I have absolutely no illusions that I’d last very long. The crabs would be nibbling on my toes in about a month I reckon, so I don’t think the length of the books matters much because I won’t have much time to read them. And I’m not going to waste any time with worthy books I […]
Desert Island Books: Cecilia Ekbäck
I am so, so hoping my desert island will be one of the bare, windswept islands in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Finland. As I am not a fan of heat (nor palm trees, nor sand), I am hoping for cool cloudy weather and big flat rocks. Then I shall be happy to sit […]
Desert Island Books: Nicola Pryce
At first, I thought it would be impossible to choose just five books for my desert island. My head was brimming with countless possibilities, but in less than five minutes my heart had led me straight to five rather worn and browning books. As I looked at them, I realised I had read them all before […]
Desert Island Books: Emily Holleman
I admit my first reaction was to see if there was a way to bend the rules—what exactly counts as a “book”? Can I include Complete Works? Facing-page translations? After abandoning my attempts to “cheat” this hypothetical situation, I tried to balance the familiar with the new, the entertaining with the mind-bendingly complex. (I should probably […]
Desert Island Books: Margaret George
This is fun, because my first novel (unpublished) was about three people on an island – not a desert one but a tropical one so I could have snakes, volcanoes, and so on – and I made it really difficult for them by not having any books at all. By the end of the novel […]
Desert Island Books: Michelle Birkby
I can only take five books to a desert island? Just five? And I presume one of them can’t be an exceptionally large map book, with tidal currents and shipping lanes and a handy pair of semaphore flags? No? Alright then, just five books to while away the hours. Sounds rather fun, actually. Jane Eyre […]
Desert Island Books: Anna Mazzola
Like all writers, I sometimes dream of being locked away from all humanity so that I can have the time to, a) write, and b) get through the enormous ‘TBR’ pile that has actually become an entire room. A desert island would be even better, assuming it’s the sunny, sandy kind with palm trees, hot […]
Desert Island Books: Sophia Tobin
I’m well aware that when choosing five books for a desert island, the most sensible choice would be a bushcraft manual by Ray Mears or Bear Grylls. But, frankly, I’m going to be relying on low-hanging fruit for my survival (the chances of me wrestling a caiman are zero). I’m also hoping there’s enough dry […]