Top Ten Oldies but Goodies that deserve a look or a reread.
1. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams...if you haven't read this book yet, what are you waiting for? It is hilarious. (1979)
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith...we just read/reread this book in my book club and all the gals expressed how much they enjoyed the book but didn't feel that way when they started it. It is a slow starter but so worth the effort once you make it over the hump. This immigrants story gives all of us a peek at what life was like at the turn of the century in New York. (1943)
3. The Giver by Lois Lowry...probably a bit tame compared to popular dytopia novels today, this book is insightful and disturbing. Though I haven't read it, the fourth book in the series, Son, was just published this year.
4. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien...this is a powerful look at war and the need for soldiers to put all the pieces of their lives together when they return. (1990)
5. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson...the YA story of a girl who is so traumatized by her rape that she can't speak about it. This book has stood the test of time in my library and it is read today as often as ten years ago. (1999)
6. Persuasion by Jane Austen...you may not be as familiar with this Austen gem as you are with Pride and Prejudice. It is just as good and shorter. Just get past the first chapter , which is very confusing. (1816)
7. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood...a dytopian novel that strikes at society where it hurts: reproductive rights and pollution/climate change. This book will rile you up. (1985)
8. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak...my favorite Printz Honor book, this book takes a unique look at the travesty of WWII. (2006)
9. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell... everyone feels like they've read this book because they have seen the movie. Try the book. It is so good. (1936)
10. Looking for Alaska by John Green...I had to choose a John Green novel for this list. The Fault in Our Stars is his fabulous novel published this year and a book that should not be missed but be sure to go back and read his first novel that just blew me out of the water. (2005)
