game?
The Best American 2006 series has just been released.  Bumper crops of short stories, essays, science writing, and even comics (for those of you who like the pictures) available for the picking.