Desert Island Book

Carla over at London is for Living is asking what your Desert Island Books would be.

I'm a book lover, and I read voraciously. I can read a book in a day, and love the ferry ride home from Normandy as it's a chance to swallow a whole book.

So books to take to a desert island? They'd have to be good ones. And chunky ones.

But I'm going to break my own criteria there with my first one.

The Red Tent - Anita Diamant

My favourite lecturer at university told me to read this when I was struggling with my dissertation. He was wise to do so as it became my dissertation. And it's sparked a long love of reading feminist texts alongside my faith texts.

I have study guides and book study group notes to go alongside this to learn how the history of the religious practice and daily life of Ancient Near Eastern women is woven into this ficitional retelling of the stories of Jacob's wives and daughters.

I read this at least once a year and have a second copy to lend out. It connects me to my sisters in the past, and helps me connect to the femininty of the divine. Lovely.

A Suitable  Boy by Vikram Seth

I'm with Alex on this one. It's an epic. It's filled with family drama, religious drama, cricket related drama. There's a host of characters that draw you in, and it's a huge great thing that takes me at least a week to read. Perfect for a desert island.

I'm not sure if I can think of another. Or choose from amongst my babies. I like The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracey Chavalier, The Floating Book by Michelle Lovric, Chocolat by Joanne Harris, anything by William Dalrymple but especially From the Holy Mountain, anything by Bill Bryson, anything by Terry Pratchett, but especially the Tiffany Aching books, and Daughter of Britannia by Katie Hickman