Desert Island Books

What would I take if I were stranded on a desert island?
This is actually a very difficult theme to write. I’d take a whole library with me if I could. Anyhow, here’s my list;
The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde:
I adore this book. It contains horror, mystery, fantasy, the distortion of moral value, philosophical quips, forbidden love and it is set in Victorian London. It’s the kind of book that makes your brain hurt after a couple of chapters (well for me anyway) but I thoroughly enjoyed it and often re-read it. It’s an exploration of the dark side of human nature and as I’ve explained in my previous blog I am fascinated by human nature. There’s so much we lock away in order to fit into society, and I believe after doing this for so long some of us forget what we are capable of.
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

It contains horror, fantasy, loss, forbidden love, life lessons, and it’s set in olde rural Transylvania. Are you aware of a pattern emerging? I love these kinds of books. It’s the kind I would definitely take to a desert island. It’s the kind you can get lost in. This one I read when I was much younger and I was entranced from the first page to the last. I’ve looked out for the author since and haven’t had much luck. It’s not one to be taken seriously of course, its pure fantasy, but fantasy is incredibly important in the chaos of reality once in a while.
The Hathaway Series by Lisa Kleypas
I may be cheating here as these are a short series of books but I love them. It contains horror, forbidden love, gypsies, loss, sexual content, and is set in Victorian London. Again it explores Victorian society and the firm morals that people pretend to adhere to and 4 sisters and their elder brother fighting against it. Now surely this list is painting a firm picture of me.
Kissing the hag by Emma Restall Orr

This is one IV recently been handed by my mother. I’m halfway through and fascinated. It’s written from pagan perspective and beliefs, and is about “the dark goddess and the unacceptable nature of women” It’s an earthy, powerful insight into the darker sides of women, and the female identity established in society. It is gathered from real accounts of women, and has some narrative stories that are beautifully written.
The complete works of Edgar Allan Poe

I love this man’s work. His poetry was what chiefly inspired me to start writing. “The Raven” is a masterpiece and one I adore intensely. There is music in his poetry, dancing off the tongue lightly with the darkest and deepest of meanings. My favorite band ‘Omnia’ performs ‘The Raven’ beautifully in a song and it’s where I first fell in love with it. Having his poetry with me would make being stranded on a desert island a breeze.
The complete works of Shakespeare

Yes. I did it. Have to have Shakespeare in there. I have a weakness for Shakespeare. I understand why people don’t, but his works are the most battered and ripped and written over articles on my shelves, and it’s highly unlikely they’ll ever be removed.
I'm going to stop here because I’m not entirely sure what else I would take. There are lots of books on my list to read, and lots of others I admire. As for any musical choices that’s even harder, but like my taste in books there is a pattern of pagan folk music. It’ll be the CD from the artist Faun ‘The Pagan Folk Festival’, not that ill have any way to play it. I would also sneak in my own pad and pen as a luxury. My slip into insanity would be even shorter without my outlet of writing.