Day 1 - Six Books

I think I was a little later coming to the island but I still managed to snag six of my favourite books. Two weepies, a romantic farce, a fantasy trilogy, an urban fantasy and a little bit of Shakespeare.

My first weepy - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger tells the love story that takes place between Henry and Claire. Claire first meets Henry when she is 6 and he is 36, though he won't meet her for the first time 'til some years later when he is 28 and she is 20. This happens because Henry suffers from a genetic condition whereby he can find himself pulled into the past or the future without warning.

"I'm Clare Abshire. I knew you when I was a little girl..." I'm at a loss because I am in love with a man who is standing before me with no memories of me at all.

By turns uplifting, heart-rending, bittersweet and hopeful. It is a story that stays with you long after you've put the book down. This was one of those books that affected me so deeply that I couldn't read anything for two weeks afterwards. And flicking it through it now as I write this blog tempts me to re-read and rediscover it again.

Onto weepy number 2. A Crack in Forever by Jeannie Brewer tells the story of Eric and Alexandra who meet and fall in love. But instead of the happy ever after they anticipated they have to deal with the fact that they aren't going to have a HEA as Eric is first diagnosed with HIV and then AIDS.

I was avoiding doing a hard thing - something I had become expert at - and it was time to confront it.
I never could get Eric to admit it, but he was a genius.

This book is often accused of being overly sentimental in Amazon reviews, but I think it is beautifully written. And though I've never been able to read to the end without crying, (don't think I've ever seen those last pages unblurry) at the end it reaffirms what is important - that giving of yourself is the most important thing. I don't care if that makes me sentimental.


Think we might need a little cheering up at this point. A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold is probably best described as romantic farce (sci-fi space opera romantic farce that is). It follows the troubled courtship of Ekaterin Vorsoisson by Miles. Whatever genre of books you like there is a book in the Miles Vorkosigan series for you. Whether it's YA, spy thriller, mystery or romance. My favourite section from the series begins with Brothers in Arms and culminates four books later with A Civil Campaign.

"Madame Vorsoisson," said Mark with dignity, "is a very sensible woman. When presented with compelling facts, she doesn't let a thoughtless emotional response overcome her clear reason."

Miles ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah, I know."

And like all good farce there's a food fight. :) One of the few books that has brought tears of laughter to my eyes. Though I recommend reading the preceding books in the series first.


Kelley Armstrong's Bitten is the first book in The Otherworld series and introduces us to Elena Michaels, the world's only female werewolf.

"...you knew the only person in the apartment was Philip. Yet you went up there and tried to protect him. Why?"
Clay hesitated, then said, "Because I knew it was what you'd want me to do."

If you just wanted to read one urban fantasy, this is the one I'd recommend you try. Probably the book I re-read most often and every single time I read it I find something new to enjoy.


Finally for my last two choices, I think I was taking the Desert Island thing quite seriously. :)

The Complete Ivory by Doris Egan is nearly 900 pages long and would certainly help pass the time on a desert island - this was before the heroes and the huts turned up. The trilogy follows the adventures of Theodora and Ran. Theodora is an anthropology student visiting the planet of Ivory, a place where magic is real. Whilst there she discovers she has a magical skill and becomes involved with Ran - a powerful sorcerer.

I've only read this trilogy once but what sticks with me are the wonderful characters and storytelling and the wish that Doris Egan was still writing novels - she now writes for TV. Ran would make a great hero for the island. When he and Theo return to her world where his magic doesn't work, he takes a job working in the sewers (or something similar my memory is not fantastic) as this is the only job he can get. He does this without complaint whilst she gets her head straight and decides what he already knows, that they're better off on his planet.

Last choice was 12th Night because I wanted there to be some Shakespeare on the island and this is the play I know best. Through some fluke I ended up studying it both for GCSE (age 15-16) and at A-Level (age 17-18). It has some of the most beautiful lines and is also very funny. My favourite film version stars Ben Kingsley and Helena Bonham Carter. Here's a little snippet - I hope.



Will be back tomorrow, with seven heroes.