Books for my desert island

We’ve been lagging behind with our Friday Prompts I moved to France, Gabi was busy too but fear not we shall return sooner than you’d think. Till then here is a little booknerdism.

I came across the idea on Miss W’s blog and I thought well, this is a worthy cause to blog about. There is a campaign going on to draw attention to the awesomeness of bookshops, it’s called BAMB and you can read more about it here. They ask people to write about books they’d take with themselves to a desert island. Anybody who knows me is aware that bookshops are my kryptonite, they make me weak and will be my death one day so I couldn’t resist this challenge.

02_facebook_desert_v01-01-copy

  1. Neil Gaiman: The whole of the Sandman series

I haven’t really been into comics/graphic novels before Sandman but it got me converted. It’s just so well-written, so clever, so Fanni-proof. There is stuff to discover on every reading and I sort of have a crush on Dream.

  1. J.K.Rowling: The Harry Potter series ( okay, I’m cheating here) in French

Harry Potter was one of the defining books of my childhood /adolescence. I had a crush on Harry in the beginning then moved on to Ron, I think I’ve realised the hero’s best friend is more cut out for me. I also imagined myself in the place of Hermione as all clever but not too popular girls do, I guess. Anyhow, Harry Potter is my language learning book because I know the story well enough so it helps the understanding; the language is creative but not overly complicated and finally, because I just love it. I’ve read volumes of HP in Hungarian, English, German and Italian, a forced retreat to a deserted island would give me plenty of time to plunge into the French version as well.

  1. William Shakespeare: Collected plays

Yes, yes, I’m a bloody cheat. But if you have Shakespeare, the world becomes your oyster… or something like that. I could march up and down on the sandy shores, reciting soliloquies and performing scenes from the Tempest… it would be a brave new world…

  1. Louise Rennison: Any or all the books from the Georgia Nicholson series

I’m a weird person who almost never laughs at things which are intended to be funny. Miserable life, I know. However, I have to say I almost laughed my a… backside off. Georgia is the same kind of crazy teen I was (although she is a lot crazier) and I think she would be good company on a deserted island.

  1. Antal Szerb: Journey by Moonlight

I just love this novel about travelling, Italy and long lost youth. The protagonist tries to shed the remains of his adolescence but it proves to be harder than he might think.

  1. All the volumes of the New Practical Chinese Reader

I might as well use my ample time on the desert island to refresh my Chinese knowledge. Could prove to be a useful skill after all… I might be stranded on an island in the East China Sea…

  1. Sei Shonagon: The Pillow Book

It’s a book of thoughts, musings and observations by a Heian courtlady. She’s a keen observer and has a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue. She doesn’t hesitate to point out the shortcomings of other people. She’s a bit mean, but only to the right extent. I think we would have made great friends.

  1. Lev Tolstoy: War and Peace

Never read it but I’m sure it would give me plenty to muse about. Knowing myself I’d never have the courage or the attention span to start it, so the desert island would be mighty useful in making me a more cultivated person.

You can find Gabi’s list here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.