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Asim

Okay so this is an interesting one for me. Being a Muslim a very obvious choice for me would be the Quran, this is a holy book Muslims are encouraged to read every Ramadan and I generally read it often and multiple times anyway so easy first choice. I could easily fill slots 2 and 3 with religious books but I'll head a different route!

The second book for me would be "Why has nobody told me this before by Dr Julie Smith" as I can imagine I would go crazy on an Island on my own, this book would teach me to take control of my mental health and thoughts and essentially stop me from going crazy!

The third one I would pick is Harry Potter and the philosphers stone as I NEVER read these books as a kid as I was overwhelemed by the 600/700+ pages and I am a slow reader so I Feel this book would keep me entertained for a long time

JB
Josh B

  1. 'How to stay alive' by Bear Grylls. Like many here i think a survival and bushcraft book is pretty essential and who better to trust than Bear Grylls himself? With SAS knowledge and extensive experience in this area, you can be sure his guidance would be pivotal to your survival!

  2. 'Silence of the Lambs' by Thomas Harris. A true classic that packs an amazing story telling punch and amazing character creation in the form of the chilling Hannibal Lecter himself. A book that's can be read multiple times and not lose any of its power.

  3. '1000+ sudoku puzzles for adults' - no author listed. This one is because if you are on a desert island I think keeping your brain active and preventing insanity is pretty important. A mind workout would certainly help with that and thankfully this one has the answers for if you get stuck šŸ˜‚

Lanah Tyra's avatar
Lanah Tyra

  • The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion from Tolkien: I love this world and even though I've read the books many times, I still don't remember all the little details, so it would be great to revisit them. Plus I would make it a quest to learn his Elvish, even if I didn't have spare paper and pen, I would just get a stick and practice the writing in the sand.

  • Asimov's complete works: in Hungarian we had an "Encyclopaedia Galactica" edition, all his works collected in hard-cover, really looking like your usual encyclopaedia would. Not sure if this exists in English, but finally I would have the time to read them all.

  • The Thrawn Trilogy from Timothy Zahn: my favourite Star Wars books, I love to re-read them and maybe Thrawn's genius would also serve as an inspiration for what to make of my situation.

  • My Japanese text books from uni: I love learning languages, and still makes me sad that I could never finish uni, so this would be a good time to learn the language. Just like with the Elvish calligraphy, it would be fun to practice the writing in the sand with a stick

Retro Stu's avatar
Retro Stu

Whilst I may not read anywhere near enough or as much as I'd like there's 3 books that immediately spring to mind.

Now, if I put any thought into this I should probably pick something longer like Lord of the Rings or War and Peace to keep me going but I'm sticking to my guns.

First up is Alice in Wonderland.

This book, the world it paints, the eccentric characters you encounter throughout and the lessons to learn from them are as incredible to me now as when I first read it and first saw the Disney version of the film all those years ago. It's an absolute trip, from start to finish, especially if you include Through the Looking Glass as well. If I'm ever in need of a book to whisk me away and get me thinking outside of my head then this is the book for me. I've used it so many times to kickstart my creative juices if I've been stalling on a project or feeling devoid of inspiration. Wonderland just has this knack of making me see things I might not have seen the first time and it always triggers some sort of creativity in me.

In keeping with the fantasy theme, The Neverending Story spoiler it does end.

But nothing good lasts forever, right? The Neverending Story is a cracking film from my childhood (the second one is fine the third one doesn't exist in my mind...) but the book is next level. There are so many bits omitted from the book that I would've loved to have seen bought to the big screen but I also adore the fact that the version of those moments only in the book and not the movie are my interpretation and no one can take those from me. A tale of heroism, facing your fears all in this backdrop of a fantasy land falling apart at the very seams. Even when faced with total destruction, the world finds a way of pulling through and being stuck on an island - I don't know about you but that's a message I want to keep close.

Finally, not in the fantasy genre at all is High Fidelity. A stalwart for me and my personality with the way it has top 5s littered throughout, soundtracking heartbreak, loss and success, it's perfect for me, keeping my mind nimble as I try and think of what my own Top 5s would be in each instance of the book. Remembering good times, bad times and all the times in between but finding a way to keep going - all with a soundtrack to keep me on track. Again, it might not seem like an obvious desert island book and it's not as practical as some of the choices I've seen but for me, it gets me thinking and I'm going to want to keep my mind fresh on an island.

AirGaram's avatar
AirGaram

These are the three books that i would definitely consider bringing to a desert island.

  1. The Survival Handbook - DK Publishing, I chose this because I need something to guide me in order to survive on a desert island, giving me insight on survival skills, shelter building, and more.

  2. How to Train Your Dragon ā€“ Cressida Cowell, I would choose this among many fantasy novels since it's one of my favourites. I would read it for endless amount of entertainment and to escape reality. Hopefully.

  3. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari. I found this after searching google, and I think this would be enough in order to keep my mind stimulated. Hopefully.

Shovel's avatar
Shovel

Ooh, so many options but my 3 I think are pretty easy.

The first would the The survival Handbook by Colin Towell - this book is essentially a guide on how to survive and covers all things from finding food and water to making a shelter, this is the ultimate guide and kind of a no brainer when is comes to the best practical book to bring with you.

The second would be The Quran. So I am a Muslim, I think it would be very important to me to have a source of spiritual guidance and solace, I feel like The Quran would give me a lot of comfort and strength if it was a really hard time. I would bring the version that contain both Arabic and English so I could have the goal of learning the Arabic version eventually.

The third would have to be a romance book, probably The Temporary Wife by Catherine Maura, I think it would be good to bring something that is a different genre! Youā€™re going to be out there alone right?? So whatā€™s the harm with a little romance!

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

Books to Take to a Desert Island

"The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure" by Colin Towell

This book offers practical advice on navigating, first aid, and building shelters. It also delves into essential skills like knot-tying, fishing, and cooking over an open fire. Its detailed illustrations and step-by-step instructions make it a valuable tool.

"Primitive Technology: A Survivalist's Guide to Building Tools, Shelters, and More in the Wild" by John Plant

This book provides a deeper dive into the engineering aspects of survival. It focuses on creating tools and structures using only natural materials, including techniques for building shelters, crafting weapons, and making pottery.

The World Book Encyclopedia 22 Volume Set

This encyclopedia set provides over 20,000 articles offering general knowledge about the world, serving multiple purposes. It can entertain, inform, and preserve history and technology, keeping a connection with the outside world on a mental level, helping you stay civil and educated.

R
Remi

Bush Craft 101 A Field guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by Dave Canterbury ā€“ Beyond the obvious in the title, you always should have something to fall back on as a guide to help you along the way. Teaching us how to manufacture needed tools and supplies. Collecting and cooking food, and of course protecting yourself from the elements.

Ā For as much as Iā€™d love to spend the rest of my life on a desert island somewhere with nothing by most favorite books. I still need to survive.

Ā A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (All 5 books of this Serious) ā€“ After being lost in my own hell for quite some time; this series brought me back out of the darkness and taught me, that we canā€™t let the ā€œHard days winā€.

Ā Last of The Mohicans By James Fenimore ā€“ Where my first adventure took off that led to inspiration endless adventures.

M
Marcus

This is my Desert Island Book List (I tried to keep it island-themed):

  • Green Arrow: Year One (by Andy Diggle and Jock) - Oliver Queenā€™s whole origin revolves around him surviving on a deserted island.

  • Green Arrow: Hard Travelinā€™ Hero (by Benjamin Percy, Otto Schmidt, and Juan Ferreyra) - Another Green Arrow story from the DC Rebirth era. It follows Green Arrow traveling across the USA to bring down the organisation ā€œThe Ninth Circleā€.

  • The Storm Runner Trilogy (by JC Cervantes) - One of the main locations of this series takes place on Isla Holbox.

  • Horrible Science: Angry Animals (Nick Arnold and Tony De Saulles) - A book that will keep me informed about the most dangerous animals that could be on the island. Whilst also keeping me entertained.

  • One Piece (every volume and chapter) (by Eiichiro Oda) - Itā€™s about pirates traveling the seas and going to different islands for adventure

  • NO-GRID SURVIVAL PROJECTS BIBLE: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to a safe, self-sufficient home.... (by Alex J. Ranger) - Need at least one book on survival.

mar1gold 's avatar
mar1gold

  1. Go tell it on the mountain by James Baldwin

    Baldwin is one of my favourite authors and this book is a little longer than most of his other work, so more content to read through hehe

  2. How to stay alive by Bear Grylls

    I have never read this one but I am sure a survival book would come in handy on a desert island!

  3. The Stand by Stephen King

    I have never read this one either! I love Stephen King and this is a super long book! So I know I can enjoy a new, long book that I will most likely love cos I'm a King fan! However it may creep me out a bit?? who knows i'm a wuss

    Also like Makster said having bigger books is good for kindling to make a fire!

    If possible I would also bring a blank book and a pen so I could write my own stuff and keep my mind as busy as possible. In survival situations the main thing you do in your day-to-day once you have your needs met is just wait around. As a massive extrovert I would need as much stimulation as possible in order to not go crazy!

Makster's avatar
Makster

I'd pick:

A complete Encyclopedia - I'm a serial wikipedia reader so learning a small amount about different things is something that keep me intellectually stimulated and hopefully help survive/ navitgate a desert island

A Simple Life - Hanya Yanagihara. I was going to go for a Murakami book but his descriptions of food and how it is cooked would make me go absolutely crazy sooner than needed. The book I picked is about male friendships and bonds and it'll hopefully help me remember my friends and loved ones during those lonely nights.

A complete works of Shakespeare - because as entertainment I'd like to say that I would act out the plays myself playing all the lines. Maybe make a make-shift theatre and stage during the day and perform at night.

But there is a reason why I'd pick these three thick books rather than their entertainment or education value.

  1. Each page makes for good kindling to make a fire

  2. Each page makes for good paper for other bodily functions
    And in a desert island - resources aren't cheap

  3. Hardbound books would last longer during the storms and rain over paper-bound

  4. If anyone ever finds me then they will at least think highly of me rather than if they found my real choices:
    Twilight, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and 1Q84..

Gaypengwing šŸ”œ Ren Faire Uk's avatar
Gaypengwing šŸ”œ Ren Faire Uk

The Hobbit (my first ever chosen book to read and one of my all time favourites. Iā€™ve read it so much that the front cover has fallen off my first ever copy)

Daisy Jones and the six (I found this through the tv show adaptation and I was immediately obsessed, finding the differences between the show and the book is always so fun)

The Haunting of Bly Manor (if I canā€™t have my favourite tv show with me, Iā€™ll at least take the book that itā€™s loosely based off of. Itā€™s not one Iā€™ve read before but I think one of the books Iā€™m taking would need to be a new one for some variety)

FirestormGamingTeam's avatar
FirestormGamingTeam

Hmm, only three! This is cruel!

Magician - Raymond E Fiest - Large book, start of one the best series I have ever read in my life.

Belgarath the Sorcerer - David Eddings - The entire life story of one of the main characters of his 20 book series and I could read it over and over again.

Krondor The Assassins - Raymond E Fiest - Great short story during the Riftwar series, we get a real introduction to Jimmy and his "mockers" etc.

Limal's avatar
Limal

Kindle with 32gb of books and a foldable solar panel counts?)

thats about 100k books

Limal's avatar
Limal

  1. Bible

  2. Arthashastra

  3. And similar to SturmerĀ ides - "The Book of" set of 22 books.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BX2W97ZZ?binding=hardcover

    My pick might seem weird, but its actually quite entertaining, and its enought to rebuild a civilization or create ones own country and religion!

TheGreatestBanana12's avatar
TheGreatestBanana12

My first series of books I would choose would be the Harry Potter series because I read these as I was growing up and I loved them so much i used to read them pretty much non stop and they are books that I could read over and over again.

I would also take a fault in our stars by John Green again as this is another great story that I have read several times before and I would happily read it again if its all I had.

lastly How to stay alive by Bear Grylls would be a good choice for obvious survival reasons.

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