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

J.S. Fields’s Desert Island Books

My book choices

‘Santa Olivia and Saints Astray’ by Jacqueline Carey

These were my first lesfic books. I love their simplicity. No love triangle, no power dynamics, just two women (one a superhero) and their budding love for one another. The second book in particular gives us lots of cozy slice of life moments along with the plot. They’re delightful, they’re silly, they’re hot, and they are the perfect island reading material.

‘The Forbidden Stars’ by Tim Pratt

Space opera at its best, and who doesn’t love space lesbians?? This has so many of the best space opera tropes, along with a fantastic plot that keeps the book moving at a steady pace. The romance line is very nice, too! I’d be fine with getting my own space princess any day, just saying.

‘Magnifique Noir’ by Briana Lawrence

Sailor Moon, but black and queer. The art is a delight and the characters grab you right from the start. This is my ‘happy place’ read. It always brightens my day.

‘Into the Drowning Deep’ by Mira Grant

If I’m going to be on an island, I should have related reading, right? Murder mermaids seems like a good choice! Fast paced and a little bit terrifying, this is one of my common rereads. Again, the lesbian romance in it is top notch, too (and both live, unlike most everyone else in the book…). This book also has autism rep. And again, KILLER MERMAIDS.

‘Daughter of the Blood’ by Anne Bishop

Look, I know these books are trashy and problematic AF and I just can’t help but love them. I reread the entire like, eight-book series, at least once a year. They such escapism for me, with their weird jewel magic and powerful women and….cockrings of obedience. I just… it’s so hilarious I don’t know how you can’t love it.

‘The Tiger’s Daughter’ by K Arsenault Rivera

Another one that has some problematic rep but the prose is gorgeous and lyrical, and the romance is hot. The entire book is just two long love letters between fated women and just… sign me up.

‘The Last Command’ by Timothy Zahn

This was the first space opera book I ever really connected with. Set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (now defunct, and yes I’m still upset), Mara Jade was my adolescent hero….and I think also my first literary crush. Did I want to BE her or did I want to DATE her? I’m not entirely sure, even now. I remain upset that I do not have my own lightsaber.

My song choice

‘The Words‘ by Christina Perri

“And in the wind of a heavy choice, love is a quiet voice.

Still your mind, now I’m yours to choose.”

This song has a lot of emotional ties for me due to the lyrics above, and the time of my life I first heard this song. It always makes me think of one very specific walk home from work, during a very difficult time in mine and my girlfriend’s life. This song always evokes tender feelings, but also brings up just how much she and I had to fight to be together.

My inanimate object choice

This is going to be TMI, so you’ve been warned.

I have finally found the perfect dildo.

Laugh and roll your eyes if you like, but this has been a discovery a lifetime in the making. Quirks of my anatomy made it impossible for any type of penetrative act for most of my life. Several years ago (and two surgeries!) I finally had the ability to experiment with penetrative sex toys.

As a person in their late thirties who had never been able to adequately access the region, let me tell you, I had a steep learning curve. I bought a menagerie of items to try and found them okay, but not particularly earth-shattering. Almost four decades of life and I knew how to get myself off just fine, so a ‘toy’ seemed like it might just be superfluous.

And then I found ‘Stella’.

That’s not the dildo’s name, of course, officially. But the shape of this glass dildo, and the texture, destroyed me the first time I used it, and continues to leave me absolutely breathless. I’ve recommended Stella to every single person I’ve met, and those who have tried her have agreed – there’s no point in using anything else. She’ll send you into orbit as many times as you let her (with a bonus of fast and easy clean up). She’ll change your mind on glass dildos forever. She is the last sex toy you will ever need.

So, since I’m going to be on this island for a long time, Stella is for sure coming along. Bonus, since she is glass, super easy island clean up!

About J.S. Fields