In choosing books, I had a number of criteria and objectives. My number one rule is that the books need to be good reads: engaging, fast-moving, entertaining, make-you-lose-track-of-the-world-around-you, books. They don't need to be literary "classics" (in other words, no one needs to die). But, they should be good examples of their genre, with thought-provoking issues and quality writing, the kind of books you find yourself remembering and thinking about later. I want a wide variety of books - something for everyone: fantasy, science, romance, sports, biographies, mysteries, history, short stories and novels, fiction and non-fiction. I want books that are multi-cultural, so that my students are able to find a variety of viewpoints and world views. And, since I hope to be teaching history, books set in different historical eras get priority.
Also, although I've looked at lists of young adult books, I don't want to limit my library to this genre. You will see a range of books for all ages from middle school to adult on my list below because
1. This covers my own interests,
2. I would like my students to try books outside of the young adult genre, and
3. Truly good books cross all age lines.
Plus, having a few easy books will help my students who struggle with reading and the adult books will appeal to stronger readers.
I'm planning to include a number of books that are the first in a series. I'm hoping that if I can get them hooked, they'll be willing to look for the rest of the series at the library.
I've also decided to include my two favorite magazines, Mental Floss and Smithsonian. I know they won't stand up to as much handling as the books, but they're exactly what I want because they're current, engaging, and cover a wide range of topics. Plus, magazines are great for filling a few empty minutes when you don't want to get pulled into a full book.
So, the ones that made the cut are . . .
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
A Twist in the Tale by Jeffrey Archer (delightful short stories with great twists)
The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan (easier read than Joy Luck Club, tells the story of the author's mother)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (WWII history)
Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland (fantasy/quest series that appeals to women)
Addition by Toni Jordan (story from point of view of someone with OCD)
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (non-fiction history - 1930's)
Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (mystery series set in 1920's Australia)
Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend by Katie MacAlister (young adult paranormal romance/comedy)
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (forensic mystery series set in Laos during the Communist Revolution)
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (story from the point of view of a person with Asbergers/Autism)
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian (series of novels about the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (young adult novel about Native American)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (classic young adult science fiction)
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (young adult novel)
La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (for my students who read Spanish)
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford (two dogs and a cat travel across the Canadian wilderness)
The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas (Depression-era in the Southern U.S.)
Breathing Underwater by Alex Finn (novel with LGBT themes)
Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda (biography, WWII history)
A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer (mystery/thriller set amidst development of antibiotics)
Edwin of the Iron Shoes by Marcia Muller (mystery series, San Francisco, one of first with a female protagonist)
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin (novel set in Africa, explores issue of polygamy)
Without Remorse by Tom Clancy (CIA thriller, first in series)
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (biography, history of flight)
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (fantasy novel)
Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach (young adult novel about high school athletes)
Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson (mystery set in fourteenth-century England)
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer (fun caper novel)
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (young adult fantasy series)
The Abandoned by Paul Gallico (magical novel tells the story of a boy who turns into a cat)
Uprooted by Naomi Novik (fantasy with a twist)
Gym Candy by Carl Deuker (young adult novel about high school athletes and steroids)
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (stories of Latina growing up in Chicago)
Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (young adult fantasy)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (fantasy)
When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago (memoir of immigrant from Puerto Rico to NYC)
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (young adult paranormal romance)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (children's fantasy)
Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka (historical novel that explores Chinese foot-binding custom)
The Right Hand of Amon by Lauren Haney (mystery set in Ancient Egypt)
Ceremony by Joy Marmon Silko (Native American veteran of WWII with PTSD)
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (young adult fiction)
The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball (non-fiction account of organic farming in New York state)
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (African-American memoir in verse)
Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins (forensic mystery, with lots of archaeology)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John LeCarre (spy thriller)
A Keeper of Bees by Allison Wallace (thought-provoking mixture bee-keeping science and philosophy)
Swim the Fly by Don Calame (young adult novel about high school athletes
Delicious by Ruth Reichl (WWII on the home front with culinary sidenotes)
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (young adult novel)
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (classic children's book with layers for adults)
Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick (exploration of war from viewpoint of young soldier in Iraq)
A Thunderous Whisper by Christina Diaz Gonzales (young adult novel set in Spanish Civil War)
Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman (mystery series set in and around the Navajo Nation)
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (if Britain had dragons during the Napoleonic Wars . . .)
Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters (comedic mystery series featuring an art historian)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (young adult fantasy novels based on Greek myths)
Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico by Malin Alegria (novel about American Latina in Mexico)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (young adult novel)
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (young adult fantasy)
Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages (history of WWII Manhattan Project from child's viewpoint)
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson (young adult novel with Native American themes)
La Casa de los Espiritus by Isabel Allende (Spanish)
The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle (true story of nonconformist 19th century Cuban girl, told in verse)
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (mystery series set in Botswana, Africa)
Divergent by Veronica Roth (young adult fantasy)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (class novel)
Watership Down by Richard Adams (life from a rabbit's viewpoint)
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (graphic novel about experiences of Chinese-American teens)
Dune by Frank Herbert (classic science fiction)
Rain of Gold/Lluvia de Oro by Victor Villasenor (in original Spanish and translation, saga of Mexican immigrants)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (boy who flees to mountains and lives through winter alone)
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Woodson (young adult novel)
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson (young adult novel)
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (young adult novel set in WWII)
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson (young adult novel)
So, quite a list, no? I count about 77 books, which would be a great number for a classroom library. I have enough credits with PaperbackSwap.com to get about 50 of them, already own a few, and will then work on getting the rest over time. Of course, I'll probably think of more I want to add. And, the readers of this blog may have a few ideas, too. But, this seems like a great start! I'm so excited!