Top Ten Tuesday #2: Deserted Island

June 25, 2019July 10, 2019Leave a comment

Hey there,

These are my Top Ten books I would like to bring to a deserted island. The original post said both “deserted island” and “desert island”. I will assume “deserted island” as meaning an island with no one around. To comfort myself, I would think this is a tropical island ala Moana. With that, this is my list.

#01 Displacement — Lucy Knisley

Link to synopsis: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22488052-displacement?ac=1&from_search=true

Possibly my favourite book of all time. The drawback is that it’s a bit short but there is a lot of art in it which I enjoy looking at. It would serve as great inspiration to do daily journaling of my adventures on this island. Assuming I had art supplies of course, HAHA!

Read my review here!

#02 Glitter and Glue — Kelly Corrigan

Link to synopsis: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910544-glitter-and-glue?ac=1&from_search=true

Another one of my favourites. It’s due for another re-read but it gives me real feels. Not that I fully remember the story but it’s enough to warrant more reading

#03 Birding Without Borders — Noah Strycker

Link to synopsis: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33413887-birding-without-borders?ac=1&from_search=true

A good world travel book interwoven with life lessons that I could read multiple times.

Read my review here!

#04 Survival handbook

Just to add a bit of realism to this Top Ten, honestly I can’t survive in the wild with no wilderness survival knowledge!!

#05 Stargazing handbook

Because I think I would want to learn this since a deserted island wouldn’t have that many lights right?

Read about my recent “stargazing experience” in my spoilery discussion of Patrick Ness’s The Knife of Never Letting Go here.

#06 History of the world

I guess it’s something that would last a long time and since I have nothing much else to read, at least I’ll be motivated to read it. I think it’s also something I’d be interested in learning about because we can always learn from the mistakes of our forefathers and see how far we have progressed as a society and how we can continue to be better.

#07 Andrew Jenks

Link to synopsis: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15814987-andrew-jenks

I read this book a long time ago but I think it’s a very uplifting and interesting story. It also has lots of photos and funny moments which would come in handy if I’m all alone.

Read my review here!

#08 House building handbook

So that I can build mi casa like in Madagascar and live in comfort

I sooo wanted to go to his house, it looked amazing!

#09 Notebook/Sketchbook

This is so that I can document my journey in words and pictures.

#10 A book about writing

So I can write my own memoir and also another universe where I am not on a deserted island. I guess writing can be a way to salvation/freedom from our own prisons, real or otherwise. (Which brings to mind Teo Soh Lung’s collection of poems and drawings which I read recently. I imagine being on a deserted island would be similar and I would be able to draw strength from my indefinite stay on this deserted island to her own experience and channel that hope towards my own survival.)

If you made it to the end of this list, congratulations! Thanks for reading about my choices. I quite enjoy these posts as I get to think more about the things that have happened in my life and talk about them, even if they’re not always completely related to the TTT topic at hand. Care to share your own Top Ten? 🙂

Happy reading

❤

Relish — Lucy Knisley

September 7, 2018June 21, 20194 Comments

relish-cover

Hi there,

I’ve finally found one of the few graphic novels of Lucy’s that I hadn’t yet read! My review is going to be pretty similar to my other ones because I obviously love the art style going into it. (See reference image below)

As I’m not much of a foodie like Lucy is, I was more interested in the anecdotes than the beautifully formatted and illustrated recipes. Even so, her funny comments and clean illustrations made reading the recipes a joy.

0d36974d4b3dd68b15a56f1520003ae8

This book has only served to deepen my appreciation for her work and I’m sure I will enjoy reading and re-reading her graphic novels for many years to come.

Happy reading

❤

Lucy Knisley’s website: http://www.lucyknisley.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyknisley/?hl=en

Get the book here: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

My reviews of her other books:

Something New — Lucy Knisley

June 1, 2018June 21, 20194 Comments

Link to synopsis: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22694572-something-new

Hi there,

Here’s another book by my favourite author-illustrator Lucy Knisley! This whopping 300-page full-colour graphic novel chronicles the story of her wedding, from proposal to honeymoon.

I liked this volume so much more than An Age of License. Even though my problem with An Age of License was the unrelatable content, Something New managed to present this unrelatable life experience in a relatable way. As someone who hasn’t even entered university, the thought of marriage has only barely crossed my mind. Thus, I am happy I can still enjoy the novel just as much as any other person.

I appreciate the honesty with which Knisley shares her stories. I am also grateful that the people around her are open with sharing their lives in her graphic novel. This openness made the book that much more sincere. I felt more engaged with the events that happened in the book because of it.

The drawings were in her signature style though I understand that this time, the line art and colouring were done at least partially in digital. The colour wasn’t the watercolour that I loved in Displacement, but the colouring throughout the book were still well done. The anecdotal stories were touching and humorous. I thoroughly enjoyed following Knisley on her journey from single to engaged to married.

My only happy problem was that the book was so huge, I had to split my reading into parts so I didn’t get overwhelmed. I’m still happy that the book is so thick as it allowed for the incorporation of the minutiae of her wedding preparation.

I would highly highly recommend any of the books by Lucy Knisley. You can be sure I will be picking up more of her books when I can!

Happy reading

❤

Lucy Knisley’s website: http://www.lucyknisley.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyknisley/?hl=en

Get the book here: Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride

My reviews of her other books:

An Age of License — Lucy Knisley

May 30, 2018June 21, 20194 Comments

Link to synopsis: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20775020-an-age-of-license

Hi there,

I’m a huge fan of Knisley’s books so obviously I had to read this. This is actually my second time reading this book and it is still one of my least favourite of hers.

I didn’t like this book because I couldn’t relate to her experiences at all. She was having a quarter-life crisis which is still some years away for me. It was too “adult” for me I guess. I think I might better appreciate this when I’m slightly older.

I still loved the art style. The lines were clean, deliberate and detailed. I liked the layout of all the pages but there were very few coloured pages. To be fair, those coloured pages were beautiful.

I think the title of the book is also meaningful and thoughtful. Fans (or non-fans) who are in their mid-20s and above may enjoy this book. Perhaps I’ll get back to it in future.

Happy reading

❤

Get the book here: An Age Of License

My reviews of her other books:

Displacement — Lucy Knisley

August 4, 2015June 21, 20196 Comments

Link to synopsis: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22488052-displacement

Hello there,

So I read this book and loved it. I loved the art and exploring the world of grandparents. And cruise ships. *I love cruise ships* (I’ve never been on one but they seem fascinating) I can’t emphasize this enough, I just LOVED the art to bits. The story was cute and funny and sometimes sad. All in all, definitely worth a read in my book. (Pun points?)

Happy reading

❤

EDIT: I’ve re-read this a few times since I wrote this review. I enjoy coming back to this book for the lovely art. But I’ve come to realise more recently that this story never fails to remind me of how precious and wonderful life is. It reminds me to listen closely to the stories of the people around me, that I should quieten my pride and anger as every person I meet has their own story to tell. I remember to be grateful for my own stories that I continue to live and tell every day. And thus are the reasons why I love this book to bits.

Get the book here: Displacement

My reviews of her other books:

French Milk — Lucy Knisley

August 3, 2015June 21, 20194 Comments

Link to synopsis

Hello there,

Although this is Lucy Knisley’s first book, I read this after I read Displacement. Her illustrations were fun to look at and her musings funny. But it didn’t leave as big an impression on me as Displacement did. I don’t really have much else to say.

Happy reading

❤