TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I WOULD TAKE TO A DESERT ISLAND WITH ME

This week’s topic is books I’ll never get sick of re-reading, and in order to really consider this prompt, I imagined a situation where these are the only books I have, possibly for the rest of my life. Would I still feel that they stood up to that kind of deep reading? Would they be able to provide me with a balanced literary diet? It’s a very difficult mental exercise – both because I can’t really put myself in that position, but also because, as an avid reader, I really don’t want to. But as best I can tell, these are the ones I’d take with me if I absolutely had to choose.

I’m including the entire Harry Potter series as one choice, which I know is a bit of a cheat, but I can’t conceive of separating one out of the stack. So far I haven’t ever gotten sick of re-reading these, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve visited this world. I can’t imagine ever tiring of it.

Likewise The Gormenghast Trilogy because I have them as one large bind-up. I haven’t actually read the entire series, but based on the first book I know this world is incredibly vivid and complex, and I feel like it would allow for a surface reading for enjoyment of the story, but would also stand up to deeper searches for meaning and connections. It’s a rich text, and definitely a nice, long one!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is such a beautiful book, with so much emotion and love. I think if I were in a situation where I had only the books on this list, I’d need the fictional bookstore to retreat to!

Q’s Legacy is a book that left me feeling like I’d made a lifelong friend. I loved sharing time with Helene Hanff, and even though we don’t have even remotely similar taste in books, her love of reading and lifelong search to expand her knowledge and understanding of the literary world (and through it, the world around her) is something I admire and aspire to. I’ll never get sick of her company.

If I Fall, If I Die is a beautiful story about how sometimes innocence is the best way to look at the world, because it strips back so much of the prejudices and limitations we are taught and allows for a more open view of the world. It’s also a great story, full of sacrifice and love. It’s beautiful on the page and in the mind.

Under the Tuscan Sun. I love travel, even if (sometimes especially if) it is only in my mind. This book was one of the most transporting experiences I’ve ever had, and even though it has been years since I last read it, if it holds up to my recollection it’s one I will always have nearby in case I need an escape.

One Hundred Years of Solitude was one of the most transformative reading experiences of my life. It’s also a long, complex book, one that holds an entire world (if not several) between its covers. It’s surreal and yet vivid, and it’s one of the first magical realism books I read and therefore is responsible for opening up a whole new area of literary exploration for me.

One of the authors I progressed to after discovering the previous book was Isabel Allende, who became one of my all-time favourites. I am having a hard time choosing which of her books to include in this list, because it’s been years since I read them and I loved them all so much. So it would probably be The House of the Spirits or Eva Luna – though Of Love and Shadows also had a deep impact. Any of these books would be a great addition to my limited bookshelf.

A Prayer for Owen Meany I’m including mostly because I haven’t read it since high school, and I’ve been meaning to read it again. I remember it taking a while to get through, but being well worth the effort. So if I were picking books for my tiny library, this would be a good one to include.

The Uncommon Reader is so short, but it, as they say, contains multitudes. It is humorous, full of literary passion, upends social norms, breaks stereotype and is just plain entertaining. It might not take long to get through, but I would happily loop right back to the beginning and read it all over again.

Ask me any other day and I’m sure this list would look different, but as of now these are the books that, when I look back over all the books I’ve read in my life, stand out as ones that either have particularly great emotional connections, were able to transport me to another world entirely, challenged my view of the world – or did all three. I’d love to hear which books you’d take to a desert island, and if you’ve read (and possibly re-read) any of these!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.