Favourite Books Desert Island Books

[Sasha Distan]

 

The BBC are currently hosting a Desert Island Books series (format stolen from their incredible and long running Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs) as part of a Reading for Pleasure month. In this they are asking world famous authors (Marian Keyes, Jilly Cooper etc) to chose and talk about their 6 favourite and most influential books – the ones they would take to be stranded with on a deserted island.

In the radio version you get to have The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and The Bible (for our purposes, I feel that any religious text of your choice will be an excellent substitute) gratis, but what other 6 books would you have with you? What can’t you live without?

The only caveat is that they must be published printed hard copy books, there are no Kindles, Kobos, or other electronic reading devices on the island, so sorry, but you can’t have the whole of GA with you. More’s the pity. Also they cannot be collected works. You cannot have the whole of the Harry Potter series or all three books of the Lord of the Rings and only count it as one book. And you can only choose 6.

 

So, what are your six books, and why have to you chosen them? This isn’t just for authors; editors, readers, mods, and admins are all welcome here.

 

Please share with us, your Desert Island Books.

[Sasha Distan]

The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter
Who couldn't love Peter and his gorgeous blue coat? I don't quite know the whole off my heart, but I adore it. Goblin loves it when I read to him, and this is a firm favourite in our house. I cannot remember the first time I ever read it, but the words are ingrained in my memory.

 

The Enchanted Horse - Magdalen Nabb
So I was a child who loved horses, and though I never understood as a child the references to God's Creatures in this slim novel, the descriptions captivated me. I had a version on tape (yes young ones, I used to have actual books on tape) and the voice of the narrator stayed with me my whole life. I can still recite entire passages by heart.

 

Pyramids - Sir Terry Pratchett
It's hard to chose one of the Discworld novels above all others, but though I adore Death, and Moist von Lipwig, and Angua, this is the only book in the whole series of 44 which is entirely stand-alone, and requires no other knowledge to work. I also love Pteppic, our reluctant King and hero, and I always empathised with him, because I've often felt like I was living a life which wasn't mine.

 

Venus As A Boy - Luke Sutherland
This was I think, the first novel I owned with a gay/bisexual main character, and I was quickly enchanted by the descriptions of Orkney, and by the strange journey the main character undertakes as he grows up. I read it over and over again, and it was the only book I took with me around the world. I read the whole thing in stages to my second boyfriend, just before we got together, and it set the tone of our relationship in a strange way.

 

The God Eaters - Jesse Hajicek
No couple in any other book have made my heart pound the way Kieran and Ashleigh do. Their world is rich and deep, their challenges enormous, the descriptions richly detailed, the conversations pithy and realistic. The blend of magic and logic is perfect, and throughout it all, their relationship makes me want to cry and laugh and shout with joy.

 

Now Is The Hour - John Spanbauer
for a long time after starting this book, I didn't understand it, or understand why I loved it so much. But John Spanbauer is the only person I've know of who has ever managed to describe the awe and majesty of Thunderbird, the hopelessness of death and betrayal, and the harshness of falling in love when it doesn't go well.

[Cia]

What a great topic! Of course, narrowing it down to 6 is next to freaking impossible, lol, but I'll give it a go.

 

1) Outlander. Hugely popular now, but I first read this book at age 11 when I bought a cheap copy for $1 (still have it) at a library while visiting my mom for the first time. We didn't have libraries where I lived the rest of the year, so I was in heaven not only being able to borrow untold numbers of books (usually 10 at a wack) but also buy them! Clearly there was no censorship back then on what I read, so I've been a fan for more than 20 years and read it so many times I can nearly quote it at will. I still love reading it, so much so I also have it on eBook!

 

2) Dune. My best friend's brother left this book at school one Friday in Grade 7, so I swiped it just to be mean, but then I couldn't avoid cracking it open because it was a book, and I'll try anything at least once. This book really sent me into a sci-fi kick, and it's length alone would put it in my list. So intricate with world building, so many layers of storyline, this is a must read for sci-fi fans.

 

3) Morgan's Run. This is a book, not nearly as popular as The Thorn Birds, written by Colleen McCullough. Still, it's amazing, and so interesting because there's not a lot of fiction available/popular in the US about the initial settlement of Australia by English convicts. The characters really make this story, from the good, to the bad, and definitely to the ugly. It doesn't skimp on the harsh reality, but there's a beauty to the journey the main character lives that makes this a re-read for me.

 

4) Twilight. It's fluff. Complete and total fluff. The books in the series are total foreplay up until Book 4, but still. Love it or hate it, there's a beauty in such a mindless read.

 

5) Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake Series). This is my favorite of the series. Divorced from the local plotline (and the oversexed books of later in the series) I was fascinated by the historical culture that appears in this novel. To me it's the most complex and fascinating book out of the series.

 

6) The Mists of Avalon. Who doesn't Arthurian legends? Especially when the focus isn't on Arthur or Merlin, but on the women of the story. I especially loved the portrayal of Morgaine (Morgan le Fay) who is often a one-dimensional villainess in other storylines. It doesn't hurt that Julianna Margulies' portrayal of te role in the movie was great, too, reinforcing my love of the book.

 

As you can tell from my list, I'm not into high-minded or philosophical reading. Most of the time it's all about entertainment when I settle down to read. That runs the gamut from historical to sci-fi for me, though heavy toward the speculative genres. After all, once you get shelter and a steady source of water and food (relatively easy on a tropical island, per Survivor, LOL) it's all about making it through day after day of same ole, same ole. I grew up in a small town with access to only a few books, so I learned to pick ones I'd like to read more than once too. The books I'd take on a desert island would have to stand up to the read and reread factor, and each one of these books definitely has that honor in my personal library.

[Headstall]

What a great topic! Of course, narrowing it down to 6 is next to freaking impossible, lol, but I'll give it a go.

 

1) Outlander. Hugely popular now, but I first read this book at age 11 when I bought a cheap copy for $1 (still have it) at a library while visiting my mom for the first time. We didn't have libraries where I lived the rest of the year, so I was in heaven not only being able to borrow untold numbers of books (usually 10 at a wack) but also buy them! Clearly there was no censorship back then on what I read, so I've been a fan for more than 20 years and read it so many times I can nearly quote it at will. I still love reading it, so much so I also have it on eBook!

 

2) Dune. My best friend's brother left this book at school one Friday in Grade 7, so I swiped it just to be mean, but then I couldn't avoid cracking it open because it was a book, and I'll try anything at least once. This book really sent me into a sci-fi kick, and it's length alone would put it in my list. So intricate with world building, so many layers of storyline, this is a must read for sci-fi fans.

 

3) Morgan's Run. This is a book, not nearly as popular as The Thorn Birds, written by Colleen McCullough. Still, it's amazing, and so interesting because there's not a lot of fiction available/popular in the US about the initial settlement of Australia by English convicts. The characters really make this story, from the good, to the bad, and definitely to the ugly. It doesn't skimp on the harsh reality, but there's a beauty to the journey the main character lives that makes this a re-read for me.

 

4) Twilight. It's fluff. Complete and total fluff. The books in the series are total foreplay up until Book 4, but still. Love it or hate it, there's a beauty in such a mindless read.

 

5) Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake Series). This is my favorite of the series. Divorced from the local plotline (and the oversexed books of later in the series) I was fascinated by the historical culture that appears in this novel. To me it's the most complex and fascinating book out of the series.

 

6) The Mists of Avalon. Who doesn't Arthurian legends? Especially when the focus isn't on Arthur or Merlin, but on the women of the story. I especially loved the portrayal of Morgaine (Morgan le Fay) who is often a one-dimensional villainess in other storylines. It doesn't hurt that Julianna Margulies' portrayal of te role in the movie was great, too, reinforcing my love of the book.

 

As you can tell from my list, I'm not into high-minded or philosophical reading. Most of the time it's all about entertainment when I settle down to read. That runs the gamut from historical to sci-fi for me, though heavy toward the speculative genres. After all, once you get shelter and a steady source of water and food (relatively easy on a tropical island, per Survivor, LOL) it's all about making it through day after day of same ole, same ole. I grew up in a small town with access to only a few books, so I learned to pick ones I'd like to read more than once too. The books I'd take on a desert island would have to stand up to the read and reread factor, and each one of these books definitely has that honor in my personal library.

It's weird you picked my favorite book... well two of them. Number one for me too, is Outlander, but I didn't answer this yesterday because I would need to take them all... the whole series... and I'm addicted to Jamie and Claire, and their new series on Showcase!! It's funny, because I picked the first book up at the library on a whim... I was in a hurry, and there for my kids. I had to get a library card in order to take it out , and all I saw was time travel in its blurb

 

And, you picked Dune! OMG... such an impact on me in my younger days!

 

You lost me at Twilight, but I watched all the movies... I love mindless reads too, like the Cassandra Clare books... Mortal Instruments ... and the Christine Feehan Carpathian series... love vampires...

 

So my third would be Trinity by Leon Uris... love that guy's writing...

 

Fourth would be the earth children series by Jean Auel... guess I'd only be allowed to take Clan of the Cave Bear... sigh... Aylah and Jondalar... named one of my dogs Aylah btw...

 

Fifth would be The Witching Hour by Anne Rice... Rowan and Michael... and Lasher... they still live for me... again I would want them all... can we take a suitcase of books??

 

How do I narrow this down... Okay... Necroscope by Brian Lumley from 1986... one of the most creative, spine tingling series I have ever read... this first one had me searching out the rest.

 

I would be remiss not to mention my childhood loves as Sasha did... Walter Farley's The Black Stallion from 1941 and Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague from 1947... such an escape for an horse-loving often frightened little boy... if I could, I would sneak them in....

 

Just saying... six would never be enough....

Edited October 20, 2016 by Headstall

[Carlos Hazday]

1. Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke - It was a toss up between this story and Childhood's End. Both explore themes of utopian societies, religion and the demise of humanity as we know it. A bittersweet ending to both stories.

 

2. Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov - Picked this one over Dune 'cause I have the three original novels in one volume. More pages and words to while away the time.

 

3.The Kasîdah of Hâjî Abdû El-Yezdî by Sir Richard Francis Burton - Poetry may not be my thing but Burton's epic distillation of Sufi thought is both lyrical and empowering.

 

4. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - If you've not read it, do it!

 

5. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain - This is my Arthurian legend entry, Cia LOL I first read this in Spanish and revisited in English a few times. Never get tired of it.

 

6. Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation by Merrill Peterson - I could have selected one of a handful I've read but this one's been one of my favorites. The ideas and ideals of this flawed Renaissance man have always inspired me.

[Carlos Hazday]

It's weird you picked my favorite book... well two of them. Number one for me too, is Outlander, but I didn't answer this yesterday because I would need to take them all... the whole series... and I'm addicted to Jamie and Claire, and their new series on Showcase!! It's funny, because I picked the first book up at the library on a whim... I was in a hurry, and there for my kids. I had to get a library card in order to take it out , and all I saw was time travel in its blurb

 

And, you picked Dune! OMG... such an impact on me in my younger days!

 

You lost me at Twilight, but I watched all the movies... I love mindless reads too, like the Cassandra Clare books... Mortal Instruments ... and the Christine Feehan Carpathian series... love vampires...

 

So my third would be Trinity by Leon Uris... love that guys writing...

 

Fourth would be the earth children series by Jean Auel... guess I'd only be allowed to take Clan of the Cave Bear... sigh... Aylah and Jondalar... named one of my dogs Aylah btw...

 

Fifth would be The Witching Hour by Anne Rice... Rowan and Michael... and Lasher... they still live for me... again I would want them all... can we take a suitcase of books??

 

How do I narrow this down... Okay... Necroscope by Brian Lumley from 1986... one of the most creative, spine tingling series I have ever read... this first one had me searching out the rest.

 

I would be remiss not to mention my childhood loves as Sasha did... Walter Farley's The Black Stallion from 1941 and Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague from 1947... such an escape for an horse-loving often frightened little boy... if I could, I would sneak them in....

 

Just saying... six would never be enough....

Uris historical novels were some of my favorite reads. Trinity was awesome but Exodus's still my favorite. I relieved the story when walking the streets of Old Jerusalem years later.

[Headstall]

Uris historical novels were some of my favorite reads. Trinity was awesome but Exodus's still my favorite. I relieved the story when walking the streets of Old Jerusalem years later.

Yes, I loved Exodus too... and Redemption... the man was a brilliant writer... QB VII... A God In Ruins... so many greats, and so prolific... I was shook up when he passed in the early 2000's

[Cia]

 

 

You lost me at Twilight, but I watched all the movies... I love mindless reads too, like the Cassandra Clare books... Mortal Instruments ... and the Christine Feehan Carpathian series... love vampires...

 

Fourth would be the earth children series by Jean Auel... guess I'd only be allowed to take Clan of the Cave Bear... sigh... Aylah and Jondalar... named one of my dogs Aylah btw...

 

LOL! You have good taste   I have all the Clan of the Cave Bear books (another one I picked up the first book as a kid and still have today. Front cover is torn up because my daughter tried to eat it when she was one, but meh, kept it anyway) too. I enjoy Auel's work immensely, but they're also classic examples of too much setting exposition. I could do without the pages upon pages of descriptions of the landscape. I like Feehan, but I won't touch Cassandra Clare's work in book or movie form. When she was a fanfiction author, before her published days, she was proven to have used entire sections of text from different books--without attribution--which smacks of plagiarism. That sort of behavior is what often gives non-fanfiction fans a bad impression of the whole process.

[Headstall]

LOL! You have good taste   I have all the Clan of the Cave Bear books (another one I picked up the first book as a kid and still have today. Front cover is torn up because my daughter tried to eat it when she was one, but meh, kept it anyway) too. I enjoy Auel's work immensely, but they're also classic examples of too much setting exposition. I could do without the pages upon pages of descriptions of the landscape. I like Feehan, but I won't touch Cassandra Clare's work in book or movie form. When she was a fanfiction author, before her published days, she was proven to have used entire sections of text from different books--without attribution--which smacks of plagiarism. That sort of behavior is what often gives non-fanfiction fans a bad impression of the whole process.

I didn't know that about CC... that changes things... I've always tried to read books my kids were into, and listen to music they liked(not easy some times ) and both my girls were into Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices... so I read them too... saw the first movie and it was atrocious! I agree with your assessment of Auel, but her characters own me, so it's a small price to pay... man, narrowing down favorites is tough... but the challenge has brought to mind books I haven't thought of in years. Great topic, Sasha!

[Palantir]

1, 2, &3 Lord of the Rings. I do have a beautiful india paper edition with all three sections in it but it sounds like the rules don't allow that.

 

4. The Dark is Rising. This is my pick of a wonderfully written series by Susan Cooper.

 

5. Gate of Darkness Circle of Light. Tanya Huff.

 

6. The Hero and the Crown. An extraordinary heroine story by Robin McKinley.

 

Honorable mentions. These are series and break the rules but I can't resist putting them in.

Modesty Blaise novels. by Peter O'Donnell - a story teller extraordinaire.

Travis McGee series by American author John D Macdonald. The tough guy novels which inspired modern thriller writer Lee Child.

 

The trouble with these list things is that there are always a dozen other titles which could just as easily fit in (except LOR

 is always at the top for me).

[Sasha Distan]

Just saying... six would never be enough....

 

Obviously! but inbetween finding food and shelter and a good supply of water - and not being able to read at night... Six will have to do!

 

 

I enjoy Auel's work immensely, but they're also classic examples of too much setting exposition. I could do without the pages upon pages of descriptions of the landscape.

 

God I'm glad I'm not the only who thinks that! I never got further than Clan of the Cave Bear, because to be honest, I was a bit bored of waiting for things to actually happen!

 

Also, DUNE *sigh* Took me two reads to actually understand it, but I think I was a bit young the first time around. It makes the top ten certainly, but not the top six for me.

 

I'm loving reading everyone's choices. I'm so glad I asked!