BookTalk.org

I have this question that I like to ask people to see what their response is to: If you were going to be trapped on a deserted island and you could only bring five (Insert something here; books, movies, CDs etc.) what would they be.

So I'll pose it to all of you: If you were going to be trapped on a deserted island and you could only have five books with you what would they be?

My choices are:

1). The Grapes of Wrath -- Obviously

2). Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas -- This is the book that taught me how to be a journalist

3). Lord of the Flies -- C'mon, it's a deserted island, this book should be mandatory

4). The Lost City of Z -- A great story of the exploration of the unknown

5). The Collected Works of Flannery O' Connor -- I just love Flannery, she reminds me of my grandmother

This is tricky, but I'll give it a go.

1. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (how fitting.)
I've already read it twice, and I would still be inclined to read it again, and each time would find something new or some new level of meaning to ponder, and so it could never be boring.

2. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
An eternity with nothing better to do than read, re-read, and analyze everything Shakespeare ever wrote? Yes, please.

3. His Dark Materials trilogy - Philip Pullman (I count it as one book since mine are in a box, and they also come as an omnibus.)
I could figure out every minute detail of how Lyra's world works, and every criticism of the modern world and religion Pullman makes in those books. Besides, Lyra is my hero, and I could never be deserted on an island without her. If I can't have my boyfriend with me and have to choose books instead, Lyra would be the next best thing to real human contact.

4. The Collected Poems of e.e. cummings
I can't be without some poetry for all eternity, and cummings' is the most enigmatic and fun to read, in my opinion.

5. The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales - The Brothers Grimm
There are so many, and are so different from each other, that even reading them a thousand times, they still entertain. No boredom here!

I considered throwing this idea in, but I thought it might be cheating, so I'm adding it after the list instead of with it:
A blank notebook and a pencil
to write down my thoughts on my reading, stories inspired by the reading, and sketches of the island around me and the stories I'm reading.
If this isn't considered cheating, I would like to substitute it for e.e. cummings, #4.

I may have put an unnecessary amount of thought into this...

This thread reminds me of a joke I heard once: "If you were on a deserted island, and could only have one book, which one would it be?" "The dictionary, because it has all the other books in it." Dumb, dumb joke, but it made me laugh when I first heard it.

I also would have the complete works of Shakespeare, fun to read, but also entertaining to act out all the parts of the plays, especially if I go delirious and find myself an imaginary friend, or a soccer ball. I would also need a very large book of cryptograms, this would also keep me busy, and finding some sort of writing implement would be challenging. I would also have a very good, “teach yourself to read Russian” book, along with a good Russian to English dictionary, and finally, “War and Peace” written in its original language.

Sorry for bringing a dead topic back to life but I thought of this game after watching an episode of "The Office."

1.) Blindness - Jose Saramago
-Probably my favorite book, although it's hard to pick one.
2.)The Last Ship - William Brinkley
-Also one of my favorites. It also takes place on the sea and on an island, so it's fitting.
3.)The Road - Cormac McCarthy
-Lovelovelove this book. It's very powerful, I think.
4.)Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (duh. And normally I dislike reading collections because they're so, well, GIANT, but I'll make an exception for Oscar.)
-Uh, hello, have you seen my username...

#5 always changes depending on my mood.


This game is always so hard for me! There's too many books! And I'm not even considering graphic novels.

Although... you know.. this could be a good ice breaker when I'm finally teaching...

1) How to survive on a deserted island - Giligan
2) How to build a home on a deserted island - Swiss Family Robinson
3) How to make friends on a deserted island - Wilson
4) Cuckoo for Coconuts - (Feathered brethren of popular Corn Flakes Bird)
5) How to make a Cell phone from palm trees, rocks, and an avocado - McGyver

ROFLMAO Mr. President!

Very funny President Camacho.
1. Hunt for Red October-Tom Clancy
Love this book with a passion
2. Collective works of Hemingway
3. Scripts from NCIS
4. Bible
5. Pen and Paper and 3 boxes of bottles

Heck with the books. I'll take a cute librarian and a bottle of single malt scotch.