My friend Joy participated in a #desertislandreads tag some time ago, and tagged me for it. The idea is to choose the eight books you would most like to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island. As a bibliophile I found this to be a sort of torturous sort of tag. Nevertheless, suspending some reality (I would actually throw a couple survival books in there) and putting a bit of a wry spin on it, here is my list.
The Bible—this is a no-brainer and, well, absolutely essential.
Perfect Square by Michael Hall—it’s so well done, and the colors are so bright. I have read this book a hundred times to little children, and I still love it, so if I had to read it basically forever, there is a good chance I wouldn’t get tired of it.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien—the three-book edition of course. I could finally read this book multiple times a year, and love it to pieces.
The Shield Ring by Rosemary Sutcliff—I had a very hard time choosing just one Rosemary Sutcliff, but this one has a very special place in my heart. The good moments are just too good.
Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem—I would finally have the time to read through that entire, fat book. (And it would help me to understand my Bible better!)
Seamanship in the Age of Sail by John Harland—I’ve always needed more time to research, and I would definitely know how to sail away from the island if ever an old sailing ship drifted my way….
For Love of a Donkey by Betty Morgan Bowen—this is one I literally don’t want to be parted with. It is a little-known story set in post WWII Germany, about a girl and her donkey and an old man travelling across war-torn Germany to reach a children’s village in Switzerland. If you want “all the feels” (to borrow the much-used term), read this book.
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry—for inspiration on how to make the most of my time being stuck on an island. And so I’ll know what to do if I’m ever attacked by an octopus, a shark, a wild boar, or cannibals.
What would your eight picks be? Feel free to grab the tag or tell me in the comments below!
Emily Hayse 
I loved this. It makes me smile so much, especially your reasoning behind the seamanship book and the Sperry book. Spot-on book choices and hilarious reasons for choosing them. =)
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Why, thank you! I was in a funny mood, and I do love those books. 🙂 I think I would rather develop knowledge that would be useful, after all! 😉
-Emily
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That’s a great list! For Love of a Donkey is such a beautiful book! I hope I’m not the only one that has cried over it. Here are my picks, made after much agonizing.
The Bible
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Lord of the Rings
Witness by Whittaker Chambers
To Have and To Hold
The Father Brown collection (Delightful mystery stories by G.K. Chesterton)
The Jungle Book
Pilgrim’s Progress
1000 Gifts by Anne Voskamp
Well, okay, that’s nine. But I’m not willing to take any of them out, so there you go! 😉
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You are most definitely not the only one who cries over that book, I assure you! I love your list. I have read almost all of those and they are excellent choices. ^_^
-Emily
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Oh, it’s interesting to read your answers! And isn’t it hard to pick favourites?! (I did the tag too. 🙂 And ‘For Love of a Donkey’ sounds like a really good book – I’ll definitely be looking it up!
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I’ll have to go see your answers! Favorites are really hard to pick, I know. I had to stop agonizing over it and just go ahead and choose some. For Love of a Donkey is a really good book. 😀
-Emily
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