Top Ten Tuesday #326

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a good week since I last did one of these, I had my friend Hannah to stay over the weekend, which was really nice, we had a very chill time as usual, eating pizza and chatting about books. We may not have got to go to YALC again this year, but we still had a fun weekend together anyway. I’ve also been watching some of the Olympics, mostly the gymnastics and equestrian events as that’s where my main sports interest lies, and it was so exciting to see the GB women’s gymnastics team get a bronze today, it’s been such a long time in the making for them! It was also great to see us get team bronze in the Dressage as well, though I do have to admit, when it comes to Equestrian, Eventing and Showjumping are definitely the ones I prefer watching!

Anyway, enough of my rambling about sports, since it’s Tuesday, I’m back with another Top Ten Tuesday courtesy of Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is Books I’d Want With Me While Stranded on A Deserted Island. Now honestly, if this year has taught me anything, it’s that isolation is SEVERELY OVERRATED and I need to be able to see my friends regularly. Also I hate the heat, so a deserted island would not be the place for me, I’d probably do better in an isolated mountain cabin, curled up in blankets and drinking an inordinate amount of hot chocolate. But anyway, if I were on a deserted island, these are the books I’d want with me (for series I love, I chose my favourite book as I thought it would be cheating to pick the entire series!):

1. The Battle of The Labyrinth-Rick Riordan

I couldn’t be without at least one Percy Jackson book if I was stranded on a desert island, and I picked this one. I love the entire series, but for me The Battle of The Labyrinth is one of the most exciting, the whole quest through the Labyrinth is brilliant, we have lots of development on the Percy/Annabeth front and the stakes are sky high as we build towards the big fight with Kronos. I could definitely see myself whiling away a couple of hours with this one on a desert island.

2. The Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games was such an addictive read, I remember I was so glued to what was happening, that I could hardly put it down. It would definitely be a great read to while away the time whilst I was waiting for someone to come and rescue me from the deserted island. I also might be able to pick up a few survival tips, and it would be a great reminder that even if I was stranded on an island, at least I’m not a teenager involved in a death match.

3. Dangerous Girls-Abigail Haas

The setting for this is definitely suited to being stranded on an island, since it all takes place on Aruba. It’s another really fast and addictive read as well, so I could definitely forget about the tedium of isolation whilst I was gripped by this sun-soaked thriller. I’d also like to see if I could pick up the clues to the murderer this time around, now that I’ve read it once and know who did it.

4. Rebel of The Sands-Alwyn Hamilton

Again, this book would really suit being stranded on an island, given the desert setting. It was also a really fun and pacey story so I think it could easily distract me in my isolation.

5. To Kill A Kingdom-Alexandra Christo

Again, the setting here makes it perfect for a deserted island read, it’s all set in the ocean, it has brilliantly immersive writing so it would be easy to just sink into and distract me and it was just a lot of fun, so I would definitely love to have it with me in my isolation.

6. A Darker Shade of Magic-VE Schwab

Of course I have to have my favourite VE Schwab book with me whilst stranded on a deserted island. I can think of no better way to pass the time than with one of my favourite books, and I know that the hours would fly by as I enjoyed Kell, Lila, Rhy and Holland’s adventures all over again.

7. Vengeful-VE Schwab

Are you at all surprised to see another VE Schwab book on here? You shouldn’t be! Vengeful is another of my favourite VE Schwab books, it’s incredibly pacey for a nearly 600-page book, it has brilliantly complicated villains, SO MUCH FEMALE ANGER and is really just an absolute masterclass in writing, worldbuilding and character development. I would be much happier in isolation if I had this book with me.

8. The Exact Opposite Of Okay-Laura Steven

The Exact Opposite Of Okay is so funny, it would definitely be a perfect book to have with me on a deserted island as I would spend so much time laughing that I would forget about the potentially precarious situation.

9. Code Name Verity-Elizabeth Wein

Code Name Verity has everything: humour, heartbreak, intense female friendship and blinding plot twists. It would be a bit of a change of pace from some of the other books on here as it’s definitely a slower build, but I think if I wanted a break from the fantasy/thrillers/dystopia that make up the bulk of my list, Code Name Verity would definitely be a good one to go for. I also would want to have at least one historical with me, as I love historical fiction.

10. The House of Hades-Rick Riordan

And we come to my favourite of the Heroes of Olympus books. This is definitely a Percabeth heavy book, which is one of the main reasons that I love it so much, but it’s also super action packed, the stakes are really high as again we race towards the climactic battle with Gaea in the next book and I feel like we get a lot of great character moments in this one. Also it’s probably the darkest book of the series, and me being me, I love that!

So there you go, those are the books I would want with me on my deserted island. Have you read any of these? What did you think? What books did you choose to have with your on your deserted island? Did we share any? Let me know in the comments!

Next week is Titles or Covers That Made Me Want To Read/Buy The Book so I will definitely be going with Covers That Made Me Want To Read/Buy The Book since I definitely judge buy the cover!