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10 Honors—Suggested Books

First, some “not” suggested books:

• Series books like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Gossip Girls, Shopaholic, etc.

• Serial writers like Jodi Piccoult, Sarah Dessen, Lurlene McDaniels, Nicholas Sparks ( Books that are too much of a “reach”—

o More than 10 words on first page make no sense to you, even in context

o Takes you more than double your usual reading speed to get through

o You find yourself bored or disengaged, reading the same page over and over again -It’s making you hate reading

o If you need more context (literary or historical) than you have to enjoy the book

Then some general “how to find good stuff” ideas:

( New or “noteworthy” fiction tables at bookstores

( Popular book club titles (Kite Runner, The Help, etc. See list at end “Book Club Picks”)

( Browse at or other book-friendly sites using their pre-sorted lists.

( Ask a librarian here at City. Mrs. Frederickson always has a good list in mind.

( ALA Lists

( Other books by authors we read in school

( Banned Books Lists (often classics with enough “punch” to keep ‘em engaging independently)

Warnings:

There are plenty of titles that I think are out of reach—either too adult or too challenging. You’ll have to poke around to find and try out books that will be a good fit for you. You know it’s a good fit when:

• Your reading speed is slowed to the pace of a school book (think Lord of the Flies or Foster)

• You’re interested enough to continue, even though it is slightly more challenging

• You find a connect to a topic or time period that interests you

• You love the characters or the plot enough to keep going

• It isn’t totally predictable

Classics (most school titles removed)

Bellow, Saul

Seize the Day

A son grapples with his love and hate for an unworthy father.

Clark, Walter Van Tilburg

The Ox-Bow Incident

When a group of citizens discovers one of their members has been murdered by cattle rustlers, they form an illegal posse, pursue the murderers, and lynch them.

Cormier, Robert

The Chocolate War

Jerry Renault challenges the power structure of his school when he refuses to sell chocolates for the annual fundraiser.

Crane, Stephen

The Red Badge of Courage

During the Civil War, Henry Fleming joins the army full of romantic visions of battle which are shattered by combat.

Dorris, Michael

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water

Three generations of Native American women recount their searches for identity and love.

Gaines, Ernest

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

In her 100 years, Miss Jane Pittman experiences it all, from slavery to the civil rights movement.

Heller, Joseph

Catch-22

A broad comedy about a WWII bombardier based in Italy and his efforts to avoid bombing missions.

Kesey, Ken

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

A novel about a power struggle between the head nurse and one of the male patients in a mental institution.

Lewis, Sinclair

Main Street

A young doctor's wife tries to change the ugliness, dullness and ignorance which prevail in Gopher Prairie, Minn.

London, Jack

Call of the Wild

Buck is a loyal pet dog until cruel men make him a pawn in their search for Klondike gold.

McCullers, Carson

The Member of the Wedding

A young southern girl is determined to be the third party on a honeymoon, despite all the advice against it from friends and family.

Morrison, Toni

Sula

The lifelong friendship of two women becomes strained when one causes the other's husband to abandon her.

Parks, Gordon

The Learning Tree

A fictional study of a black family in a small Kansas town in the 1920s.

Plath, Sylvia

The Bell Jar

The heartbreaking story of a talented young woman's descent into madness.

Potok, Chaim

The Chosen

Friendship between two Jewish boys, one Hasidic and the other Orthodox, begins at a baseball game and flourishes despite their different backgrounds and beliefs.

Potok, Chaim

My Name is Asher Lev

Sinclair, Upton

The Jungle

The deplorable conditions of the Chicago stockyards are exposed in this turn-of-the-century novel.

Tan, Amy

The Joy Luck Club

After her mother's death, a young Chinese-American woman learns of her mother's tragic early life in China.

Welty, Eudora

Thirteen Stories

A collection of short stories about people and life in the deep South.

Wolfe, Thomas

Look Homeward, Angel

A novel depicting the coming of age of Eugene Gant and his passion to experience life.

Wright, Richard

Native Son

Bigger Thomas, a young man from the Chicago slums, lashes out against a hostile society by committing two murders.

World Literature

Allende, Isabel

House of the Spirits

The story of the Trueba family in Chile, from the turn of the century to the violent days of the overthrow of the Salvador Allende government in 1973.

Austen, Jane

Pride and Prejudice

Love and marriage among the English country gentry of Austen's day.

Balzac, Honore de

Pere Goriot

A father is reduced to poverty after giving money to his daughters.

Borges, Jorge Luis

Labyrinths

An anthology of literary fireworks based on Borges' favorite symbol. (some tie-in to Looking for Alaska)

Bronte, Charlotte

Jane Eyre

An intelligent and passionate governess falls in love with a strange, moody man tormented by dark secrets.

Bronte, Emily

Wuthering Heights

One of the masterpieces of English romanticism, this is a novel of Heathcliff and Catherine, love and revenge. (some tie-in with Eclipse)

Camus, Albert

The Stranger

A man who is virtually unknown to both himself and others commits a pointless murder for which he has no explanation.

Carroll, Lewis

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

A fantasy in which Alice follows the White Rabbit to a dream world.

Cervantes, Miguel de

Don Quixote

An eccentric old gentleman sets out as a knight "tilting at windmills" to right the wrongs of the world.

Conrad, Joseph

Heart of Darkness

The novel's narrator journeys into the Congo where he discovers the extent to which greed can corrupt a good man.

Defoe, Daniel

Robinson Crusoe

The adventures of a man who spends 24 years on an isolated island.

Dickens, Charles

Great Expectations

The moving story of the rise, fall, and rise again of a humbly-born young orphan.

Dostoevski, Feodor (Dostoyevsky, Fyodor)

Crime and Punishment

A psychological novel about a poor student who murders an old woman pawnbroker and her sister.

Eliot, George

The Mill on the Floss

Maggie is miserable because her brother disapproves of her choices of romances.

Esquivel, Laura

Like Water for Chocolate

As the youngest of three daughters in a turn-of-the-century Mexican family, Tita may not marry but must remain at home to care for her mother (magical realism)

Huxley, Aldous

Brave New World

A bitter satire of the future, in which the world is controlled by advances in science and social changes.

Orwell, George

Animal Farm

Animals turn the tables on their masters.

Paton, Alan

Cry, the Beloved Country

A country Zulu pastor searches for his sick sister in Johannesburg, and discovers that she has become a prostitute and his son a murderer.

Remarque, Erich Maria

All Quiet on the Western Front

A young German soldier in World War I experiences pounding shellfire, hunger, sickness, and death.

Scott, Sir Walter

Ivanhoe

Tale of Ivanhoe, the disinherited knight, Lady Rowena, Richard the Lion-Hearted, and Robin Hood at the time of the Crusades.

Swift, Jonathan

Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver encounters dwarfs and giants and has other strange adventures when his ship is wrecked in distant lands.

Wells, H.G.

The Time Machine

A scientist invents a machine that transports him into the future.

Biography/History

Angelou, Maya

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

An African-American writer traces her coming of age.

Haley, Alex

Roots

Traces Haley's search for the history of his family, from Africa through the era of slavery to the 20th century.

Hersey, John

Hiroshima

Six Hiroshima survivors reflect on the aftermath of the first atomic bomb.

Kovic, Ron

Born on the Fourth of July

Paralyzed in the Vietnam War, 21-year-old Ron Kovic received little support from his country and its government.

Mathabane, Mark

Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa

A tennis player breaks down racial barriers and escape to a better life in America.

Maybury-Lewis, David

Millenium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World

Profiles members of several tribal cultures.

Mills, Kay

This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer, a sharecropper's daughter, uses her considerable courage and singing talent to become a leader in the civil rights movement.

Rogosin, Donn

Invisible Men: Life in Baseball's Negro Leagues

Negro League players finally gain recognition for their contributions to baseball.

Williams, Juan

Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-65

From Brown vs. the Board of Education to the Voting Rights Act, Williams outlines the social and political gains of African-Americans

Yolen, Jane

Favorite Folktales From Around the World

Yolen frames these powerful tales with explanations of historical and literary significance.

Science

Rachel Carson

Silent Spring

Carson's original clarion call to environmental action sets the stage for saving our planet.

Carson, Rachel

Hawking, Stephen

A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes

Cosmology becomes understandable as the author discusses the origin, evolution, and fate of our universe.

Bryson, Bill.

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Social Science

Campbell, Joseph

The Power of Myth

Explores themes and symbols from world religions and their relevance to humankind's spiritual journey today.

Hamilton, Edith

Mythology

Gods and heroes, their clashes and adventures, come alive in this splendid retelling of the Greek, Roman and Norse myths.

Kotlowitz, Alex

There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in Urban America

Lafayette and Pharoah Rivers and their family struggle to survive in one of Chicago's worst housing projects.

Kozol, Jonathan

Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools

Kozol's indictment of the public school system advocates equalizing per pupil public school expenditures.

Terkel, Studs

Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession

This kaleidoscope covers the full range of America's views on racial issues.

Drama

Wilde, Oscar

The Importance of Being Earnest

Comedy exposing quirks and foibles of Victorian society.

Wilder, Thornton

Our Town

The dead of a New Hamshire village of the early 1900s appreciate life more than the living.

Classics, Continued (with many repeats from previous)

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice, 1813. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." This witty comedy of manners explores the intricacies of courtship in 18th-century England. 281 p.

Cather, Willa. My Ántonia, 1918. Soulful portrait of Ántonia Shimerda, a Czech immigrant who faces heartbreak, disillusionment, and social ostracism in frontier Nebraska. 238 p.

Heller, Joseph. Catch-22, 1961. A masterpiece of black humor which satirizes the murderous insanity of war.

Bombardier John Yossarian is caught-up in absurd schemes to outwit the army. 443 p. FIC H477C; H477C 1996

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea, 1952. Exciting but tragic tale of an old Cuban fisherman’s relentless battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. 127 p.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1937. Independent and articulate, Janie Crawford is determined to be her own person, no mean feat for a black woman in the 1930’s. 219 p.

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World, 1932. In this brave, new world, children are born in test tubes and processed by an assembly line. 177 p.

Keneally, Thomas. Schindler’s List, 1982. Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and war profiteer who gambled his life and his fortune to save 1,300 Jews from the gas chambers.

Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1962. Fast-talking con Randle Patrick McMurphy commits himself to a mental institution to avoid work, and matches wits with Nurse Ratched. 277 p.

London, Jack. Call of the Wild, 1903. Buck, a pampered dog living on a California ranch, is kidnapped and taken to the Yukon Territory, where he becomes a sled dog and reverts to the most basic animal savagery. 284 p.

Orwell, George. Animal Farm, 1945. In this scathing satire of communism, power-hungry pigs forge a ruthless dictatorship, where "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." 128 p.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1886. Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with a drug which unleashes his alternate personality, the evil Mr. Hyde. 158 p.

Stoker, Bram. Dracula, 1897. "There was one great tomb more lordly than all the rest; huge it was, and nobly proportioned. On it was but one word, DRACULA." Sinister blend of Transylvanian legend, personal experience, and imagination, with a pinch of Vlad the Impaler. 389 p.

Warren, Robert Penn. All the King’s Men, 1946. Political scandal, blackmail, and murder, with a Southern twist. Based indirectly on the life of Huey Long, the notorious Louisiana governor and senator. 438 p.

Wright, Richard. Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth, 1945. Subtly crafted narrative of the author’s harrowing childhood in the Jim Crow South. 285 p.

Multi-Cultural/Gender Fair Titles (in our Library) (aka “We Need Diverse Books”)

|Adams, Lenora. Baby girl. New York: Simon Pulse, 2007. Print. |

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|Adichie, Chimamanda N. Purple hibiscus : a novel. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2003. Print. |

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|Albertalli, Becky. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens agenda. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. Print. |

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|Alegría, Malín. Estrella's quinceañera. New York: Simon Pulse, 2007. Print. |

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|Alexander, Kwame. The crossover. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Print. |

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|Alexie, Sherman. The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown, 2009. Print. |

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|Anderson, Laurie H. Twisted. New York: Viking, 2007. Print. |

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|Andrews, Arin. Some assembly required : the not-so-secret life of a transgender teen. New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR. Print. |

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|Beah, Ishmael. A long way gone : memoirs of a boy soldier. New York: Sara Crichton, copyright 2007. Print. |

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|Beam, Cris. I am J. New York: Little, Brown, 2011. Print. |

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|Booth, Coe. Bronxwood. New York: PUSH, 2011. Print. |

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|---. Kendra. New York: PUSH, 2008. Print. |

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|---. Tyrell. New York: PUSH/Scholastic, 2006. Print. |

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|Bray, Libba. Beauty queens. New York: Scholastic Press, 2011. Print. |

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|Cohn, Rachel, and David Levithan. Naomi and Ely's no kiss list : a novel. New York: Knopf, 2007. Print. |

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|Cronn-Mills, Kirstin. Beautiful music for ugly children. Woodbury, MN: Flux, copyright 2012. Print. |

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|Curtis, Christopher P. The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963 : a novel. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1997. Print. |

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|Danforth, Emily M. The miseducation of Cameron Post. New York: Balzer + Bray, 2012. Print. |

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|Dorris, Michael. A yellow raft in blue water. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1988. Print. |

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|Draper, Sharon M. November blues. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007. Print. |

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|---. Romiette and Julio. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1999. Print. |

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|---. Tears of a tiger. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks, copyright 1994. Print. |

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|Elkeles, Simone. Perfect chemistry. New York: Walker. Print. |

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|---. Rules of attraction. New York: Walker, 2011. Print. |

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|Esquivel, Laura. Like water for chocolate : a novel in monthly installments, with recipes, romances, and home remedies. New York: Doubleday, |

|©1992. Print. |

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|Fu, Kim. For today I am a boy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Print. |

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|Gansworth, Eric L. If I ever get out of here. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2013. Print. |

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|Garden, Nancy. Annie on my mind. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, copyright 1982. Print. |

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|Gibney, Shannon. See no color. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Lab. Print. |

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|Giles, Gail. Girls like us. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. Print. |

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|Grande, Reyna. The distance between us : a memoir. New York: Washington Square Press, copyright 2012. Print. |

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|Haddon, Mark. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 2004. Print. |

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|Hamid, Mohsin. How to get filthy rich in rising Asia. New York: Riverhead Books, ©2013. Print. |

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|Han, Jenny. To all the boys I've loved before. New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR. Print. |

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|Henríquez, Cristina. The book of unknown Americans. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Print. |

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|Hill, Katie R. Rethinking normal : a memoir in transition. New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR. Print. |

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|Hosseini, Khaled. The kite runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005. Print. |

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|---. A thousand splendid suns. New York: Riverhead Books, 2007. Print. |

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|Johnson, Angela. The first part last. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2003. Print. |

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|---. Sweet, hereafter. New York: Simon and Schuster BFYR, ©2010. Print. |

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|King, A S. Glory O'Brien's history of the future. New York: Little, Brown and Company. Print. |

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|---. Please ignore Vera Dietz. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, copyright 2010. Print. |

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|Klise, James. The art of secrets. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin. Print. |

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|Koertge, Ronald. Stoner & Spaz. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2002. Print. |

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|Koja, Kathe. The blue mirror. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004. Print. |

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|Langan, Paul, and Ben Alirez. Brothers in arms. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print. |

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|Langan, Paul, and D M. Blackwell. Blood is thicker. New York: Scholastic, 2007. Print. |

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|Levithan, David. Boy meets boy. New York: Knopf, 2003. Print. |

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|---. Every day. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, ©2012. Print. |

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|Levithan, David, and John Green. Hold me closer : the Tiny Cooper story : a musical in novel form (or, a novel in musical form). New York, |

|New York: Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), LLC. Print. |

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|Levithan, David. Two boys kissing. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Print. |

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|Lockhart, E. The disreputable history of Frankie Landau-Banks : a novel. New York: Hyperion, 2008. Print. |

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|Lynch, Chris. Inexcusable. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005. Print. |

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|McCormick, Patricia. Sold. New York: Hyperion Paperbacks, ©2006. Print. |

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|Medina, Meg. Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press. Print. |

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|Mikaelsen, Ben. Touching Spirit Bear. New York: HarperTrophy, copyright 2001. Print. |

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|Miller, Madeline. The song of Achilles. New York: Ecco, 2012. Print. |

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|Moore, Perry. Hero. New York: Disney/Hyperion Books, ©2007. Print. |

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|Moskowitz, Hannah. Not otherwise specified. New York: Simon Pulse. Print. |

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|Murphy, Julie. Dumplin'. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. Print. |

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|Napoli, Donna J. Bound. New York: Simon Pulse, 2006. Print. |

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|Nelson, Jandy. I'll give you the sun. New York, New York: Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC. Print. |

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|Ness, Patrick. More than this. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2013. Print. |

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|Niven, Jennifer. All the bright places. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Print. |

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|O'Neill, Louise. Only ever yours. New York: Quercus, ©2014. Print. |

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|Osa, Nancy. Cuba 15 : a novel. New York: Delacorte Press, 2005. Print. |

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|Peters, Julie A. Keeping you a secret : a novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2003. Print. |

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|---. Luna : a novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2005. Print. |

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|Prince, Liz. Tomboy. San Francisco, CA: Zest Books. Print. |

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|Quintero, Isabel. Gabi, a girl in pieces. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos Press. Print. |

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|Reynolds, Jason. The boy in the black suit. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Print. |

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|---. When I was the greatest. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Print. |

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|Rowell, Rainbow. Carry on : the rise and fall of Simon Snow. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. Print. |

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|---. Eleanor and Park. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. Print. |

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|Sáenz, Benjamin A. Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, |

|©2012. Print. |

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|Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow boys. New York: Simon Pulse, 2003. Print. |

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|---. Rainbow High. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print. |

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|Sapphire. Push : a novel. New York: Vintage Contemporaries/Vintage Books, 1997. Print. |

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|Sheff, Nic. Schizo. New York, NY: Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA). Print. |

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|Sheth, Kashmira. Keeping corner. New York: Disney/Hyperion Books, 2009. Print. |

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|Silvera, Adam. More happy than not. New York, NY: Soho Teen. Print. |

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|Sitomer, Alan L. Homeboyz. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Paperbacks For Children, ©2007. Print. |

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|Smith, Andrew. Grasshopper jungle : a history. New York, N.Y.: Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), LLC. Print. |

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|---. Winger. New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR. Print. |

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|Stevenson, Noelle. Nimona. New York, NY: HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Print. |

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|Summers, Courtney. All the rage. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. Print. |

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|Talley, Robin. What we left behind. Don Mills, Ontario: Harlequin Teen. Print. |

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|Tammet, Daniel. Born on a blue day : inside the extraordinary mind of an autistic savant. New York: Free Press, 2007. Print. |

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|Trueman, Terry. Life happens next. New York: HarperTeen, 2012. Print. |

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|---. Stuck in neutral. New York: HarperTempest, 2001. Print. |

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|Tyler, Anne. Digging to America : a novel. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print. |

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|Van Diepen, Allison. Snitch. New York: Simon Pulse, 2007. Print. |

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|---. Street pharm. New York: Simon Pulse, 2006. Print. |

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|Volponi, Paul. Black and white. New York: Speak, copyright 2005. Print. |

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|---. The Final Four. New York: Speak, ©2012. Print. |

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|---. Rooftop. New York: Viking, 2006. Print. |

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|---. Rucker Park setup. New York: Viking, 2007. Print. |

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|Watson, Renée. This side of home. New York: Bloomsbury. Print. |

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|Westerfeld, Scott. Afterworlds. New York: Simon Pulse. Print. |

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|Wilson, G W. Ms. Marvel. 1, No normal. New York, NY: Marvel Worldwide, Inc., a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, LLC. Print. |

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|Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown girl dreaming. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA). Print. |

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|Yoon, Nicola. Everything, everything. New York: Delacorte Press. Print. |

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|Yousafzai, Malala. I am Malala : the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban. New York: Little, Brown and Co. Print. |

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|Zarr, Sara, and Tara Altebrando. Roomies : a novel about friendship, first loves, and random room assignments. New York: Little, Brown and |

|Co., 2013. Print. |

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|Zarr, Sara. How to save a life. New York: Little, Brown, 2011. Print. |

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|---. The Lucy variations. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2013. Print. |

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|---. Once was lost. New York: Little, Brown, 2009. Print. |

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|---. Story of a girl : a novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print. |

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|---. Sweethearts : a novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2008. Print. |

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ALA Picks: Best of Literature and Language Arts 2014 List

Avasthi, Swati. Chasing Shadows. Alfred A. Knopf, 2013.

Corey, Holly, and Savitri act as one until a random act of violence destroys their group. Holly and Savitri must find their own way to deal with the tragedy without becoming undone.

Bray, Libba. Going Bovine. Delacorte Press, 2009.

When Cameron is diagnosed with Mad Cow Disease, he sets out on an adventure with a video game obsessed dwarf and a Viking god trapped in a yard gnome in the hopes of finding a cure.

Butler, Octavia. Kindred. Beacon Press, 2003.

Dana is torn away from her home in California and taken back in time to Antebellum South where she is a slave. Each time Dana is pulled into the past, her stay there grows longer and she fears that she might not survive.

Crystal, David. Spell it Out: The Curious, Enthralling, and Extraordinary History of English Spelling. St. Martin’s Press, 2013.

A fascinating and entertaining history of English spelling that also examines the evolution of writing, printing, and the language itself.

Fforde, Jasper. The Eyre Affair. Viking, 2002.

The first in a series set in a zany alternative Swindon, Thursday Next (Special Ops—Literary Division) is on the case when characters are kidnapped from their original manuscripts—potentially changing literature forever.

Giovanni, Nikki, ed. The 100* Best African American Poems: (*But I Cheated). Sourcebooks MediaFusion, 2010.

This anthology, edited by award-winning poet Nikki Giovanni, contains more than one hundred poems by classic and contemporary African-American poets. Also included with the text is an audio CD with some selections of poetry read aloud.

Katcher, Brian. Almost Perfect. Delacorte, 2009.

Logan’s friendship with Sage, the new girl at school, begins to evolve into more until she reveals her secret. This story of acceptance is not just about how we love, but the surprise of who we love.

Keillor, Garrison, ed. Good Poems. Viking, 2002.

Selected from Keillor’s radio show, The Writer’s Almanac, this anthology of both contemporary and classic poetry is the first in a set of three. Poems range from quirky to quaint and everyone is sure to find at least one favorite in this accessible collection.

King, A. S. Please Ignore Vera Dietz. Alfred A. Knopf, 2010.

After her best friend Charlie’s death, Vera Dietz struggles to stay anonymous when Charlie begins haunting her, demanding that she clear his name.

Levithan, David. The Lover’s Dictionary. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

In simple dictionary entries a story of friendship, passion, and love comes to life.

Lewis, Catherine. Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice. Antheum Books for Young Readers, 2013.

One nursery rhyme is used to explain nearly one hundred elements of literature and writing in a fun, clever way.

Lockhart, E. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. Hyperion, 2008.

When fifteen-year-old Frankie finds out her boyfriend is lying to her, she vows to infiltrate and take down his boys-only secret society to prove what a girl can really do.

Marchetta, Melina. Finnikin of the Rock. Candlewick, 2010.

Ten years after the royal family of Lumatere is brutally murdered, nineteen-year-old Finnikin sets out on a journey to discover whether or not the rumors of a surviving heir are true.

McCall, Guadalupe Garcia. Under the Mesquite. Lee & Low Books, 2011.

When Lupita’s mother is diagnosed with cancer, it falls to Lupita to care for the rest of her Mexican-American family. In this free-verse novel, Lupita comes of age and finds strength in sharing her thoughts and opinions

Miller, Madeline. Song of Achilles. Ecco, 2012.

Achilles and Patroclus have been through many tough situations as they’ve grown up together. The battle at Troy may be their final challenge. This beautiful retelling of their story brings the Iliad to life.

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller. Carolrhoda Lab, 2012.

Through the use of illustrations, photos, and newspaper clippings, the struggle and triumph of Lewis Michaux’s passion to get people to read led him to found the National Memorial African Bookstore, which became the intellectual hub and the place to be during the Harlem Renaissance.

ALA Picks: Best of Literature and Language Arts 2009 List

Newman, Lesléa. October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard. Candlewick, 2012.

Through different points of view and different forms of poetry, Newman explores both the crime and tragedy of Matthew Shepard’s death.

Pullman, Philip. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version. Viking, 2012.

Ever wonder about the classic fairy tales you heard as a child? Pullman retells and traces the history of some of the most well known—and some obscure—stories of our time.

Rowell, Rainbow. Fangirl. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013.

As a college freshman, Cath struggles to find her place as she tries to balance her chaotic home life, her fan-fiction writing, and school, while discovering what life is like without her twin sister.

Sloan, Robin. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012.

This story of complex code breaking, global conspiracy, and adventure all starts with a lonely bookstore and one unemployed web designer.

Stiefvater, Maggie. Scorpio Races. Scholastic, 2011.

Every November, riders attempt to stay on their water horses long enough to win the Scorpio Races. Puck Connolly is the first girl to ever compete and she is in no way prepared for the race or the returning champion, Sean Kendrick.

Stiefvater, Maggie, Tessa Graton, and Brenna Yovanoff. The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories. Carolrhoda Lab, 2012.

Three young adult authors challenged each other to write a piece of short fiction every week. The Curiosities is a collection of their stories, with comments from each author about their writing. 

Suma, Nova Ren. Imaginary Girls. Dutton Books, 2011.

Chloe adores her big sister Ruby, and lives to win Ruby’s approval. In fact, Ruby seems to have this effect on everyone in their little town. But just what is the power that Ruby holds over them? The author’s use of language may keep us from seeing the truth in this eerily compelling story.

Teller, Janne and Martin Aitken, trans. Nothing. Antheum Books for Young Readers, 2010.

When Pierre Anthon announces that nothing matters, his classmates set out to prove him wrong, with chilling consequences.

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. First Second, 2006.

Intertwining three very different stories, this graphic novel tackles the problems young Chinese-Americans face when trying to adapt to popular culture.

Allison, Dorothy. Bastard Out of Carolina. 1993. Penguin/Plume.

Bone confronts illegitimacy, poverty, the troubled marriage of her mother and stepfather, and the stigma of being considered “white trash” as she comes of age in South Carolina.

Anderson, M.T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party. 2006. Candlewick. Set during the American Revolution, Octavian is raised as a pampered African prince by a society of Enlightenment philosophers who view him as an experiment. Realizing that his freedom is an illusion, Octavian sets off on a journey to find freedom and a place in the world. These books will challenge everything you have ever learned about the Revolutionary War.

Bond, Jenny and Chris Sheedy. Who the Hell is Pansy O’Hara?: The Fascinating Stories Behind 50 of the World’s Best-Loved Books. 2008. Penguin.

Did you ever wonder what an author was thinking when they wrote their book? Explore the quirky back-stories of some of the world’s most famous 50 books.

Cameron, Peter. Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You. 2007. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

James hates everyone except his grandmother. Take a look at life through this brilliant and mischievous New York teen’s eyes as he tries to figure out life and his place in it.

Cisneros, Sandra. Caramelo . 2003. Knopf/Vintage.

LaLa learns the stories of her Awful Grandmother and weaves them into a colorful family history. The “caramelo,” a striped shawl begun by her Great-Grandmother, symbolizes their traditions.

Dunn, Mark. Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters. 2002. Knopf/Anchor.

The people of Nollop are good citizens, but as the use of more and more letters in the alphabet is outlawed, how will its residents communicate?

Foer , Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. 2006. Houghton Mifflin.

Oskar Schell, a gifted 9-year old, explores the mystery of his father’s death during the 9/11 attack.

Gaines, Ernest. A Lesson Before Dying. 1997. Knopf/Vintage .

When Jefferson's attorney states, "I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this," disillusioned teacher Grant Wiggins is sent into the penitentiary to help Jefferson gain a sense of dignity and self-esteem before his execution.

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. 2005. Penguin.

Join Miles Halter, who is intrigued by famous last words, as he heads off to boarding school in search of the “Great Perhaps.” What he finds is a beautiful but troubled girl named Alaska.

Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. 2004. Knopf/Vintage .

Christopher has two mysteries to solve: who killed Wellington the dog and what happened to his mother. But

Christopher, who has Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism, approaches these mysteries and the world itself in a unique and special way.

Hosseini , Khaled. The Kite Runner. 2004. Penguin/Riverhead.

Years after he flees Afghanistan, Amir, now an American citizen, returns to his native land and attempts to atone for the betrayal of his best friend before he fled Kabul and the Taliban.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. 2005. Knopf.

Only special students are chosen to attend Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school tucked away in the English countryside. The chilling truth of their special nature slowly unfolds as we follow the stories of three former students.

Jones, Lloyd. Mister Pip. 2008. Dell Publishing/Dial Press.

Matilda’s Pacific Island village has been torn apart by civil war. Against this harsh backdrop, Mr. Watts, a lonely British expatriate, maintains calm by reading Dicken’s Great Expectations aloud to the village children, transforming their lives.

Keillor , Garrison, ed. Good Poems. 2003. Penguin.

An essential and accessible anthology of some of the best contemporary and classic poetry.

Kidd, Sue Monk. Secret Life of Bees. 2008. Penguin.

Searching for the truth about her mother’s life and death, a grieving Lily finds the answers, love, and acceptance where she least expects it.

Kyle, Aryn. The God of Animals. 2007. Simon & Schuster/Scribner.

Twelve-year old Alice must face issues beyond her years. Her sister has run off, her mother won’t get out of bed, and the family horse farm is failing. Can she keep the family from falling apart?

Maguire, Gregory. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. 2007. HarperCollins.

The Wizard of Oz retold from the point of view of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. You’ll never think of Oz the same way again.

McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. 2008. Knopf/Vintage.

After an apocalyptic catastrophe, a father and his young son embark on a grim and perilous quest following the road to the sea.

Murakami, Haruki. Kafka on the Shore. 2006. Knopf/Vintage.

Reality and fantasy converge in this story of a Japanese runaway’s quest to find his long-lost sister and mother.

Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise Over Fallujah. 2008. Scholastic.

Robin believes in his country and volunteers to fight in Iraq; but when he arrives he realizes that fighting for freedom is not always black and white.

Roth, Philip. The Plot Against America. 2005. Knopf/Vintage.

This is a fascinating alternate history that takes a hard look at one of America’s legendary heroes, Charles Lindbergh, and at how bigotry and fear can shape politics.

Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead. 1994. Grove Press

Two bit players from Shakespeare's Hamlet are thrust into a terrifying and surreal new situation.

Thompson, Craig . Blankets. 2003. Top Shelf Productions.

A young man questions his faith and experiences bittersweet first love in this autobiographical and groundbreaking graphic novel.

Zusak , Marcus. The Book Thief. 2006. Random House/Knopf.

Living in Nazi Germany, young Liesel and her family choose to lie and steal to protect a Jewish refugee hiding in their basement. Narrated by Death, this is not your typical World War II story.

Books Mrs. B Uses in her Online World Literature Class for Honors 10th & 11th Graders

Latin & Native America

( One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

( Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

( Twenty Love Poems & a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda

( Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris

Middle East & Asia

( Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

( Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad OR Good Women of China by Xinran

( Silence by Shusako Endo

Africa

( Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

( Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee

( Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie (by ANYTHING she’s written is an excellent choice)

Europe

( Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney

( Agememnon by Aeschylus

( Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

( The Plague by Albert Camus

( Night by Eli Wiesel

( The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

( Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

Other Miscellaneous Ideas from Mrs. B

Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie

Thousand Splendid Suns

Picture of Dorian Grey

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant OR Digging to America (Ann Tyler)

American Wife OR Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (or anything else by him, really)

anything you can get your hands on by Michael Pollan or Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth

I am One of You Forever, Fred Chapppell

War Dances OR The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Literally ANY BOOK written by Sherman Alexie

Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy

Any book written by Jane Austen

Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel (like the third time on this list. Take the hint)

These books are from LitPicks, but they’re arranged into TOPICAL clusters of three—often a contemporary title or two with a classic. Thought it might be helpful for one of those “if you like...you might like...” kind of things

Sisters in Exile

• The Three Weissmanns of Westport

• Shanghai Girls

• Sense and Sensibility

Times Crooked Arrow

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• A Visit from the Goon Squad • The Picture of Dorian Gray

Rock, Paper, Scissors

• Remarkable Creatures • The Imperfectionists

• Arrowsmith

Work, If You Can Get It

• Last Night at the Lobster • Coal Run

• Working

The Tudors

• Brief Gaudy Hour

• Wolf Hall

• A Man for All Seasons

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

• The Pursuit of Alice Thrift • Mr. Golightly's Holiday

• Nostromo

Urban Mysterioso

• When You Reach Me • The City and the City • The Quincunx

M for Magic

• The Magician's Elephant • The Magicians

• The Magus

True Grit

• Half Broke Horses

• Harriet Tubman: Road to Freedom

• Autiobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Coming of Age

• Sag Harbor

• A Gate at the Stairs • A Separate Peace

Domestic Disturbances

• The Motion of the Ocean • That Old Cape Magic

• Who's Afraid of Virginia W oolf?

Criminally Addicted

• Stephanie Plum Series

• When Will There Be Good News

• The Woman in White

Those Who Teach...Must

• Ms. Hempel Chronicles

• Mister Pip

• The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Henry’s Ladies

• Daisy Miller

• The Master

• The Portrait of a Lady

Municipal Bonds

• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

• Olive Kitteridge

• The Hamlet

The Kindness of Strangers

• The Cure to Modern Life • The Soloist

• Bartleby the Scrivener

Chick Lit on Steroids

• Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader

• The Stone Diaries

• Vanity Fair

What Women Want, Really

• Good Grief

• The Ten-Year Nap

• The Feminine Mystique

Animal Planet

• Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat

• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

• Call of the Wild & White Fang

Remembrance of Times Past

• Tender at the Bone • Charming Billy

• Absalom, Absalom!

The Gatsby Effect

• Away

• Netherland

• The Great Gatsby

African Trio

• The Syringa Tree

• Half of a Yellow Sun

• Cry, the Beloved Country

A Boy’s Life

• Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

• Out Stealing Horses • Midnight's Children

Quiet Intimacy

• Gilead

• Matrimony

• To the Lighthouse

Beyond the Pale

• Skinny Dip

• Nineteen Minutes • Lolita

The Uses of Mythology

• Mythology

• The Human Stain • The Iliad

July 2008

• Blink

• The Lovely Bones

• The Grapes of Wrath

War Torn Lives

• The Book Thief • Suite Francaise • Night

Wherefore Happiness

•The Jane Austen Book Club • Saying Grace

• A Doll's House

Transgressions

• Their Eyes Were Watching God

• Loving Frank

• Anna Karenina

Healing

• Chosen by a Horse • People of the Book • Beloved

Magical Realism

• Garden Spells

• The House of the Spirits • One Hundred Years of Solitude

January 2008

• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

• The Remains of the Day

• Far From the Madding Crowd

IN Praise of Land

• Plainsong

• A Thousand Acres • My Antonia

Sons and Mothers

• The Color of Water • Empire Falls

• Sons and Lovers

Novelist as Master Weaver

• Can't Wait to Get to heaven • The Whole World Over

• Middlemarch

Novels of Ideas

• The War Against Miss Winter • On Beauty

• Howards End

Inimitable English Women

• Bridget Jones's Diary • Hotel du Lac

• Pride and Prejudice

Male Friendship

• A Walk in the Woods • The Kite Runner

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Seeking Wholeness

• Eat, Pray, Love

• The Bone People

• Till We Have Faces

Water

• A River Runs Through It • Life of Pi

• Moby Dick

Mrs. B’s Favorites (asterisked ones are appropriate for class ()

Books I Will Not Live Without

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen*

2. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson*

3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, tied with I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson *

4. Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince (& etc.) by JK Rowling

5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (& etc.) By CS Lewis

6. Anne of Green Gables (& etc.) by LM Montgomery

7. Fellowship of the Ring (& etc.) by JRR Tolkien

8. The Gurnsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society*

9. Blue Horses by Mary Oliver*

10. Romeo & Juliet tied with A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Charmers

1. All the books by Rainbow Rowell (my favorite is Fangirl)

2. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

3. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (her book The Girl Who Chased the Moon is a lovely one for YA

readers)

4. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Armin*

5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer*

Non Fiction that’s Changed My Life

1. Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983 and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle both by Barbara Kingsolver*

2. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Zoe Francios and Jeff Hertzberg

3. Kids are Worth It by Barbara Coloroso

4. Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen

5. The Food Revolution by John Robbins (another embarrassing title; he writes with more exclamation marks

than content, but it did its job for both David and I as we have been committed vegetarians since)

6. Loving Across the Color Line by Sharon Rush

7. There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Faye Green*

8. Savage Inequalities and Amazing Grace by Jonathon Kozol*

9. Born for Liberty by Sara Evans (a women’s history of the US)

10. Educating Esme by Esme Raji Codell

Poetry (of the contemporary kind)

1. The Wellspring or The Dead and the Living by Sharon Olds *

2. Delights and Shadows by Ted Kooser *

3. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda *

4. Blue Horses by Mary Oliver *

5. A House With Many Windows by Donna Vorreyer

My very short sci-fi list: The Ender Series (beginning with Ender’s Game) and the Bean series (beginning with Ender’s Shadow) by Orson Scott Card (I prefer the Bean series, personally)

The ending makes me cry because it’s so relentlessly perfect: The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway*

The prose is crystal or the voice is captivating but I probably won’t re-read:

1. When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otuska*

2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz*

3. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner*

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