The Next Best Book Club discussion

If you were stranded, or casted away, with no access to civilization, radio, television, libraries, book stores,(the horror!) what series of books do you think would see you through?

In case of a looooooong wait for rescue, it would need to be re-read worthy. Possibly re-read time and time again!

Please post the links so we can look at your choices. Gotta love book voyeurism.

Definitely Harry Potter.

I could re-read The Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough over and over. It has the added bonus of being incredibly long and complicated!

The First Man in Rome
The Grass Crown
Fortune's Favorites
Caesar's Women
Caesar A Novel
The October Horse A Novel of Caesar and Cleopatra

And, not truly part of the series, but a side note:
Antony and Cleopatra A Novel
Song of Troy

I would want a long series since I'm stranded. Probably all of the "Cat Who.." books by Lilian Jackson Braun. There are tons of them

Considering I have been rereading Harry Potter(and enjoying it) for 7 years, most recently rereading it about every three months... I think that would be a taker.

Ditto on the Harry Potter books. They're the only series I reread that I manage to find another thing to love about each time. I think that every time I read them I appreciate them more.

I think a long series is better too, so I´d take the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice :D

Interview With the Vampire
The Vampire Lestat
The Queen of the Damned
The Tale of the Body Thief
Memnoch the Devil
The Vampire Armand
Pandora
Merrick
Blood and Gold
Blackwood Farm
Blood Canticle

:D

Stephanie wrote: "Ditto on the Harry Potter books. They're the only series I reread that I manage to find another thing to love about each time. I think that every time I read them I appreciate them more."

I agree. Everytime I read the books again, especially the first ones, I'm always suprised at how many things were put in the books that you didn't notice that applied to later events. Excellent books.

Little House on the Prairie

Carol wrote: "I think a long series is better too, so I´d take the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice :D

Interview With the Vampire
The Vampire Lestat
[book:The Queen of the Damned|43..."

I have only re-read Interview, but I would certainly be willing to re-read all of them if the "need" arose:D

Good choice.

oh no, does it have to be a series? Or can it be a collection? Or singular books? You are killing me... I dont want to bring a series....

If it had to be a series:
Odd Thomas

If it could be a collection:
The Works of Jules Verne

If it could be a single novel:
Mysterious Island by Verne (its got tons of interesting things in it that would be helpful when stranded on an island!)

This one is tough because my favorite series in just a trilogy...
The Summer Tree
The Wandering Fire
The Darkest Road

To have more books for re-reading, I would take the Melanie Rawn Series (cheating a little since it's really 2 related trilogies)
Dragon Prince
The Star Scroll
Sunrunner's Fire
Stronghold
The Dragon Token
Skybowl

This is a really, really tough decision for me! I'm torn between Harry Potter and the Dark Tower series.

I think I'd probably have to go with the Dark Tower series, because I'd sneak in The Stand and Salem's Lot and The Talisman and Black House, and Everything's Eventual and Eyes of the Dragon and Insomnia, which are all directly connected to the series... Is that cheating?

If I was not allowed the related books, I'd definitely have to go with Harry Potter. There is just so much packed into those 7 volumes that it would be enough. Plus I'd have Ron. I love Ron.

Man, I hope I never really have to choose which books I'd take off a sinking ship. I'd be anchored to the ocean floor with books I just couldn't leave!

I don't read series books but I would want to take all of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's books to read and reread.

I think I would want to take the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. Harry Bosch is an LA Detective and there are about 11 books in the series, about half of which I've read.

I think I'd take David Weber's "Honor Harrinton" series, J.D. Robb's "In Death" series, Laurell K. Hamilton's "Anita Blake" series (at least the first 10 or 11). There are probably others, but I don't know if you are allowed that much luggage when you get "marooned".

I would take one of the many ADULT series I never got around too such as linda fairstein, O shaunnsey, stephen white Dana stanbrow etc,

but for LONG term, Hardy boys, Nancy drew or goosebump many books in that series : )

Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell
The Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters

Brother Cadfael!!!! Thanks for the reminder. I loved those!

Sorry, I haven't checked, but a collection owuld be fine. I don't think it would be enough for me, but even Patterson's Alex Cross books would be okay. They aren't really a series, but, they ARE about the same guy.

James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. And Tess Gerritsen's Jane Rizzoli series (although I don't like Rizzoli very much but I love Maura Isles). The Odd Thomas series.

The Dark Tower series and anything related to it! ;) That should keep me busy for a while.

Rachel wrote: "The Dark Tower series and anything related to it! ;) That should keep me busy for a while."

Hey Rach, I am reading the Gunslinger now, and am planning on re-reading the ones I have already read, and finishing the series by Christmas. They are beautifully written, and so, so entangled with everything he's ever done. Very satisfying:)

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series -- laughing would help you get through the ordeal!

I would definitely say that the whole of the Shannara series would be the way to go. By the time I got done with the whole thing, it would have seemed like a whole new adventure if started over again. Besides, it is my favorite of all the series that I have read so far.

Dwight: Question, is there firewood on the island?
Jim: I guess.
Dwight: Then I would bring an axe, no books.
Jim: It has to be a book Dwight.
Dwight: Fine. Physician’s Desk Reference…
Jim: Nice. Smart.
Dwight: …hollowed out. Inside: Waterproof matches, iodine tables, beet seeds, protein bars, NASA blanket and, in case I get bored, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. No – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Question, did my shoes come off in the plane crash?

hahaha...
I am so torn. I love The Dark Tower series, Roland, Jake, Susannah, Eddie are all familiar and intriguing characters and I absolutely adored Wizards and Glass, but I'd also want to maybe try a series where I haven't read all of the books, but have greatly enjoyed what I already read, i.e. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan or the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I think if I get trapped on a desert island, I would hope it was a magical desert island with a library.

Harry Potter! The answer is always Harry Potter!

I'd take either of Jim Butcher's series, though the Dresden Files has more books out than the Codex Alera.

Dresden is Harry Potter for adults: wizardly world meets modern world. I liked the Harry Dresden's voice (first person narrator) enough to get me through the first two books, which I thought were just okay, but by book three it really got going. Book 1 is Storm Front.

The Codex Alera series was really fun. It's more traditional fantasy, I suppose, though it has a clever alternate take on "magic," which the people of Alera don't really think of as magic. The Furies of Calderon is book 1.

April wrote: "Dwight: Question, is there firewood on the island?
Jim: I guess...."

LOL April!

I would have to agree on the Outlander series. Big, meaty, time consuming books that never fail to engage my interest.

It would be a toss up between The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Gunslinger (and the rest), Kage Baker' Company Series, or Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. Course a collection of everything Ann Beattie ever wrote would be nice. Now if my kindle had an everlasting battery I could have them all...right? (and then some!)

Dorothy Dunnett's the Lymond Chronicles! I'd also try to sneak in the House of Niccolo series. And then Harry Potter.

Hmm well I guess I would take the Diana Gabladon time travel series. They are HUGE books so would take time even to reread...AND could possible strategically lay them out to sleep on, to be further from the night time crawlies about.
Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross
A Breath of Snow and Ashes

In Search of Lost Time

It would take forever to get through it and since it's so vast and the writing so thick I would enjoy reading and rereading it over and over again without ever getting bored because I'd always find some new detail.

Or the Bible, if that somehow counts...

Harry Potter. No question.

Absolutely Harry Potter.

Oh, and Vampire Academy.

...and House of Night

:D

If it's a desert island I wouldn't have time to read; I'd be too bizzy looking for water.

If it's a deserted island with plenty of coconuts (ever tried opening one of those suckers by hand?), bamboo(to build a hut), and a fresh-water lagoon with a waterfall, like most deserted islands are (according to Hollywood), I'd want a big book on astronomy so I'd know what I'm looking at every night(kinda like a TV Guide). A book on marine life, so I'd know which fish and shells are safe to eat. A book on how to prevent or treat tropical diseases. And a copy of Twain's, 'Huckleberry Finn', so I can learn to build a raft and get off this dumb island someday.

j
www.jguevaranovels.com

My first thought was the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton
There are nineteen of them so far. So that could keep me reading for a while and I know I like that author- and that's the problem. I've already read them.
So I'm thinking the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
Also the In Death series by J.D. Robb look interesting.

Irene, definitely the Outlander series AND the In Death series. Great minds think alike! :)

Outlander Series for sure......

Runner Up would be Song of Fire and Ice Series by George R R Martin

I don't think I've read many series books. That I can recall I've only read a couple books of The Chronicles of Narnia, a book or two of A Series of Unfortunate Events Pack, the The Twilight Collection, and Evil at Heart and Heartsick from the "Gretchen Lowell" series.

From that, I enjoyed most of the Twilight series. I don't know if it could work for the rest of my life in an island. And I liked what I read from C.S. Lewis as well as the "Gretchen Lowell" series.

So, final verdict:
The Chronicles of Narnia or the Gretchen Lowell Series.

Along with the Oulander Series, I would also take All of Colleen McCullough books. I could read thes to authers over and ove and....

Harry Potter or the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich...the Cat Who books by Lilian Jackson Braun are good but I would skip the last 5 or so because they weren't that great. I would also want some sort of "survival" series that would be helpful with questions I would have on surviving but I am not coming up with any such series right now off the top of my head.

The M.C. Beaton series. Both 'Hamish MacBeth' & 'Agatha Raisin' mysteries can't be beat...and there's a lot of humor in them, too.

Irene wrote: "My first thought was the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton
There are nineteen of them so far. So that could keep me reading for a while and I know I like that a..."

Im with you on JD Robb's In Death series. Great characters, great chemistry (Eve and Roark; Peabody and Ian...etc).
Are there more than thirty books now?

The Outlander series... although only if the series were ended by that time. I'd hate to read up until the most recent and possibly have to wait years (or never!) to read the next ones!

Harry Potter series would definitely be up there.

Also, if collective works count, I'd take The Complete Novels of Jane Austen.

Janet Evanovich and Douglas Adam's hitchhikers guide series

I think I'd take Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. It's huge - up to #39 now - and rarely fails to make me both laugh and think. Pratchett has great world-building abilities, which would transport me off my little island, so to speak. (I also love re-reading this series, which would be a plus.)

Other contenders:
Stephen King's Dark Tower series

Marion Zimmer Bradley's extensive Darkover series

Edit to add: Ooh, or the Year's Best Science Fiction series! That ought to keep me busy a while.

Harry Potter and all of J.R.R. Tolkein ---

Definitely The Lord of the Rings. I still haven't finished it. Being stranded on an island would help, I'm sure. And for fun, Goosebumps!

Fever Series by Karen Moning!