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To Be Or Not To Be ... Poetic

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Student Recommendations

 

Title

Author

Description          (Note: some descriptions adapted from bn.com website)

Coehlo, Paulo

The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, a shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams. (Winner of several international awards.)

American Gods

Gaiman, Neil

In American Gods, Neil Gaiman, tells the story of Shadow, a man whose wife and best friend are killed on the eve of his release from prison. Left with nowhere to turn, Shadow takes a job as a bodyguard to Mr. Wednesday- a beguiling stranger. Shadow soon learns that his role in Mr. Wednesday's schemes will be far more dangerous and dark than he could have ever imagined. (Winner of Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker Awards.)

August: Osage County

Letts, Tracy

One of the most critically acclaimed plays in recent Broadway history, August: Osage County is a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest—and absolute worst. When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed. (Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.)

Saramago, Jose

A city is hit by an epidemic of “white blindness,” which spreads and spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to a vacant mental hospital where the criminal element among the blind hold the rest captive: food rations are stolen, women are raped. Blindness is a parable of loss and disorientation, of man’s worst appetites and hopeless weaknesses. (Saramago won the Nobel Prize for Literature.)

Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines

Cook's Tour

Bourdain, Anthony

The only thing celebrity chef and internationally bestselling author Anthony Bourdain loves as much as cooking is traveling. Inspired by the question, "What would be the perfect meal?" Tony sets out on a quest for his culinary holy grail, and in the process turns the notion of "perfection" inside out. The book has the same energy and perspective that you see on his No Reservations TV show. (Winner of Food Book of the Year.)

Everything Is Illuminated

Foer, Jonathan Safran

With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man -- also named Jonathan Safran Foer -- sets out to find the woman who may or may not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war; an amorous dog named Sammy Davis, Junior; and the unforgettable Alex, a young Ukrainian translator who speaks in sublimely butchered English, Jonathan is led on a journey over a devastated landscape and into an unexpected past. (Multiple prize winner including William Saroyan International Prize for Writing and New York Times Notable Book.)

Fasting, Feasting

Desai, Anita

Desai takes on one of life’s greatest themes: the intricate, delicate web of family conflict. Fasting, Feasting tells the story of Uma, the plain older daughter of an Indian family, tied to the household of her childhood and tending to her parents’ every extravagant demand, and of her younger brother, Arun, across the world in Massachusetts, bewildered by his new life in college and the suburbs, where he lives with the Patton family. This captures both the overpowering warmth of Indian culture and the cool center of the American family. (Runner up for Britain’s Mann Booker Prize.)

Green, John

From the very first page, tension fills this story of Miles Halter. He’s the quirky, nerdy type, and he knows he’s a misfit. He begs his parents to allow him to go to Culver Academy where I hopes to fit in better. And he does. There he finds teens who expend as much energy on sex, smoking, drinking, and pranking as they do on studying. He meets the coolest girl, Alaska Young, and develops a crush on her, but she is already committed to another guy. As Miles gets to know Alaska better, he realizes she is self-destructive. This novel is about real kids dealing with the pressures of growing up and feeling indestructible. The kids are smart-alecky and emotional, without being sentimental. Great read for guys and gals. (Winner of 2006 Michael L. Printz Award.)

March

Brooks, Geraldine

From Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic Little Women, Geraldine Brooks has animated the character of the absent father, March. Brooks follows March as he leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause in the Civil War. His experiences will utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs. (Winner of 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.)

No Country for Old Men

McCarthy, Cormac

Llewelyn Moss, hunting antelope near the Rio Grande, instead finds men shot dead, a load of heroin, and more than $2 million in cash. Taking the money will change everything. But only after two more men are murdered does a victim’s burning car lead Sheriff Bell to the carnage out in the desert, and he soon realizes how desperately Moss and his young wife need protection. One party in the failed transaction hires an ex–Special Forces officer to defend his interests against a mesmerizing freelancer, while on either side are men accustomed to spectacular violence and mayhem. The pursuit stretches up and down and across the border, each participant seemingly determined to answer what one asks another: How does a man decide in what order to abandon his life? Great movie; great book. (Rated R) (Film adaptation won Best Picture Academy Award. Author has won the National Book Award.)

Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation

Anderson, M.T.

Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, M.T. Anderson’s novel takes place at a time when American Patriots rioted and battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for a freedom they would never claim. Octavian does not know he is a slave being studied by scientists and philosophers who are trying to determine if Africans are “a separate and distinct species.” At the center of the story is the question of why American rebels excluded slaves from their quest for freedom at a time when other countries, including England, were abolishing slavery. This provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that resonates today. (Winner of both 2006 National Book Award and 2007 Printz Honor.)

Then We Came to the End

Ferris, Joshua

No one knows us quite the same way as the men and women who sit beside us in department meetings and crowd the office refrigerator with their labeled yogurts.  Every office is a family of sorts, and the ad agency Joshua Ferris depicts in his debut novel is family at its strangest and best, coping with a business downturn in the time-honored way: through gossip, pranks, and increasingly frequent coffee breaks. If you like TV’s The Office, you’ll love these unique characters. (Voted one of year’s best books by New York Times and Time magazine. Winner of the Discover Award.)

McCaughrean, Geraldine

Sym is not your average teenager. She is obsessed with the Antarctic and the brave, romantic figure of Captain Oates from Scott’s doomed expedition to the South Pole. In fact, Oates is the secret confidant to whom she spills all her hopes and fears. But Sym’s uncle Victor is even more obsessed—and when he takes her on a dream trip into the bleak Antarctic wilderness, it turns into a nightmarish struggle for survival that will challenge everything she knows and loves. (Winner of the 2008 Michael L. Printz Award.)

What Have You Lost?

Nye, Naomi Shihab (ed.)

What have you lost? A friend? A brother? A wallet? An iPod? A memory? A meaning? A year? This amazing book is a collection of poems that explore all kinds of loss and its infinite possibilities.

(Winner of multiple prizes in social studies and poetry.)

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Alexandria Link

Berry, Steve

The cradle of ideas, the Library of Alexandria, was unparalleled in the world. But 1500 years ago, it vanished into legend. Cotton Malone, a rare-book dealer and former government operative, becomes caught up in a world of moguls who want to find the library and its treasures. Malone crosses the world in search of answers, and his quest will have worldwide repercussions.

Amber Room

Berry, Steve

The Amber Room was seized by German troops invading the Soviet Union in 1941. During the war it was hidden never to be seen again. However, Rachel Cutler, an Atlanta judge, gets swept up in its mystery after the death of her father. She takes off to Germany and soon is locked in a treacherous game with professional killers eager to find the beautiful Amber Room.

Cold Day for Murder

Stabenow, Dana

Original, suspenseful and deftly written, this mystery set in 20 million miles of Alaskan wilderness, received an Edgar award for mystery writing. The beginning of the Kate Shugak mystery series. 

Dante Club

Pearl, Matthew

In Boston in 1865, the illustrious members of the Dante Club fight to keep a sacred literary cause alive, but their plans fall apart when a series of murders erupts through Boston and Cambridge.

Devil in the White City

Larson, Erik

Two men, an architect and a serial murderer, intersect during the building and opening of the great Chicago World's Fair of 1892. Chilling because it is based on real-life characters and events. The romance and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive amidst the torture of a maniac.

Kill Artist

Silva, Daniel

Daniel Silva has created a wonderful character in Gabriel Allon who was once a secret agent in the Israeli intelligence community and now is a world-renowned art restorer of priceless masterpieces. In The Kill Artist, the first in a series of stories involving Allon, he is called back into the game out of a sense of duty. Paired with a beautiful agent who poses as a model, they together begin a manhunt for a Palestinian terrorist named Tariq who is part of Allon's past. Thus duel blends the intrigue of politics and personal passions which emphasizes that revenge is a luxury that no man can afford and that life is the greatest masterpiece of all.

Grisham, John

Grisham tells the actual story of Ron Williamson, a black minor league baseball player, who was sent to death row for murder and rape. Grisham reviews the evidence and trial transcripts, and interviews witnesses in an attempt to get to the truth of the accusations. If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you. True crime at its best.

Obedience

Lavender, Will

When the students in Winchester University’s Logic and Reasoning 204 class arrive for their first day, they are greeted with a startling assignment from their professor: Find a hypothetical missing girl named Polly. If after being given a series of clues the class has not found her within six weeks, Polly will be murdered. Slithery, puzzling, bizarre mystery.

The Stand: Complete and Uncut

King, Stephen

This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail -- and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.

Surrender

Hartnett, Sonya

In this psychological thriller, 20 year-old Gabriel recollects the events that have brought him near death. After making a horrible mistake, he is paralyzed by grief. His only friends are a feral child and a dog. Gabriel realizes he has surrendered his soul in a boyhood pact and his world is spinning violently out of control as an inferno surrounds him.

Twilight (and rest of series)

Meyer, Stephenie

Stephenie Meyer developed a completely unrealistic situation and added deeply human characters to create a believable tale of vampires, love and self sacrifice.  The suspense will keep you reading until the last page. 

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The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream

Coehlo, Paulo

The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, a shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.

 Blindness

Saramago, Jose

Imagine an entire city turned blind. White is the only color perceived. Chaos ensues.

Blind Side

Lewis, Michael

Author Lewis explains how changes in the NFL (such as rushing from the quarterback's blind side) have transformed the game. Entwined is the story of Michael Oher, one of 13 children of a drug-addicted mother. Oher is adopted by a wealthy white family, finds a sense of belonging, and a future. He has gone on to be a great left tackle. His strange, sad, and yet inspiring story is awesome.

Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Diaz, Junot

Oscar grows up in a Dominican neighborhood in New Jersey as an overweight, homely lover of sci-fi and fantasy. Reading and writing consume his time. What he really wants is love, but he is constantly rejected. Oscar's story is interwoven with the stories of his ancestors who endured a dictatorship. There's magic, satire, sex, and comedy.

Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

Greene, Brian

Strings--tiny, vibrating loops of matter--are seen as the building blocks of nature that may serve to unite the divergent theories of quantum mechanics and relativity. Greene makes understanding snap in place.

Hour I First Believed

Lamb, Wally

Maureen and Caelum Quirk are caught up in the tragedy of Columbine. They return to their roots in rural Connecticut where the trauma in Colorado continues to haunt them both. The effects of the chaos can't be put right and further tragedy ensues. Unimaginable secrets emerge; long-buried fear, anger, guilt, and grief rise to the surface. Caelum's search for meaning becomes a journey that is both contemporary and American. This book is long, profound, and heart-rending.

Illustrator

Brooker, Jerry

This is the story of a Polish artist living outside of Auschwitz during WWII. He will not sit idly while the Nazis exterminate his people and his art will not allow him to portray a subject without revealing the true nature of their soul. When he is asked to paint the camp commandant, he faces his biggest challenge--disgrace his talent or save the woman he loves? Written by a former SHS teacher.

Playing for Pizza

Grisham, John

Rick Dockery was a third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. With a 17 point lead, Rick provided the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. He was cut by the Browns and became the laughingstock of the nation. But Rick insists he'll play football, even if it's in Italy. Humorous sports book.

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

Ratey, John J.

Did you know one important study shows that aerobic exercise is as effective as antidepressants? Exercise, in fact, sparks new brain-cell growth. Ratey presents the research which proves that exercise is the best defense against everything from ADHD to addiction to Alzheimer's. It will forever change the way you think about working out.

QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter

Feynman, Richard

Feynman provides a readable introduction to quantum electrodynamics, describing the interactions of light with charged particles. Using everyday language and diagrams, he clearly and humorously communicates to the layperson in an appealing style.

The Poisonwood Bible

Kingsolver, Barbara

Great book about a Southern missionary family who moves to the Belgium Congo.  Amazing characters, and a great story about Africa.

Zen an The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

Pirsig, Robert

The book details a cross-country motorcycle trip by a man and his 11-year-old son, as well as his quest for truth. Describes working on a motorcycle as part of a process to achieve an inner peace of mind. 

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Bel Canto

Patchett, Ann

A band of gun-wielding terrorists burst into an elegant party, taking all guests at a lavish party hostage. During the long siege, the terrorists and hostages form unexpected bonds. Fear and anguish give way to domesticity. The drawn-out hostage situation comes to seem normal, until the inevitable rescue attempt occurs, with astonishing consequences.

Nineteen Minutes

Picoult, Jodi

In the aftermath of a school shooting during which many are killed or maimed, a small New England town tries to come to grips with the why of it. There are secrets and blurred lines between truth and fiction. A trial ensues, but even then friendships and families are jeopardized. By one of SHS students' favorite authors.

Run

Patchett, Ann

The title of this book has so many meanings, from athletic prowess to political drive. At the center is what truly makes family, as an Irish Catholic one adopts several black children. Disparate lives can connect. Over time, only family prevails, regardless of race.

Second Glance

Picoult, Jodi

Earlier work by Picoult that pre-dates her formula of courtroom plots and twist endings.  If you like romance or the occult, this is a page-turner you won’t want to put down.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Hurston, Zora Neale

This novel created controversy by refusing to admit black inferiority while simultaneously refusing to depict its characters as victims of a world that thought them inferior. Written in 1937, Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of a proud, independent woman's quest for identity, a journey that takes her through three marriages and back to her roots.

The Thirteenth Tale

Setterfield, Diane

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author's tale of gothic strangeness -- featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Niffenegger, Audrey

Clare and Henry fall deeply in love, but Henry has a condition which periodically resets him in time (past or future). They desperately try to retain their complex relationship against unimaginable odds. Original, creative, incredibly moving love story. Easy to read; hard to forget.

Unaccustomed Earth

Lahiri, Jhumpa

Eight short stories dealing with various male/female relationships in the context of Indian immigration to the U.S. The gulf between first and second generation characters is wide. Lahiri's stories of exile, identity, disappointment and maturation have few contemporary equals.

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August: Osage County

Letts, Tracy

One of the most critically acclaimed plays in recent Broadway history, August: Osage County is a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest—and absolute worst. When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed.

Spring Awakening

Sater, Steven; Frank Wedekind

Controversial 1891 play about teen sexuality and society’s efforts to control it. The piece merges past and present, underscoring the timelessness of adolescent stress and the universality of human passion.

Wicked

Maguire, Gregory

If you've seen the play, read the book. The wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz is not so bad after all.

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Damage

Jenkins, A. M.

 Seventeen-year-old football hero Austin, trying to understand the inexplicable depression that has drained his interest in life, thinks that he has found relief in a girl who seems very special.

Gym Candy

Deuker, Carl

Mick Johnson is determined not to make the same mistakes his father, a failed football hero, made. But after being tackled just short of the end zone in a big game, Mich begins using “gym candy,” or steroids. His performances become record-breaking, but the side effects are terrible: ‘roid rage, depression, and body acne. The subject matter is just as hard-hitting as its football scenes. Hard to look away as Mick goes down a road that you know is the wrong one to travel.

Jake, Reinvented

Korman, Gordon

By the author of Son of the Mob, Korman weaves the tale of Jake, football player and host of superlative parties, and Rick. Jake is the one the guys want to be like and the girls want to date. But Jake has secrets, and Rick grows to fear for him. Lots of football, wisdom, and humor.

Rebound Rules: The Art of Success 2.0

Pitino, Rick

The only coach in college history to lead three different schools to the Final four writes of his rocky road to success, including the loss of many people important in his life and the effects of 9/11. In the end, the failures and tragedies opened doors. Pitino explains how to pick yourself up after being knocked down. A true comeback story for everyone.

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True & Imagined

Ralston, Aron

One of the most extraordinary survival stories ever told--ever lived. This is Aron Ralston's account of his six days trapped in one of the most remote spots in America, and how one inspired act of bravery brought him home. Gruesome and astonishing. True story.

Eiger Dreams

Krakauer, Jon

No one writes about mountaineering and its hardships and victories better than Krakauer (Into the Wild, Into Thin Air). In this collection of his best stories from magazines he explores the subject from the unique perspective of one who has battled peaks like K2, Denali, Everest, and, of course, the Eiger. Always with a keen eye, an open heart, and a hunger for the ultimate experience, he gives us perfect portraits of the mountaineering experience. Eiger Dreams is stirring, vivid writing about one of the most compelling and dangerous of all human pursuits. True stories.

Forgery of Venus: A Novel

Gruber, Michael

A literary thriller, in which a brilliant but troubled painter becomes embroiled in a scheme to forge a painting. He is tormented by amnesia and visions. He literally does not know who he is from one moment to the next. Is he going mad, being driven mad, actually shifting among realities or some combination of those options? The artist finds himself lost in a secret world of greed, lies, and murder.

I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d Have to Kill You

Carter, Ally

The spy game isn’t just a guy game. Cammie Morgan is an elite spy-in-training, learning advanced martial arts, the latest in chemical warfare, and breaking CIA codes. Even though Cammie is fluent in 14 languages and capable of killing a man in 7 different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary guy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. She’s now on the most dangerous mission—falling in love.

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Five People You Meet in Heaven

Albom, Mitch

From the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, this novel explores the unexpected connections of our lives, and the idea that heaven is more than a place; it's an answer. Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns is a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"

 A River Runs Through It

Maclean, Norman

Portrayal of two brothers’ passion for the sport of fly fishing against the rugged wilderness of Montana in the thirties.

When It Happens

Colasanti, Susane

An unlikely pair of seniors fall for each other and learn to hands the ups and downs that come with love. Told through the couple’s alternating perspectives, the story realistically captures the thrill of first love. Some of the characters’ language is realistically gritty. Fun romance with lots of dialogue, making it a quick read.

Where the Heart Is

Letts, Billie

A pregnant teenage girl is abandoned by her boyfriend at a Walmart and is faced with the predicament of how to survive on her own. A heart-warming tale. The movie is OK; the book is great.

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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Miller, Frank

This masterpiece of modern comics’ storytelling brings to vivid life a dark world and an even darker man. Together with inker Klaus Janson and colorist Lynn Varley, writer/artist Frank Miller completely reinvents the legend of Batman in his saga of a near-future Gotham City gone to rot, ten years after the Dark Knight's retirement. You can’t read it without thinking of Keith Ledger.

 V for Vendetta

Moore, Alan

Britain is under an absolutely corrupt regime. V, a masked character, systematically dismantles the fascist version of England.

Watchmen

Moore, Alan

It all begins with the paranoid delusions of a half-insane hero called Rorschach. But is Rorschach really insane or has he in fact uncovered a plot to murder super-heroes and, even worse, millions of innocent civilians? On the run from the law, Rorschach reunites with his former teammates in a desperate attempt to save the world and their lives, but what they uncover will shock them to their very core and change the face of the planet!

Handle with Care: A Novel

Picoult, Jodi

Every expectant parent will tell you that they just want a healthy baby. The O’Keefes ask the same, but unexpectedly at age five their daughter changes. It’s a great read with strong characters, an exciting lawsuit, and really good use of medical context. Picoult weaves the themes of hope, regret, identity and family, leading up to her usual surprising twist.

Impulse

Hopkins, Ellen

Three teens meet in a psychiatric hospital, battling their demons. Two guys and one gal’s stories intertwine in a brutally honest story about pain and resilience. Thick book, but written in free verse makes it a fast read.

Just Listen

Dessen, Sarah

The every-popular Dessen scores another hit with this story of part-time model Annabel who hides her loneliness behind her beautiful face. Trouble with girl and boyfriends add to her troubles at home where secrets abound. Sometimes funny, mostly emotional, always satisfying.

Green, John

From the very first page, tension fills this story of Miles Halter. He’s the quirky, nerdy type, and he knows he’s a misfit. He begs his parents to allow him to go to Culver Academy where I hopes to fit in better. And he does. There he finds teens who expend as much energy on sex, smoking, drinking, and pranking as they do on studying. He meets THE coolest girl, Alaska Young, and develops a crush on her, but she is already committed to another guy. As Miles gets to know Alaska better, he realizes she is self-destructive. This novel is about real kids dealing with the pressures of growing up and feeling indestructible. The kids are smart-alecky and emotional, without being sentimental. Great read for guys and gals.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter  

Edwards, Kim

What are the consequences of quick decisions made to protect others? A father makes the rash decision to separate twins which he keeps a secret and eventually that secret pulls an entire family apart.

My Sister’s Keeper

Picoult, Jodi

The story of a child who is born purely for medical reasons to save her sister's life. Enough is enough!

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Niffenegger, Audrey

Clare and Henry fall deeply in love, but Henry has a condition which periodically resets him in time (past or future). They desperately try to retain their complex relationship, but time is against them.

Twisted

Anderson, Laurie Halse

In the universe of high school, Tyler Miller used to be invisible. But things changed when he was arrested for doing graffiti and sentenced to community service of manual labor. His world changes as he struggles with the new roles he finds himself in at home and at school. His new physical strength brings new responsibilities. He soon finds that reputation is sometimes stronger than action and that doing the right thing is not always easy or even clear. He is left feeling a victim of “twisted” perception. His voice is rich with humor, rage, and despair. Like many Stapelites, he faces an overloaded school schedule, tough decisions about social activities, and overwhelming lust while trying to figure out what it takes to be a man.

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Gentlemen of the Road

Chabon, Michael

Set in the medieval Jewish empire of the Khazars, this novella, follows tow “gentlemen of the road” who find their fortune wherever they can—and don’t mind taking up what seems like a lost cause just for the adventure of it. A lost cause shows up in the form of a secretive young man with a tragic past who is trying to raise an army to avenge the death of his family. Chabon’s humorous writing style translates well to this adventurous story.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

McCall Smith, Alexander

Detective Precious Ramotswe of Botswana specializes in missing husbands and daughters, con men and imposters. Throughout the unusual situations and dangers, the reader learns of a distant world. Mma Ramotswe relies on Agatha Christie and her own instincts to guide her. Wit and wisdom are a big help too.

Rule of the Bone

Banks, Russell

Chappie is a punked-out teenager living with his mother and abusive stepfather in a trailer park. He slips into drugs and petty crime. Rejected by his parents and in trouble with the police, he claims for himself a new identity as a permanent outsider. He gets a crossed-bones tattoo on his arms and takes the name “Bone.” Adventures continue as he takes up with biker-thieves, rescues an abused child, and travels to the ganja-growing mountains of Jamaica with a new friend.

Slumdog Millionaire (originally titled Q & A)

Swarup, Vikas

While competing on the Indian show Who Will Win a Billion? Ram Mohammad Thomas takes us on an amazing review of his own history—from the day be was found as a baby to an encounter with a crazed security guard at the Taj Mahal. It’s about trivia, comedy, drama, romance, and ultimately about the struggle between good and evil. Fans of the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of the novel will find that this version offers pleasures of its own.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

See, Lisa

In remote nineteenth-century China, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send secret messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear them apart.

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Abundance of Katherines

Green, John

When it comes to relationships, Colin’s type is girls named Katherine. But they always dump him. Nineteen times. Colin goes on a mission to prove that he can predict the future of any relationship, avenge dumpees everywhere, and finally win himself the girl. This is a comic novel about reinventing oneself.

Killing Yourself to Live

Klosterman, Chuck

The author of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs writes of his cross-country drive to visit several of America’s most famous rock and roll death sites: Rhode Island where 90 Great White fans died, an Iowa field where Buddy Holly’s plane crashed, and Seattle where Cobain committed suicide. Along the way, he opines on rock music, never afraid to offend and provoke. He also obsesses over his agonizing sexual relationships by carrying on an imaginary discussion with three women. Clever, funny, wild ride.

Naked  

Sedaris, David

Humorous essays about nervous tics, hitchhiking, and strange relationships.

Sex Lives of Cannibals

Troost, J. Maarten

Troost stayed two years on a tropical isle, only to discover that it was a lot like hell, minus the toilets. While contending with heat, polluted seas, rare diseases, and no coffee or beer, he and his wife learn they can make a home anywhere. Troost is a funny writer who has produced a comic travel masterpiece and a revealing look at a culture clash.

Songbook

Hornby, Nick

What interests Nick Hornby? Songs, songwriters, everything, compulsively, passionately. Here is his ultimate list of 31 all-time favorite songs. And here are his smart, funny, and very personal essays about them. You might be familiar with Nick Hornby's fiction (High Fidelity, About A Boy) and these essays on music will have instant appeal. Hornby's approach to music is personal, meditative, quirky and always engaging. Among the artists discussed are Springsteen, Dylan, Santana, Ani DiFranco, Nelly Furtado, J. Geils, Led Zeppelin, Soulwax and Royksopp. The list is as idiosyncratic as you'd expect from Hornby, and the writing and thinking are always engaging.

Walk in the Woods

Bryson, Bill

Hilarious account of Bill Bryson’s attempt to walk the length of the Appalachian Trail with his old college buddy. Beer, bears, and people along the trail are described with wild abandon.

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Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction

Sheff, David

This is a companion to Sheff’s son’s memoir of addiction Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamines (see description below). David Sheff can only wonder what has happened to his son, his family, his life. His son has become addicted to crystal meth and lied, stolen, and lived on the streets. How it happened consumes the journalist in the father and takes a tremendous toll on his own health.

Blink: The Power of Thinking About Thinking

Gladwell, Malcolm

In this best-seller, a staff writer for The New Yorker weighs the factors that determine good decision-making. Drawing on recent brain research, Gladwell concludes that those who quickly filter out extraneous information generally make better decisions than those who discount their first impressions.

Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas

Klosterman, Chuck

A collection of essays, interviews, and a short story in which Chuck Klosterman explores a wide range of topics related to rock music. Klosterman's writing is funny and smart. Fans of Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs will eagerly devour this collection of essays. Whether investigating Latino fans of British pop icon Morrissey, interviewing female tribute bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DShe or eating nothing but Chicken McNuggets for a week, Klosterman is always entertaining and often insightful. The pop culture obsessive voice of his generation returns with a collection compiled from ten years of essays, opinions, theories, and hypothetical questions, covering everything from robots to Radiohead.

Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines

Cook's Tour

Bourdain, Anthony

The only thing celebrity chef and internationally bestselling author Anthony Bourdain loves as much as cooking is traveling. Inspired by the question, "What would be the perfect meal?," Tony sets out on a quest for his culinary holy grail, and in the process turns the notion of "perfection" inside out. The same energy and perspective that you see on his No Reservations TV show.

Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments

Boese, Alex

Why can’t people tickle themselves? Would the average dog summon help in an emergency? Will babies instinctually pick a well-balanced diet? Is it possible to restore life to the dead? Read Elephants on Acid and find out!

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Thompson, Hunter

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken.

Glass Castle

Walls, Jeannette

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Later, when the money ran out, the Walls retreated to a dismal West Virginia mining town and Rex Walls drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her siblings had to fend for themselves...Astonishingly, Walls describes her parents with deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

Hope’s Boy

Bridge, Andrew

From a disastrous decade in foster care to Harvard Law School and beyond: this is the moving memoir of one guy who beat the system. If you like Pelzer’s A Child Called It and Lost Boy, this is the book for you.

Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town

Grisham, John

Grisham tells the actual story of Ron Williamson, a black minor league baseball player, who was sent to death row for murder and rape. Grisham reviews the evidence and trial transcripts, and interviews witnesses in an attempt to get to the truth of the accusations. If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you. True crime at its best.

Look Me In the Eye: My Life with Asperser’s

Robison, John Elder

Ever since he was young, John Robison longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teen, his odd habits had earned him the label “social deviant.” It was not until he was 40 that he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperser’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way he saw himself—and the world. Robinson has written a moving, darkly funny memoir about a life that has taken him from developing exploding guitars for KISS, inventing one of the first computer games, and realizing he connects better with machines than humans to building a life of his own. He’s a prankster at heart so humor abounds among the myriad of adventures and oddities.

Naked

Sedaris, David

In Naked, David Sedaris's message is "pay attention to me." Whether he's traveling with a thieving quadriplegic, sorting out the fancy from the extra-fancy in a bleak fruit-packing factory, or celebrating Christmas in the company of a recently paroled prostitute, this collection of memoirs creates a incisive portrait of the author's world. It takes Sedaris from his humiliating bout with obsessive behavior in 'A Plague of Tics' to the title story, in which he is finally forced to face his naked self in the mirrored sunglasses of a lunatic. This wickedly funny yet remarkable  journey into his own life follows a lifelong search for identity, leaving him both under suspicion and overdressed.

Sex, Drugs, and Cocca Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto

Klosterman, Chuck

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is supposedly about art, entertainment, infotainment, sports, politics, and kittens, but really it's about all of us. He takes on the entire spectrum of postmodern America: reality TV, Internet porn, and Pamela Anderson, among others. Read it to believe it!

Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music

Lopez, Steve

A moving story of the remarkable bond between a journalist in search of a story and a homeless, classically-trained musician. When Steve Lopez saw Nathaniel Ayers playing on a two-string violin, he found it impossible to walk away. Overcome by schizophrenia, Ayers had abandoned his career as he gradually lost his ability to function. Over time Lopez believes he can change Ayers' life. Yet there are crushing disappointments. Ultimately hopeful, The Soloist is a beautiful story of friendship. (The movie is good but changes major parts.)

Songbook

Hornby, Nick

What interests Nick Hornby? Songs, songwriters, everything, compulsively, passionately. Here is his ultimate list of 31 all-time favorite songs. And here are his smart, funny, and very personal essays about them, written with all the love and care of a perfectly mastered mixed tape... You might be familiar with Nick Hornby's fiction (High Fidelity, About A Boy) and these essays on music will have instant appeal. Hornby's approach to music is personal, meditative, quirky and always engaging. In 30 short essays (four to seven pages on average), he links his life, history and politics through the subject of particular groups and songs. Among the artists discussed are Springsteen, Dylan, Santana, Ani DiFranco, Nelly Furtado, J. Geils, Led Zeppelin, Soulwax and Royksopp. The list is as idiosyncratic as you'd expect from Hornby, and the writing and thinking are always engaging.

Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamines

Sheff, Nic

Companion book to Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff. Nic was drunk for the first time at 11. In the years that followed he regularly smoked pot, did cocaine and Ecstasy, and developed addictions to both methamphetamines and heroin. Nic spares no detail in telling us the compelling, true story of his relapses and eventual recovery. It’s a harrowing portrait, but one with hope.

Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories

Palahniuk, Chuck

Chuck Palahniuk’s world has always been different. In his first collection of nonfiction, Chuck Palahniuk brings us into his world, and gives us a glimpse of what inspires his fiction. At the Rock Creek Lodge Testicle Festival in Missoula, Montana, average people perform lewd acts on an outdoor stage. In a mansion once occupied by The Rolling Stones, Marilyn Manson reads his own Tarot cards and talks sweetly to his beautiful actress girlfriend. Across the country, men build their own full-size castles and rocketships that will send them into space. Palahniuk himself experiments with steroids, works on an assembly line by day and as a hospice volunteer by night, and experiences the brutal murder of his father by a white supremacist. Truly Stranger Than Fiction.

Staples High School: 120 Years of A+ Education

Woog, Dan

Riveting history of the greatest high school on earth! Familiar faces, and some not so familiar, tell the tales that made this school so amazing. Great photos, too.

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Book Thief

Zusak, Markus

Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.

Boy in Striped Pajamas: A Fable

Boyne, John

A powerful story is packed into this small book, one that appeals to all ages. In Berlin of 1942 Bruno returns home from school one day to fine all his belongings have been packed in crates and he will be moving far away with nothing to do and no one to play with. Bruno decides to be an explorer and decides there must be something more to this new place. Through Bruno’s eyes, readers become observers of the Holocaust. The ending is shocking. (Made into a very good movie.)

City of Thieves

Benioff, David

17 year old Lev, having been arrested for looting the corpse of a German paratrooper, is given the opportunity to be released from jail if he can secure twelve eggs to be used in a colonel’s daughter’s wedding cake. The streets of Leningrad are dangerous, filled with cannibals and dreaded Nazi death squads. A true thriller.

March

Brooks, Geraldine

From Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic Little Women, Geraldine Brooks has animated the character of the absent father, March. Brooks follows March as he leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause in the Civil War. His experiences will utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs.

Revolutionary Road

Yates, Richard

The story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright, beautiful, and talented couple who have lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. A deeply troubling book that creates an unforgettable portrait of lost hopes in the suburbs of America. Have you seen the movie?

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

See, Lisa

In remote nineteenth-century China, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send secret messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear them apart.

Year of Wonders: A Story of the Plague

Brooks, Geraldine

In 1665, the north of England remains untouched by the plague that is ravaging London. Then a bolt of cloth carries the bubonic infection to the a small town of miners and farmers. The villagers turn to sorcery, herb lore, and witch hunting in an attempt to stop the scourge. Finally a charismatic preacher convinces them to quarantine themselves which may only deepen the tragedy. Year of Wonders explores love and learning, fear and fanaticism, and the struggle of science and o interpret the world on the cusp of the modern era. Some graphic parts.

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Bend, Don’t Shatter

Rachel, T. Cole, Rita D. Costello (ed.)

This poetry anthology navigates the rocky waters of teen sexuality and confusion with insight, clarity, and understanding. Poems about reaching across car seats, the electric touch of fingertips, facing desire as powerful as a thunderstorm give readers new insight and new language for dealing with gender issues as a whole.

Here, Bullet

Turner, Brian

Brian Turner is the first "warrior poet" of this most recent generation of combat veterans. A veteran of Iraq and a writer who has earned an MFA in creative writing, Turner puts both experiences to work in his new book. He explores the thematic landscape of modern war from the decision to serve, to the actual time in war, to the complexities of cultures, to being wounded, to the aftermath. Turner's work should be read and studied. Could be the most important artistic contribution to war literature since Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried.

What Have You Lost?

Nye, Naomi Shihab (ed.)

What have you lost? A friend? A brother? A wallet? An iPod? A memory? A meaning? A year? This amazing book is a collection of poems that explore all kinds of loss and its infinite possibilities.

You and Yours

Nye, Naomi Shihab

Nye writes poetry about local life, American communities, Jewish rituals, and life in Palestine.

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Here, Bullet

Turner, Brian

Brian Turner is the first "warrior poet" of this most recent generation of combat veterans. A veteran of Iraq and a writer who has earned an MFA in creative writing, Turner puts both experiences to work in his new book. He explores the thematic landscape of modern war from the decision to serve, to the actual time in war, to the complexities of cultures, to being wounded, to the aftermath. Turner's work should be read and studied. I believe it is the most important artistic contribution to war literature since Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried

Unforgiving Minute

Mullaney, Craig M.

A West Point grad, Rhodes Scholar, and Army Ranger recounts his unique education and struggles with the hard lessons that only war can teach, including the death of one of his soldiers. Before going to Afghanistan, he asks himself, Was my education sufficient for the unforgiving minutes I may face? This memoir is unflinchingly honest and unforgettable.

Mission Al-Jazeera: Build a Bridge, Seek the Truth, Change the World

Rushing, Josh

Rushing, former marine turned Al-Jazeera reporter, addresses the issues he was not allowed to talk about when he was in uniform. He explains that we have to interact with the media at home and abroad in order to control the way America is perceived. By refusing to appear on al-Jazeera, Western leaders are looked at negatively. Rushing offers a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the controversial news channel. Interesting non-fiction book about journalism, politics, and war.

Mission, the Men, and Me

Blaber, Peter

The title of the book comes from one of the most commonly-used phrases instilled in the training of any Army officer. This simple six word phrase tells you all that you really have to know in terms of the selfless service that is expected of any military officer. Each one of the nouns in the phrase neatly summarizes an officer's job: execute the mission above all else, take care of the soldiers under your command, and put your own priorities and needs last. "Lead from the Front" and "Lead by Example." Pete Blaber demonstrates that leadership skills in the military are transferable to the business world or the athletic field. Blaber's lessons are applicable to life in general.

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American Gods

Gaiman, Neil

In American Gods, Neil Gaiman, tells the story of Shadow, a man whose wife and best friend are killed on the eve of his release from prison. Left with nowhere to turn, Shadow takes a job as a bodyguard to Mr. Wednesday- a beguiling stranger. Shadow soon learns that his role in Mr. Wednesday's schemes will be far more dangerous and dark than he could have ever imagined.

Blink: The Power of Thinking About Thinking  

Gladwell, Malcolm

In this best-seller, a staff writer for The New Yorker weighs the factors that determine good decision-making. Drawing on recent cognitive research, Gladwell concludes that those who quickly filter out extraneous information generally make better decisions than those who discount their first impressions.

Ender’s Game (and others in the trilogy)

Card, Orson Scott

A young boy is recruited for military training by the world government and enrolls in Battleschool. Among the elite recruits, Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses.

Feed

Anderson, M. T.

“We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.” So says Titus, whose ability to read, write, and even think for himself has been almost completely obliterated by his “feed,” a transmitter implanted directly into his brain. Feeds are a crucial part of life for Titus and his friends. After all, how else would they know where to party on the moon, how to get bargains at Weatherbee & Crotch, or how to accessorize the mysterious lesions everyone’s been getting? But then Titus meets Violet, a girl who cares about what’s happening to the world and challenges everything Titus and his friends hold dear, girl who decides to fight the feed. M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world–and a smart, savage satire about the nature of consumerism and what it means to be a teenager in America.

I Am Legend

Matheson, Richard

Robert Neville may well be the last living man on Earth . . . but he is not alone. An incurable plague has mutated every other man, woman, and child into bloodthirsty, nocturnal creatures who are determined to destroy him. By day, he is a hunter, stalking the infected monstrosities through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn....Movie too.

Next    

Crichton, Michael

Interweaves the stories of various human and animal characters with genetic abnormalities, including a boy who has chimpanzee chromosomes, a parrot that was injected with human genes and can figure out mathematical equations, and an orangutan that can talk, and the complications that are associated with their existence. Edgy fiction.

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Crank

Hopkins, Ellen

Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, she meets a boy who introduces her to crank. At first she finds it freeing, but soon Kristina’s personality disappears inside the drug. What began a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul, and her life. Written in gritty, fast-paced free verse and shape poems.

Dark Tower: Gunslinger

King, Stephen

A spellbinding tale of good versus evil, this book features one of Stephen King's most powerful creations - The Gunslinger, a haunting figure who embodies the qualities of a lone hero through the ages, from ancient myth to frontier western legend. The Gunslinger's quest involves the pursuit of The Man in Black, a liaison with the sexually ravenous Alice, and a friendship with the kid from Earth called Jake.

Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

King, Stephen

The fourth episode in King's white-hot Dark Tower series has the series' star, world-weary Roland, and his world-hopping posse (an ex-junkie, a child, a plucky woman in a wheelchair, and a talking dog-like pet named Oy the Bumbler) trapped aboard a runaway train.

 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Thompson, Hunter

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken.

Marked (and rest of House of Night Series: Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, and Hunted)

Cast, P.C., Kristin Cast

Enter the dark world of The House of Night, a world very much like our own, except here vampires have always existed. 16 year old Zoey is a fledgling vampire and joins a school where she will train to become an adult vampire. It sucks to begin a new life, away from friends and chosen for her special powers which make her want to “imprint” her human ex. Read about the beauty of being a social outcast (yes!), friendship, and finding your own spirituality (yes again!).

Perks of Being a Wallflower 

Chbosky, Stephen

Told through Charlie’s diary, this is the story of growing up in high school. Charlie’s letters are unique, hilarious, and devastating. His is a world of first dates, mixed tapes, family dramas, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show complete his world.

Prom Nights from Hell

Cabot, Meg; Stephanie Meyer, Lauren Myracle, and others

Short stories that examine the challenges girls may face during their prom. Has Mary murdered her hot new boyfriend? Should Frankie believe the fortuneteller whose predictions seem random but begin to come true? Can Gabe save his prom before it goes up in flames? Some proms are hell on Earth.

Replay

Grimwood, Ken

Jeff Winston, 43, didn’t now he was a replayer until he died and woke up 25 years younger in his college dorm room/ he lived another life. And died again. And lived again and died again—in a continuous 25 year cycle—each time starting from scratch at 18 to reclaim lost loves, remedy past mistakes, or make a fortune in the stock market. Different spouses, lovers, children, careers, await in each go-round, as well as slightly altered versions of world events. What would you do if you could live life over?

Rose Madder

King, Stephen

This is the story of Rose Daniels. Her husband, Norman, is cruel and evil. Rose grows from a tortured woman to an independent woman but only after enduring terrifying abuse. Very tense, like only Stephen King can create danger. 

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs

Klosterman, Chuck

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is supposedly about art, entertainment, infotainment, sports, politics, and kittens, but really it’s about all of us. He taken on the entire spectrum of postmodern America: reality TV, Internet porn, and Pamela Anderson, among others. Read it to believe it!

Sharp Teeth

Barlow, Toby

Anthony, a kindhearted dogcatcher in LA, finds himself caught between his heart and his job when he falls in love with a female werewolf who has abandoned a pack of shapeshifters intent on dominating the city. A pack of peace-loving surfer-dogs try their hardest to stop the violence. Modern horror mixed with fantasy in quick free verse.

Smack

Burgess, Melvin

After running away from their troubled homes, two English teens move in with a group of squatters in the port city of Bristol and try to find ways to support their growing addiction to heroin. Burgess is unflinching in his depiction of the seductive pleasures as well as the horrors of heroin. Sure to spark debate; it is guaranteed to leave an indelible impression on all who read it.

Thirsty

Anderson, M.T.

All Chris wants is to be a normal guy; unfortunately he seems to be turning into a vampire. He thirsts for the blood of people around him while also struggling to remain human. Savagely funny tale of terror, angst, suspense, and satire.

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. . .Student Recommendations. . .

Those in yellow are linked to VoiceThread comments.

Title

Author

Title

Author

Abortionist's Daughter

Hyde, Elisabeth

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

Moore, Christopher

After the First Death

Comier, Robert

Last Summer (of You and Me)

Brashares, Ann

Airframe

Crichton, Michael

Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir

Bryson, Bill

Alchemist

Coelho, Paulo

Life Strategies for Teens

McGraw, Jay

Angels and Demons

Brown, Dan

Long Way Gone: Memories of a Boy Soldier

Beah, Ishmael

Angel of Death: A Forensic Mystery

Ferguson, Alane

Manchurian Candidate

Condon, Richard

Ark Angel (Alex Rider)

Horowitz, Anthony

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History

Spiegelman, Art

Associate

Grisham, John

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Sedaris, David

Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

Bowden, Mark

Memoirs of a Geisha

Golden, Authur

Bluest Eye

Morrison, Toni

Memory Keeper's Daughter

Edwards, Kim

Breaking Dawn

Meyer, Stephenie

Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home

Parrado, Nando

Brisingr

Paolini, Christopher

Montana 1948

Watson, Larry

Category 7

Evans, Bill

Native Son

Wright, Richard

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter

Yen Mah, Adeline

Neuromancer

Gibson, William

City of Ember

Duprau, Jeanne

Nineteen Minutes

Picoult, Jodi

Clapton: The Autobiography

Clapton, Eric

Now I can Die in Peace: How ESPN's Sports Guy Found Salvation, with a Little Help from Nomar, Pedro, Shawshank, and the 2004 Red Sox

Simmons, Bill

Clique #6: Dial L for Loser

Harrison, Lisi

Of Mice and Men

Steinbeck, John

Common Nonsense

Rooney, Andy

Old Man and the Sea

Hemingway, Ernest

Confessions of Max Tivoli: A Novel

Greer, Andrew Sean

One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer

Fick, Nathaniel C.

Contender

Lipsyte, Robert

Pact: A Love Story

Picoult, Jodi

Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines

Bourdain, Anthony

Paper Towns

Green, John

Cujo

King, Stephen

Plainsong

Haruf, Kent

D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II

Ambrose, Stephen E.

Pretty Things

Manning, Sarra

Darkley Dreaming Dexter

Lindsay, Jeff

Remembering Walt

Green, Howard E.

Ender's Game

Card, Orson Scott

Requiem for a Dream: A Novel

Selby Jr., Hubert

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel

Foer, Jonathan Safran

River Runs Through It and other Stories, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition

Maclean, Norman

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Thompson, Hunter S.

Road

McCarthy, Cormac

Fishing the Sloeback River: Stories

McCann, Colum

Runner

Deuker, Carl

Five People You Meet in Heaven

Albom, Mitch

Sarah's Key

de Rosnay, Tatiana

Flatland

Abbott, Edwin

Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne, Nathaniel

Flowers for Algernon

Keyes, Daniel

Slam!

Myers, Walter Dean

Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them.

Freedom Writers

Slaughterhouse Five: A Novel

Vonnegut, Kurt

Game

Strauss, Neil

Soldier Boys

Hughes, Dean

Garlic & Sapphires

Reichl, Ruth

Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle (Son of the Mob)

Korman, Gordon

Ghost Town: Tales of Manhattan Then and Now

McGrath, Patrick

Stand: Expanded Edition: For the First Time Complete and Uncut

King, Stephen

Giver

Go Ask Alice

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Lowry, Lois

Anonymous

Rowling, J.K.

Tenth Circle: A Novel

Picoult, Jodi

The Red Tent: A Novel

Diamant, Anita

Hoop Dreams: True Story of Hardship and Triumph

Joravsky, Ben

The Sleeper Awakes

Wells, H.G.

Hoopster

Sitomer, Alan Lawrence

Time Traveler's Wife

Niffenegger, Audrey

I am Charlotte Simmons: A Novel

Wolfe, Tom

Under their Thumb: How a Nice Boy from Brooklyn Got Mixed up with the Rolling Stones and Lived to Tell About It

German, Bill

I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell

Max, Tucker

V for Vendetta

Moore, Alan

Infinite Jest

Wallace, David Foster

Where the Heart Is

Letts, Billie

Joe and Me: An Education in Fishing and Friendship

Prosek, James

Jurassic Park

Crichton, Michael

Killing Ground

McNeill, Graham

Kindred

Butler, Octavia

Kite Runner

Hosseini, Khaled

... Administration ...

DESCRIPTION                                            

Dodig, John

Man in the Middle

Amaechi, John

Man in the Middle tells John Amaechi's journey from awkward, overweight English boy to jet-setting NBA star. Along the way, he is abandoned by his father, cut from a college team, recovers from a life-threatening injury, plays for abusive coaches, and loses his mother--all while protecting a secret that could have ended his career: John Amaechi is gay. A moving story of adversity and diversity, and the power of one man's desire to make the world a better place for all.

Addicks, Alice

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Bach, Richard

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is no ordinary bird. He believes it is every gull's right to fly, to reach the ultimate freedom of challenge and discovery. If you love to be free, this is the book for you.

Addicks, Alice

To Kill a Mockingbird

Lee, Harper

Classic novel of a lawyer in the deep south defending a black man changed with the rape of a white girl. My favorite book in the entire world.

Addicks, Alice

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Verne, Jules

The year is 1866 and the Pacific Ocean is being terrorized by a deadly sea monster. The U.S. government dispatches a warship and marine-life specialist. The ship is sunk and the survivors discover the marvelous submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by the bitter Captain Nemo. The ultimate adventure story.

Birkmaier, Lyn

Heretic's Daughter: A Novel

Kent, Kathleen

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Mass. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright, willful, and openly challenging. Both mother and daughter stand trial for witchcraft. This is the story of love and persecution as told by the daughter.

Cirino

Book of Air and Shadows

Gruber, Michael

A modern thriller that recreates William Shakespeare’s life at the turn of the seventeenth century and combines a multi-layered plot with a portrait of a man on the brink of either self-discovery or self-destruction. This is a wild story of double-crossings, forgeries, kidnappings, and murders.

Cirino, Jane

Book of Unholy Mischief

Newmark, Elle

Luciano is a starving orphan in Renaissance Venice until a great master chef plucks him off the street and makes him his apprentice in a grand palace. Distrustful of everyone, Luciano spies on everyone and everything. He learns of a search for a mysterious potion. The person who discovers it will be greatly rewarded. Historical detail and marvelous descriptions of food really make this historical novel come alive.

Farnen, James

Hunger Games

Collins, Susan

In the ruins of North America lies a harsh and cruel Capitol. It keeps its districts in line by forcing them all to send teens to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. The main character fights for survival at any cost.

Franzis, Richard

Mission, the Men, and Me

Blaber, Peter

The title of the book comes from one of the most commonly-used phrases instilled in the training of any Army officer. This simple six word phrase tells you all that you really have to know in terms of the selfless service that is expected of any military officer. Each one of the nouns in the phrase neatly summarizes an officer's job: execute the mission above all else, take care of the soldiers under your command, and put your own priorities and needs last. "Lead from the Front" and "Lead by Example." Pete Blaber demonstrates that leadership skills in the military are transferable to the business world or the athletic field. Blaber's lessons are applicable to life in general.

Micinilio, Patrick

Child of God

McCarthy, Cormac

Not for the squeamish.  Rough and raw novel about a man who lives by his own creed and own laws in the mountains of Tennessee.  Bizarre and twisted antihero, but the story itself is written with incredible style and the dialect is pretty extreme.

Micinilio, Patrick

Jitney

Wilson, August

A play about cab service in Pittsburgh, PA. Takes place in the 70's and focuses on the political climate of the 70's as well as the strained family dynamic between the aging owner/father and his recently paroled son. Funny but sad.

... Art ...

Eichler, Carla

Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

Bayles, David and Ted Orland

Art and Fear explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn't get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way.

Eichler, Carla

Middlesex

Eugenides, Jeffrey

Spanning across eight decades--one unusually awkward adolescence--this novel is an utterly original fable of crossed bloodlines, the intricacies of gender, and untidy desire. The story is a "roller-coaster ride of a single gene through time" and its effect on the teenage protagonist who is neither fully male nor fully female.

Gartska, Janet

Kite Runner

Hosseini, Khaled

Even if you've seen the movie, it's never too late to read this book. Raised in the same household, Amir and Hassan grow up in different worlds. Amir is the son of a wealthy, prominent man; Hassan is the son of Amir's father's servant. Their lives are intertwined; their fates and eventual tragedy reflect the world of Afghanistan as the Taliban take it over.

Jeselnik, Jaclyn

Jurassic Park

Crichton, Michael

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Creatures once extinct now roam Jurassic Park, soon-to-be opened theme park. Until something goes terribly wrong. Better than the movie by far. Much more action.

Jeselnik,Jaclyn

Phantoms

Koontz, Dean

They found the town silent. Then they found the first body still warm. 150 were dead, 350 were missing. At first they thought it was the work of a maniac or terrorists or a bizarre new disease. Then they found the truth. It was worse than anything any of them had ever imagined. . . A good mystery but creepy.

Simpson, Angela

Icebound

Koontz, Dean

Suspenseful thriller about humanity's continuous and sometimes futile battle against nature. A secret Antarctic experiment becomes a frozen nightmare when a team of scientists are set adrift on an iceberg with a murderer in their midst, and a massive explosive charge with only hours left to detonate! Edge-of-your-seat suspenseful…couldn't put it down.

Wood, Heather

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life

Viswanathan, Kaavya

Fun read about a girl's quest to get into Harvard. She has a bad interview and the interviewer tells her she needs more of a social life. For the first time, Opal finds herself asking, Who am I, and what do I love to do? Very funny read with a cool message.

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... English Department ...

Bauks, Jessie

Fortress of Solitude

Lethem, Jonathan

This is the story of two boys: Dylan Ebdus and Mingus Rude. Friends and neighbors of different races, with a complicated friendship. It spans NYC from the 70s to the 90s, from racial, social, and political disaster to the plague of crack of graffiti artists. Scary, funny, and seriously surreal.

Comm, Lisbeth

People of the Book

Brooks, Geraldine

This novel begins in Sarajevo in 1996, with the discovery of an ancient Jewish holy book, and traces the book from the early 1600's, telling the stories of those people who preserved it. The book travels to Venice, Vienna, and will appeal to all who love books.

Fernandez, Anne

Our Man in Havana

Greene, Graham

James Wormold's life is a wreck. He takes a job with the British secret service reporting on events in Cuba. Unfortuantely, there's nothing to report. That doesn't stop James who creates networks of agents and military installations. Someone takes him seriously and people around him start dropping like flies. Funny and accessible.

Fulco, Mary Elizabeth

Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Chabon, Michael

In this Pulitzer Prize winning novel, it is 1939 and Joseph Kavalier is a Jew who has escaped the Nazis. Joseph flees to the US where he lives with his cousin, Sammy Klayman. Sammy is a writer and a dreamer, who longs to make it big in the comic book world. When Sammy sees Joseph's talents as an artist and trained magician, he is inspired to join forces with his cousin to create the wildly successful comic, The Escapist. Despite the success, Joe cannot rid his feelings of guilt and grief for his lost family and attempts to find healing through escapism.

Geraghty, Daniel

Dune

Herbert, Frank

My #1 pick for summer reading. This is THE classic sci-fi genre. Whenever Heinlein's Starship Troopers or Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey are mentioned, Dune should be acknowledged. The tale is addicting and complex.

Geraghty, Daniel

Here, Bullet

Turner, Brian

Brian Turner is the first "warrior poet" of this most recent generation of combat veterans. A veteran of Iraq and a writer who has earned an MFA in creative writing, Turner puts both experiences to work in his new book. He explores the thematic landscape of modern war from the decision to serve, to the actual time in war, to the complexities of cultures, to being wounded, to the aftermath. Turner's work should be read and studied. I believe it is the most important artistic contribution to war literature since Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried.

Geraghty, Daniel

Unforgiving Minute

Mullaney, Craig M.

A West Point grad, Rhodes Scholar, and Army Ranger recounts his unique education and struggles with the hard lessons that only war can teach, including the death of one of his soldiers. Before going to Afghanistan, he asks himself, Was my education sufficient for the unforgiving minutes I may face? This memoir is unflinchingly honest and unforgettable.

Kuroghlian, Jerry

Lion Among Men

Maguire, Gregory

Third installment of the Wicked series, this time through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion in the world of Oz. A Lion Among Men traces a battle of wits between adversaries distracted by the armies approaching on either side of them. Lion holds secrets. Many questions remain. Can those tarnished by infamy escape to claim their own histories, to live honorably within their own skins before they're skinned alive?

Kuroghlian, Jerry

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Chbosky, Stephen

Written in letters, Charlie is unique, hilarious, and devastating. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a course through uncharted territory of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. Sex, stress, and rock and roll all are uniquely addressed.

Palca, Kim

Blindness

Saramago, Jose

Powerfully chilling thriller of man's will to survive against all odds. It details the history of an epidemic of "white blindness" that befalls the inhabitants of a nameless country. Everyone feels helpless and dependent, stripped of the power of their eyes. What's left is a fight for survival. "Evil. . .as everyone knows, has always been the easiest thing to do." Considered a masterpiece.

Palca, Kim

Lullaby

Palahniuk, Chuck

A fable of supernatural horror in which a reporter researches sudden infant death syndrome who stumbles upon a poem that kills its readers. While trying to destroy copies of the poem, the writer succumbs to the temptation to inflict the poem's evil power on those who annoy him. Palahniuk's books are always weird, creepy, twisted, upsetting, and ultimately a great read for anyone who wants to be scared for pleasure!

Rexford, Stephen

And Then We Came to the End

Ferris, Joshua

Every office is a family of sorts. This advertising agency is family at its strangest and best, coping through gossip, pranks, and coffee breaks.

Rexford, Stephen

Mission Al-Jazeera: Build a Bridge, Seek the Truth, Change the World

Rushing, Josh

Rushing, former marine turned Al-Jazeera reporter, addresses the issues he was not allowed to talk about when he was in uniform. He explains that we have to interact with the media at home and abroad in order to control the way America is perceived. By refusing to appear on al-Jazeera, Western leaders are looked at negatively. Rushing offers a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the controversial news channel. Interesting non-fiction book about journalism, politics, and war.

Robbins, Barbara

Snowflower and the Secret Fan

See, Lisa

A beautifully written tale of two young girls growing up in China and the radically different paths their lives take. This work of fiction is a wonderful window into Chinese culture and history.

Semaya, Beth

Gravity's Rainbow

Pynchon, Thomas

Many narrative threads make up a story that may or may not be about the secret development and deployment of a rocket by the Nazis near the end of WWII. The book's main character, Slothrop, undertakes a quest for the truth about the rockets that leads him on a nightmarish journey of either historic discovery or profound paranoia, depending on his varied interpretations and the readers'.

Sinay, Fran

Book Thief

Zusak, Markus

Set in Nazi Germany, this unforgettable story is about Liesel Meminger, a foster girl scratching out a meager existence for her by stealing. Then she comes upon books, learns to read, gives stolen books to neighbors during bombing raids and finds the books feed souls.

Tippy, Brian

Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Chabon, Michael

Easy to read, gorgeous prose, gay central character, sad, beautiful story of the beginnings of comics in America.

Tippy, Brian

Art of Racing in the Rain

Stein, Garth

Lovely, accessible short novel told from the perspective of the family dog. Quite deep and literary for how easy a read it is.

Tippy, Brian

Close Range: Wyoming Stories

Proulx, Annie

Beautifully written short stories, including "Brokeback Mountain." One of the contemporary writers we'll probably be reading a hundred years from now.

Tippy, Brian

You Are Not a Stranger Here

Haslett, Adam

Beautiful, elegant short stories of loneliness and loss.

Veenema, Kristin

Hour I First Believed

Lamb, Wally

Maureen and Caelum Quirk are caught up in the tragedy of Columbine. They return to their roots in rural Connecticut where the trauma in Colorado continues to haunt them both. The effects of the chaos can't be put right and further tragedy ensues. Unimaginable secrets emerge; long-buried fear, anger, guilt, and grief rise to the surface. Caelum's search for meaning becomes a journey that is both contemporary and American. This book is long, profound, and heart-rending.

Veenema, Kristin

Prayer for Owen Meany

Irving, John

"Owen Meany is the reason I believe in God" - so says Johnny Wheelwright, whose mother is killed by Owen's first hit in a baseball game, unintentionally killing Johnny's mother with the line-drive. Adult Johnny retells his story and explains to the reader why this tragic event made Owen believe he was an instrument of God and how that "fateful day" changed life for the two friends.

Young, Gus

Affluent Society

Galbraith, John Kenneth

Galbraith's classic on the "economics of abundance" is clear, eloquent, and humorous. He cuts to what economic security means and doesn't mean and lays bare the hazards of individual and societal complacence about economic inequity.

Young, Gus

Dr. Haggard's Disease

McGrath, Patrick

An aging doctor retires to a gothic manor to indulge in morphine and mournful memories about a failed love affair. This is a haunting portrayal of a man broken by passion. An unbearably memorable ending lifts this to classic level.

Young, Gus

Man of the People

Achebe, Chinua

This novel foreshadows the Nigerian coups of 1966 and shows the color and vivacity as well as the violence and corruption of a society making its own way between the two worlds.

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... Guidance ...

Capozzi, Vicki

Animals in Translation

Grandin, Temple

Different from any other animal book because the author is an animal scientist and a person with autism. She is able to "read" the minds of animals and furthers the argument that animals think visually and in a jumble of details rather than as a whole--like autistic people. An absorbing look at the world from the amazingly talented animals' point of view.

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... Library Media Center, Computer Science, and Media ...

Cockfield, Angela

Countess Below Stairs

Ibbotson, Eva

After the Russian revolution turns her world upside down, Anna, a young Russian countess, has no choice but to flee to England, penniless. There she takes a job as a servant. Overwhelmed by her duties, attracted to an aristocrat, she is determined to keep her past a secret. Filled with romantic drama and plot twists, sure to please those who enjoy historical fiction about falling in love.

Cockfield, Angela

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

McCall Smith, Alexander

Detective Precious Ramotswe of Botswana specializes in missing husbands and daughters, con men and imposters. Throughout the unusual situations and dangers, the reader learns of a distant world. Mma Ramotswe relies on Agatha Christie and her own instincts to guide her. Wit and wisdom are a big help too.

Garrity, Chris

Dewey: The Small-town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Myron, Vicki

Dewey is the heartwarming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa. Dewey gained worldwide fame as a playful, lovable, mischievous cat who managed to transform a town and inspire people around the globe.

Honeycutt, Jim

1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

Moon, Tom

Moon recommends recordings guaranteed to remind listeners of  the joy and sheer fun of great music. It covers the diverse worlds of hip-hop, country, rock, classical, etc. It includes the obvious and the unexpected.

Honeycutt, Jim

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (5th ed.)

Schneider, Stephen Jay (ed.)

Packed with virtually everything movie lovers need to know about the films they simply must see. It covers over a century of major, classic, and action films, as well as documentaries.

Lowman, Diane

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Pessl, Marisha

Blue van Meer has lots of knowledge, but she could use some friends. She enters an elite school and there she finds a clique of eccentrics known as the Bluebloods. One drowning and one hanging later (!) Blue finds herself figuring out a murder mystery. The book includes visual aids drawn by the author. Playful, arresting, inventive, unforgettable.

Lowman, Diane

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Hurston, Zora Neale

This novel created controversy by refusing to admit black inferiority while simultaneously refusing to depict its characters as victims of a world that thought them inferior. Written in 1937, Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of a proud, independent woman's quest for identity, a journey that takes her through three marriages and back to her roots.

Lowman, Diane

White Tiger: A Novel

Adiga, Aravind

Set in a raw and unromanticized India, The White Tiger--the first-person confession of a murderer--is a penetrating piece of social commentary. The narrator is amoral, cynical, unrepentant, yet deeply endearing. The low-caste Indian awakens to the degradation of servitude and becomes increasingly angry as he is looked down upon by his wealthy employer, eventually leading to cold-blooded murder.

Parmelee, Mary

Cold Day for Murder

Stabenow, Dana

Original, suspenseful and deftly written, this mystery set in 20 million miles of Alaskan wilderness, received an Edgar award for mystery writing. The beginning of the Kate Shugak mystery series. 

Parmelee, Mary

Second Glance

Picoult, Jodi

Earlier work by Picoult that pre-dates her formula of courtroom plots and twist endings.  If you like romance or the occult, this is a page-turner you won’t want to put down.

Roberts, Julia

Graveyard Book

Gaiman, Neil

Nobody Owens (known as Bod) lives in a graveyard and is being raised by ghosts, including a protective vampire and a feisty witch. Beyond his safety in the graveyard, Bod is in danger as an ancient order is determined to kill him. Humorous breaks among the spine-chilling details.

Roberts, Julia

PaperTowns

Green, John

After a lifetime of loving Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar, one night she beckons Quentin to carry out a night of revenge and pranks. By daybreak, Margo has vanished. "Q" and his sidekicks set out to find her with many hilarious exchanges along the way to solving the mystery of Margo's disappearance.

Roberts, Julia

Sharp Teeth

Barlow, Toby

A uniquely thrilling read. Ruled by competing packs of werewolves, the underside of LA is far stranger than anyone ever imagined. Lycanthropes hire themselves out as hit men and pushers, both driving and feeding off the criminal world. Anthony Silvo, a lonely dogcatcher, falls in love with a mysterious woman who is a werewolf. Her growing relationship with Anthony causes her to seek out a new life. Told in free-verse poetry, the dark humor and grim story line will suck you in!

Roberts, Julia

Soloist

Lopez, Steve

A moving story of the remarkable bond between a journalist in search of a story and a homeless, classically-trained musician. When Steve Lopez saw Nathaniel Ayers playing on a two-string violin, he found it impossible to walk away. Overcome by schizophrenia, Ayers had abandoned his career as he gradually lost his ability to function. Over time Lopez believes he can change Ayers' life. Yet there are crushing disappointments. Ultimately hopeful, The Soloist is a beautiful story of friendship. (The movie is good but changes major parts.)

Roberts, Julia

Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Wroblewski, David

Edgar Sawtelle is born mute but able to hear. He lives with his family which breeds dogs. Several tragedies strike, and Edgar is forced to flee into the wilderness with the companionship of some of the pups with whom he can communicate by sign language. On his journey he matures along with the dogs, only to return to a shocking end. Long, engrossing summer read.

Roberts, Julia

Surrender

Hartnett, Sonya

In this psychological thriller, 20 year-old Gabriel recollects the events that have brought him near death. After making a horrible mistake, he is paralyzed by grief. His only friends are a feral child and a dog. Gabriel realizes he has surrendered his soul in a boyhood pact and his world is spinning violently out of control as an inferno surrounds him.

Rogers, Rob

City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass (Mortal Instruments series)

Clare, Cassandra

In my book, there is not anything better than a good book series that includes: Goth, vampires, werewolves, angels, and demons. In the Mortal Instruments series, Shadowhunters roam the Earth hunting demons. Get caught up in the story of Clary, Simon, Jace, Isabelle, and Alec as they find out who they really are, and who they will become.

Rogers, Rob

Feed

Anderson, M.T.

Titus and his friends are spending spring break on the moon where they will continue to be bombarded with the coolest info on the "computer feeds" embedded in their heads. In this 'brave, new world," Titus meets Violet, a beautiful, brainy girl whose feed is malfunctioning. How far will Titus go to help this misfit?

Stiles, Robin

Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need

Pink, Daniel H.

Told in Manga, this is the story of Everyman just out of college who lands his first, uninteresting job. Step by step, with the help of a trusty, irreverent sidekick, he builds a career that he loves. Six quick lessons on finding, keeping, and flourishing in satisfying work.

Stiles, Robin

The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family

Gordon-Reed, Annette

This is a fascinating book of utmost importance. Gordon-Reed traces the mysteries of the intimate relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings and now links their blood over an entire century. Everyone comes vividly to life, as do the nature of the choices they made.

Vailakis-Wippick, Maria

Loving Frank: A Novel

Horan, Nancy

This fictionalization of the life of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, best known as the woman who wrecked Frank Lloyd Wright's first marriage, is less a romance novel and more a portrait of a strong, independent, educated woman at odds with the restrictions of the early 20th century. The affair made headline news and eventually the couple settled in Wisconsin at great personal cost to Mamah.

Vailakis-Wippick, Maria

Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs

Wall, Elissa

Elisa Wall, former wife of sect leader Warren Jeffs, became the star prosecution witness against Jeffs. A harrowing and vivid account of the harsh realities of life in this closed community and the lengths to which Jeffs went in order to control the women. Jeffs is now in prison.

Zito, Mike

Garlic and Sapphires

Reichl, Ruth

Reichl, world-renowned food critic of Gourmet magazine, knows a thing or two about food. She also knows she needs to remain anonymous when reviewing high-profile restaurants. (She is served differently based on her disguise.) She reveals the comic absurdity and excellence to be found in the epicurean world and gives us great recipes too.

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... Math ...

Denton, Trudy

Freakonomics

Levitt, Steven

Levitt calls this book Freakonomics because he uses analytical tools to address a range of questions that might seem far removed from typical economics. He considers subjects such as the business practices of crack gangs and the influence (or not) of parents on child development. Quick, interesting read. Ms Denton says, "Love it, love it, love it!"

Denton, Trudy

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives

Mlodinow, Leonard

In this irreverent book, Mlodinow shows us how randomness affects your daily life - interesting quirky look at how statistics affect your daily life -- written by Cal State physicist who also wrote the screen plays for McGyver. Mlodinow's insights will intrigue, awe, and inspire. He reminds readers that much of our lives is about as predictable as the steps of a stumbling man.

Schare, Marielle

Nineteen Minutes

Picoult, Jodi

In the aftermath of a school shooting during which many are killed or maimed, a small New England town tries to come to grips with the why of it. There are secrets and blurred lines between truth and fiction. A trial ensues, but even then friendships and families are jeopardized. By one of SHS students' favorite authors.

Stern, Rebecca

Glass Castle

Walls, Jeannette

This memoir is of Jeannette Walls' life as she grows up with no money, a mentally unstable mother, and an alcoholic father. However, Walls becomes a well known journalist and helps the reader see how different people cope.

Wilkes, Bill

Playing for Pizza

Grisham, John

Rick Dockery was a third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. With a 17 point lead, Rick provided the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. He was cut by the Browns and became the laughingstock of the nation. But Rick insists he'll play football, even if it's in Italy. Humorous sports book.

Evan, Fran

Washington's Lady

Moser, Nancy

This book immerses you into the history and character of Martha Washington and makes her vividly real and alive. Historical fiction doesn't get better than this.

. . .Music. . .

Lipson, Alice

Illustrator

Brooker, Jerry

This is the story of a Polish artist living outside of Auschwitz during WWII. He will not sit idly while the Nazis exterminate his people and his art will not allow him to portray a subject without revealing the true nature of their soul. When he is asked to paint the camp commandant, he faces his biggest challenge--disgrace his talent or save the woman he loves? Written by a former SHS teacher.

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. . .Nurses. . .

Casucci, Alicia

Bel Canto

Patchett, Ann

A band of gun-wielding terrorists burst into an elegant party, taking all guests at a lavish party hostage. During the long siege, the terrorists and hostages form unexpected bonds. Fear and anguish give way to domesticity. The drawn-out hostage situation comes to seem normal, until the inevitable rescue attempt occurs, with astonishing consequences.

Casucci, Alicia

Devil in the White City

Larson, Erik

Two men, an architect and a serial murderer, intersect during the building and opening of the great Chicago World's Fair of 1892. Chilling because it is based on real-life characters and events. The romance and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive amidst the torture of a maniac.

Casucci, Alicia

Time Traveler's Wife

Niffenegger, Audrey

Clare and Henry fall deeply in love, but Henry has a condition which periodically resets him in time (past or future).  They desperately try to retain their complex relationship against unimaginable odds. Original, creative, incredibly moving love story. Easy to read; hard to forget.

Miller, Susie

Double Bind

Bohjalian, Chris

Thrilling read with a twist of an ending. Surprisingly, the main character has connections to The Great Gatsby, although the book is set in today. Laurel meets a man whose life includes his rich-kid childhood on Long Island to homelessness and possibly mentally illness in Vermont. Laurel sets out to find the truth in the past.

Miller, Susie

Secret Life of Bees

Kidd, Sue Monk

14 year old Lily is on the lam with motherly servant Rosaleen, fleeing both Lily's abusive father and the police. They are taken in by three sisters who work a bee farm. For once, Lily is happy, having found a home with these eccentric women. Still, there are secrets of murder and mystery to unfold.

Zimmerman, Joan

Book Thief

Zusak, Markus

Set in Nazi Germany, this unforgettable story is about Liesel Meminger, a foster girl scratching out a meager existence for herself by stealing. Then she comes upon books, learns to read, gives stolen books to neighbors during bombing raids and finds the books feed souls.

Zimmerman, Joan

Water for Elephants: A Novel

Gruen, Sara

A veterinary student just shy of his degree is put in charge of a circus menagerie in the early part of the Great Depression.  There he meets Rosie, the untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for the third-rate traveling show and Marlena, the equestrian and his distant love.

... Physical Education ...

Betts, Bruce

Shack

Young, William

Where is God in a world filled with so much evil? Mack’s youngest daughter, Missy, was abducted and killed.  4 years later, Mack gets a mysterious note inviting him back to the scene of the murder, an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness.

Devine, Colin

Rebound Rules: The Art of Success 2.0

Pitino, Rick

The only coach in college history to lead three different schools to the Final four writes of his rocky road to success, including the loss of many people important in his life and the effects of 9/11. In the end, the failures and tragedies opened doors. Pitino explains how to pick yourself up after being knocked down. A true comeback story for everyone.

Gusitsch, David

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

Ratey, John J.

Did you know one important study shows that aerobic exercise is as effective as antidepressants? Exercise, in fact, sparks new brain-cell growth. Ratey presents the research which proves that exercise is the best defense against everything from ADHD to addiction to Alzheimer's. It will forever change the way you think about working out.

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... SCIENCE ...

Coccoli, Tony

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

Pirsig, Robert M.

Follow a father and son on a cross-country motorcycle trip that becomes a personal quest for truth and inner peace.  A true modern classic.

Cochrane, Heather

Dog Year

Katz, Jon

Sometimes, love comes on four legs. Katz shares his affection for his family of dogs which occasionally turn his life upside down. Over the course of a year, Katz reflects on the importance of devotion to and understanding of any animal taken into the home, while connecting to it in a profound way.

Cochrane, Heather

Eat, Pray, Love

Gilbert, Elizabeth

True story of a women assessing her life and reworking it after divorce and through travel.

Cochrane, Heather

In the Presence of the Enemy

George, Elizabeth

Literary crime novel which deals with the ideals corrupted by self-interest, the sins of parents visited upon their children, and the masks that hide people from each other and themselves. The truth could bring political and social ruin.

Cochrane, Heather

Killing Bono

McCormick, Neil

Everyone wants to be famous. As a young punk in 1970s Dublin, Neil McCormick wanted to be the god of rock. There was one thing he hadn't counted on: the boy sitting on the other side of the classroom had plans of his own. That boy was Bono who ascended to global stardom, while the author's life spiraled into bad drugs, weird sex, and bizarre haircuts. Extremely funny, startlingly candid, and strangely moving.

Cochrane, Heather

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

Chang, Jung

Bursting with drama, heartbreak and horror, this extraordinary family portrait is the story of 3 generations in twentieth-century China. An inspiring tale of courage and love, it is an engrossing record of Mao’s impact on China.

Jones, Will

A Confederacy of Dunces

Toole, John Kennedy

A wildly inventive comic masterpiece features one of the most unforgettable characters in modern fiction: Ignatius Reilly, an obese misfit hilariously at odds with the 20th century. Funniest book ever!

Jones, Will

In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road

Weisbecker, Allan

A rollicking memoir about an aging surfer who goes on a quest to find his long lost friend who has vanished into the depths of Central America. Weisbecker describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend.

Jones, Will

Lucy Gayheart

Cather, Willa

A young music student leaves behind her small midwestern town and comes to know the elation and heartache of a life in the creative world. "A sad love story for the romantic in you," says Mr. Jones.

Jones, Will

The Road

McCarthy, Cormac

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves except for ash. It is cold, dark, barren. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food, and each other. Profoundly moving story of a journey through a future with no hope, but where a father and son are sustained by love.

Jones, Will

The Time Traveler's Wife

Niffenegger, Audrey

Clare and Henry fall deeply in love, but Henry has a condition which periodically resets him in time (past or future).  They desperately try to retain their complex relationship against unimaginable odds. Original, creative, incredibly moving love story. Easy to read; hard to forget. Mr. Jones says, "another love story for the romantic in you."

Lazaroff, Michael

Complete Idiot's Guide to Anatomy and Physiology

Lazaroff, Michael

Staples own Lazaroff writes a fresh approach to the study of the human body and its functions, placing its emphasis on the connections between the body's systems (rather than memorizing in isolation).

Morgan, Dr. Nick

Ender's Game

Card, Orson Scott

Recruited for military training, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School, where he exhibits the right combination of compassion and cruelty. There he becomes the youngest commander of a simulated battle game. Really though, the book is about what it takes to be a leader.

Morse-Gaudio, Michele

Lord of the Rings

Tolkien, J. R. R.

Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century. An epic fantasy with elements of adventure, suspense, mystery, and poetry.

Scrofani, Dave

Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

Greene, Brian

Strings--tiny, vibrating loops of matter--are seen as the building blocks of nature that may serve to unite the divergent theories of quantum mechanics and relativity. Greene makes understanding snap in place.

Scrofani, Dave

QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter

Feynman, Richard

Feynman provides a readable introduction to quantum electrodynamics, describing the interactions of light with charged particles. Using everyday language and diagrams, he clearly and humorously communicates to the layperson in an appealing style.

Simonsen, Kristin

House of Sand and Fog

Dubus, Andre

House of Sand and Fog is a narrative triumph in which a traditional immigrant success story and a modern love story are turned upside down with brutal, heartrending consequences. It is an American tragedy, and a shockingly true picture of the country we live in today.

Simonsen, Kristin

Icy Sparks

Rubio, Gwyn Hyman

Life is hard for Icy Sparks. She is bright and curious but suffers from Tourette's Syndrome and the stereotypical prejudices against it.

Simonsen, Kristin

To Kill a Mockingbird

Lee, Harper

The classic novel of a lawyer in the deep south defending a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. A book you should read more than once in your life.

Strauss, Drew

No Country for Old Men

McCarthy, Cormac

A modern-day western: violent, exciting, simply written, packs a punch. The movie tells only part of the story.

Strauss, Drew

Rose Madder

King, Stephen

This is the story of Rose Daniels. Escaping from her macabre marriage is not as easy as fleeing to a new city, picking a new name, finding a new job, and lucking out with a new man. She runs, thinking she is free--she's dead wrong.

Voytek, Trema

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Hosseini, Khaled

The heartbreaking story of two women in Kabul, Afghanistan who overcome their age difference and initial rivalry as they suffer at the hands of a common enemy, their abusive husband, through three decades of anti-Soviet jihad, civil war and the Taliban.

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  . . .Social Studies. . . 

Mongirdas, Eric

The Poisonwood Bible

Kingsolver, Barbara

Great book about a Southern missionary family who moves to the Belgium Congo.  Amazing characters, and a great story about Africa.

Sharp, Kathy

10 Most Beautiful Experiments

Johnson, George

An irresistible book on the ten most fascinating experiments in the history of science – moments when a curious soul posed a particularly eloquent question to nature and received a crisp unambiguous reply.  See Galileo singing to mark time as he measures the pull of gravity and Pavlov making his now-famous dogs salivate at ascending chord progressions.

Shepro, Jon

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Ralston, Aron

One of the most extraordinary survival stories ever told--ever lived. This is Aron Ralston's account of his six days trapped in one of the most remote spots in America, and how one inspired act of bravery brought him home. Gruesome and astonishing.

Willick, David

1491: New Revelations About the Americas Before Columbus

Mann, Charles C.

Traditionally, Americans learned in school that the ancestors of the people who inhabited the Western Hemisphere at the time of Columbus’s landing existed mainly in small, nomadic bands; and lived so lightly on the land that the Americas was, for all practical purposes, still a vast wilderness. But as Charles C. Mann now makes clear these and many other long-held assumptions are wrong. For instance, in 1491 there were probably more people living in the Americas, some in beautiful, immaculately clean cities larger than any current-day European city. Mann sheds clarifying light on the methods used to arrive at these new visions of the pre-Columbian Americas and how they have affected our understanding of our history and our thinking about the environment.

Willick, David

Coldest Winter

Halberstam, David

At the heart of this history of the Korean War is a bloody, losing battle fought in November 1950 in the snow-covered mountains of North Korea by outnumbered American GIs and Marines against the Chinese Communist Army. The story whisks the reader along even though we know the ending.

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...Special Education & PPS...

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Appel, Rita

Founding Faith

Waldman, Steven

Were the founding fathers really promoting a Christian nation? What about the religious right? Resolving from a true historical perspective the myths of what the founding fathers thought of separation of church and state and religious liberty. According to Waldman's research, the real history of religious freedom is dramatic, unexpected, paradoxical, and inspiring.

Beebe, Andrea

Alexandria Link

Berry, Steve

The cradle of ideas, the Library of Alexandria, was unparalleled in the world. But 1500 years ago, it vanished into legend. Cotton Malone, a rare-book dealer and former government operative, becomes caught up in a world of moguls who want to find the library and its treasures. Malone crosses the world in search of answers, and his quest will have worldwide repercussions.

Beebe, Andrea

Amber Room

Berry, Steve

The Amber Room was seized by German troops invading the Soviet Union in 1941. During the war it was hidden never to be seen again. However, Rachel Cutler, an Atlanta judge, gets swept up in its mystery after the death of her father. She takes off to Germany and soon is locked in a treacherous game with professional killers eager to find the beautiful Amber Room.

Beebe, Andrea

Drinking: A Love Story

Knapp, Caroline

Fifteen million Americans a year are plagued with alcoholism. Five million of them are women who face special perils. Many of them, like the author, started in their early teens and began to use alcohol as "liquid armor," a way to protect themselves against the difficult realities of life. This is a soul-baring memoir with insight into the nightmarish world of addiction.

Beebe, Andrea

Kill Artist

Silva, Dan

Daniel Silva has created a wonderful character in Gabriel Allon who was once a secret agent in the Israeli intelligence community and now is a world-renowned art restorer of priceless masterpieces. In The Kill Artist, the first in a series of stories involving Allon, he is called back into the game out of a sense of duty. Paired with a beautiful agent who poses as a model, they together begin a manhunt for a Palestinian terrorist named Tariq who is part of Allon's past. Thus duel blends the intrigue of politics and personal passions which emphasizes that revenge is a luxury that no man can afford and that life is the greatest masterpiece of all.

Dressler, Sandy

Moloka'i

Brennert, Alan

Rachel Klama has dreams of seeing far-off lands, but at age seven she is shattered by the discovery that she has leprosy. She is forcibly removed from her family and is sent to Kalaupapa, the isolated leper colony on the island of Moloka'i. There she continues to live her life, makes a new family and becomes aware of her rich cultural heritage. Though shadowed by disease and isolation, this is a story about life and hope.

Dressler, Sandy

Unaccustomed Earth

Lahiri, Jhumpa

Eight short stories dealing with various male/female relationships in the context of Indian immigration to the U.S. The gulf between first and second generation characters is wide. Lahiri's stories of exile, identity, disappointment and maturation have few contemporary equals.

Green, Deb

Shadow of the Wind

Ruiz Zafon, Carlos

In Barcelona, a boy mourns the loss of his mother and finds solace in his love for an extraordinary book called The Shadow of the Wind by an author names Julian Carax. When the boy searches for other books by Carax, it begins to dawn on him that someone is destroying all copies of Carax's books. Soon he realized that The Shadow of the Wind is as dangerous to own as it is impossible to forget. The mystery of its author's identity holds the key to a story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

Huisking, Marylou

Mona Lisa in Camelot: How Jacqueline Kennedy and Da Vinci's Masterpiece Charmed and Captivated a Nation

Davis, Margaret Leslie

The fascinating, untold story of an 88-day visit that forever changed America, and the unofficial ambassador behind it. In 1963 the French loaned the Mona Lisa to New York and Washington, an exhibit masterminded by the savvy First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Jackie's fondness for all things French raised eyebrows but endeared her abroad. A great summer read about the iconic Jackie Kennedy.

Taney, Carol

Glass Castle

Walls, Jeannette

This memoir is of Jeannette Walls' life as she grows up with no money, a mentally unstable mother, and an alcoholic father. However, Walls becomes a well known journalist and helps the reader see how different people cope.

Taney, Carol

Loving Frank: A Novel

Horan, Nancy

This fictionalization of the life of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, best known as the woman who wrecked Frank Lloyd Wright's first marriage, is less a romance novel and more a portrait of a strong, independent, educated woman at odds with the restrictions of the early 20th century. The affair made headline news and eventually the couple settled in Wisconsin at great personal cost to Mamah.

Taney, Carol

Shipping News: A Novel

Proulx, Annie

The main character, Quoyle, moves to a fishing town in Newfoundland with is daughters to reclaim his ruined life. There  he reports for the local paper, The Shipping News, and learns to recover from the terrors of his past.

 ..... Theater Department .....

Roth, David

Hunger Games

Collins, Susan

In the ruins of North America lies a harsh and cruel Capitol. It keeps its districts in line by forcing them all to send teens to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. The main character fights for survival at any cost.

Roth, David

Unwind

Shusterman, Neil

Three unwanted teens runaway from their parents who have the right to "unwind" them--a terrible fate--because they are troublemakers. They make a harrowing cross-country journey, fearing for their survival in a world gone mad. Ultimately terrifying, this is a thought-provoking read.

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..... World Language Department .....

Barahona, Joseph

The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream

Coehlo, Paulo

The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, a shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. the story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.

Cuevas de Taranko, Claudia

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Garcia Marquez, Gabriel

The story of a town history, Macondo in northern Colombia, is the first book of magical realism where everything that is normal becomes strange or abnormal and everything that is abnormal becomes normal. The book chronicles life in Macondo and the lives of six Buendia family generations as they evolve, separate, and disintegrate.

DeLuca, Catalina

Bloodline

Sheldon, Sydney

The daughter of one of the world's richest men inherits her father's company and faces a plot to destroy the company.

DeLuca, Catalina

Lincoln Lawyer

Connelly, Michael

Mickey Haller conducts his business from the back of his Lincoln. He usually defends clients at the bottom of the food chain. For once, he may be defending a client who is actually innocent. But Mickey's life is in danger as he gets closer to the truth. An interesting legal thriller--great for summer reading.

Fray, Chris

If You Want to Write

Ueland, Barbara

Ueland says to tell the truth and do nothing you don't want to do. She argues that anyone can write well once the imagination is freed from self-consciousness, anxiety, and fear of failure. This woman knows her stuff!

Kochefko, Carol

Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family

Mann, Thomas

This classic of literature tells of four generations of a wealthy family in northern Germany. Mann tells of births and christenings; marriages, divorces, and deaths; successes and failures. These commonplace occurrences occur somewhat differently each generation, yet the family’s downfall becomes increasingly certain.

Kochefko, Carol

German Boy: A Child in War

Samuel, Wolfgang W. E.

Told during post WWII, a German boy and his mother must prevail over hunger and despair, or die. They flee as Russian troops arrive amidst the barbarianism of soldiers who rape, plunder, and watch innocent citizens die.

Kochefko, Carol

Master Butcher's Singing Club

Erdrich, Louise

What happens when a trained killer discovers, in the aftermath of war, that his true vocation is love? Woven with intrigue, romance, death, sex, and humor, it's an emotionally complex tale of European immigrants who settle in America after WWI.

Kochefko, Carol

Memoirs of a Geisha

Golden, Arthur

An epic that takes the reader behind the screens of the geisha house of beauty and cruelty, through WWII to NYC where geisha Sayur tells the remarkable story of her life.

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..... Other Staff Recommendations .....

Gates, Cyndi

Pillars of the Earth

Follett, Ken

This book is so captivating. It is a magnificent telling of the building of a Gothic cathedral and the people who built it. It is an epic story of 12th century England and the lives of the people entwined with it and each other. It begins with a mystery, and builds in tension, violence, and passion over four generations.

Goodrich, Jim

Island at the Center of the World

Shorto, Russell

The story of Dutch Manhattan and the forgotten colony that shaped America. Covers 1609-1664.

Sands, Dave

Abstinence Teacher

Perrotta, Tom

Part screwball romance, part very serious topic. Ruth is a divorced mother and sex-education teacher who is believed to be too progressive for her increasingly religious community. The town factions are forced to confront one another while Ruth is tempted to begin a relationship with a born again Christian.

Sands, Dave

Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Diaz, Junot

Oscar grows up in a Dominican neighborhood in New Jersey as an overweight, homely lover of sci-fi and fantasy. Reading and writing consume his time. What he really wants is love, but he is constantly rejected. Oscar's story is interwoven with the stories of his ancestors who endured a dictatorship. There's magic, satire, sex, and comedy.

Sands, Dave

Clockers: A Novel

Price, Richard

At once an intense mystery and a revealing study of two men, a veteran homicide detective and an inner city crack dealer, on opposite sides of an endless war.

Stepsis, Mark

Into the Wild

Krakauer, Jon

Chris McCandless, a young man from a wealthy family, hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. He had given away his money, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned the remaining cash in his wallet and invented a life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. Krakauer brings McCandless's pilgrimage out of the shadows. Even though you know the ending, it is a mystery of the highest order.

Stepsis, Mark

Killer Angels

Shaara, Michael

A re-creation of the Battle of Gettysburg. In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation's history, two armies fought for two dreams. One dreamed of freedom, the other of a way of life. Historical fiction about Gettysburg stories of unbelievable bravery and stupidity.

Woog, Dan

Audacity of Hope

Obama, Barack

In Audacity of Hope, Obama calls for a different brand of politics--a politics rooted in inclusiveness and nobility of spirit. He explores those forces that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes about settling in as a senator and seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, often with self-deprecating humor.

Woog, Dan

Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War

Horwitz, Tony

Propelled by his boyhood passion for the Civil War, Horwitz embarks on a search for places and people enthralled by America's greatest conflict. The result is an adventure into the soul of the South, where the ghost of the Lost Cause are resurrected through ritual battle reenactments and remembrances of the Confederate ways. Poignant, haunting, and hilarious.

Woog, Dan

Dreams from My Father

Obama, Barack

Years before becoming President, Obama wrote this memoir. It recounts his struggle to understand the forces that shaped him as the son of a black African father and white American mother. His story includes what he learns about the value of community, the necessity of healing old wounds, and the possibility of faith in the midst of adversity. Eventually he travels to Africa to meet his father's side of his family and confronts the bitter truth of his father's life.

Woog, Dan

Staples High School: 120 Years of A+ Education

Woog, Dan

A must for all Stapelites!

Woog, Dan

Walking with the Wind

Lewis, John

A firsthand account of the civil rights movement by a man who lived it--an American hero whose courage, vision, and dedication helped change history.

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