Trapped on a deserted island with only 3 books...

[Chris]

I know this is an evil thought to us Book Buying Addicts, but if you were trapped on a deserted island and could only have 3 books, what would they be? (Note: you cannot say an e-reader so you could have a bunch of books.)

My list:

1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
2. Once an Eagle by Anton Meyer
3. Survival Guide (not sure which I'd pick but a good island-specific one)

[Jill H.]

That is a tough question.
My list:

The Complete Cases of Sherlock Holmes by Conan-Doyle: to keep the brain cells working
The Bible: for comfort and inspiration
Complete Wooster/Jeeves by PG Wodehouse: For timeless humor

[J.P.]

Redwall, The Hobbit, and the Army Field Manual for Survival

[Joanna]

Aah, close to impossible... Well, let's have a go:

1)J.R.R. Tolkien - Lord of the Rings
2)Zbigniew Herbert - Collected Poems
3)David Foster Wallace - Infinite Jest

Maybe...

[Teawench]

Sarum - Edward Rutherfurd
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Necroscope - Briam Lumley

[[deleted user]]

One Hundred Years of Solitude

The Crime Studio

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

But that's only based on the books I've already read -- it could change! In fact, I'm already second guessing myself . . .

[Moon]

1. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
3. Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper

I had a hard time choosing something for #3. So it could change depending on my mood and what I manage to accomplish in my TBR mountain.

[Thom]

[[deleted user]]

Thom wrote: ""

Yep, Catch-22 was one I was thinking about -- one of the greatest ever written!

[Sophie]

I think I will have to go with three books I have read multiple times and have, as yet, never tired of reading them..

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

I would have substituted one of these for The Chronicles of Prydain but since there are five books in the series I felt this was somehow cheating ;)

[Chris]

Thom and Lisa: I hope I don't get stuck on a deserted island with only y'all and your books lol. I loathe Catch-22. I dutifully trudged through half the book a couple years ago until it came to the point where either I had to give up on the book or shoot myself. I obviously chose to forgo the rest of the book

[Mary Rose]

This is very difficult, since I always pack two extra suitcases when going on vacations.
Anyway, I'm thinking about
1) Wizard's first rule - Terry Goodkind (definitely my fav.)
2) The Land of the Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel (haven't read it yet)
3) Narcissus in Chains - Laurel K. Hamilton

[Ellen]

I've been thinking about this-always so hard! For now, here are my 3:

1.Basic Wilderness Survival Skills. I'll need all the help I can get so I'll be around long enough to even worry about reading anything!
2. Holy Bible: Good News Bible: With Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha (face it: it's got everything, stories, fables, poetry, history, the psalms-which always help me even when nothing else does, especially the angry ones)
3. Pallisers If I am allowed to count the entire set as one read. If not, *sigh* The Way We Live Now, also by Anthony Trollope. That way I always have another world to retreat into, with beautifully balanced writing that always brings me some sense of sanity.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

"Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe"
"Gone With the Wind"
"The Lord of the Rings"

[[deleted user]]

Margaret Curry -- that would keep you busy for a while!

[Aaron]

Survival guide
Homesteading guide in case it becomes a very long stay
Maybe one on boatbuilding or history of technology (with very specific details on how to construct them)