Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Books I Might Finally Read If I Was Stranded on a Deserted Island with Them

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is actually supposed to be Books I’d Want With Me While Stranded On a Deserted Island.  I’m pretty sure I’ve done that topic before though so I tweaked it a bit and decided to some books I might finally get around to reading if I’m stuck on an island alone with nothing but a stack of books for company.  In most cases these are books that have been sitting on my TBR shelf for years and for whatever reason, I just keep skipping over them.  Or I’ve started them but never finished.  I haven’t purged them because I really do want to read them.

10 Books I Might Finally Read If I Was Stranded on a Deserted Island with Them

 

 

1. HAMILTON by Ron Chernow – I started this book at the height of my obsession with Hamilton.  It’s interesting too but it’s also a brick of a book at 731 pages so I keep shoving it aside.

2.  FIRE & BLOOD by George R.R. Martin – Another monster book (719 pages) I started but keep setting aside in favor of shorter books and also because I’d rather be reading the next ASOIF novel, which Martin has yet to finish.

3.  THE HOLY BIBLE – I’ve been telling myself for years that I need to read/study the Bible, but have yet to to do it.

4.  REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn Hamilton – Switching gears a bit, the is the fantasy novel that has been sitting on my TBR shelf the longest (5 years!).  It sounds amazing and I can’t even account for why I haven’t read it yet.

5. A LITTLE LIFE by Hanya Yanagihara – I’ve heard great things about this book but between its 720 page length and the fact that it looks to be a completely heart-wrenching read, I keep bypassing it on my shelf in favor of shorter, happier reads.

6. INK AND BONE by Rachel Caine – Another fantasy series I want to read that has inexplicably been sitting on my shelf for almost 5 years.

7.  GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – This was my very first BOTM pick and I was so excited to get it, yet it’s still sitting there waiting to be read.

8.  UPROOTED by Naomi Novik – This book has been sitting on my shelf for 4 years. I still really want to read it but have to admit that I’ve hesitated because I didn’t love Spinning Silver.

9. TO THE BRIGHT EDGE OF THE WORLD by Eowyn Ivey – Another book I’ve been inexplicably avoiding even though I loved her last book and have seen nothing but glowing reviews for this one.

10. EVERY HEART A DOORWAY by Seanan McGuire – I’ve been drawn to this series for years now but became reluctant to start it after not enjoying my first read from the author.

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Question:  Have you read any of these?

42 replies
  1. Lydia
    Lydia says:

    Heh, I loved your spin to this. I haven’t read Uprooted either.

    I did try to read the entire Bible as a kid, but never succeeded. Those long begat sections made my eyes glaze over. 🙂

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Right? If I’m stuck with nothing else to do and no other distractions, might as well knock out those behemoths, lol.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I’ve read certain passages but I always regret that I could never fit the Bible as Literature course my alma mater offered into my schedule. That seems like it would make for an interesting class.

  2. ShootingStarsMag
    ShootingStarsMag says:

    Ink and Bone is one that I have and really need to make time for someday! I’ve read pretty much all of the The Old Testament in a college course, and a lot of the New Testament because I went to Catholic school for years.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I really wanted to sign up for a Bible as Lit course when I was in college but it was such a popular class that I could never get in.

  3. Lark
    Lark says:

    Hamilton’s a good choice! I might actually read that one if I was stuck on an island somewhere. And I love Uprooted. 🙂

  4. Susan (Bloggin' 'bout Books)
    Susan (Bloggin' 'bout Books) says:

    Ha ha. This topic made me LOL! I’ve read the whole New Testament, but I’ve never gotten through the entire Old Testament. I also started reading TO THE BRIGHT EDGE OF THE WORLD and got bored. If I was stranded on a deserted island, I would definitely read whatever was laying around just to relieve the boredom.

    Happy TTT!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Bummer that To the Bright Edge of the World wasn’t a good read for you. I think part of my hesitation with that one is that I loved her novel The Snow Child so much. I’m not sure this book can live up to the expectations I’ve built up for it in my head.

  5. czai
    czai says:

    A Little Lifeis one of those books I’ve been hoping to read but also I’m so scared to read for the same reasons. But definitely soon!!

  6. Jo
    Jo says:

    Rebel of The Sands is a super fun read, it was on my list this week too as I loved it so much. I really enjoyed Ink and Bone and read the second book in that series, but never read past that, I really need to pick the series up again one day. I wasn’t a big fan of Uprooted, I hope you enjoy it more. I would definitely be interested in reading the Hamilton book one day, but I think I’ll do it on audio, that book is CHUNKY.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      It really is chunky. I had checked out the audio from the library last year and got some of it but just couldn’t finish before the book was due. Figure I’ll try again at some point.

  7. sjhigbee
    sjhigbee says:

    What a fabulously interesting list, Suzanne:)). I very highly recommend Rebel of the Sands, which is one of my all-time favourite sand and sorcery adventures. I would also want to read The Bible if I were on a desert island, too. Uprooted and Gods of Jade and Shadow are also excellent, entertaining reads. And I, like you, am keen to read To the Bridge Edge of the World, given how MUCH I loved The Snow Child…

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I want to read it at some point but have been steering clear throughout the pandemic. Not in the right headspace for that kind of sad read.

  8. Greg
    Greg says:

    The bible- good one! I feel like a desert island stranding would motivate me to read it more too! 🙂

    I totally get Fire and Blood. I read it when it came out but it’s different enough from the regular song of Ice and Fire books and it’s such a long read!

  9. Cindy Davis
    Cindy Davis says:

    I love your take on this. The only one I have read/heard of is the Bible…I am one of those who have read it multiple times. I think the cover of Every Heart a Doorway looks really interesting.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Thanks! I’ve always wanted to read the whole Bible but just haven’t yet. This seems like it would be an ideal setting to read and really appreciate it.

  10. Jennifer @ Donnie Darko Girl
    Jennifer @ Donnie Darko Girl says:

    The only one I’ve read from these is Gods of Jade and Shadow, which was really good. I have to admit that I wasn’t super interested by the cover to read the book. Then I read the synopsis about the Mayan god of death needing help from the main character, and I was sold! The author did her research well, and I found out a lot of Mayan lore I never knew before. An excellent read!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I’m glad to hear this was such a good read for you. I’ve loved her other books so I am keen to go back and read this one. It sounds so interesting.

  11. verushka
    verushka says:

    I think of this list as the TBR to end all TBRs, if they’re you’re choices for a desert island!

  12. Flora
    Flora says:

    Hi Suzanne. Sometimes I think I need to be stranded on a desert island to read some of the long-term books on my TBR pile! Lol!

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