Books We'd Want on a Desert Island

elahrairah: i imagine that being on a desert island might occasionally be stressful or upsetting and so it would be important to have a large and familiar and comforting volume to lose myself in.

Hartsellang: Always something more to discover in this collection. Each play, each sonnet, all have such depth. Enjoy them again and again and discover something new each time.

closer: I love his works & I try to read a sonnet or play every month

Boand: No explanation necessary!

closer: I read and study my Bible every day, but I would change this version to the Jewish Publication Society's TANAKH translation 2nd edition of The Jewish Study Bible.

CeciliaClark: If I were stranded on an island, I would want to know how to make things that would keep me alive and make being stranded, an adventure not a terror.

CeciliaClark: This book is for my entertainment. I enjoy Douglas Adams' way of looking at the world and since there are no Terry Pratchetts in the choices, Mr Adams is my next best.There are many books on this list which I would like to read again and many books not on the list I would take if I could however of this list Douglas Adams book makes me smile.

LolaWalser: Great company.

EerierIdyllMeme: Apparently they say that someone has hit middle age when they no longer believe they will one day read Proust. Maybe I would actually read it if I were trapped on a desert island.

LolaWalser: Inexhaustible.

abbottthomas: Like LolaWalser said…..

baystateRA: I picked mostly big novels that would stand up to lots of rereading, with more nuances and themes coming to light each time. I ALMOST got to the end of In Search of Lost Time several decades ago, but stopped. I still don't know why!

LolaWalser: This, but not this version; I'd definitely want with me the Powys-Mathers one (based on the French translation by J.C. Mardrus), lavishly expanded with Powys-Mathers' own faux "Arabian" poetry (at least as good as FitzGeraldian Khayyam).

Hartsellang: The diversity of its frame story. Ever leading the thoughts here and there. Dreamy. Agreed that other versions are more expansive.

KeithChaffee: classic entertainment that will never grow stale

elahrairah: i've only read the first volume, and found it an intense experience. perhaps on a desert island i would be able to enjoy the second and third volume at my leisure.

baystateRA: I picked mostly big novels that would stand up to lots of rereading, with more nuances and themes coming to light each time. I think there's no question this one would fit the bill.

Boand: The most evocative and wonderful mystery I know.

abbottthomas: It came down to Shakespeare or Wodehouse for my fifth book. What would you do?

haydninvienna: What @abbottthomas said, but then I picked both anyway.

EerierIdyllMeme: Tom Stoppard, asked this question, said he would want this with English and Italian on facing pages, so in addition to having something to read you'd be able to learn a new language. I really liked this answer.

elahrairah: this collection is bursting with ideas and dreams, for when the problems of the world-as-is are overwhelming...

CeciliaClark: I would prefer not to die of plant poison in my first week of being stranded, so this book seemed a worthy addition.

elahrairah: the odyssey, but with rabbits. a book about facing the challenges of the world.

abbottthomas: This is the only ‘survival’ manual on my shelves so had to come even though it offers advice on escaping kidnappers from a moving a car and dropping out of a burning building.

CeciliaClark: This book epitomises why they kicked me out of the D&D club for being too realistic about my character needs. Choosing this one is about sustainable living, safety, security, and eventually, comfort.

BonnieJune54: I get both imaginary friends and some practical advice.

abbottthomas: Rather like Proust, on my desert island I should get through it at last.

elahrairah: the odyssey, but in dublin. another great work that i have only read the first third of and fully intend to get round to the second and third thirds one of these days...

CeciliaClark: I have the build a boat book, sustainable project book, and this one because I like the idea of self reliance and know full well that I do not know enough about how to achieve this.

baystateRA: I was picking big novels that would stand up to lots of rereading, with more nuances and themes coming to light each time, but when I saw that someone else had picked The Sparrow, I thought, yes, me too!

baystateRA: I picked mostly big novels that would stand up to lots of rereading, with more nuances and themes coming to light each time. It would be hard to leave behind the sequel to Life After Life but I would have my memory of it. Maybe I could reread it once real quick before getting shipwrecked.

joyblue: I've enjoyed reading (and rereading) this book for 51 years and counting. It never fails to delight and entertain. I read it as a child, read it to my own children, read it over the phone to a friend after her brain surgery (when she couldn't read on her own because it was too taxing), and reread it regularly when I need a happy boost.

nojod: This book made me feel so many different emotions for the characters portrayed. I would want to be able to live through those different emotions again and again if I was on a Desert Island away from everything human.

closer: I must read a Dickens novel now and then. Keeps me sane.

closer: Greek myths are a joy to read and think about especially if I'm on a desert island, life could always be worse.

haydninvienna: The first book I knowingly bought an extra copy of because I didn't want to be without it.

closer: I've read Christie for so long, can't imagine not having one of her stories around to read.

CarltonC: I think that I have read all of the wonderful Lord Peter Wimsey series except this, which for some reason I have “saved”. Now would be the time!

charl08: It's so good at describing ice cold temperatures, it would be great for an island with no A/C.

beehappy: If I couldn't watch TV, I would want to read about it.

KeithChaffee: every episode gets a 2-page spread, so every time I turn the page, I'll have a full episode of memories to recall

joyblue: The story is warm and tender; sometimes sad, but more often sweet and/or hopeful; mystical; occasionally truly funny (often, but not exclusively, due to a strange old woman who is the town seamstress).

Charon07: I’d never forgive myself in the afterlife if I died without having read it.

beehappy: Demonstrates how being mentally tough can help you survive and thrive after a tragedy. Never give up!

Yuki-Onna: My favourite Murakami. It strangely soothes me, & no matter how often I read it, I always get something new out of it.

namfos: Expansive, well-told story of humankinds tragedies and triumphs.

KeithChaffee: a look at the complexities of translating, built around the author's numerous attempts to translate a short French poem; the challenge of writing my own versions will keep my mind occupied

terran: This is a wonderfully written book about a down-and-out small town on the north shore of Lake Superior where theater owner, Virgil Wander, lives among other quirky inhabitants.

chocorua: I've never read the bible in in its full length and since I'd likely have some time, it would be a welcomed pursuit. Also, having been raised in the Catholic faith and given this book as youngster in catechism, I'd likely find it comforting and additionally, due to interest in the philosophy of religion, I would enjoy comparing and contrasting with The Gnostic Bible (also in my choice of books).

helenar238: I can use that desert island time to psychoanalyze myself

slimikin: (Original German version, which I can't figure out how to add to this list on its own)