Desert Island books
Imagine you were stuck on a desert island for 18 months...
What books would you take?
This is the sort of delicious quandry I can daydream indecisively about for ages.
But a friend of mine, Olly Hicks, is departing in a few weeks to row round Antarctica. This lunatic, courageous, epic solo expedition will take about 18 months to complete. A while ago I promised I'd help out with his on-board 'library' (makes it sound like a relaxing cruise!). And so, in a bit of a rush last week, I delved into Amazon and ordered these books:
- The Penguin History of the World: JM Roberts
- Withnail and I; the screenplay (Andy's choice as this kept him entertained as he walked from London to Istanbul)
- For Whom the Bell Tolls: Ernest Hemingway
- The Unequalled Self: Samuel Pepys (Ben's choice)
- Blackadder, the whole damn dynasty
- East of Eden: John Steinbeck
I wanted books with substance, to keep Olly entertained and curious for those long, lonely months. What would you have chosen?
Labels: Expeditions, Writing
posted by Alastair at
14:04
4 Comments:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - Because it's still interesting to read a 2nd time and figure out how all the pieces fit together.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy - because it's an award-winning novel also about global warming.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel - Because what else would you want to read about when you're trapped in a boat than a novel about another individual trapped in a small boat.
Damn, I was going to say Catch 22 as well, as a useful reminder that things don't always have to make sense.
So maybe In Patagonis, by Bruce Chatwyn - for the same reason.
A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson.
ps - wish I'd bought him Papillon too...
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