Which Books Would You Bring?

~ humoringthegoddess

It’s the beginning of a Glorious Day here in the Midwest.

Being alone with my dogs and cat and fish and computer and crafts room and my messy closet floor, there will be a lot of things I’ll want to accomplish that I can’t always accomplish with company around.

But you know me. That’s not what this particular blog is about.

I had an idea in the shower this morning, and I’d LOVE to hear back from all of you. The more the merrier.

I really enjoyed the end scene in the movie “The Time Machine” with Rod Taylor, where George comes back from the future to grab three books to take back with him. It goes something like this:

Filby: He must have taken something with him.
Mrs. Watchett: Nothing, except three books.
Filby: Which three books?
Mrs. Watchett: I don’t know. Is it important?
Filby: No, I suppose not. Only – what three books would you have taken?

I thought about throwing you/us onto a deserted island or in an isolated cabin in the woods, but then you/we would have more to worry about than what books to read. Food, tools, medicine, is all too much to think about on this beautiful morning.

So here is the question:

If you time traveled into the future (or into the past), which three books would you take?

This time around I’m going to put restrictions on the question. Like being specific on the time period, (forward OR past), what you have in YOUR library (vs. stopping at the bookstore first), and only three books.

After all, those are the choices George had.

And, as a side, if you feel like it, are the three books the first three that came to mind, or did you think about it for a bit first?

I’ll go first. And it’s really hard.

I ran downstairs, tripping over my Tears crafts bins, and looked at my shelves. Ack! An eclectic mix, for sure. Seeing as they have to be books from MY library, for reading I’d take Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien; for art, the History of Art (1st Edition) by H.W. Janson (1982); and for poetry, The Illustrated Household Book of Poetry Charles A Dana 11th Edition,  1868.

None of these books are “modern” in the sense of the word; I’m ashamed I don’t have any current poetry or updated art books. I tossed around bringing a book of Shakespeare or Edgar Allen Poe stories and poems, but their rhetoric might not be as entertaining after the 375th read.

If I had time to think about it, or had time to run to the bookstore or library, my choices may have been different. But, for what I have, for what I would have to share with others for eternity, would be a little bit of entertainment through the ages.

After all, how could you not enjoy a happy ending?

“At last they rode over the downs and took the East Road, and then Merry and Pippin rode on to Buckland and already they were singing again as they went. But Sam turned to Bywater, and so came back up the Hill, as day was ending once more. And he went on, and there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening meal was ready, and he was expected. And Rose drew him in, and set him in his chair, and put little Elanor upon his lap. He drew a deep breath. ‘Well, I’m back,’ he said.”

 

 

Published by humoringthegoddess

I am a writer of fantasy fiction that often surrounds middle-aged women. I am a married mother of two and granny to three, a BoHo Chic kinda gal. I am recently retired and busier than when I worked 9-5. But writing and blogging is my main game.

19 thoughts on “Which Books Would You Bring?”

  1. Pingback: Christofori’s Dream – Humoring the Goddess

  5. Hi Claudia, this is a very intriguing topic … here I am, lying in bed at 3.15am, wondering what 3 books to take with me to the “Island of Pines” … hmmm … ok . before I go back to sleep … Walt Whitman’s, Leaves of Grass .. Leonard Cohen, The Book of Longing .. and Emily Dickinson, The Complete Works Of … time to go back to sleep 😴😊🌏📚

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  11. Well I liked that movie too but prefer Eat Pray Love and even went to a book event with the author. Eat Pray Love is about a woman ending her marriage and going to 3 countries for self discovery, Italy for the food, India for meditation and spirituality and she finds love in Bali where she goes to work for a healer she met before embarking on this journey. The book was a big deal in the early 2000s written by Elizabeth Gilbert. I hope I would never have to choose just 3 books. I would need a time machine that would assure me I could access
    all the books I love!

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  12. Some of mine are leftovers from 30 years ago. The Art book I thought would be a great chronicle of the history of creativity, and poetry is just music to my ears — even if the book was written a 100 years ago. Hard pick!

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Is Eat Pray Love like Under the Tuscan Sun? I loved that book and movie. The woman who moves to Italy and buys a house. See? There are sooo many books to chose from. Three just won’t cut it. Ha!

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I love these challenges. I would bring War and Peace, (yes I own it), Anne of Green Gables and The Bible (there are tons of great stories in it).

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  18. What a great and difficult question! I have more books than space for them so my home is more like a library with some furniture in it!

    The first book would be Planets in Transit by Robert Hand. It is my go to Astrology reference book. The second might be A Course in Miracles which is like a bible to me. Not sure about the third, maybe a non fiction story book like Eat Pray Love?

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