Back in the 1970’s there was this thing on FM radio called “Desert Island Discs.” From time to time DJ’s would pose the question, “If you were stranded on a deserted island, which ten albums would you take?” A friend and I were reminiscing about this recently and she wondered about books. Along with my chosen ten albums, what three books would I take? Now that’s a tough choice. I’ve been a life long reader and have read many hundreds of books, but which three to choose?

My love of books dates back to my early childhood. When I first became a reader, my mom would take me and my older brother on weekly sojourns to the public library where I’d just devour books. My first “biblio-love affair” was with a series that featured a young boy named Danny Dunn. In each book, this kid would get into some sort of exciting science/nature based adventure. I found these tales irresistible and couldn’t get enough. Danny Dunn showed me that there’s magic in books, he started me down the road of reading, a road that opened up worlds of possibilities that I had only dreamed of. That journey continues to this day.

So…how do I possibly choose just three books to take with me to this hypothetical desert island paradise? There are record albums that I’ve listened to thousands of times. With the best of them (Let It Bleed, Abbey Road, Crosby, Stills and Nash…) I still hear new things. But books? I usually read a book once and am done with it. There have been the occasional rereads (I’ve read the Lord of the Rings trilogy twice and am contemplating a third go), but rarely do I revisit a book. When making my choices, I had to consider which books have spoken to me the loudest, which ones have had the biggest effects on my life, which books would I like to read over and over? So here goes nothing, my three books are as follows:

 At the top of my chosen trio is the counterculture classic, Tom Robbins’  Another Roadside Attraction. This was Robbins’ first novel and and my introduction to him. Getting turned on to Tom Robbins’ books has had a life changing effect on me. His psychedelic zaniness, strong and sexy female characters and profound Zen utterances have shown me that there’s a different way to live life, that there’s goodness and beauty and wonder and fun all around us if we just take the time to open our eyes, that to smile and laugh in the face of adversity is not a bad strategy, and that we absolutely must question authority. Robbins once described the crescent moon as “a clipping from a snowman’s toenail”…brilliant!

Next up is Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan. At one time or another throughout our lives we all come across a teacher who gives us a priceless gift, something that has enriched our lives. I am forever grateful to my high school English teacher Ms Nancy Friedlander, for it was she who introduced me to Kurt Vonnegut. As an impressionable 16 year old I was questioning everything and itching to bust out of small town New Jersey into the wider world. Vonnegut was like nothing that I’d ever read before, his humor, irreverence and world view struck a chord in me that reverberates to this day. The Sirens of Titan is an outlandish, time tripping and brilliantly original work of science fiction and unlike anything I’d read before or since.

My final choice is The World According To Garp by John Irving. This was his fourth novel and the point at which I jumped on the Irving bandwagon. I’m still traveling down that road today. Garp is the quintessential John Irving novel. It’s a sweeping epic spanning many years, there’s a “story within a story” and more twists and turns than a mountain road. Throughout his many novels, Irving has his finger firmly on the pulse of the joy and sorrow, tragedy and ecstasy of what it’s like to be human. In The World According To Garp, he seamlessly blends tragedy, comedy, chance encounters and fate into an unforgettable story. I read this book when I was in my twenties. Little did I know then that I would someday have children of my own and become just like the doting, worrying and loving dad that is T.S. Garp

So there you go. I had long ago chosen my ten albums, now I’ve got my three books. All I need now is a bucket of cold beers, sunscreen, my Tommy Bahama chair and a destination. I’ll send ya a postcard. In the meantime, tell me which three books you’d choose.