If you knew you were to be stranded on a desert island and you could take 5 books (not including the Works of Shakespeare and the religious text of your choice), 1 CD and 1 luxury item, what would you take? This is the question we ask in our new column, based on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Each week a member of staff, a student or a person of interest will put forward their choices.
Friday 13th of July
Mr Jones, LSA and environmentalist.
1. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell – like five novels in one, each with mind boggling detail to discover on every read.
2. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel – beautiful book about being lost at sea, so maybe there’ll be some good tips for coping on a desert island. It’s also the kind of book you can read over and over without getting bored.
3. The Self Sufficient-ish Bible by Andy Hamilton and Dave Hamilton – Packed full of eco advice, from how to grow your own food to how to darn your socks. Great for tips on survival, but also on how to care for the environment on my desert island.
4. Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – a magical book about a boy on a journey trying to get back home. I’d take the original version so that I can brush up on my French while I’m waiting to be rescued.
5. The Collins Illustrated World Atlas – so that I can explore the world even though I’m stuck on one island.
Luxury item: the biggest chocolate cake I can find.
CD: In Rainbows, by Radiohead. Choosing the band was easy, but if I’m forced to choose which album, it would have to be this one as it always makes me happy and I can leave it on repeat for days without getting bored of it.
If you would like your choices to be posted in this column you can email them to me at lsaint-smith@gch.org.uk
