The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
A comprehensive edition of Twain's 1885 tale about a boy who runs away from home and floats down the Mississippi on a raft with an escaping slave. Includes four episodes originally deleted from the first edition, an introduction by Twain biographer Justin Kaplan, and an addendum of explanatory and interpretive notes. Strong language. RC 43591, BR 10687.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.
The escapades and high-jinks of schoolboy Tom Sawyer, who lives with his Aunt Polly in a small Missouri town on the Mississippi River. Tom angles for the affections of Becky Thatcher, runs away with Huck Finn and Joe Harper, and tells the truth when it matters. RC 53084, BR 11823.

The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine.
The patriotic writer and essayist of the American and French Revolutions sets forth his beliefs on the place of religion in society. He affirms the need for rationalism in religion, attacks national religious institutions, and points out inconsistencies and fallacies of the Bible. RC 23256, BR 16591.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
Classic World War I novel depicting the horrors and futility of armed conflict. Nineteen-year-old German private Paul Baumer relates the daily routine of ordinary soldiers in the trenches and tells how warfare affected him and his three classmates. Portrays young men who may have escaped bullets but were destroyed by their combat experience. RC 54896, BR 11984.

All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren.
Restored edition, reconstructed from the author's original typescript, recreates the world of a corrupt southern politician of the 1920s and 1930s. Country boy Willie (Stark) Talos rises to become governor of his state only to be brought down by his personal failings. Strong language. Pulitzer Prize. RC 53553, BR 13840.

The Analects (Lun Yu) by Confucius.
Collection of the writings and sayings attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his school. The philosophic ideals of Confucianism have long been considered one of the most influential forces in Chinese thought and history. Includes an introduction, glossary, and appendices on events in the life of Confucius and his disciples. RC 19563.

Andersonville by Kantor MacKinlay.
Brooding, vivid chronicle of man’s tragic inhumanity to man, based on events taking place in and around Georgia’s Andersonville prison during the Civil War. The prison has been built on the land of humane planter Ira Claffey; together with his daughter he witnesses the misery, despair, heartache, and brutality of a wartime prison. Violence, strong language and some descriptions of sex. Pulitzer Prize. RC 25241.

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver.
Codi returns to Arizona to teach high school and care for her aging father. Her life is complicated by efforts to save the town from environmental catastrophe, and the renewal of an old love affair with a Native American man. Meanwhile, her sister Hallie, in Nicaragua helping peasant farmers in their fight for social justice, is captured by the "Contras." Their story is an of committment and suspense. RC 32451, BR 08406.

Animal Farm by George Orwell.
An allegorical political satire of communism in which the animals on a farm overthrow their master and live a utopian life until the intelligent pigs take over and one establishes himself as dictator. RC 38959, BR 13456, BR 01653.

Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley.
The title comes from a couplet by sixteenth-century author Christopher Marlowe, "My men like satyrs grazing on the lawn, Shall with their goat feet dance the antic hay." Oxford tutor Theodore Gumbril, tired of the academic routine, proceeds to dance "the antic hay"--to taste life fully and to become the "Complete Man." Some descriptions of sex. RC 32174.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.
The Bundrens, poor whites in Mississippi, face numerous obstacles as they trek across the countryside to deliver their mother’s body for burial in her home town. First published in 1930; this edition includes changes made by Noel Polk in 1985 based on the author’s notes. RC 49008, BR 12386.

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman: And Related Readings by Ernest Gaines.
A Louisiana ex-slave recounts her life from the end of the Civil War to the mid-twentieth-century civil rights movement. Also includes a speech by Sojourner Truth, a short story by Pearl S. Buck, and related memoirs, poems, and essays. Some strong language. RC 64730, BR 01645.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Sijie Dai.
Two privileged teenage boys are sent to a remote village for reeducation during China’s Cultural Revolution. When they procure a supply of French books, they read novels to a pretty but uneducated seamstress, with surprising results. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. RC 55365, BR 13711.

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.
Taylor Greer, a poor but plucky Kentucky girl with a sharp tongue, soft heart, and strong spirit, sets out to find a new life in the West. On the road, her flighty ’55 Volkswagen temporarily "gives out" in the Oklahoma flatlands, and, while having her car fixed, she finds an abused Indian child in the front seat of the car. Taylor becomes the child’s guardian, settles in Tuscon, and meets wonderful friends who help her cope with her new responsibilities. Taylor Greer series, book 1. Some strong language. RC 27589, BR 09389.

Beloved by Toni Morrison.
Related in kaleidoscopic fashion and set in rural Ohio during the period immediately following the Civil War, this chronicle of slavery and its aftermath traces the life of Sethe, a former slave. Sethe has a secret in her past so horrific that it has alienated the community, driven off her two sons, isolated her surviving daughter, and threatened her new, loving relationship with Paul D., also a former slave. Nobel Prize. RC 26026, BR 16707.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.
Black Beauty, a fine stallion, tells of his suffering as he is sold from one cruel master to another. This book was written to dramatize the abuse of horses in nineteenth-century England. Some violence. RC 41291, BR 16469.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
1941. Eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove--poor, ugly, and black--desperately wants blue eyes, which she thinks would solve all her problems. But instead she is subjected to rejection, violence, and an unwanted pregnancy. Slowly, she begins to descend into madness. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Nobel Prize. RC 49914, BR 12618.

Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon.
Zephyr, Alabama, 1964. Cory and his father, Tom, are making milk deliveries when suddenly a car speeds past them, hurtles down an embankment, and plunges into a lake. Tom immediately leaps into the lake, hoping to save the driver. But when he reaches the car, he sees the face of murder. As Cory and his father seek answers to the killing of the unknown man, Cory finds himself in a world of adult evils. Violence and strong language. RC 33904.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
A satire set in a future technocratic society in which people are rigidly classified by the state and kept happy by a government-administered drug. When two bureaucrats, Lenina and Bernard, travel to a “savage” reservation, they “rescue” a woman and her adult son who were abandoned long ago, and return them to civilization. RC 47108, BR 01601.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.
Jess finds his biggest rival and best friend in Leslie, a girl who moves to his rural Virginia community from the city. Together they create Terabithia, a secret kingdom in the woods where they reign supreme until tragedy strikes. RC 48732, BR 10864.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Alexander Brown.
Based upon the records of treaty councils and the actual words of Indian leaders such as Geronimo, Chief Joseph, and Crazy Horse. This history of the Indians from 1860 to 1890 covers the thirty critical years during which the West was won and the civilization of the American Indian was lost. RC 20462, BR 08720.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London.
Buck, a St. Bernard mix, is stolen and trained to be a sled dog in the Alaskan gold fields. Abused by both men and dogs, Buck learns to fight ruthlessly until he finds a master, John Thornton, whom he loves and respects. Call of the Wild series, book 1. RC 49486, BR 12582.

Candide, or, Optimism by Francois Marie Arouet De Voltaire.
A satire on the follies and vices of men. Everything that permeates and controls the lives of men is taken to task--romance, science, philosophy, and religion. Naive Candide experiences a series of incredible adventures from which he rebounds, maintaining his "sweet" countenance. RC 31736.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.
A poetic comedy from fourteenth-century England. During the annual April pilgrimage to Thomas a Becket’s shrine at Canterbury, the travelers stop at the Tabard Inn, where their host suggests a story-telling contest. The jovial tellers of the ribald tales include a friar, a summoner, a nun’s priest, and a miller. RC 20461, BR 00466.

Carrie by Stephen King.
A high-school girl uses her secret powers of telekinesis, the ability to produce motion in objects by mind control, as a weapon to exact revenge on a New England town. Strong language and some violence. RC 07910, BR 10849.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.
Bombardier Yossarian desperately tries to stay alive during World War II. Military rules make it impossible for anyone to achieve the combat quota necessary to quit flying. Yossarian and his buddies concoct ways to avoid the ridiculous orders of their officers. Strong language and descriptions of sex. RC 48063, BR 11980.

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.
As Christmas vacation begins, Holden Caulfield recounts his feelings and reactions to flunking out of Pencey, his third prep school. Instead of heading straight home, he wanders around New York City. This account of his adventures conveys his dismay at the adult world. Strong language. RC 47480, BR 11909.

A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive by Dave Pelzer.
A man recounts the years of torture and starvation that he experienced as a child at the hands of his alcoholic mother. Chronicles the incidents of maltreatment, his ultimate rescue from the abusive home, and his recovery. Violence. Dave Pelzer autobiography series, book 1. RC 45004.

Christine by Stephen King.
Chilling, macabre love tragedy set in 1978 in Pittsburgh centers on teenage misfit Arnie Cunningham and his devotion to and ultimate possession by his 1958 Plymouth Fury, "Christine." Eerie things happen from the day that Arnie buys it for $250 from creepy old Roland D. LeBay. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. RC 18670, BR 11479.

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel.
After her people perish in an earthquake during the Ice Age, Cro-Magnon woman Ayla is adopted by a beetle-browed Neanderthal clan. Banished several times for flouting taboos, Ayla finally realizes that she must leave the group, doomed to extinction, and seek out her own kind. Earth’s Children series, book 1. Some explicit descriptions of sex. RC 52680, BR 16674.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker.
Follows two black sisters--Nettie, a missionary, and Celie, raped by her father and married to a cruel man. Nettie's letters do not reach Celie, and Celie's shame is so great that she writes only to God. Anniversary edition includes Walker's 1992 preface. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Pulitzer Prize. RC 58842, BR 12265.

Congo by Michael Crichton.
A bright and beautiful woman computer scientist from a Houston-based corporation with global interests, a scientist accompanied by a gorilla who uses sign language, and a professional soldier/hunter all depart on a fearsome expedition into deepest Africa. Thanks to their knowledge of technology, history, gorilla language, and geography they are successful in their search for the lost city of Zinj and for the diamonds that are the raw materials for computer chips that will revolutionize the industry. RC 15813, BR 04632.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
This four-act play is based on the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 and investigates the consequences of fear and insecurity. RC 32974, BR 09499.

Cujo by Stephen King.
Cujo is a two-hundred-pound Saint Bernard, the beloved pet of the Joe Cambers family in a small Maine town. One day Cujo pursues a rabbit into a cave and is bitten by a rabid bat. Circumstances conspire to conceal his growing illness until a horrid succession of bloody deaths terrorizes everyone around, including the Cambers. Strong language. RC 17301, BR 04981.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.
Professor Robert Langdon investigates the crime scene of the Louvre’s murdered curator. Joining him is French cryptologist Sophie Neveu. The clues left behind pit two Catholic societies against each other in search of the Holy Grail. Robert Langdon series, book 2. Some violence and some strong language. RC 55735, BR 15406.

The Dead Zone by Stephen King.
After an accident-induced coma four years before, a young New England school teacher awakens to find that he can see into the future. His second sight proves to be more of a horror than a blessing, since it brings him face to face with an ambitious politician. Some strong language. RC 55267.

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.
A modern drama which indicts the optimism and materialism of American society. Willy Loman, a traveling salesman, experiences a profound sense of failure as he recognizes signs of aging in himself and decides to take stock of his accomplishments. Pulitzer Prize. RC 23130, BR 02719.

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio.
One hundred tales reflecting life in fourteenth-century Italy, as narrated by men and women finding refuge in the country from a plague in Florence. Depicts the adventures, customs, lusts, and loves of people representing all social strata from noblemen to peasants. Translation from Italian work completed around 1352. Some explicit descriptions of sex. RC 57414, BR 05468.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.
In a remarkable account begun on her thirteenth birthday in 1942, a Jewish girl in German-occupied Amsterdam records her hopes, fears, and growing pains during two years of close confinement with her family hiding from the Nazis in a secret apartment. RC 57022, BR 15076.

Different Seasons by Stephen King.
Four horror novels. One tale observes how two convicts react to prison life. Another examines the bizarre relationship between a young boy and a former concentration camp commandant. In "The Body," four boys locate the corpse of a boy killed by a train. The final novella describes an unusual men’s club, where chilling stories are told. Some strong language. RC 18656.

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak.
The story of a Russian physician and poet, during the years between 1900 and 1929. An individualist and somewhat of an outsider, he is separated from his wife by the Bolsheviks and falls in love with another woman. RC 29532, BR 09814.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
Spanish classic depicting the adventures of Don Quixote, an aging gentleman addled by chivalrous visions, who appoints himself a knight-errant and sets out with his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, on a quest to right the world's wrongs. RC 57711, BR 15246.

The Education of Harriet Hatfield by May Sarton.
When publisher Victoria Chilton dies, Hariett Hatfield, her friend and companion for thirty years, decides to open a women's bookstore. She envisions a place in which women can not only buy books, but also browse and talk with friends and neighbors over a cup of tea. However, soon after opening Hatfield House in a blue-collar suburb of Boston, Harriet is bombarded by anonymous threats and obscenities. RC 30355.

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter.
Memoir of an orphaned boy who was raised in a log cabin by his Cherokee grandparents in Tennessee during the Great Depression. Some strong language. RC 58621.

Emile: Or, on Education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Eighteenth-century treatise on education set in the form of a novel. The author plays the role of a tutor who prepares a boy for adult life in a civilized society. Rousseau’s system was intended to be philosophical rather than practical. He examines the possibilities that tend to divide people and offers a positive, natural method for learning how to become a responsible human being. RC 37452.

Eyeless in Gaza by Aldous Huxley.
The author of Brave New World (RC 47108) depicts thirty years in the life of Englishman Anthony Beavis. At school Beavis befriends Brian Foxe; Hugh Ledwidge, whose wife, Helen, becomes Beavis's lover; and Mark Staithes, a Marxist with whom Beavis goes to Mexico to fight in a revolution. RC 61400.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Social satire set in the future, when owning or reading books is a crime. Guy Montag, the fireman-hero, becomes a fugitive when he succumbs to temptation. Some strong language. RC 34963, BR 15332, BR 08799.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien.
As the Ring cycle begins, Frodo, a home-loving hobbit, inherits the magic ring that his Uncle Bilbo brought back from his adventures in The Hobbit (RC 11497). To protect the ring from the powers of darkness, Frodo must make a long, dangerous journey. Lord of the Rings series, book 1. RC 47486, BR 09745.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.
The narrator, a mentally impaired man of thirty-two, receives an operation to increase his learning ability. Although his mentality develops at high speed, there is always the possibility of regression. RC 33245, BR 00333.

Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews.
In order to inherit a fortune, Corrine Dollanganer hides the existence of her four children from their grandfather by packing them off to live secretly in an attic. But the grandfather’s death takes years, and the children’s ordeal of boredom and desire, interrupted only by their grandmother’s acts of sadistic cruelty, stretches into months and years. Dollanganger series, book 2. Explicit descriptions of sex. RC 36176.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.
American Robert Jordan has joined the Republicans fighting against the Fascists during the Spanish civil war. He is on a mission to destroy a strategically located bridge with the help of a band of guerillas. At their camp he falls in love with Maria, a young torture victim. Some violence. RC 49108, BR 12455.

Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus  by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
Classic horror story. A monster, endowed with life by a young scientist named Frankenstein, later turns on his creator. Originally published in 1818. RC 25835, BR 12173.

From Here to Eternity by James Jones.
Army life in Hawaii before World War II, centering on the conflict and bond between two men: Pfc. Prewitt, a bugler and unwilling ex-boxer, and First Sergeant Warden, who risks his career for an affair with his commanding officer's wife. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. National Book Award. RC 56319.

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous.
Based on the diary of a fifteen-year-old girl who turned to drugs because of her feelings of loneliness and rebellion against the world. Though she tries to stop, she dies of an overdose three weeks after her seventeenth birthday. Strong language.
RC 44179, BR 10978.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
A romantic Civil War epic in which Scarlet O' Hara, a forceful and ruthless heroine, and Rhett Butler, a war profiteer, play out their tempestuous love affair against the background of the war-torn South. Pulitzer Prize. RC 33082, BR 11427, BR 08519.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
The story of the Depression farmers and their families driven from the dust bowl of their Oklahoma farms to the promised land of California to find work. Instead they face organized opposition to their struggle to survive. Strong language. RC 21574, BR 01621.

Grendel by John Gardner.
The author has rendered an allegorical, satiric retelling of the Old English Beowulf from the point of view of the monster, Grendel, devourer of men. Grendel perceives the ambition, fear, art, hope, and loneliness of the human condition. RC 38310, BR 01772.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Against the glitter and recklessness of the Jazz Age, Jay Gatsby makes a desperate attempt to recapture the past and, along with it, the love of Daisy Buchanan. Amid extravagant parties at Gatsby's palatial estate, his neighbor narrates the story of his obsession with the American dream. RC 55714, BR 11057.

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift.
Published in 1726 as a scornful satire on humankind, this novel follows the travels of Captain Lemuel Gulliver into remote and fanciful nations of the world. On his voyages he encounters miniature people, giants, horses with human reason, and a flying island. RC 23150, BR 12766.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Set in the future, the United States of America is now the Republic of Gilead, a fundamentalist Christian theocracy that arose after fanatics shot the President, machine-gunned the Congress and forced the Army to declare a state of emergency. To reverse the declining birthrate, women are forcibly recruited into the ranks of Handmaids and are assigned to the Commanders of the Faithful whose wives are barren. Some strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. RC 24695, BR 11911.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling.
On Harry Potter’s eleventh birthday, he learns that he is more than an unwanted orphan. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry recruits him because he has inherent magical abilities. As he purchases his school supplies--robes, wand, and messenger owl--Harry looks forward to attending his new boarding school. Harry Potter series, book 1. RC 47260, BR 11879.

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi.
Bugliosi prosecuted the 1969 murder case against cult leader Charles Manson and his followers. Among the brutal deaths attributed to the group is the mass murder of actress Sharon Tate and her house guests. Bugliosi gives detailed descriptions of the crime scenes, the frustrating investigation, the arrest and trial, and the retaliation murders. Strong language and violence. RC 36994.

The Hobbit; Or, There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien.
The wandering wizard Gandalf recruits Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, to be the fourteenth member of an expedition. Hobbits prefer comfort to adventures, but Bilbo joins the quest and encounters many perils, including a dragon. Tales of Middle Earth series, book 2. RC 48978, BR 11595, BR 07827.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
Memoir by well-known African American poet and college professor Maya Angelou. She describes her childhood and adolescent years in rural Arkansas, in St. Louis, and in San Francisco, and the racial and gender hardships she endured. Maya Angelou autobiography series, book 1. RC 57200, BR 15665.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.
The author coined the term "nonfiction novel" for this account of the murder of a Kansas family. He reconstructs the crime and the backgrounds and personalities of all the principals, drawing his information from observation, interviews, and official records.
RC 22726.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiessen
Impassioned account supports the American Indian movement’s opposition to U.S. government interference in reservation affairs. Matthiessen describes the confrontation between FBI agents and Dakota Indians at Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975, a violent encounter that ended in three deaths and led to murder charges against four Indians. RC 19138.

In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.
Set in the Dominican Republic under the regime of dictator Rafael Trujillo. In 1960 three of the four Mirabal sisters were murdered for their part in the struggle for freedom. The author, a refugee herself, recreates the lives of Patria, the eldest; Dede, the sole survivor; Minerva, wife of a revolutionary; and Maria Theresa, the diarist. Alvarez depicts the everyday lives of the women, martyred for their courage and beliefs. RC 40316.

It by Stephen King.
It began in 1958 when seven imperiled children searched in the drains beneath the New England town of Derry for the horror they believed lurked there. Twenty-seven years later those children, now grown, recall their buried memories. Again, the most heinous violence awaits them. Strong language, violence, and some descriptions of sex. RC 28045, BR 07678.

The Joy of Sex: A Cordon Bleu Guide to Lovemaking edited by Alex Comfort.
A guide to sex, stressing the refinements and enjoyment of lovemaking. Describes sexual techniques aimed at adding zest and variety to erotic relations between men and women. Joy of Sex series, book 1. Explicit descriptions of sex. RC 19872, BR 02238.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Scout Finch is an outspoken and literate six-year-old tomboy when she begins her tale of growing up in a small Alabama town with her brother Jem and her attorney father Atticus. The children's intense curiosity about a reclusive neighbor is eclipsed by Atticus's attempt to defend a black man against charges of raping a white woman. Pulitzer Prize winner. RC 36414, BR 12850.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling.
Kimball O'Hara is an Irish orphan growing up in India during the time of the British Raj. His childhood as a vagabond is cut short when he is adopted by his father's regiment. But Kim's love of adventure leads him to wander at every opportunity, and his background makes him particularly useful in secret-service activities. Thus, while still a boy, he pursues two Russian spies in the Himalayas, capturing their papers. RC 35722.

King Lear by William Shakespeare.
A tragedy concerning a petulant king and his three daughters. Amid much other, more political action, Lear is taken in by false avowals of love from two of his daughters, and disinherits a third because of her refusal to flatter him. RC 29214, BR 09396, BR 01525.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
An Afghan in California recalls a fateful 1975 day in Kabul that seared his soul at age twelve--the day he won a kite tournament and abandoned a younger companion to rape. That cowardice keeps haunting him during exile in America until the opportunity for atonement arises--back in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Violence and some strong language. RC 57457, BR 15785.

Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence.
An earthy love story, once banned in the United States, of the affair between Lady Chatterley and her gamekeeper, Mellors. Married to an impotent, disabled husband, she is attracted to Mellors's strength and independence from industrial society. Explicit descriptions of sex. RC 44295.

The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault.
A novel that recreates ancient Greece, including the prevalence of male homosexuality, in the story of a young Athenian of a wealthy family. Some descriptions of sex. RC 29082.

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.
A classic work of poetry by Whitman, who, born in New York in 1819, was a teacher, editor, war correspondent, and government clerk. The poems included in Leaves of Grass present a broad view of Whitman as philosopher, propagandist, humorist, and poet. "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d," a tribute to Abraham Lincoln, describes the grief of those watching the passing of the train bearing the president’s body. RC 32177, BR 14662, BR 08420.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis.
Four English children find their way through a huge wardrobe in an old house to the mysterious land of Narnia, which is under the spell of the White Witch. Narnia series, book 2. RC 16982, BR 11912.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
A comic and sad affair between middle-aged Humbert Humbert and a twelve-year-old nymphet whom he calls Lolita. Desiring this precocious girl, he marries her mother. After the mysterious death of his wife, he and Lolita embark upon a transcontinental journey during which he yields himself fully to his obsession. RC 16746, BR 13157.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
With horrifying implications, this novel relates the experiences of a group of English boys who are wrecked on a desert island and have to establish their own system of government. RC 48388, BR 09480.

The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy.
The experiences of four cadets at a southern military institute during the Vietnam War. Will, the narrator, struggles to determine his own identity as he recounts his three friend's difficult passage from youth to manhood and examines the love-hate feelings for the military system that pervade their lives. Strong language, violence, and some descriptions of sex. RC 23429.

Lysistrata by Aristophanes.
A comic Greek drama explores the absurdity and incongruity of the human sexual drive and devastatingly attacks war. During the Peloponnesian War, Lysistrata persuades the wives of Athens and Sparta to refuse sexual favors to their husbands until peace is concluded. Descriptions of sex. RC 17877.

The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon.
An American soldier captured during the Korean War is brainwashed by his communist captors and hypnotized to commit crimes on command. When he returns home he is hailed as a hero, but immediately becomes the center of political intrigue.
RC 32706, BR 08353.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.
Science fiction classic covering the period from January 1999 through October 2026. Closely connected short stories chronicle repeated visits by humans to Mars. The Earth people attempt to create a new world, but they get an unfriendly reception from the Martians. RC 26787, BR 10324.

Maurice by E. M. Forster.
Written in 1914 and withheld from publication until after the author’s death, the subject of this early work is homosexual love. Maurice has an affair with a young Cambridge snob who leaves him for marriage. Later he gives up his job to live with a young gamekeeper. Explicit descriptions of sex. RC 26857, BR 01785.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.
A seventeenth-century comic drama about the Jewish money lender, Shylock, who agrees to loan the protagonist money only if Antonio will offer a pound of his flesh as collateral. When Antonio’s ships sink, Shylock tries to collect, and a clever court case ensues. RC 21495, BR 11789, BR 01101.

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe.
Moral tale set in seventeenth-century England and Virginia recounts the crimes and misfortunes of a lusty and strong-willed woman. Among Moll's five marriages was one, unwitting, to her own brother. After years as a thief and a prostitute, she attains great wealth, and spends her old age comfortably repenting her youthful excesses. RC 51146, BR 12919.

More Joy: A Lovemaking Companion to The Joy of Sex by Alex Comfort.
Emphasizes human relationships between sex partners and considers sexuality as a source of personal growth. Discusses body language, concerns of the elderly or those with special needs, and ways to overcome sexual hang-ups. Joy of Sex series, book 2. RC 57167, BR 15106.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.
A satirical, frightening novel about a future time under a totalitarian regime, where the people believe ignorance is strength and war is peace. RC 34268, BR 10312.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
A tale of the far-reaching bonds of friendship between two itinerant ranch workers: George, the more levelheaded, and Lennie, more dependent. Their dream of owning a small farm is doomed by Lennie's unintentional overuse of his physical strength and George's honorable attempt to resolve the problem it causes. Some strong language. Nobel Prize. RC 48515, BR 08851.

The Odyssey by Homer.
A Greek epic poem attributed to Homer recounts the adventures of Odysseus during his ten-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. This translation by Robert Fitzgerald won the 1961 Bollingen Award for the best translation of a poem into English.  RC 43541, BR 12113, BR 02752.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey.
Chief Bromden, a long-term inmate of a mental institution, relates the story of a struggle for control of the ward, centering around the hateful, authoritarian Nurse Ratched and a new patient, the fiercely independent Randle Patrick McMurphy. Some strong language. RC 56351, BR 12698.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Latin American epic tale follows seven generations of the Buendia family through triumphs and disasters that parallel the fortunes and misfortunes of their utopian town, Macondo. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. RC 59490.

Ordinary People by Judith Guest.
Compassionate novel about guilt-ridden seventeen-year-old Conrad Jarrett who returns home from a stay in a mental institution after he attempts suicide. With the help of an understanding psychiatrist, Conrad learns about love and survival. Strong language. Some explicit descriptions of sex. RC 10149.

The Other Woman by Eric Jerome Dickey.
An unnamed African American news producer is contacted by David Lawrence, a stranger who tells her that her husband is having an affair with his wife. The producer and David meet and have a brief fling, which their cheating spouses soon discover. Explicit descriptions of sex, strong language, and some violence.
RC 56284.

Paradise Lost by John Milton.
An epic poem using the fall of mankind and the story of Paradise Lost and sought for in the life of man as its main theme. Richly elaborate symbolism is employed in describing Satan’s battle with God, descent to Hell, and his seduction of Adam and Eve. RC 31889, BR 12249.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
Historical novel set in twelfth-century England. Philip, prior of the monastery at Kingsbridge, and Tom, a master mason, would like to build a new cathedral. They are helped along when Tom's stepson torches the current cathedral. They are hindered, however, by a powerful and jealous bishop, and by Ellen, who witnessed an ancient treachery. RC 30999.

Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth.
In this satire of Jewish life, the protagonist confronts his guilt as he reminisces on a psychoanalyst's couch and talks about adolescent masturbation; his lustful, masochistic adventures of adulthood; and his sexual fantasies. He also deals with his feelings toward a domineering mother and a demanding, overworked father. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. RC 26788, BR 01003.

The Portable Milton by John Milton.
Includes the poems, "Paradise Lost," "Paradise Regained," and "Samson Agonistes." Some of the prose works are "Areopagitica" and "Of Education."  RC 24311.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.
When he was eleven years old, Owen Meany hit a foul ball that struck and killed the mother of his best pal, Johnny Wheelwright the story’s narrator. Thereafter, Owen believes himself to be an instrument of God. What happens to the two pals after that accident is extraordinary and terrifying. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. RC 29012.

A Raisin in the Sun: A Drama in Three Acts by Lorraine Hansberry.
A middle-class black family in Chicago, torn by tensions and discontent, suffer further when they receive a life insurance settlement. No one can agree on what should be done with the money. RC 43547, BR 16492.

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.
When two Indian-born actors fall from an exploded hijacked airplane onto an English Channel beach, they must overcome violent personal conflicts in order to survive the catastrophe. Gibreel acquires a halo, but Saladin begins to take on the appearance of the devil, and from here on the story becomes a tale of good and evil. RC 29207.

Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally.
In 1939, Oskar Schindler, a young, wealthy, enterprising German interested in drinking and women, is a less-than-exemplary Catholic. In this "nonfiction novel," Keneally tells the story of his transformation into a man who, at great personal risk, saves hundreds of Jews from death during World War II. Some strong language and violence. RC 20835, BR 09689.

Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe by George Eliot.
Classic novel of an embittered, reclusive weaver in rural Victorian England who is robbed of his horded gold but later adopts a foundling he learns to cherish. Years later Silas and Eppie discover the truth of the girl's parentage and the location of the lost treasure. RC 52397, BR 50395, BR 13573.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
Billy Pilgrim, adrift in time, randomly revisits past and present manifestations: senile widower stalked by an assassin, hopeful young newlywed, a giraffe on the planet Tralfamadore where time is an illusion and, most crucially, American POW during the firebombing of Dresden in World War II. Strong language.
RC 64540, BR 01062.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson.
Set on an island in Puget Sound shortly after World War II. Carl Heine has drowned, and Kabuo Miyamoto, a fellow fisherman, is charged with Heine’s murder. Covering the trial for the local newspaper is Ishmael Chambers, who was the first love of Hatsue, the defendant’s wife. As the trial gets under way, the courtroom and the entire once peaceful community are tense with suspicion and prejudice. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. RC 40688, BR 11904.

The Social Contract; and Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
The eighteenth-century French philosopher's major work advocating the principles of political right, which declared that the general will is the rightful authority in matters of controversy. RC 23561, BR 11094.

Sophie’s Choice by William Styron.
Stingo moves into a cheap Brooklyn rooming house where he meets unstable Nathan and his gorgeous lover Sophie, a Polish Catholic who somehow survived the Holocaust. Stingo, who feels unrequited love for Sophie, becomes her confidant as she faces the horrors of her past, especially the years she worked for the Commandant of Auschwitz. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. RC 13812, BR 04142.

The Stand by Stephen King.
An experimental virus called superflu hits the world--rapidly wiping out the whole of civilization except for the few who are immune. Expansion of novel originally published in 1978. Strong language, some explicit descriptions of sex, and some violence. RC 56081.

The Story Of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts by Hugh Lofting.
An old favorite about a kind-hearted doctor who loves animals so much that he learns their language. The story of his trip to Africa to cure the monkeys of a terrible sickness is full of humorous improbabilities. Dr. Dolittle series. RC 28413, BR 04247.

A Time to Kill by John Grisham.
In Clanton, Mississippi, black, ten-year-old Tonya Hailey is raped, tortured, and left for dead by two white men. She survives and identifies her abductors, who are quickly arrested. Tonya's father, Carl Lee Hailey, takes matters into his own hands, shooting and killing the two prisoners. As his attorney prepares Carl Lee's case, the town is overrun with reporters and avenging Klansmen. Violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex.
RC 35891, BR 09876.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare.
A tragic drama about a young prince attempting to avenge his father's murder. His uncle has seduced Hamlet's mother, killed his father, and usurped his claim to the crown. Hamlet's melancholic, irresolute temperament, however, inhibits decisive action and contributes to more calamities. RC 24285, BR 10149.

The Tragedy of Richard the Second by William Shakespeare.
Historical tragedy and study of kingship first performed in the 1590s. Richard II, a weak and ineffectual king, settles a quarrel and exiles Henry Bolingbroke, son of John of Gaunt, for ten years. He then seizes Henry’s property to finance the Irish wars. Henry returns to claim his inheritance, murders the king’s supporters, and imprisons Richard. Henry usurps the throne, but lives in fear until the deposed Richard is no more. RC 35682, BR 09244, BR 01107.

The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
An early seventeenth-century play. Three witches stir a prophetic brew as they await the return of the Scottish army. The victorious general Macbeth, spurred on by his ambitious wife, murders Duncan, the king, while he is a guest in Macbeth’s castle. Once Macbeth sets himself upon this path, he must clear further obstacles. Eventually the desire for power, coupled with mistrust, fear, and anger, leads to one violent act after another. RC 24293, BR 09269, BR 01084.

The Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller.
An autobiographical novel about the American author's stay in Paris during the early 1930s. It tells of his poverty, reading, relationships, and growth during this time. Tropic series, book 1. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. RC 17191, BR 01025.

Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will by William Shakespeare.
Turn-of-the-seventeenth-century romantic comedy about fraternal twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated by shipwreck. Viola, obliged to masquerade as Cesario, a page in the service of Duke Orsino, acts as the duke’s envoy of love to Countess Olivia, who in turn falls in love with Cesario. Meanwhile, Sebastian arrives and, not unhappily, consents to marry the countess. Mistaken identities and some complicated lovers’ problems precede a happy reunion.
RC 36569, BR 09252, BR 01115.

Ulysses by James Joyce.
This novel deals with a single day, June 16, 1904, in the life of Leopold Bloom, a Dublin advertising salesman. The stream-of-consciousness style and the use of interior monologues expose the personalities of the characters. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. RC 19994, BR 10287.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life among the Lowly by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
First published in 1852, abolitionist Stowe's depiction of the moral injustice of slavery and the evils of materialism. Tom saves little Eva's life, and years later she tries to help him gain his freedom. Eventually, Tom's protection of runaway Eliza costs him his life at the hands of the brutal ex-Yankee Simon Legree.
RC 50070, BR 12749, BR 01623.

Walden; or, Life in the Woods and, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau.
Autobiographical record of the author’s experiment in essential living at his Walden Pond retreat in the 1850s along with detailed observations of nature and his commentaries on world problems. His essay "Civil Disobedience" is a protest against government’s interference with individual liberty. RC 50835.

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall.
An intelligent young woman struggles against her sexual preferences for her own sex. Considered a forbidden topic when the novel was first published in the 1920s, the subject of lesbianism is delicately handled. RC 16709.

Wild Swans by Jung Chang.
Chang’s life, contrasted with the lives of her mother and grandmother, illustrates the political turmoil and the treatment of women in China during the twentieth century. Her grandmother was a concubine with bound feet and her parents were communist officials until they were denounced in Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Chang moved to London following her own brief stint in the Red Guards. RC 34458.

Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Sexual Fantasies by Nancy Friday.
Using letters from women, Friday discusses a woman's right to experience full sexual release. She emphasizes masturbation and discusses women's fantasies: being in control, being with other women, and being sexually insatiable. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex. RC 35788.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.
Meg Murry, her younger brother Charles Wallace, and her neighbor Calvin are transported to the planet Camazotz as they search for Meg’s lost father, a scientist studying time travel. Newbery Medal. Murry Children series, book 1. RC 48972, BR 09403, BR 01546.