Today’s #WyrdAndWonder prompt is Desert Island Reads. This prompt is inspired by a long-standing British radio show that invites celebrities to pick the eight musical tracks, one book, and a luxury item they’d want with them if they were stranded on a desert island.
For a bookish twist, we were asked to pick 8 fantasy books; 1 podcast, T.V. show, or movie (which can be a series or franchise)*, and 1 necessary item.
* We’re make-believing that we get some magical waterproof device that doesn’t need power and has very limited storage. Shhh….
The Books
1. The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition by Ursula K. Le Guin
The wonderful thing about omnibuses is that they let us “cheat” and carry more than one book with us 🙂
Le Guin is a master writer, and the Earthsea books were my introduction to her. I’m in the process of rereading the Earthsea books that I read as a teenager, and I still need to read The Other Wind. One day, I will write a review on these fantastical book. For now, I don’t know how I can convey through coherent words my love for these books.
I will read this series when I want to savor the writing—rereading sentences over and over, and contemplating on the meaning of words and strings of words.
2. The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin
I love reading works about fiction, especially works about fiction and by my favorite writers. This is a fantasy-related work that I’m currently reading. In it, Le Guin explores the various issues, concepts, challenges, and paradoxes that confront the fantasy and science fiction writer.
In between my fiction reading, I will read essays from this collection. And when I’m finished, I will reread them to seek out new meaning.
(But if I had to pick another work of fiction, I would replace this book with The Unreal and the Real anthology by Ursula K. Le Guin. She wrote some wonderful short stories.)
3–5. Annals of the Western Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin
I’ve yet to read these books, so this omnibus will be my new read during my stranded existence on a deserted island. Given my love for Earthsea and Le Guin’s writing, I’m sure this will be a treat.
4–6. Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb
I’m still in the process of reading Hobb’s Elderling books, so this selection may change after I read The Fitz and the Fool. But as of now, the Tawny Man trilogy is my favorite Fitz series. Robin Hobb has a talent for writing stories that are wide in scope but deeply personal in nature. Tawny Man made me alternately fall in love and burn with rage, and I Couldn’t. Stop. Reading. These books wrecked me.
These books are my guilty pleasure since they’re not available in omnibus form and took three whole slots! (I’m crying, y’all, because I can’t imagine life without a personal library with shelves upon shelves of books. Whittling down my collection to ten books was torture!) I will read the Tawny Man trilogy when I need some books that keeps me turning the pages.
7–8. Mermaid Saga: Collector’s Edition, volumes 1 & 2
My bookish survival kit would not be complete without some manga.
Rumiko Takahashi’s Mermaid Saga reads as a collection of related short stories. They follow Yuta, who became immortal when he unwittingly ate mermaid flesh, and now he seeks a way to become human again. His quest leads him to various people who have been touched, or cursed, in various ways by mermaids and, more often than not, human greed. These stories have haunted me since I first read them. I could read them over and over again.
The Film Franchise: Studio Ghibli
At this point, I think Studio Ghibli has become a film franchise of its own. It does has its own category on HBO’s streaming platform 🙂
Pictured are a few of my favorite fantasy films they produced. Yes, they’re mostly Miyazaki films 🙂 (Note: Porco Rosso is more magical realism and Whisper of the Heart is more about a fantasy writer, but they have fantasy elements, so I counted them.) I’ve watched these films multiple times over the years and have planning to binge-watch them this summer.
If Studio Ghibli doesn’t count as a film franchise, I don’t know what I’d replace it with. Perhaps Sailor Moon Crystal (animated series)—since I didn’t have enough book slots to include the Sailor Moon manga. It’ll provide me with a more lighthearted story to enjoy.
The Necessary Item(s): Paper & Pen
I think I should pick a machete for my physical well-being/survival. But…
Paper and pen is essential to my mental health since I process things through writing. It’s also my primary outlet for creativity. I can’t imagine a life without writing. (Or books!)
The important question: do paper and pen count as a single item? How about if I pick a journal set that comes with paper and pen? Because it’d be hard to use one without the other!
Let’s Chat
What books would you take with you to a deserted island?
Podcast, film, or T.V. show?
What’s your necessary item?
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction says
I still haven’t finished reading all of Hobb’s books either, but I absolutely love all of them, including the Tawny Man Trilogy, so I highly approve of this choice. 🙂
Crystal says
Hobb’s books are wonderful 🙂 I look forward to reading more from her Elderling books!
Ethan says
I would take To Kill a Mockingbird, and some choose your own adventure style books for a little more variety. My essential item would be a big cast iron pan. That way I can cook!
Crystal says
Love To Kill a Mockingbird. Smart idea to bring some choose your own adventure style books and a big cast iron pan!