Desert Island Books #3
It's time for
another Desert Island Books post! This week's guest is my favourite
globetrotter Charlotte Hallowell.
Desert Island Scenario
You are going to be stranded on a desert island.
You'll have enough provisions to last a year, but no idea when help will come.
You can only take 4 books with you to help pass the time.
What is the first book you would take and why?
Eleanor Oliphant is
Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor’s story hit me so much harder
than I expected it to. Of course, Eleanor is completely fine, or so she thinks.
The story balances heavy details and humour extremely well. Initially this book
seems to be very stereotypical and Eleanor the classic character with no
friends who can’t read social cues but the story and Eleanor are both so much
more than that.
What is the second book and why have you chosen it?
All the Light we
Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I have a real tendency to love books set in
wartime and I don’t quite know what that says about me but with this book in
particular might be my favourite war book. We meet Marie-Laure, a blind girl
living with her father in Paris, and Werner, a German orphan and follow their
story throughout the war. The book gets a lot of well-deserved attention.
What is your third book and why?
Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. I have been obsessed with Harry Potter since we
first read the Philosopher’s Stone in Year 3 and while I find it hard to pick a
favourite, I think the Goblet of Fire just pips it. Partially because Mr Weasley
is my all-time favourite character in the books and his interaction with the
Dursleys at the start of the book makes me laugh every time and partially
because I think this is the story that I think was most let down by the films.
The plot with Winky the house elf and The Crouch Family is central to this book
but was mostly absent from the film.
What is your fourth and final choice of book and why
would you take it?
Nineteen Eighty Four
by George Orwell. I feel like a lot of my desert island books have big
milestones attached and this is the first ‘grown up’ book I read when my
English teacher recommended it to me. A novel that was both dystopian and
futuristic at the time of being written provides a lot of opportunities to
question many of the features of our society and how it compares to Orwell’s
vision.
Quick fire questions:
What is your favourite book? Any
of the first four Harry Potters, can I choose this twice?
Who is your favourite author? I
don’t think I have one but honourable mention to John Green for helping me
through my early teens lol.
What's your favourite genre? Fantasy/Sci-fi
but another honourable mention to wartime history.
What is the worst book you've read? The
Death Cure
What's your go-to reading platform? Kindle
and Paperback
Name a book where you preferred the
film/adaptation? It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini but I did
love them both.
Name a film/adaptation where you
preferred the book? Room
What was your favourite childhood book?
The BFG
What are you currently reading? Small
Great Things (Don’t rate it so far though)
What book are you looking forward to
reading? The Hate U Give
What book would you recommend to
everyone? This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay.