You know that question, "If you knew you were going to be stranded on a desert island and could only bring 10 albums, which albums would you bring?" Before coming to Bonaire, I asked myself that question about books. I brought four books with me: 1. My debut novel, FINGERPRINTS
2. My follow-up novel to FINGERPRINTS, CHOOSING TALLY 3. Catherine Demonte's BEEP! BEEP! GET OUT OF MY WAY: Seven Tools for Living Your Unstoppable Life 4. ALL THE UGLY AND WONDERFUL THINGS by Brynn Greenwood I brought the novels I wrote because I love them and because I always meet someone who needs to read them. I brought BEEP BEEP! because it includes wonderful tools to help activate your highest self. And I already met someone who will benefit from reading it, so I'm passing it on. Finally, I brought ALL THE UGLY AND WONDERFUL THINGS because it moved me more than any novel has in a long time. Plus, it has 16 narrators and I am writing a novel with multiple narrators. So, it's excellent inspiration. Since I only packed one suitcase, before I left, I wanted to make sure I could buy books when I got here, so I googled and found a bookstore. But when I went to find it, I learned it had closed. (Yes, I have a Kindle, and I so appreciate when people read my books on their Kindles, but I prefer to read books with pages.) So, I asked my friend, Jean, and she told me about a Saturday thrift market that has books. I walked there this morning. After seeing only Dutch titles, I was directed to a room in the back, stacked with shelves of books written in English. I was so excited. The books I selected aren't necessarily titles I would have chosen had I been in an actual bookstore, but I'm thrilled to have them. That made me think about how I'm used to being able to get the things I want right away. In my "normal" life, I'm so fortunate to be able to watch whatever show I want on demand. Here, I hope to find something on TV in English.
In my "normal" life, if I want books. clothes, or housewares, I order them and they arrive the next day. On Bonaire, I've learned to be satisfied with probably not being able to get exactly what I want. And you know what? That's totally okay. It's also something I hope to remember when and if I return to "normal" life. So, if you knew you were going to be stranded on a desert island, what books would you bring with you?
Maybe learn Dutch? This journey is amazing.
Ok. Ever practical and taking the question literally: Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills, David Wescott; Flintknapping: Making and Understanding Stone Tools, John Whittaker; Always Coming Home, LeGuinn ( the extended one) which I tried to read while commuting and I think that it lost something. All paperback or hardcover, because... y'know... I could eat them, maybe. YMMV