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Have you ever had someone throw out a question that is both thought provoking and revealing? A question that really gets a conversation going? Here’s one that I found fascinating:
If you were stuck on an island by yourself, with only ten books, which books would you want to have with you? Survival is not an issue. Your selection should be geared toward keeping yourself entertained. In other words, which ten books could you read over and over again and still learn from, enjoy, savor?
Hmmmm... After some thought, I’ve listed my top ten picks for best read and read again (and perhaps again and again) below.
Number one: The Bible.
Great stories, great characters, lots to learn and absorb, lots to savor.
Number two: A dictionary
Why not? Have you ever read a dictionary? It’s kind of fun, really, not that I’ve read one cover to cover. I would probably really have to be stranded on an island before I did that.
Number three: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
No explanation needed here, right? Action, drama, tragedy, etc…
Number four: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
If I’m alone on an island, Scout, Jem, and Atticus (along with everyone else in the novel) would make great company, I think.
Number five: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
This is just one of those novels that I can’t get enough of.
Number six: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Love, love, love this story. As it is, I’m pretty sure that I’ve read this twenty plus times. Probably more. Wow, I hope that's not too revealing.
Number seven: Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Again, no explanation needed, right?
Number eight: An Anthology of Hans Christian Anderson
Ditto.
Number nine: Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principals of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
Okay, here’s a book that I’m pretty sure that I could read twenty times and still learn from. It’s amazing.
Number ten: An anthology of poetry
I’m still undecided as to which one. I’ll have to get back to you on this.
So, which ten books would you want to have with you if you happened to be stranded somewhere for an undetermined length of time? Interesting question, right? Try throwing it out to others. The answers can be really interesting!
Some great pics here ... to my list, I'd add
ReplyDeletesome C.S. Lewis (the Narnia series..but also some of his other works like Till We Have Faces which is a fantastic Greek mythological story)
The Book Thief (there is so much to soak up in that book, it really deserves multiple reads)
My Side of The Mountain (hey, if you're stranded then a good survivor story might come in handy)
and maybe - just for sentiment - some picture books from my youth like: Where The Wild Things Are, the entire 'Francis' series and Green Eggs and Ham :)
Great books, Tess. Yes, some picture books would be good, too. I could read Dr. Seuss forever! Thanks for sharing your picks.
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