Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM

The Proverbial Desert Island Library

What books do you read again and again? A few in my list:

A Confederacy of Dunces -John Kennedy Toole

The Secret History -Donna Tartt

Watchmen -story by Alan Moore, artwork by Dave Gibbons, and yes graphic novels count!

Tags: books, favorite

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by sophie on November 17, 2008 at 11:31am: This is SUCH a good question! Here's what I'd want with me:

The House of the Seven Gables
Hopeful Monsters
War and Peace
Infinite Jest
Everything by Jane Austen; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rob Creighton Garrison on November 17, 2008 at 8:53pm: Infinite Jest sounds like one I'll have to hunt down. Thanks!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by BoogieMama on November 19, 2008 at 9:05am: I'm going to land on Sophie's island, so I can borrow her copy of Infinite Jest.

I would also bring
Thomas Pynchon's V, Crying of Lot 49, and Against the Day
Jorge Luis Borges' Ficciones
Italo Calvino's.... hmm Mr. Palomar maybe? Difficult Loves?
Ralph Emerson Twitchell's Leading Facts of New Mexico History (for laffs)
Philip Dick's The Man in the High Castle & maybe some short stories plus the Clans of the Alphane Moon so I remember to check to see if I've gone crazy yet.
Jerome Charyn's entire Isaac Sidel series, plus Pinnochio's Nose; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by sophie on November 19, 2008 at 9:17am: Just the endnotes of Infinite Jest are enough to keep you going for quite some time. I might also bring a huge stack of physics books and that list of 10 physics questions for the new millennium. Not that I'm all that good at physics, but it's good to exercise both sides of the brain.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by BoogieMama on November 19, 2008 at 9:27am: We've spent a lot of time studying the filmography of J.O Incandenza, in the footnotes. We always had the idea of asking DFW's permission to (re)create some of J.O.'s films, like Every Inch of Disney Leith, Teeth, or the one about men who organize their small apartments with mind-boggling efficiency.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by sophie on November 19, 2008 at 12:15pm: Oh, that's really too bad that you didn't have the chance to discuss it with him. I say go for it.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jeffh on November 20, 2008 at 1:05pm: Wow--glas to see Hopeful Monsters! I loved that book! I've not encountered many people who are even aware of it.

Jeff; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michael Bernstein on November 17, 2008 at 8:22pm: I concur with 'Watchmen' (and I just changed my icon in honor of your suggestion). Here are a few other of my faves:

The Lord of the Rings

The Hobbit

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rob Creighton Garrison on November 17, 2008 at 9:01pm: That's a great icon. :oD

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is definitely worth a re-read. Some others I would have to consider adding:

Ringworld -Larry Niven (heck, I'll throw in his Neutron Star collection of short fiction while I'm at it...)

Geek Love -Katherine Dunn

IT -Stephen King

My luggage is gettin' heavy.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michael Bernstein on November 17, 2008 at 10:04pm: Since you like 'Watchmen', have you tried the 'Astro City' series? If 'Watchmen' is a deconstruction of superhero comics, 'Astro City' is more of an homage. And of course, the 'Hellboy' series is excellent.

Niven's 'Ringworld' was good, but I enjoyed 'The Integral Trees' and 'The Smoke Ring' more. I also have a fondness for his collaborations with Jerry Pournelle.

I have a feeling that Alastair Reynolds' books (starting with Revelation Space) will become perennial favorites of mine, but it is too soon to be sure.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rob Creighton Garrison on November 18, 2008 at 9:56pm: The Integral Trees was great! As was The Mote In God's Eye and Footfall. It's been many a year since I've read them. The rest of those you mention I will definitely look for, thanks.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michael Bernstein on November 19, 2008 at 12:12pm: Yep, those collaborations were very good. The long anticipated sequel to 'Mote', 'The Gripping Hand', was somewhat less so unfortunately, as were (IMNSHO) Niven's three sequels to 'Ringworld': 'Ringworld Engineers', 'Ringworld Throne', and 'Ringworld's Children'. What do you think of Niven's 'Gil the ARM' stories (collected in 'Flatlander')?

If you do, in fact, enjoy Alastair Reynold's work, I'll have some other recommendations for you. Let me know.; ▶ Reply to This