Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books with Jodie Crump

I haven’t done a count or anything, but in the last five years, the blogger I’ve probably mentioned most often is our guest today, Jodie Crump of Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub. I’m pleased as punch to have her here today. Like some others, she cheats a little in her first choice–and then takes a daring move for the last few.

Before we dip into her list, let’s see what her site says about her:

“First of all, I’m a nerd. A huge nerd. Like, a Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, quote-Firefly-and-proudly-call-myself-a-Browncoat nerd. I’m also a voracious reader, a homeschool mom, and an introvert. I’m more than a little awkward, and I express myself better in writing.

“I’ll read pretty much anything, with the exception of romance novels. Sadly, I’m bereft of any sense of romanticism. I tend to gravitate towards fantasy, YA, and sci-fi, but I’ve been branching out more into nonfiction lately.”

Thank you for having me!

I’m excited to talk about five books that I’d take with me to a desert island. Although, I’m more of a mountain fan so I’m mentally switching the beach out for a lovely, isolated cabin. Ah…that’s better.

Whether island or mountain, stranded or hermiting it up (I’m just creating words here), I have to start any list with a comfort read. You know, the kind that puts you at ease and makes you feel like you’re with old friends. This is where I cheat. I know, I just can’t be trusted! But my first choice would be…

1. The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
You can find this trilogy in a lovely, annotated edition, so I can pretend it’s one book instead of three, right? This trilogy jumpstarted my lifelong love of the fantasy genre. I reread it every year, starting in Autumn and I’m actually reading it right now. These books follow a group of friends who have met up after being separated for five years. Instead of a quiet reunion, they find themselves on a quest that soon snowballs into a fight for the entire future of their world. Despite being an epic fantasy story, the trilogy is nonetheless character-focused. In fact, the red-robed mage Raistlin is the origin of my love of morally complex characters.

So, moving on to my second choice. I’d have to add a bit of magic, which means I’d go with:

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I’m a sucker for beautiful, descriptive writing and The Night Circus delivers it in droves. Reading about the Circus is like entering a gorgeous dream. Everything has an ethereal quality. If it were possible, I would gladly forego sleep to go explore Le Cirque des Rêves. I’m a chronically exhausted parent, so that’s saying something.

I can’t head to a location to be determined for long enough to bring five books without having a least a few new releases.
First up is an upcoming release that I’ve been looking forward to for quite a while.

3. Legacy of a Hated God by Patrick Samphire
This is the final book in the Mennik Thorn series. These books are phenomenal and I’m both excited to see how things wrap up and sad to know that I’ll have to say goodbye to one of the best walking Murphy’s Law characters that I’ve had the pleasure to read. Of course, even the best characters can’t exist in a vacuum and Mennik is surrounded by some awesome characters. The world is fabulous, the plot development continues to surprise. This would be a perfect book to take on a long trip.

4. The Yawning Gap by C.V. Vobh
I just started this one (I mean that quite literally) and I’m excited to see where it leads. The premise, that of a band of wanderers being given the responsibility of fixing things that are so far broken it’s hard to tell if they even are fixable, is the sort that lends itself to a massive amount of imagination. Author C.V. Vobh’s writing has me immediately invested.

5. Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs
Last but certainly not least, I’d bring Shield Maiden, an upcoming release from Orbit Books. This novel is inspired by Beowulf. I have a fascination with the epic poem and am always curious to see how other people see it, what additions they will make, and how that will change the story itself. I’ve read Tolkien’s version, Seamus Heaney’s translation (my very favorite), and several reimaginings. I’m fascinated by the idea of adding a female’s perspective to the story.

I think these choices will keep me occupied for a good long while. I do get to go on this hypothetical trip, right? No? Sigh.
Thank you for letting me ramble, Irresponsible Reader!

Be sure to check out Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub! If you read that blog and/or follow her on Social Media, you’ll see that Jodie’s the bee’s knees.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay