At a first glance, you might think this post is the one on five books that have impacted me, but no. Is there some overlap? Yes. Are they the same? No.
So, if I got stuck on an island, which five books would I like to have? (I’ll skip the useful survival guides Dwight K. Schrute would go for.)
In no particular order…
Pride and Prejudice. Of course. Were you expecting this list to be Jane Austen-free? Please. Whenever I reread it I discover something new, and it’s always nice to know there’ll be a letter and a romantic declaration at some point (ah, romantic tropes I love).
A second book would be Much Ado About Nothing. (I especially love the Arden edition.) What can I say? Beatrice and Benedick are great and you can always interpret things differently, so it can feel like you’re reading different versions every time. Plus, it’ll remind me of the many adaptations I’ve seen (and looser interpretations), from Kenneth Branagh’s to the BBC’s ShakespeaRe-Told, plus Anyone but You and the stage version with Catherine Tate and David Tennant.
I’d also need some Marian Keyes. Instead of one of the Walsh sisters stories, because it would only make me want to read the rest of the series, I’d go for a standalone novel. Sushi for Beginners is the one I remember least, so it’d be a great catch-up. (I mean, I’d probably still want to reread all of Marian’s novels all the same, but the urge shouldn’t be as bad.)
Fourth, I’d go for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Can you blame me? I’d need some sci-fi to really get me out of the island—and the constant laughing wouldn’t hurt, either. Technically, if I could squeeze all the novels in the series, it’d be even better… Come to think about it, I do have a special edition in a box somewhere. So, one book, four novels (not including And Another Thing…). Fab!
Last but not least, Rayuela by Julio Cortázar. Much as I love (and I really do love) his stories, I never got around to reading Rayuela, and it’s on my bucket list. No time like when you’re stuck on an island to do it, right?
What are your five picks to have on an island? Would you go for the comfort of things you already know you’d enjoy or would you rather go for something entirely new? Fiction or nonfiction? Short or long? With a little bit of time travel or none of that?
