On May 22, PBS will launch the Great American Read series. The series will engage Americans in discussions about a wide range of books included on its list of America’s Most Loved 100 Books. The list includes the following:
1984 | Hatchet |
A Confederacy of Dunces | Heart of Darkness |
A Game of Thrones | The Help |
A Prayer for Owen Meany | The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy |
A Separate Peace | The Hunger Games |
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | The Hunt for Red October |
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | The Intuitionist |
The Alchemist | Invisible Man |
Alex Cross Mysteries** | Jane Eyre |
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland | The Joy Luck Club |
Americanah | Jurassic Park |
And Then There Were None | Left Behind |
Anne of Green Gables | The Little Prince |
Another Country | Little Women |
Atlas Shrugged | Lonesome Dove |
Beloved | Looking for Alaska |
Bless Me, Ultima | The Lord of the Rings** |
The Book Thief | The Lovely Bones |
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao | The Martian |
The Call of the Wild | Memoirs of a Geisha |
Catch-22 | Mind Invaders |
The Catcher in the Rye | Moby Dick |
Charlotte’s Web | The Notebook |
The Chronicles of Narnia** | One Hundred Years of Solitude |
The Clan of the Cave Bear | Outlander |
The Coldest Winter Ever | The Outsiders |
The Color Purple | The Picture of Dorian Gray |
The Count of Monte Cristo | The Pilgrim’s Progress |
Crime and Punishment | The Pillars of the Earth |
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time | Pride and Prejudice |
The Da Vinci Code | Ready Player One |
Don Quixote | Rebecca |
Doña Barbara | The Shack |
Dune | Siddhartha |
Fifty Shades of Grey | The Sirens of Titan |
Flowers in the Attic | The Stand |
Foundation | The Sun Also Rises |
Frankenstein | Swan Song |
Ghost | Tales of the City |
Gilead | Their Eyes Were Watching God |
The Giver | Things Fall Apart |
The Godfather | This Present Darkness |
Gone Girl | To Kill a Mockingbird |
Gone with the Wind | Twilight |
The Grapes of Wrath | War and Peace |
Great Expectations | Watchers |
The Great Gatsby | The Wheel of Time** |
Gulliver’s Travels | Where the Red Fern Grows |
The Handmaid’s Tale | White Teeth |
Harry Potter** | Wuthering Heights |
**Denotes a series title
How many of these well-loved titles have you read? You may want to consider reading some of the titles you have not yet read, or you may want to re-read favorites you have not read in many years. Visit the library and we’ll be happy to help you get your hands on these engaging reads!
If you would like to know more about the books included on the list, you may want to visit the website of PBS Station WGBH in Boston. They have all the titles displayed and if you click one you are interested in, you will be able to read a quick anecdote about it.
Have fun watching the series, reading and buzzing about books all summer long!