What books would you put on your list of books you think everyone should read before they die?  Could you come up with 100 books?  What criteria would you use to create your list?

I love to look at the “read these books before you die” lists.  I am always so intrigued by how the lists came about, and how the creators decided what books should be on them.  The lists invariably contain many “classics,” which help us understand our country and culture, but I have to say, there are many newer books that should make it on the lists.  And newer books are starting to show up, but when will the balance shift from mostly “classics” to mostly modern?

Recently, the book 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List by James Mustich was published, and I purchased it for the library.  I was very pleased to see a huge range of reading on the list, from fiction to non-fiction, kids’ books to teen books, classics to modern.  The book has inspired me to have our school staff create our own 100 books to read before you die list.  I will be compiling it next week, but already, I can see it will be a good list!  Many classics, of course…

Here is the PBS Great American Novel list.  These were voted on by people across America.  This is a pretty good list, with more than a few modern books.

And there are so many more of this type of list!  Find one that speaks to you and use it to create a reading challenge for yourself!

Happy Reading!

#librariestransform

#TVSTRONG