This book of short stories by the author of Chocolat is a nice little collection of tales which personify the authors usual humour, pathos and sense of whimsy and the magical. The title comes from her answer to the question, if you were to be stranded on a desert island, what things would you take with you, and has a rather neat turn of phrase.

Whilst I always enjoy Harris turn of phrase and character creations, I’m not a huge fan of short stories, and what is contained herein is a motley crew, ranging from the technological (a story about a computer game, a mother who haunts her deceased sons twitter profile) to the mystical (Norse Gods living in modern cities) and the mundane (an Elvis impersonator who moonlights as a private investigator with humourous results).

I think anything by this author is well worth taking a look at, but this is not my favourite of her volumes.

Read It If: you like the short story format, or are a fan of the author.