I have been listening to a lot of BBC’s Desert Islands Discs recently as I have found that the website has years of episodes archived. If you are interested, have a listen  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs . It must be really difficult to choose only eight songs to have on a Desert Island, but imagine how difficult it would be to choose only 5 books! According to the BBC’s rules, each castaway automatically gets a Bible and the full works of Shakespeare. Along with these, I would choose…

1. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens

I enjoyed this book so much and think it would be a good choice for a long and lonely stretch of time on a desert island. There are so many memorable characters and different story lines to get stuck into. Reading through David Copperfield’s life and watching him grow is never boring and I don’t think this book will lose it’s charm, even on a desert island.

2. The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger

This book for me is the perfect romance! The story jumps through time, as we follow Henry, the time traveller, who is dragged unexpectedly from the present day to a random time, either in the future or in the past. Sometimes he only has minutes and sometimes hours or even days in these other times, with no money, clothes or ways to get back to his life in the present. These travels through time are often intertwined with the love of his life, Clare who first meets him when she is only a child (and he has already shared many memories with her future self). Obviously the book gets quite complicated in places, but it’s wonderfully put together.

3. Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell

One thing that would be important on a desert island, is a long, long book. And Gone with the Wind is certainly that. It is an incredible tale of Scarlett O’Hara and her struggle to survive through the destruction and poverty of the American Civil War. She isn’t the most likeable heroine, being selfish, greedy, untrustworthy and willing to do anything to get her own way. However, her sheer determination and courage makes her one of the most famous female characters of all time.

4. Harry Potter e il Calice di Fuoco J.K Rowling

I would need this, just to keep me busy. The Italian version of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire is long enough and difficult enough for me to take forever to translate! But at least my Italian would be greatly improved!

5.  An Italian to English Dictionary 

For obvious reasons!

All castaways on Desert Island Discs get to choose a luxury item too, so I would probably have to go for a telephone to keep in contact with the real world, and especially my mum!

What would be your Desert Island Books of choice?