Spotlight List: Books to Bring on a Deserted Island

Spotlight is a feature I do where I pick a topic or theme and then highlight some books that fall into that theme. Here are some previous Spotlight posts:

Classics that are Actually Fun to Read
Sleeping Beauty Retold
More Spotlight posts

Which books would you bring with you if you were going to be trapped on a deserted island?

Pretty much everyone has been exposed to this question at some point. You’ve probably even answered it a few times. There are a few popular ways of answering:

You can be a smarty pants and pick books covering subjects like “How to survive on a deserted island” or “101 Ways to Signal for Help" or " How to Build Yourself a Deserted-Island-Escaping Ship.” These answers make you sound pretty crafty, but they’re kind of just finding a loophole to the question.

You could go another popular route and pick books to make your English teacher swoon and Yale urge you to fill out an application. I’m talking about classics. Books slapped with the moniker “high brow” (I am so not a fan of “browed” labels).  You may throw in a few daunting books (read: books you think are boring) like Ulysses “Because maybe you’ll finally get through them.”

But me? If I’m going to be stuck on a deserted island, I don’t want to be stuck with a book that makes me yearn for a wall to bash my head against and characters I want to strangle. I’m not going to cheat and pick survival books. I’m also not going to pick classics because, well, where’s the fun in that list? There are enough lists for that. (If you want to read about some classics I would sneak aboard my raft, check out the Spotlight post Classics that are Actually Fun to Read). I’m a shy person, but I’m also a person who hates being alone. If I can’t bring actual people (or pets!) to my deserted island, you’d better believe I’m going to bring my book friends.

*A note on this post: As I was linking up the covers, I realized this post is also a massive exercise in "Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover." Seriously, there are some pretty bad covers here, but trust me when I say these books are so beyond awesome.

Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery
Release Date: 1908
Publisher: Various
Pages: 295
Amazon Page
Goodreads Page

Ok, ok, maybe this is a “classic,” but if I’m going to be stuck on an island for an indeterminate amount of time, I’m going to be in serious need of Anne’s vivid imagination and kindred spirit. Her flair for the dramatic would also be useful here. Whatever failures I might have on my island would be turned into adorable Anne mishaps. I might even hope for a mouse to die in my food stores. Well, ok, maybe not literally, but if it did happen, I’d have Anne with me to furiously blush and laugh about the situation. Anne would also be there to remind me that, no matter how wretched my situation, there is also something terribly romantic about the whole windswept scenario.

The Conjurer Princess and The Changeling Prince, by Vivian Vande Velde
Release Date: 1997, 1998
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 229, 290
Author's Page
Goodreads Page: Conjurer Princess
Goodreads Page: Changeling Prince

As I muck about on my island I want to have Lylene’s strong determination and good heart keeping me company. Steadfastly loyal, Lylene showed indomitable spirit as she faced off with an immoral magician, struggled to learn magic, enlisted a team of “rough” men, and infiltrated a castle all to save her sister from her kidnappers. Her spunk and drive would keep me motivated on my island, while her imperfections would keep me from being too hard on myself.

Those two “rough” men, Shile and Wieland, are just as essential to my island company as Lylene. Shile’s kind heart and jolly demeanor never fail to boost my spirits. And Wieland? Oh boy, talk about a cutie. Tall, blond, and badass in a fight, Wieland is the quintessential strong and silent type with a hidden sensitive side and heart of gold. I’ve reread these books more times than I can count, and they’re just as good every time.

Psion and Catspaw, by Joan D. Vinge
Release Date: 1982, 1988
Publisher: Tor
Pages: 368, 416
Goodreads Page: Psion
Goodreads Page: Catspaw 

Have you ever read a book that has ruined you for all other books? There’s something about it that you love so much and you spend the rest of your life desperately trying to recapture that something in every other book you read? For me, Cat is one such character. I’ll read any book that even remotely sounds like it might contain a character like Cat, but so far I’ve never found his equal. Orphaned and homeless, Cat grew up on the tough streets of a future world where mental powers like telepathy exist amidst a corrupt dystopian government. Cat is so completely cool, but underneath his tough exterior he’s such a sweetie just looking for someone to love him.

In the first book he is recruited off the streets, taught how to use his telepathy, and enlisted to help stop a terrorist. He’s an adorable teenager with the skittishness of a feral cat and a chip on his shoulder the size of a planet. The next book sees him somewhat matured, but still adjusting to his new life. He's hired by a wealthy political family to use his powers to identify an assassin targeting one of the family members. This is my favorite book, with a boat load of political intrigue, mystery, and adorable Cat (and one rated R scene). I reread these books almost every year and would have no trouble reading them over and over on my deserted island.

 

The Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling
Release Date: 1997-2007
Publisher:Various
Books in the series: Seven
Author's Page
Goodreads Page

Do I really need to explain this one? Forget reality, if I’m going to be stuck on a deserted island, I’m so pretending I’m a student at Hogwarts. Maybe I’m just in the Room of Requirement in serious need of a little island vacation? Whatever the scenario, Harry, Ron, and Hermione will be there keeping me company. It would also be a complete comfort to know that Dumbledore is out there keeping watch over me on my island adventure. I already wish (um, pretend) I'm a student at Hogwarts, so give me the solitude of a deserted island and you'd better believe I'm going to go full bore with getting my wizarding on. Accio coconut!
 

The Night World series, by L. J. Smith
Release Date: 1996-?
Publisher:Various
Books in the series: Nine published, Ten projected (eight pictured)
Author's Page
Amazon Page

You can read all about my introduction to L. J. Smith's Night World series and my torturous wait for the tenth and final book Strange Fate in my Waiting on Wednesday (5) post. Even if that final book never comes out, I'd still want to take this series with me on a deserted island, if for no other reason than the sheer volume of hot paranormal guys (there are some pretty awesome female characters too).

Really, this is probably the single largest collection of "Oh gosh I wish he were real" guys around. You in the mood for a sexy vampire? You'll get them in droves. How about a melt-your-heart guy next door? Yup, he's here. Tantalizing shape shifter? You got it! Mouth watering warlock? Indeedio. Need me to go on? Because I totally can. Leave me alone on my deserted island with this series and, you know what? I just might not care about getting rescued. 

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Which books would you bring with you if you were trapped on a deserted island? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

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Waiting on Wednesday (5)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we all feature upcoming books we're eagerly anticipating. 

The cute WoW button comes from Bewitched Bookworms.

Enclave (Razorland #1), by Ann Aguirre
Release Date: April 12, 2011
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 272

(Above publication information from Goodreads)
Author's Page 
Amazon Page
Goodreads Page

From Goodreads:

WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

In Deuce's world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed 'brat' has trained into one of three groups-Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms.

Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember. As a Huntress, her purpose is clear--to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She's worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade.

When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's troubles are just beginning. Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn't like following orders. At first she thinks he's crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don't always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth.

Her partner confuses her; she's never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace. As Deuce's perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy... but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she's ever known.

I'm all for a good dystopian, especially when we get kick-butt characters with impressive fighting skills. I much prefer this type of female dystopian character to the one that takes the entire story to come to her senses. I want a girl with guts ready to kick butt and chew bubblegum, and I want her to be all out of bubblegum.

Honestly, though, a big draw for me is Fade. "As prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace"? Ok, I'm so there. That's really all I needed to read. I don't like it when we only get one strong character. Either the guy is strong and the girl is a damsel or the girl is awesome and the guy is a weenie. Enclave sounds like both leads will be more than able to hold their own. Yay!

Strange Fate (Night World #10), by L. J. Smith
Release Date: July 16, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages:528

(Above publication information from Goodreads)
Author's Page
Goodreads Page

From Goodreads:

Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among uswithout our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

Sarah Strange's life was what you might call ordinary. Then her mother died.

Now Sarah has visions -- visions of a place where dragons darken the sky and a young girl is fighting to survive.

When Sarah confides in her best friends, Mal and Kierlan, about the devastation in her dreams, she discovers that her friends are not what they seem. They are part of the Night World -- and they believe Sarah has a special role in their world. And if Sarah's visions are any indication of the impending danger and destruction, there is no time to lose...

Forget Vampire Diaries (yes, I love the show, but no, I don't love all the books). Night World is where it's at. Go back in time all the way to the mid to late 1990s when this series was first published and I actually was a YA myself. This was one of the first paranormal romance series I ever read and I fell in love. In-freaking-love. I was obsessed. I love it so much I even included the series in my Spotlight post Books to Bring on a Deserted Island.

At the time, we were just getting into this whole newfangled internet thingy and the idea of connecting with fellow readers or buying books online only existed in our fantasies (actually, there was this one Night World site that looks almost the same now as it did back then. I love it!). If you wanted a book back then, it had better be in your local library or your local bookstores.

Only some L. J. Smith books were in my library and none were in my new book stores. I trolled every used book store within an hour radius of my home and eventually tracked down used copies of almost all of L. J. Smith's books. Every time I found one it was like I just discovered buried treasure, furtive looks around myself and frantic clutching of the book to my chest included. It was gold, I tell you, GOLD.

I was so into this series, but, alas, tragedy struck and Ms. Smith took a decade long hiatus from writing. Leaving me hanging with books 1-9 published and nothing but a cover (look to the right), a blurb, and nine freaking books of building up to a world shattering climax with the coming of the millennium to hold me over.

I'm ok, really, I swear. I actually found a really awesome fan fiction book 10 replacement (part I, part II) to give me closure until the real deal came along. Which, it hasn't yet. It was supposed to come in 2010 but was pushed off. So, I'm still waiting. And I'll keep waiting because gosh darnnit I need my fix of sexy paranormal guys and kick butt paranormal chicks. Plus, the world might be ending with the millennium....or not.
 
Previous books I've been waiting for.

While you're waiting for all of these great upcoming books, you can check out my review posted today for:

The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson

You can also come check out my event, Busting the Newbie Blues, open to both new and established bloggers! We're having a ton of fun and would love it if you joined in!

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