Monday, September 28, 2020

Stranded on a desert island

Here's a Goodreads list of 100 books to read before you die.  Below are the top 10:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
1984 by George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Lord of the Rings (1-3) by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Here's a Bustle article on the 10 books readers said they'd want most if stranded on a desert island. Interesting that only one book is on both lists.

Ulysses by James Joyce
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
The Holy Bible [and other religious texts]
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

I've read 5 from the first list and 2 from the second list.  What about you?  Which have you read?  Is there one you enjoyed the most?  Which book would YOU want if YOU were stranded on a desert island?


3 comments:

Kate Larkindale said...

I've read everything in the first list, but have to admit to never finishing either of the Tolkien ones because I hated them. Read six of the second list (including the Bible and the Complete Works of Shakespeare). I think the most useful book to have in this situation would be "How to Survive on a Desert Island". I Googled it, and there are surprising number of books to choose from...

JA Richardson said...

From this list I would have to choose The Diary of Anne Frank, hands down!

Dena Pawling said...

The following comment was misdirected and came to our email account:

If I were stranded on a desert island, I would want The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's interesting to note that most of the books in the first list have a family bond of some sort or a core of friends who are bonding together as a family. Family, friends, and home are themes that clearly touch our hearts.