Desert Island Books #6
After a brief lapse
in regular posting, I'm back with another edition of Desert Island Books!
This week my fellow book nerd (and
parabatai) Beth Jarrett has stepping into the spotlight.
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?
If Only They Could Talk by James Herriot. I have wanted to be a vet since I was about 2 years old, and like many children I was later inspired by the ups and downs of a veterinary surgeon in 1930s Yorkshire. This book affirmed my childhood dream of wanting to be a vet too and is one that I will continue to return to with fondness.
What is the second book and why have you chosen it?
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I just love this book! Beautifully written and full of intrigue and mystery. This was one of those books that I remembered well after finishing the last page and I will always keep a copy of. Love it.
What is your third book and why?
Fearless by Tim Lott. This was a book that I read time and time again as a child. Set in a dystopia, it follows the story of a young girl, ‘Little Fearless’, who has to be strong and brave to save the other girls in the orphanage where she lives from the adversities of the system within which they live. Reading this as an adult, I know that a lot of people have a negative opinion of this book but for me, it provided a strong female role model and showed me that little girls can also be brave. I will always have a soft spot for this book!
What is your fourth and final choice of book and why would you take it?
Human Traces by Sebastian Faulks. I think this is a very interesting book. It follows two boys who meet by chance and bond over their desire to understand the human mind. Set in the late 19th to early 20th century, it follows the development of psychiatry, neurology and psychoanalysis as a type of medicine with a beautiful story and elegant writing style. This certainly wasn’t the easiest book to read but I would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand themselves that little bit more.
Quick fire questions:
What is your favourite book? Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Who is your favourite author? Sebastian Faulks
What's your favourite genre? Classics, especially gothic fiction
What is the worst book you've read? Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov- this book generally has good reviews but honestly it just made me feel uncomfortable. The way the protagonist describes Dolores’ (‘Lolita’) mother came across as misogynistic and I did not enjoy reading it. Maybe I will give this another go when I am older but for now I really didn’t like it.
What's your go-to reading platform? Paperbacks
Name a book where you preferred the film/adaptation? The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Name a film/adaptation where you preferred the book? My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
What was your favourite childhood book? Fearless by Tim Lott
What are you currently reading? Middlemarch by George Eliot
What book are you looking forward to reading? One you’ve recently reviewed! Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
What book would you recommend to everyone? Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks