Halls of the Dark Muse

And can only choose one book to take?

We have all heard this question asked many times in a variety of different ways, and I have never been able to give a satisfactory answer to the question. Meaning I could never come up with one solid answer that I felt was the "right" answer, as a person who is used to reading many books at once the thought of choosing only one book, even in purely hypothetical circumstances always seemed a near impossible task, so my every attempt to address this question always yielded different results and I never felt as if any of the were a genuine answer.

I could never decide if I should choose something I have never found the opportunity to get around to reading before (and just take the chance I would like it since I would be stuck with it) or should I choose and old favorite? Choose the longest book I could think of since I will have so much time? Should I choose something of a spiritual nature? Or philosophical, something I would like to read but cannot quite get myself motivated into doing so, or something I know I will enjoy but never really get the change to read again?

I finally think I have found my answer to the question. Though the way I came about the answer is a bit strange (what else to expect from me).

I decided that the book I would choose is In Search of Lost Time by Proust. All 7 volumes of course (if that is not considered "cheating") since I do not know if that would really count as one book.

A while back I had attempted to read the first book, Swann's Way but I had trouble getting into it and ended up giving up on it. So than why would I want that book to be my only reading material for perhaps indefinitely? Well because I am presently reading 1Q84 and there was a statement made in the book about "In Search of Lost Time" in which someone said that the only way a person could really read that book, is if they are in prison, or otherwise isolated. (becasue I always do what my books tell me to ) So that statement got me thinking, and I think that I would like to pursue that book if I was in a circumstance of nothing have any other distractions because under those conditions I think I may truly be able to better absorb it in.