the proverbial deserted island question
"If you were stranded on a deserted island, what ONE book would you want to have with you?"
Hmmm. That's a tough one. And it depends on the category. If it were poetry, I'd bring Mary Oliver's New and Selected Poems. In fiction, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez would probably be the winner, as it seems not only fitting somehow, but also entertaining enough to reread repeatedly. But non-fiction? A couple of writing books that have inspired me, namely Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and Brenda Ueland's If You Want to Write, would be forerunners, but I think my trusty dictionary would be the one book I'd have to have with me. The Houghton Mifflin Canadian Dictionary of the English Language has served me well ever since I received it over twenty years ago, and with an almost never-ending supply of words (not to mention the photos and illustrations in the margins of its 1,550 pages), I could spin my own stories. Yes, if forced to choose only one book, my beloved red tome (you'll hear more about this dictionary, guaranteed) wins easily.
What about you? What one book would you have to have?
posted by KJ's muse at 7:31 p.m.
3 Comments:
Great choice! Imagine the hours and days that could be filled with your dictionary. I blogged my choice.
May 25, 2006 3:53 p.m.
Oooooooo tricky question. I'd pobably be more specific if there was a defined category (as you said) but some on my shortlist would be: The Agony and the Ecstasy - Irving Stone, The Cook's Companion - Stephanie Alexander (yes, I read cookbooks, please don't laugh), The Rubaiyat of Omar Khyyam, Tim - Colleen McCullough, The Twelve Caesars - Suetonius. Then again I like your idea and would also consider my Australian Oxford Combined Dictionary and Thesaurus. But too difficult to choose just one!
May 30, 2006 12:00 a.m.
Hey mum-of-two, thanks for participating. Yep, I agree it's difficult to choose, but you can never go wrong with a dictionary/thesaurus!
May 31, 2006 11:20 a.m.
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