Maria,

What are your top three favorite books of all time? The ones that you would want to have on hand to read again and again, if stranded on the cliched desert island...

BTW everyone can answer this question!! Feel free!! (I'm still thinking about my 3. Hard to choose...)

I take it we can't just say 'the study series!' as one item? XD

in no particular order:

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

If it was translated into english i would want the japanese novel Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo (roughly translated 'The Girl Who Leaps/Leapt Through Time'), because I adore the anime and the live action movie based on it (well technically speaking they are but they aren't, its a long story). But as I can't read Japanese I wouldn't want to be stranded with it!

Hard question! I'll think it over and post again.

Although.....a book of survival tips would be helpful ;>

lol that's too practical! Though now that I think about The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead would be a very good book to have around...

Lexie - you're sweet :)

I really can't decide which three books - they would probably be books I haven't read yet, but heard lots of great comments about. I'm not a re-reader - it's very rare I re-read a book.

Although...having just said that, I'm thinking the books I would like to re-read are:
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Gate to Woman's Country by Sherri S. Tepper
Jaran by Kate Elliott

Maria

I've always found this question so hard. I would think that my choice would change from year to year with every new experience. Right now, I am in quite a emotional frame of mind these past months. That being said; I would choose:

Tale of Two Cities - Dickens

Anam Cara - John O'Donohue

The Vampire Lestat - Anne Rice

Each one of them took my emotions for a ride that I will never forget.

Kate;)

Pride and Prejudice
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Return of the King
Magic Study if that's allowed.

No cheating, Jane! I said three books ^_^ You'll just have to hope someone else gets stranded and has it around (Kate)...

Castle Waiting by Linda Medley
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
and Les Miserables

Alethea wrote: "No cheating, Jane!..."

I am not cheating! I thought the Study books were like a freebie. :) It's not fair! I already have a hard time choosing which books to take with me to school.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Choose which of my best friends to take? Oi!

Preface: I'd bring along some sort of first aid/wilderness survival book, dangerous beasties on this desert island, trebuchet building 101 etc. Reference Librarian privilege! Declaring myself the Island Librarian - ha, ha!

As for the crux of the question, in no order of preference:

A Wrinkle in Time (omnibus ed so I can have all 4 books)
Anne of Green Gables (Ibid - just the Anne & Gilbert. Rilla is a bit too Mary Jane for me)
Harry Potter (again, grabbing the boxed sets)

As for the Study series, I place them in the Reference Category. We'll need to know how to identify poisons, climb trees, and gain further fighting techniques; just to name a few skills Maria has already researched for us.

Great Ideas! I would get the set of Charlaine Harris' books - Sookie Stackhouse, the fairy books of .... can't think of her name - Merry and her fairy bodyguards, Frost and Galen and such... and the Study books - particularly as I haven't read the Fire Study yet.

*The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (all in one nice book! yaay!)
* Fire Study
* Sunshine

I could read any of these books over and over and never tire of them!

Is Sunshine the one by Robin McKinley?

YES! I love it! :) lol And sorry, I should have put up the author's names.

I have it in my TBR pile, should I dig it up and move it the top?

Hmm...well I absolutely adore the book. A lot of people have given it bad reviews. The book is not like any of Robin McKinley's other books, mostly because of the narrative. I think you either love it or hate it. :) I would give it a try! I hope you enjoy!

I really liked Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, have you read it?

No I haven't read that, but have wanted to.
The books I've read from her are: Deerskin, The hero and the Crown, the blue sword, and Rose Daughter. Deerskin was ok...just a sad story. Hero and the Crown, and the Blue Sword were awesome. Rose Daughter was good at times, but it went on too much on gardening roses. :)

I don't know if you are aware that Robin McKinley wrote Rose Daughter some years after writing . They are both retellings of Beauty and the Beast. I thought Beauty was waaaayyyy better than RD.

Three books I would be stuck with for an undetermined amount of time... Hm. Well, I would have to go with:

- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Magic Study
- Twilight

I choose these because I could probably read them over and over and still remain amused.
I also like to think of this question as "Oh no - your house is on fire! Quick! Choose only 3 books to save!" The horror!!

Kristen wrote: Castle Waiting by Linda Medley

I loved Castle Waiting!

Oh, I wasn't aware that Robin wrote Rose Daughter after Beauty. Thanks for letting me know that Beauty is much better!

Alli-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite of the series, too!

Rachel wrote: "*The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (all in one nice book! yaay!)

First of all, very clever of you. That's a sure way to include some more favorites.

And second, I thought LOTR is not a trilogy but 6 books that just happen to be published in 3 volumes? A cataloging exercise I did for a library course at school had us catalog a volume of LOTR... and on the cover of it, the publisher practically printed in big bold letters that it was not a trilogy. Just an interesting tidbit I learned last year. Since you're a big fan, have you ever heard of this too? The movies is a trilogy though.

Hey Jane! Yes, I know that there are 6 books in the 3 volumes but I have still heard them referred to as a trilogy. Hmm... I've checked my paperback version and it says that it is a trilogy, however I checked my hardback version and it says that it isn't. lol So my question is: Can you still call 3 volumes a trilogy? haha
But that is a very good point! :)

HMMM.... OK my top three of all time would be?

Poison study by Maria

Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara and

the Naming By Allison Croggon

but it is so hard to pick just 3 LOL, if you want more just ask hehe

I would take
Poison Study
Beauty
and
Curse of Chalion

Meme- it IS really hard to take just three especially when a lot of books are series and only a few of those series have been compiled into one volume! Maybe it should be turned into 3 suitcases full of books... :D

hey can we have an eBook because then you would technically only be taking one book but you would have more than three to choose from :)

Haha-aah! No fair! But you are totally right. :)

well they said one book they didn't say it couldn't be one that you can fit a lot into HEHE, but I guess the problem with that would be that your battier would run down :( although they do last for a very long time Hmmmm.... must think more on this lol)

Ha! I love this! Books win! Yaay!
Unless of course, you get a solar charger for your batteries. :D

I was just thinking... Three physical books? Because I could take the whole huge compilation of the Narnia books, a large compilation of the Lord of the Rings, and maybe... His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman all in one compilation. Woot! I just got like 13 books out of this deal! I feel really smart now.

Kristen- haha yeah, I thought of bringing the compilation of LOTR, too!
But not the others, and that is a great idea! I didn't know about the compilation of Narnia- that must be a massive book!

I just saw it today. One of the kids had it. Over 700 pages! GAH!

Wow- that is huge, but at the same time isn't so massive as I thought it would be. I expected a 1000+ book! lol The font must be ultra small!

Rachel wrote: "Ha! I love this! Books win! Yaay!
Unless of course, you get a solar charger for your batteries. :D"


OOOO didn't think of that one hmmm must start looking LOL. yes the LOTR is awesome I have it in the single book and the box set ( I haven't even opened the box set yet) I have a real problem with buying books lol

lol Problem?? I see no problem with buying good books! You could probably find solar chargers at REI or some outdoor store. All those crazy backpackers who like to be connected to society as they wander the mountains...

Haha. I live at the library to save money. Yeah, but the kid who was telling me about it may have underestimated.. or maybe that's how many pages she had left.

Kristen, that is very smart. I would do that more however I get very attached to my books once I've read them. ANd I really don't want to steal library books! :-[
Hmm...well could each book be 100 pages?? I know each book isn't that long, so it might be possible.

OH yes I have an account at the library to but the problem is I go and read them there then decide that I have to buy then to LOL, I'm going to look into that solar charger for camping reasons, then my books wont get wet or dirty, my Ebook has a water proof case YEEAAAAAYYYY!!!!

Oooh! A waterproof case? That's really nice! They should have waterproof cases for books!

Yes they should especially when there are kids around lol

Rachel wrote: "Kristen- haha yeah, I thought of bringing the compilation of LOTR, too!
But not the others, and that is a great idea! I didn't know about the compilation of Narnia- that must be a massive book!"

I have it. It's 767 pages long.

yes the Narnia book is big, I only have that one in the box set so the books are small.

Meme wrote: "OH yes I have an account at the library to but the problem is I go and read them there then decide that I have to buy then to LOL, I'm going to look into that solar charger for camping reasons, the..."

That can be a problem. I try to restrain myself on what I can buy of my favorites, but it is very hard when I have the money to spend. Usually I just avoid bookstores to keep myself in my budget range.

me too it the problem of when I actually go into a book store because I save my money for a good length of time then spend it all in one day LOL told you I have a major problem

Wow.. you need to go to BBA - Book buyers anonymous and get some help girl! hahahaha. I wonder if there is such a "help" group in existance. I would think they'd only get worse meeting with other book buyers who love books.

that is what I was thinking hahaha, do you know where one is? hmmmm maybe I should find one of them groups for sure now dont know if I could get worse hahaha

Hahahaha. Yes, broke by book-buying - sounds like a condition!