Desert Island Books

We’ve been reading a lot of really fun blogs this month, and one idea we loved was posting our top five “Desert Island Books”… in other words, if we’re going to be stranded on a deserted island for an indeterminate amount of time, what are some books we’d like to have with us?  We even asked our twins to weigh in on the decision.  Here’s what we came up with:

Mark:

1. Any Shakespeare Anthology (There are a thirty-eight plays, and I’ve only read maybe ten of them.  This might be a good time to catch up on some Titus Andronicus.)
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (My favorite of the series. Not the longest, but then again, all those Shakespeare plays will take up a lot of my time…)
3. Paradise Lost by John Milton (Sheri says including Milton AND Shakespeare on this list makes me sound stuffy, but every time I read Paradise Lost, I find something new.)
4. The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by J.W. Rinzler (And every time I read this, I find something new.)
5. The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle (Now, I’ve never read this, but a good, good friend has been insisting that I read it for a while now. I realize I’m taking a risk here, because I may not like it. And then I’ll be kicking myself for not bringing along a copy of 101 Ways to Get Off a Deserted Island…)   

Sheri:

1. A Place to Call Home by Deborah Smith (This is the book I’ve read and re-read more times than any other)
2. Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes (All of Keyes’ novels are great, but this one was my first and favorite.  She’s the master of Irish wit and storytelling.)
3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (the book that made a reader—and a writer—out of me)
4. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (No I am NOT embarrassed to have this on my list!  I’m alone on a desert island.  Who do I need to impress? A great romantic story—this is my favorite in the Bridgerton series—is like a warm, comforting blanket.)
5. The Bible (Reasons should be obvious!)

Our 12-year-old son:

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (Never gets old)
2. Warriors 6: The Darkest Hour by Erin Hunter (the best of the series)
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (best book ever written!)
4. LEGO Club Magazine (Does this count as a book?)
5. Any choose-your-own-adventure book (It’s like having many stories in one!)

Our other 12-year-old  son:

1. The Candy Makers by Wendy Mass (awesome characters)
2. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (The most clever plot ever!)
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (I love the emotion and action in this story)
4. Loser by Jerry Spinelli (The most inspirational story by my favorite author)
5. Mr. Terupt Falls Again by Rob Buyea (I’m in the middle of this book and I have to see how it ends!)

Let’s hear your desert island picks!

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