# Your top 5 favorite books of all time

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-favorite-books-of-all-time/486049>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 16, 2009, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-favorite-books-of-all-time/486049 "2009-02-16T04:39:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 10

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**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-favorite-books-of-all-time/486049/181 "2009-02-25T22:37:02Z")

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I’d just be listing 5 books I really like. No 5 would fail to leave a glaring omission. To get any kind of picture at all of me as a reader, I’d have to list more 25, which I hold roughly on the same plane.

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**Author:** ![statij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@statij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statij)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-favorite-books-of-all-time/486049/182 "2009-02-25T22:41:01Z")

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> [@Cisco](#):
>
> I’d just be listing 5 books I really like. No 5 would fail to leave a glaring omission. To get any kind of picture at all of me as a reader, I’d have to list more 25, which I hold roughly on the same plane.

But you know you can only take 5 to the deserted island, right? What would they be? 🙂

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**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-favorite-books-of-all-time/486049/183 "2009-02-25T22:47:27Z")

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> [@jackdavinci](#):
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> Is the book just a ‘list of things that make me happy’?

No: it’s more like a diary (but instead of a day-to-day structure its more like random mini-narratives) that explores that woman’s unique observations and experiences in a long-gone culture. It is supplemented with poems, lists of things she likes (and dislikes), etc, all coloured by her brand of wit and sarcasm.

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**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-favorite-books-of-all-time/486049/184 "2009-02-25T22:51:25Z")

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> [@statij](#):
>
> But you know you can only take 5 to the deserted island, right? What would they be? 🙂

Probably 5 books I’ve never read before.

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**Author:** ![statij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@statij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statij)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-favorite-books-of-all-time/486049/185 "2009-02-25T23:14:37Z")

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> [@Cisco](#):
>
> Probably 5 books I’ve never read before.

Good answer. I hadn’t thought of that. Risky though…

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