Guardian Newspaper 1000 Novels discussion

Simon Mayo of BBC Radio 2 asked Ian Rankin what were his Desert Island books

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b080jpr6

What are yours? (You already get a Bible and a copy of Shakespeare.)

Maybe a Collected Works of Charles Dickens. Though a wilderness survival guide would be handy!

Dickens would be a great choice. I would think a collection of maybe Dostoyevski, too! As per a single book, gone with the wind is the book I've reread the most, so I'll probably be the least bored reading that forever

For me, it would be Wells, Poe, Lovecraft, Austen, and Bronte!

six books that I could happily re-read over and over:
A Confederacy of Dunces
Dune
The Leopard
Nostromo
Titus Groan
The Trial

Darren wrote: "six books that I could happily re-read over and over:
A Confederacy of Dunces
Dune
The Leopard
Nostromo
Titus Groan..."

I am currently reading Nostromo but am not loving it - does it pick up after a while (I am about a third of the way through)?

Leslie, yes it does. I felt the same way about it, but ended up nearly enjoying it by the end. Conrad is not really my favorite, though, and by the midpoint i may have readjusted expectations.

Kaycie wrote: "Leslie, yes it does. I felt the same way about it, but ended up nearly enjoying it by the end. Conrad is not really my favorite, though, and by the midpoint i may have readjusted expectations."

I generally do like Conrad so glad to know I should perservere :)

I loved Nostromo right from page 1... then loved it all the way through!
I read it as a free eBook, but have now bought a rather nice hardback to perch on an actual wooden bookshelf!
the only other Conrad I've read is Heart Of Darkness, so I'm very much looking forward to working my way through his others... :oD