3 Books on a Desert Island

I was recently asked the question: “if you were to be stranded on a desert island and could only take 3 books with you, which would they be and why?” Obviously, I instantly went into inner turmoil; why do I have to be stranded? Can I at least bring some friends? Also can we stretch that to 30 books instead? 15? 10? Really? Ok fine.

Then when I got to thinking about it, it was actually quite fun to think of my answers, which are as follows:

1. My first choice would have to be The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter. I absolutely love Carter’s writing and could spend an eternity pulling apart each word, interpreting different meanings and finding new favourite quotes. Carter’s writing is transgressive, decadently dark, and sexual, and the way in which she creates prose and tells stories is so effective. These are my favourite of her works, and I think it was reading these the first time which sparked my love of subversive female authors, so I feel that they deserve a special mention. Also with the fact that it’s a short story collection I think that would keep me going for longer.

2. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott. Fitzgerald has to be book number two. I often quote this as my all-time favourite novel, and though I am definitely terrified of that commitment, I think it’s justified in this case. I adore Fitzgerald’s whimsical writing style, and I fell in love much more with this novel over his others. Don’t get me wrong I love Gatsby, but this is just so much better in my eyes, I think purely due to the depth of the characters. These complex characters are far more fascinating than some of the more shallow ones in other books, particularly the women (sorry Daisy, but yes, I’m talking about you.) Now I’ve thought so much about this book I think really need to re-read it immediately!

3. I think for my third book I would choose a collection by Audre Lorde, so I’m picking Your Silence Will Not Protect You, as it includes the amazingly powerful “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house”, amongst others. Audre Lorde was the absolute queen of intersectional feminism and activism, and her writings are so so incredibly moving and empowering. I haven’t finished reading the whole collection yet, which is part of the reason it’s on this list, as I know I need to finish and grow and be a better person (yes I do genuinely believe reading Lorde will make you a better person, her words are so powerful!), and I know that I will love it. Obviously it’s been many years since she wrote these works, but sadly they are still poignantly relevant and important today. I would take this with me to keep me inspired and grounded.

Well… now I want to go and read all of these! This was such an interesting thing for me to think about and assess what I feel I would want/need in my literary companions and what I value about them. I urge you to go and think over what your answers would be! It also goes without saying that I recommend all of the above books next time you’re wondering what to read!