Stuck on a desert island...

ZeldaGirl · 04-04-2011, 09:19 PM

And you are only allowed 5 books to have with you. What are they, and why?

**Loot** · 04-04-2011, 10:38 PM

Sigmund Freud - The Interpretation of Dreams
Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials trilogy
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Can't remember the exact name of the book, it has A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Adventures, The Memoirs, and The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird

Oh, I'm not going to read them. They're going to provide fire to provide light so I can always read

ok srsly guyz

The Interpretation of Dreams - I'm fascinated by all these studies, myths and such of dreams. Also because there is something ****ed up about Freud's views sometimes that you can't help but keep reading. Not to discredit him, just eughyipes

His Dark Materials - My friend got me hooked onto this since it was one of her favorites. So, yeah, good times. Also marks the time I used a $20 as a bookmark. GOOD TIMES.

Sherlock Holmes - Dunno, really, just think they're great classics. A Study in Scarlet was pretty interesting, for sure, as well as one of the Memoirs involving Holmes actually being wrong for once and he seemed to enjoy being wrong.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Loved Scout. She's quite the main character. And Atticus? Even the movie version captured him perfectly, methinks.

I Am America (And So Can You!) - It's Stephen Colbert, because shut up.

ZeldaGirl · 04-04-2011, 10:54 PM

^Hah, love it!

I'm still mulling over my choices, though I do think that TKAM would potentially be one of them...I'm having to narrow down so many good books, though!

***CaptHayfever*** · 04-05-2011, 02:18 AM

I'm intentionally avoiding anything with a tragic ending, if only because I'm afraid of the effects that would have on my in my isolation:

The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora ~Michael Nesmith
In the absence of recorded music or means to produce music, I will need a book that speaks so well of music that one can begin to hear it. Given my situation being stranded, the fact that the dominant genre in the book is blues certainly seems apt.

The Enormous Room ~E.E. Cummings
It takes a long time to read (because Cummings packs a lot into his words), making this book a fine choice for exile. It's also funny & heartwarming, & the ending will help keep my hopes up while I'm stranded.

The Divine Comedy ~Dante Alighieri
Another with an uplifting ending. Plus, I've just always wanted to read it.

Dogs Don't Tell Jokes ~Louis Sachar
I've never not laughed while reading this book. The protagonist reminds me a lot of myself at his age, & I freaking love Sachar's refusal to patronize his intended audience.

The Bible
Hey, I'll actually have time to read the whole thing!

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

***Cosmonautical*** · 04-05-2011, 07:00 AM

5 massive tomes of blank paper, so I can draw. :3

Kargath · 04-05-2011, 07:40 AM

The same, but for tinder >_>

**Loot** · 04-05-2011, 08:01 AM

Y'know, if you're in need of wood, you can just punch the trees.

Oh, wait, sorry, my mistake.

It's a desert.

Rainbow Dash · 04-05-2011, 09:23 AM

an essential part of any desert island is one (1) palm tree

***Ace Mercury*** · 04-05-2011, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ardal O'Hanlon

She asked me for two books I'd take with me to a desert island, and I didn't like the threat implied in that question. I said that the first would be a big, inflatable book, and the second would be "How to make oars out of sand".

I'm not really a "book reader". I prefer the bite-sized blog post or news/magazine article.

I do read books occasionally, but mostly non-fiction. As a result, I don't have a large repertoire of printed stories I know I want to revisit again and again.

***Marilink*** · 04-05-2011, 05:11 PM

I wish I read more, but I just never really do. If I had to say 5, I'd go:

The Bible, because it's the most important book I have.
1984, because it's my favorite.
Holes, because it always brings me back to my childhood.
The Hobbit, because it's the freakin' Hobbit,
and a blank book so I can write my own story about being stranded in the desert!

Bomby · 04-05-2011, 08:29 PM

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Because its my favorite novel.
The Stranger by Albert Camus. Because its my second favorite novel.
The Sound & the Fury by William Faulkner. Because its my third favorite novel.
Dao de Jing. Because it puts a nice perspective on life unlike anything else I've ever read.
Journey to the West. Because its so damn entertaining and I'd actually have time to read the whole thing.

***Booyakasha*** · 04-05-2011, 08:47 PM

'Moby Dick' and 'Les Miserables' are my favourite books ever, so they're a given...

...you know, I don't know what else. Maybe 'collected works'-type deals from Shakespeare and Tennyson? Is that cheating?

Oh, and 'Robinson Crusoe', because...uhhh...something.

**Valigarmander** · 04-05-2011, 09:01 PM

The Hobbit, probably my favorite fiction book of all time.

Aside from that... I dunno. I have a lot of large tomes on world history, prehistory, culture, and science, so a few of those would probably keep me interested for a long time.

ZeldaGirl · 04-05-2011, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Booyakasha

'Moby Dick' and 'Les Miserables' are my favourite books ever, so they're a given...

...you know, I don't know what else. Maybe 'collected works'-type deals from Shakespeare and Tennyson? Is that cheating?

Oh, and 'Robinson Crusoe', because...uhhh...something.

Heh, I thought about Defoe. Too bad 'Crusoe' bored me to tears.

Anthologies are perfectly acceptable. I think The Complete Works of William Shakespeare is a given for me - all plays AND poetry. It's a little something of everything.

I'll think of 4 more later.

***Booyakasha*** · 04-06-2011, 12:00 AM

Love Shakespeare's sonnets---I've had 'My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun' memorised since ninth grade. Still think the real meat's in the plays, though. ('King Lear' and 'Cymbeline' are my faves.) You ever see Shakespeare performed live, Ziggy? Bet you'd dig it. Live performance brings an immediacy to the proceedings that no movie will ever match. We saw 'King Lear' at the Rep a few years back, and man. That scene where they put out Gloucester's eyes...probably the most visceral, intense thing I've ever witnessed in entertainment. I almost had to look away. It was something else.

ZeldaGirl · 04-06-2011, 12:23 AM

^I've actually seen quite a few shows live (theatre nerd, here). Saw "Titus Andronicus" - brutal. Almost threw up, and it didn't help that I was in the first row and what was being used for blood was splattered all over me when Lavinia came out after being attacked. *shudders*

I've also been in a few shows, including Midsummer (one of my favorites).

***Booyakasha*** · 04-06-2011, 12:31 AM

^Right on. Nothing like being right there to help with the old willing suspension of disbelief. You don't get that on a TV screen, no sir.

Kargath · 04-06-2011, 06:00 AM

I'm glad the production of "Comedy of Errors" I saw didn't go for any realistic effects.

First scene, Dromeo gets whacked, collapses in pile of blood, play ends O_o

User Name · 04-09-2011, 11:03 PM

I would bring "Soul Pancake" by Rainn Wilson because I learn something new about myself every time I read it. It's so thought-provoking and really makes you dig into your soul to find who you are. Which I think could be very useful when stranded on a desert island.

For a tear-jerker, I would bring "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. It's so tragically innocent about a girl who was abused as a child very verbally and indirectly physically and she didn't even know it at the time. I met her in person, and she's the one who inspired me to keep writing and to write honestly.

For a thrill, I would bring "Odd Thomas" by Dean Koontz. He's my favorite author because he's so quirky, suspenseful, and has great endings. I call him my "book-candy."

For epicness, I would bring "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins because of her great story-telling. It's just a young adult fiction novel, but it wraps me in the story and I can't put it down.

For humor, I can't decide if I would bring "Earth" by Jon Stewart or "Stornoway Way" by Kevin MacNeil. "Earth" is flippant humor, kind of forced, but still makes me crack up. MacNeil's book is more intelligent humor mixed with an odd darkness. It's a wonderful, drunken mess.

**Deku Trii** · 04-09-2011, 11:59 PM

The Biible. I've always meant to finish reading it, and I think it's long and interesting enough to be a solid choice regardless of what you believe.

I've always liked "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead."

I'd probably bring "Lord of the Rings" and really get to know all of the details you tend to skip over.

Maybe "Darkly Dreaming Dexter". It's just such a charming dark comedy.

I probably wouldn't regret "Welcome to the Monkey House."

04-04-2011, 09:19 PM	#1
ZeldaGirl Awesome member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Why do YOU want to know...? Gender: Posts: 15,896 Thanks: 1,130 Thanked 1,919 Times in 1,046 Posts	Stuck on a desert island... And you are only allowed 5 books to have with you. What are they, and why?

04-04-2011, 10:38 PM	#2
Loot Apparently I'm a mod? Join Date: May 2001 Location: LEGITIMATE BUSINESS Gender: Posts: 13,208 Thanks: 236 Thanked 1,237 Times in 659 Posts	Sigmund Freud - The Interpretation of Dreams Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials trilogy Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Can't remember the exact name of the book, it has A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Adventures, The Memoirs, and The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird Oh, I'm not going to read them. They're going to provide fire to provide light so I can always read ok srsly guyz The Interpretation of Dreams - I'm fascinated by all these studies, myths and such of dreams. Also because there is something ***ed up about Freud's views sometimes that you can't help but keep reading. Not to discredit him, just eughyipes His Dark Materials - My friend got me hooked onto this since it was one of her favorites. So, yeah, good times. Also marks the time I used a $20 as a bookmark. GOOD TIMES. Sherlock Holmes - Dunno, really, just think they're great classics. A Study in Scarlet was pretty interesting, for sure, as well as one of the Memoirs involving Holmes actually being wrong for once and he seemed to enjoy being wrong. To Kill a Mockingbird - Loved Scout. She's quite the main character. And Atticus? Even the movie version captured him perfectly, methinks. I Am America (And So Can You!) - It's Stephen Colbert, because shut up. Last edited by Loot; 04-04-2011 at 10:43 PM.*

04-04-2011, 10:54 PM	#3
ZeldaGirl Awesome member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Why do YOU want to know...? Gender: Posts: 15,896 Thanks: 1,130 Thanked 1,919 Times in 1,046 Posts	^Hah, love it! I'm still mulling over my choices, though I do think that TKAM would potentially be one of them...I'm having to narrow down so many good books, though!

04-05-2011, 02:18 AM	#4
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,659 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	I'm intentionally avoiding anything with a tragic ending, if only because I'm afraid of the effects that would have on my in my isolation: The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora ~Michael Nesmith In the absence of recorded music or means to produce music, I will need a book that speaks so well of music that one can begin to hear it. Given my situation being stranded, the fact that the dominant genre in the book is blues certainly seems apt. The Enormous Room ~E.E. Cummings It takes a long time to read (because Cummings packs a lot into his words), making this book a fine choice for exile. It's also funny & heartwarming, & the ending will help keep my hopes up while I'm stranded. The Divine Comedy ~Dante Alighieri Another with an uplifting ending. Plus, I've just always wanted to read it. Dogs Don't Tell Jokes ~Louis Sachar I've never not laughed while reading this book. The protagonist reminds me a lot of myself at his age, & I freaking love Sachar's refusal to patronize his intended audience. The Bible Hey, I'll actually have time to read the whole thing! And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

04-05-2011, 07:00 AM	#5
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	5 massive tomes of blank paper, so I can draw. :3

04-05-2011, 07:40 AM	#6
Kargath et in Arcadia ego Join Date: Jul 2001 Gender: Posts: 8,334 Thanks: 1,226 Thanked 780 Times in 488 Posts	The same, but for tinder >_>

04-05-2011, 08:01 AM	#7
Loot Apparently I'm a mod? Join Date: May 2001 Location: LEGITIMATE BUSINESS Gender: Posts: 13,208 Thanks: 236 Thanked 1,237 Times in 659 Posts	Y'know, if you're in need of wood, you can just punch the trees. Oh, wait, sorry, my mistake. It's a desert.

04-05-2011, 09:23 AM	#8
Rainbow Dash been dreamin', i've been waitin' Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: a bomb-ass cloud house bachelorette pad Gender: Posts: 24,398 Thanks: 173 Thanked 1,179 Times in 716 Posts	an essential part of any desert island is one (1) palm tree

04-05-2011, 05:11 PM	#10
*Marilink* Gotta catch 'em all! Supermod! Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Location, Location. Gender: Posts: 29,118 Thanks: 2,535 Thanked 1,822 Times in 1,007 Posts	I wish I read more, but I just never really do. If I had to say 5, I'd go: The Bible, because it's the most important book I have. 1984, because it's my favorite. Holes, because it always brings me back to my childhood. The Hobbit, because it's the freakin' Hobbit, and a blank book so I can write my own story about being stranded in the desert!

04-05-2011, 08:29 PM	#11
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Because its my favorite novel. The Stranger by Albert Camus. Because its my second favorite novel. The Sound & the Fury by William Faulkner. Because its my third favorite novel. Dao de Jing. Because it puts a nice perspective on life unlike anything else I've ever read. Journey to the West. Because its so damn entertaining and I'd actually have time to read the whole thing.

04-05-2011, 08:47 PM	#12
*Booyakasha* SuperMod of War Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Wisconsinland Gender: Posts: 9,945 Thanks: 157 Thanked 1,481 Times in 763 Posts	'Moby Dick' and 'Les Miserables' are my favourite books ever, so they're a given... ...you know, I don't know what else. Maybe 'collected works'-type deals from Shakespeare and Tennyson? Is that cheating? Oh, and 'Robinson Crusoe', because...uhhh...something.

04-05-2011, 09:01 PM	#13
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	The Hobbit, probably my favorite fiction book of all time. Aside from that... I dunno. I have a lot of large tomes on world history, prehistory, culture, and science, so a few of those would probably keep me interested for a long time.

04-06-2011, 12:00 AM	#15
*Booyakasha* SuperMod of War Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Wisconsinland Gender: Posts: 9,945 Thanks: 157 Thanked 1,481 Times in 763 Posts	Love Shakespeare's sonnets---I've had 'My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun' memorised since ninth grade. Still think the real meat's in the plays, though. ('King Lear' and 'Cymbeline' are my faves.) You ever see Shakespeare performed live, Ziggy? Bet you'd dig it. Live performance brings an immediacy to the proceedings that no movie will ever match. We saw 'King Lear' at the Rep a few years back, and man. That scene where they put out Gloucester's eyes...probably the most visceral, intense thing I've ever witnessed in entertainment. I almost had to look away. It was something else.

04-06-2011, 12:23 AM	#16
ZeldaGirl Awesome member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Why do YOU want to know...? Gender: Posts: 15,896 Thanks: 1,130 Thanked 1,919 Times in 1,046 Posts	^I've actually seen quite a few shows live (theatre nerd, here). Saw "Titus Andronicus" - brutal. Almost threw up, and it didn't help that I was in the first row and what was being used for blood was splattered all over me when Lavinia came out after being attacked. shudders I've also been in a few shows, including Midsummer (one of my favorites).

04-06-2011, 12:31 AM	#17
*Booyakasha* SuperMod of War Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Wisconsinland Gender: Posts: 9,945 Thanks: 157 Thanked 1,481 Times in 763 Posts	^Right on. Nothing like being right there to help with the old willing suspension of disbelief. You don't get that on a TV screen, no sir.

04-06-2011, 06:00 AM	#18
Kargath et in Arcadia ego Join Date: Jul 2001 Gender: Posts: 8,334 Thanks: 1,226 Thanked 780 Times in 488 Posts	I'm glad the production of "Comedy of Errors" I saw didn't go for any realistic effects. First scene, Dromeo gets whacked, collapses in pile of blood, play ends O_o

04-09-2011, 11:03 PM	#19
User Name Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Gotham City Gender: Posts: 7,209 Thanks: 701 Thanked 536 Times in 367 Posts	I would bring "Soul Pancake" by Rainn Wilson because I learn something new about myself every time I read it. It's so thought-provoking and really makes you dig into your soul to find who you are. Which I think could be very useful when stranded on a desert island. For a tear-jerker, I would bring "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. It's so tragically innocent about a girl who was abused as a child very verbally and indirectly physically and she didn't even know it at the time. I met her in person, and she's the one who inspired me to keep writing and to write honestly. For a thrill, I would bring "Odd Thomas" by Dean Koontz. He's my favorite author because he's so quirky, suspenseful, and has great endings. I call him my "book-candy." For epicness, I would bring "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins because of her great story-telling. It's just a young adult fiction novel, but it wraps me in the story and I can't put it down. For humor, I can't decide if I would bring "Earth" by Jon Stewart or "Stornoway Way" by Kevin MacNeil. "Earth" is flippant humor, kind of forced, but still makes me crack up. MacNeil's book is more intelligent humor mixed with an odd darkness. It's a wonderful, drunken mess.

04-09-2011, 11:59 PM	#20
Deku Trii PP&R Mod Current Events Mod Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Texas Gender: Posts: 9,031 Thanks: 521 Thanked 1,099 Times in 583 Posts	The Biible. I've always meant to finish reading it, and I think it's long and interesting enough to be a solid choice regardless of what you believe. I've always liked "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." I'd probably bring "Lord of the Rings" and really get to know all of the details you tend to skip over. Maybe "Darkly Dreaming Dexter". It's just such a charming dark comedy. I probably wouldn't regret "Welcome to the Monkey House."