If you could only have one book - what would it be and why?

[Kathryn C. Lang]

I got this question recently and it pushed me to think hard about what I read (more than once) and why. My answer was "The Little Prince." The words offered in the book touched my heart and have carried me through some tough times. It is because of The Little Prince that I know I am unique in all the world and also that I have stars that can laugh.

[Amy Parsons]

Pride and Prejudice. I've read that book more times than I can count on my fingers and toes, and it never gets old to me. I discover something new every time. A close second: Les Misérables.

[Alone]

I am also in love with little prince. But I will go with tottochan..... :)

[Rochelle Campbell]

Years ago, it would have been Robert Heinlein's 'Stranger in a Strange Land' because it felt so germane to my being.  I liked the spirituality of the book at that time.  In more recent times, I prefer anything in J.D. Robb'sIn Death series.  It has everything - romance, passion, suspense, mystery & great friendships that come and go beautifully from book to book.

[Anastasia & Demitra]

The Becoming. It's an amazing book! Another book that we can't live without is Wicked. 

[Michael Phoenix]

Either Dragonsdawn or All the Weyrs of Pern. Dragonsdawn is the beginning, All the Weyrs of Pern is the best.

[Lisa LaVergne-Pottgen]

First off, if I could only have one book, I would lose my mind!  I am going to assume that my Nook does not count, so one novel?  It would have to be David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.  This has been and always will be my all time favorite.  I read it for the first time when I was in the 2nd grade, and fell in love with it.  I have read it so many times I have worn through two copies.  

[Anastasia]

Mine would be one of Diana Wynne Jones' books-- she's my favorite author, and if I didn't have her books I'd be a much sadder person. I'm not sure what I'd pick, though...maybe The Lives of Christopher Chant?

[Terry Morris]

Nortons Anthology of English Literature, which is also one of my desert island books. The reason is, it's like getting a whole ton of books in what is still technically one book, plus there's a lot of good and beautiful as well as thought provoking stuff in there.

[Ethan Schneider]

I think I would have to go with Cormac McCarthy's "The Road". It is the one book that seems to have stayed with me even after years of finishing the last page. The simplicity in which McCarthy portrays the relationship of a father and son in a post-apocalyptic world is brilliant. His subtleties add a sense of truth and realism that made me completely invest in the two characters. The double meanings and spiritual messages are endless, making this the ultimate "desert island" book. 

-Ethan

http://e135-abookaweek.blogspot.com/

[Anna Weber]

Probably the Bible; it is MANY things to me and offers a wide array of reading - should one perceive it in that manner.

[Myna Alexanderson-Berlyn]

It is a merciless choice.  I would so wish both The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran AND the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.  Although each provides nourishment to the soul, if I were forced I would choose the latter only because it is longer.

[Robert Anderson]

Got to be White Noise by Don Delillo. Written in 1985 yet, somehow increases in relevance as time moves on. That has to be the ultimate sign of a truly great book.