Based on the BBC radio programme ‘Desert Island Discs’, we’ve adapted this idea to ask castaways to list up to eight books, one song and one luxury item that they couldn’t do without on a desert island.

The rules are fairly simple, any type of book can be selected, but we ask that at least half are lesfic. Choices should be justified in a paragraph or two. Any type of music is allowed. The luxury item must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside.

Other Desert Island Choices

Cheyenne Blue’s Desert Island Books

My book choices

‘Language of Hoofbeats‘ by Catherine Ryan Hyde

A lesbian couple and their foster kids move to a small town. It’s not a romance, more of a family drama, but it has the ultimate feel-good ending that made me incredibly happy.

I read this book in one huge gulp finishing at three in the morning—when I had to be up two hours later. I picked it up for the lesbians + horses, but fell utterly in love with the found family—one of my favourite book themes.

‘Just My Luck‘ by Andrea Bramhall

There’s always so much going on in Andrea’s books and this rom-com is no exception. There are fantastic characters, witty dialogue, friends to lovers, and the main theme of winning the lotto is gold.

‘Borage‘ by Gill McKnight

Humorous books can be hit or miss for me, but Gill McKnight is definitely a hit every time. It’s the zingy one liners, the klutzy characters, Borage the grumpy cat, and the feel good humour wrapped around a twisty plot. This is my favourite of Gill’s books so far.

‘Hidden Hearts‘ by Ann Roberts

Another found family story, of communities tightly-bound together by choice rather than blood, and this based around an old house in Arizona is fantastic. I loved the interweaving of the past and present storylines, and the very eclectic community gathered together.

‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone‘ by Laini Taylor

I’ll cheat and take the trilogy. For me, this is the ultimate fantasy. The characters are compelling (a girl with blue hair and monsters for a family), a twisty plot, and one of the most delicious writing styles I’ve ever read. This is YA fantasy for everyone.

‘Breath‘ by Tim Winton

Tim Winton is an Aussie author through and through. His language is unapologetically colloquial Aussie. It’s muscular, direct, and dry. Tim’s from Western Australia and his books are about small towns and rural people, and they’re about the ocean. Breath is a coming of age story revolving around surfing, and his writing about the ocean gets me in the solar plexus. I love it, and it’s possibly my favourite book of all time, bar none.

‘Mullumbimby‘ by Melissa Lukashenko

Another Aussie author, but this time a queer Aboriginal woman from northern New South Wales. At its heart, this is a story about belonging to a place and a connection with the natural landscape. It’s mystical, beautiful, and taps into the soul of the Australian landscape.

‘Jill’s Pony Trek‘ by Ruby Ferguson

This is my number 1 comfort read of all time. It’s like a bowl of mac ‘n cheese, all warm and squidgy. The “Jill” books were the first books I ever owned as a child, and although the series was written between 1949 and 1962, they’re timeless. Jill is a hilarious narrator of her pony adventures in the English village of Chatton. ‘Jill’s Pony Trek‘ is one of the most fun books, and I love it now as much as my nine-year old self did all those years ago.

My song choice

It was tempting to pick David Bowie’s Heroes for the opening lines “I, I wish you could swim, like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim” simply because swimming like a dolphin would be a handy talent to have on a desert island.

However, while I love Bowie, I’m going to pick Life is Beautiful (oh what a world) by Rufus Wainwright. I’m a huge Rufus fan—it’s those swelling choruses—and this is one huge belter of a song. Add in the Bolero refrain, and this is a song to sing your heart out to. The combination of Rufus Wainwright + me + desert island is perfect for loud singing as I cannot sing a note in tune and am banned from singing in the shower.

My inanimate object choice

An old manual typewriter, and an endless supply of paper and correction tape. After all, no power for the laptop on an island, right? Then I could retreat into my head and write like crazy, and hopefully get rescued in time to submit my draft ahead of Ylva Publishing’s deadline. 😊