Samuels Says - "Which books give you that holiday spirit?"

This month for our display, we asked the staff: "Which books give you that holiday spirit?" Here are our picks—we'd love to hear yours too! 

Jeanne:
The Homecoming: a novel about Spencer’s Mountain by Earl Hamner (F Ham)
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, illustrated by P. S. Lynch (JF Hen)
Christmas with Southern Living (394.2 Chr)
Snowy Night with a Stranger by Jane Feather (Paperback Romance F)
A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas (F Kle)
A Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco (EF Pol)
Home for the Holidays by Johanna Lindsey
The Nutcracker – American Ballet Theatre and Mikhail Baryshnikov production
(Vid / DVD 792.8 Nut)

Joan 1:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (JF Dic)
Christmas Jars and Christmas Jars Reunion by Jason Wright (F Wri)
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans (F Eva)
The Christmas Books by Charles Dickens (F Dic)
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (F Hen)
Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark (F Cla)
One Shenandoah Winter by T. Davis Bunn (F Bun)
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg (F Fla)
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (F Gri)
The Christmas Train by David Baldacci (F Bal)

Katie:

Country Living: Merry and Bright: 301 Festive Ideas for Celebrating Christmas from the editors of Country Living (745.594 Cou) “I really like this one”
The Golden Book of Desserts by Carla Bardi and Rachel Lane (641.8 Gol)
Christmas with Southern Living-2008 and up (394.2 Chr)
Everything Christmas by David Borden (394.26 Bor)
Simple Pleasures for the Holidays by Susannah Seton (394.26 Set)
Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington (641.568 Wor)
Swedish Christmas Crafts by Helene S. Lundberg (745.594 Lun)
American Christmas edited by Chuck Williams (641.5686 Ame)

Boo:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (F Dic)
White Christmas (DVD and Vid F Whi)
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (F Gri)
Six Geese a-Slaying by Donna Andrews (F And)
Christmas Gifts That Always Fit by James W. Moore (F Moo)
A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott (F Med)
A Chesapeake Christmas by Sheryl Woods (F Woo)
Hot Flash Holidays by Nancy Thayer (F Tha)
Seven Stars of Christmas by Claudia Martin (JS Mar)

Joan 2: I like when the story just happens to take place during a holiday!

Enchanted, Inc. series by Shanna Swendson (F Swe)
Till the Cows Come Home, the Stella Crown series by Judy Clemens (F Cle)
Embrace Me by Lisa Samson (F Sam)
Shakespeare’s Christmas by Charlaine Harris (F Har)
Home in Time for Christmas by Heather Graham (F Gra)
The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank (F Fra)
The Snow Globe by Sheila Roberts (F Rob)
Without a Backward Glance by Kate Veitch (F Vei)
The Last Noel by Michael Malone (F Mal)
Silver Bells by Luanne Rice (F Ric)
The Christmas Wish by Richard Siddoway (F Sid)
The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern (F Ahe)
The Next Queen of Heaven by Gregory Maguire (F Mag)
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (F Bro)
Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith (F Smi)

Kristin:

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (F Gri)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (YAF Row) Yule Ball!!
Ice by Linda Howard (F How)
Not Enough Beds! by Lisa Bullard (E Bul)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (E Seu)
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (E Bri)
     + The Snowman (JF DVD Sno), the 1982 animated version!
The Snowman by Jo Nesbø (F Nes)
Chocolat by Joanne Harris (F Har)
Shakespeare’s Christmas by Charlaine Harris (F Har)
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman (YAF Pul)
Miracle on 34th Street (DVD F Mir)

Michal:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (JF Dic)
Snow Angel by Jean Marzollo (E Mar)
Jan Brett’s Snowy Treasury by Jan Brett (E Bre)
Sam the Snowman by Susan Winget (E Win)

Melissa:

Christmas in the Adirondacks by William H. H. Murray (F Cassette Mur)
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (818.5402 Sed)
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (F Alb)
Christmas with Southern Living (394.2 Chr)

Ben:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (F Dic)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (E Seu)
The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore (J 811 Moo)
Nutcracker by E. T. A. Hoffmann (JF Hof)
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (E All)
The Spirit of Christmas by Nancy Tillman (E Til)

Betty:

`Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore (E Moo)
Dashing Through the Snow by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark (F Cla)
The Christmas Train by David Baldacci (F Bal)
Any Martha Stewart holiday book!
Any current magazine!
Listen to some music on our Holiday CDs! (781.723)

Kathy:

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo (E Dic)
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (F Hen)
It’s a Wonderful Life (DVD F Its)
Miracle on 34th Street (DVD F Mir)
The Santa Clause (DVD F San)
A Charlie Brown Christmas (JF DVD Cha)

Anna:

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry (E Bar)
All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor (JF Tay) “A great way to learn about Hanukah!”
The Twelve Days of Christmas illustrated by Jan Brett (J 784.4 Twe)
The Twelve Days of Christmas illustrated by Gennedy Spirin (J 784.6 Twe)
Silent Night, Holy Night: a Song for the World by Werner Thuswaldner (J 784.6 Thu)
Cats and Carols by Lesley Anne Ivory (J 784.6 Ivo)
Good King Wenceslas by J. M. Neale (J 782.28 Nea)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Fred Coots (J 782.42 Coo)
Any:
Holiday cooking and baking books
Holiday decorating and craft books
Christmas music books in 782s

Tamara:

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (F Hen)
A Foxfire Christmas by Eliot Wiggington (394.2 Fox)
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (F Pra)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (JF Dic)
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie (F Chr)
The Penny Whistle Christmas Party Book by Meredith Brokaw (793.21 Bro)
The Flying Latke by Arthur Yorinks (E Yor)
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett (YAF Pra)
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder (JF Wil)
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (F Dic)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (JF Bur)

DVDs :

The Santa Clause 1 and 2, Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, A Christmas Wish, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, Christmas Child: a story of coming home, A Christmas Story, The Red Shoes, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, The Polar Express.

Christmas CDs:

Look for CD 781.723

What should YOU read next?

A few weeks ago, a patron came to the reference desk and told me that she had just finished all seven books in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. (That's quite an accomplishment—we're talking thousands and thousands of pages!) The eighth in the series has an anticipated publication date of sometime in 2012, but that's just too long to wait for a good book to read! That's why she asked me my all-time favorite question: "What should I read next?"

It can take a few minutes to find a book or two when you ask the reference staff for a recommendation, and probably some trial and error too. But our goal is for you to leave with another book that you're excited to read. In this patron's case, she left with two! She also inspired me to prepare an entire list of read-alikes for the next Outlander fan looking for a good read. (See our last post.)

The point of this little anecdote is to make sure you know that we want to help you—yes, you— find your next favorite book.The next time you're in the library and looking for a good book to read, ask for assistance at the reference desk. Give us a few minutes, and we'll send you home with something new to try. If you prefer, you can give me a few weeks, and I'll create an entire annotated reading list like I did for the Outlander reader.

Please come ask us for reading recommendations! We're waiting for you!

Read-alike Guides - Outlander

 If you liked Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, you might enjoy one of these books:

Devil Water by Anya Seton
Seton wrote several thick books with elements of appeal for Outlander fans—though no one book has everything. They are nicely paced, involving stories woven through with solid historic detail and attention to character. Here, Jenny, the daughter of the last Englishman beheaded for supporting the pretender James Stuart in the Jacobite Rebellion, goes to Virginia.

Into the Wilderness by Sarah Donati
Donati regards Gabaldon as her mentor; her work also has solid history, evocative settings, love between "outsiders," and strong characterization. In the first book of her saga, Elizabeth leaves England to teach in New York. When she meets Nathaniel, a white man raised as a member of the Mohawk tribe, their love causes a scandal that leads them to flee into the woods and into danger.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
For early historical romance, try the classic Ivanhoe. At the time of the Norman Conquest, Ivanhoe returns from the Crusades to claim his inheritance and the love of Rowena. He becomes involved in the struggle between Richard Coeur de Lion and his Norman brother John. The gripping narrative is structured by a series of conflicts: Saxon versus Norman, Christian versus Jew, and men versus women.

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
Abandoned by her lover after a quarrel, Dougless Montgomery is stranded in rural England. The sudden appearance of Nicholas Stafford—a knight who died in 1564—begins a passionate affair that eventually takes Dougless back to the 16th century. Also try Legend, in which an antique wedding dress leads to 1873 Colorado.

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Sold into indentured servitude at the exotic Night Court as a child, Phèdre nó Delaunay faces a difficult choice between honor and duty as she deals with a world of conspiracy and betrayal. Adventure, action, romance, and steamy sex figure prominently in this sprawling, intricately plotted fantasy series.

Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
John Grey, who befriends Jamie Fraser at Adsmuir prison in Voyager, has his own series set in the Outlander world. Here, upon his return from Scottish exile in 1757, Lord John pursues a traitor through London and across the seas, an endeavor that is complicated by a delicate family affair and his memories of the Jacobite Rising.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Readers who enjoy Gabaldon’s detailed stories of everyday lives during extraordinary historical times should try this modern classic. Set in 12th century England, this epic of kings and peasants follows the lives, loves, dreams, and heartbreaks of Kingsbridge during the construction of a magnificent cathedral.

Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
Set against the backdrop of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Quicksilver tells the intertwining tales of three unforgettable main characters as they traverse a landscape populated by mad alchemists, Barbary pirates, and bawdy courtiers, as well as historical figures including Ben Franklin, William of Orange, Louis XIV, and many others.

The Skystone by Jack Whyte
A retired centurion and his former commander conquer enemies and establish an independent community in Britain, while also providing a possible origin for one of the greatest artifacts of Arthurian myth—Excalibur. "From the building blocks of history and the mortar of reality, Jack Whyte has built Arthur's world and showed us the bone beneath the flesh of legend," Gabaldon has written of this series.

Son of the Morning by Linda Howard
In this beloved time travel romance, ancient language translator Grace St. John finds a document that gives the location of a treasure that Niall of Scotland brought home as Guardian of the Treasure for the Knights Templar in the 14th century. She is transported to his time to protect the relics, including the Holy Grail. Niall is one sexy Scot in a class with Jamie Fraser!

Timeline by Michael Crichton
When elderly Yale history prof Edward Johnston travels back to his beloved 15th century and gets stuck, his assistants follow to the rescue. Crichton invests his story with terrific period detail, castles, sword-play, jousts, sudden death, bold knights-in-armor, and seductive ladies-in-waiting. There's also strong suspense as he cuts between past and present, where the time-travel machinery has broken. Will the heroes survive and make it back?

Time and Again by Jack Finney
Simon Morley, a young Manhattan illustrator, is selected by a secret government agency—presumably to test Einstein's theory that the past actually co-exists with the present—and finds himself transported to the year 1882 under hypnosis. There, he falls in love and refuses to change records for the government agency controlling his experiment. Written with style and elegance, this novel is boldly visionary yet romantic.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
For a much different twist on time travel romance, try the story of Henry and Clare Detamble. Henry’s Chrono-Displacement Disorder forces him to travel against his will, causing him to visit Clare as a little girl and later as an aged widow and explain "how it feels to be living outside of the time constraints most humans are subject to." This novel is a beautiful, heartbreaking, timeless love story.

Read-alike Guides - The Help

If you liked The Help by Kathryn Stockett, you might enjoy one of these books:

Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson

After a gypsy predicts that Rose's violent husband will kill her, Rose grabs a gun and her dog Gretel and sets out on a cross-country escape, following messages that her missing mother has left for her and unraveling family secrets. Kathryn Stockett says, “I love reading about smart, flawed, and ultimately wise women, like Rose Mae.”

The Healing by Jonathan Odell

A plantation mistress takes a newborn slave child named Granada as her own. Meanwhile, her husband purchases Polly Shine, a slave woman known as a healer. Polly recognizes "the gift" in young Granada, and a domestic battle of wills ensues that raises tantalizing questions about who Polly Shine really is: a clever charlatan, a meddlesome witch, or a divine redeemer.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

When artifacts from Japanese families sent to internment camps during World War II are uncovered during renovations at a Seattle hotel, Henry Lee embarks on a quest that leads to memories of growing up Chinese in a city rife with anti-Japanese sentiment. Ford writes earnestly and cares for his characters, who consistently defy stereotype.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Working as an indentured servant alongside slaves on a Virginia tobacco plantation, Lavinia, a seven-year-old Irish orphan with no memory of her past, finds her light skin and situation placing her between two very different worlds that test her loyalties.  Like Stockett, Grissom narrates from multiple female perspectives.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

This is a tale of the precarious friendship between an illegal Nigerian refugee and a woman from suburban London, told from the alternating and disparate perspectives of both women. He moves between alternating viewpoints with poignant prose and the occasional lighter note. A tense, dramatic ending and plenty of moral dilemmas add to a satisfying, emotional read.

Miss Ophelia by Mary B. Smith

In the summer of 1948, 11-year-old rural Virginia bookworm Isabel “Belly” Anderson goes to help her mean Aunt Rachel recover from surgery, because she wants to get away from home and take piano lessons from Miss Ophelia Love. A sharp observer of the mysterious doings of the adults in her life, the charming Belly learns a lot while she’s there.

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

Two families, the white landowning McAllans and the Jacksons, their black sharecroppers, narrate this novel in six distinctive voices. The family stories include the faltering marriage of Laura and Henry McAllan, the mean-spirited family patriarch and his white-robed followers, and returning war heroes Jamie McAllan and Ronsel Jackson.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

The stories of a small Cape Cod postmistress and an American radio reporter stationed in London collide on the eve of the United States's entrance into World War II, a meeting that is shaped by a broken promise to deliver a letter. Stockett called this book “a beautifully written, thought-provoking novel that I’m telling everyone I know to read.”

Second Nature by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Losing her father in a school fire that disfigures her face, Sicily is raised by a dynamic aunt who urges her to pursue a normal life, an effort that is influenced by her fiancé, a terrible drunken revelation, and an opportunity for a risky full-face transplant. “The characters are the sort that stay with you long after the last page is turned,” says Stockett of this “fascinating story.”

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Like Stockett, See writes thought-provoking novels about women who use what little freedom they have to subvert the oppressive system in which they are forced to live. Her novels are compelling, layered, and character centered. In this story of female friendship set in 19th century China, an elderly woman and her companion communicate through a unique secret language.

Sula by Toni Morrison

At the heart of this novel by the beloved Toni Morrison is the bond between two women, a friendship whose intensity first sustains, then injures. Sula and Nel are both black, both smart, and both poor. Through their girlhood years, they share everything. When they meet again as adults, it's clear that Nel has chosen a life of acceptance and accommodation, while Sula must fight to defend her seemingly unconventional choices and beliefs.

Walk Like a Natural Man by M. Dion Thompson

Skip Reynolds, an 18-year-old Texas sharecropper, follows his dreams to L.A. He settles into a job as a dishwasher and begins the adjustment to urban life in the late 1930s. His aspirations of being the "bronze Errol Flynn" and improving on the Hollywood image of blacks are sorely tested by the compromises of Hollywood in the 1930s, when the most prominent black actor was Steppin Fetchit. How far will he go to realize his dream in this fascinating historical fiction novel?

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Four slave women—Lizzie, Reenie, Sweet and Mawu—who are their masters’ mistresses, meet when their owners vacation at the same summer resort in Ohio. There, they see free blacks for the first time and hear rumors of abolition. During the final summer at Tawawa House, the women all have a decision to make—will they run? Heart-wrenching, intriguing, original, and suspenseful, this novel brings the unfortunate past to life.

Samuels Says - "It's Halloween... what should we read?"

This month for our display, we asked the staff: "It's Halloween,,, what should we read?" Here are our picks—we'd love to hear yours too!

Ben

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (F She)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling (YAF Row)
Dracula by Bram Stoker (F Sto)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (F Ste)
Jaws by Peter Benchly (F Ben)
The Exorcist by William Blatty (F Bla)
Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror by R. L. Stine (YAF Sti)
Zombies vs. Unicorns compiled by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black (YA Story Zom)
The Crucible by Arthur Miller (812.52 Mil)

Kristin

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (F Bra) - ”The absolute best Halloween-y book ever!”
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (F Mor)
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones (F Jon)
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (F Har)
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (F Wat)
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris (F Har)
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (F Nif)
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (F Ler)
The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue (F Dom)
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb (YAF Whi)
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (F Kos)
Mr. Was by Pete Hautman (YAF Hau)
The Radleys by Matt Haig (F Hai)
The Mummy by Anne Rice (F Ric)
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (F Cri)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (YAF Row) “Dementors! Plus I love the Halloween Feast!”
And of course: Dracula by Bram Stoker (F Sto), Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (F She), and The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells (F Wel)

Cheryl

The Shining by Stephen King (F Kin)
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (F Poe)
Beastly by Alex Flinn (YAF Fli)
The Bride Finder by Susan Carroll (F Car)
Midnight Bride by Susan Carroll (F Car)

Kathy J

“I’ve heard that anything by Ted Dekker (F Dek) is pretty intense, but I’ve been too chicken to read them myself!”
Books by Frank Peretti: (F Per)
This Present Darkness
Piercing the Darkness
Oath
The Visitation
Prophet
Monster

Jeanne

Rules of Prey by John Sanford (F San)
The Stand by Stephen King (F Kin)
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (F Har)
The Woodchipper Murder by Arthur Herzog (364.1523 Her)
Firebird by Janice Graham (F Gra)
The Dark Queen series by Susan Carroll (F Car)
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Retiring Early by Dee Lee (332.024 Lee)
Practice for the S.A.T.s, 1969 edition (378.1662 Pra)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (F Jac)
Anything in non-fiction 595.4 - 595.

Nicki

Anything by Edgar Allan Poe!
A Yankee Roams at Dusk by Paula Ann Kirby (133.1 Kir)

Boo

First Grave on the Right and Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones (F Dar)
Embrace the Grim Reaper and The Grim Reaper’s Dance by Judy Clemens (F Cle)
A Stranger is Watching by Mary Higgins Clark (F Cla)
Covenant with the Vampire by Jeanne Kalogrdis (F Kal)
A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris (F Har)
Waking the Witch by Kelly Armstrong (F Arm)

Michal

The Dead by Charlie Higson (YAF Hig)
Who’s There by Stephanie Tolan (YAF Tol)
Wait till Helen Comes: a Ghost Story by Mary Hahn (JF Han)
The Bermuda Triangle by Jacqueline Gorman (J 001.94 Gor)
Tailypo: a Newfangled Tall Tale by Angela Medearis (J 398.2 Med)
Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan (YAF Dun)
Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac (JF Bru)
Dracula by Bram Stoker (F Sto)
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson (133.1 Ans)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (JF Irv)

Joan 1

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (F She)
Carrie by Stephen King (F Kin)
The Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice (F Ric)
Dracula by Bram Stoker (F Sto)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stenson (F Ste)
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (F Wil)
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (F Doy)
The Shining by Stephen King (F Kin)
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (F Poe)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (F Jac)
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (F Bla)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (YAF Gai)

Joan 2

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (F Koo)
Graveminder by Melissa Marr (F Mar)
Wither by Lauren DeStefano (YAF Des)
White Cat by Holly Black (YAF Bla)
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride (YAF McB)
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris (F Har)
The Passage by Justin Cronin (F Cro)
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (YAF Yov)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (F Lee)
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (F Hof)

Jessica

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (F Mar)
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (YAF Yov)
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (YAF Rya)
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (YAF Arm)
Revenge of the Witch, from The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney (YAF Del)
Tithe by Holly Black (YAF Bla)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (F Aus)

Tamara

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (YAF Gai)
Anything by Neil Gaiman (F Gai)
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (F Poe)
Firestarter and The Stand by Stephen King (F Kin)
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (F Ric)

Betty

The Ghosts of Charlottesville and Lynchburg by L. B. Taylor (133.1 Tay)
...especially Chapter 21: “ The Extraordinary Rocking Cradle”...it was my grandmother’s house!

Let us not forget DVDs!

The Sixth Sense, The Birds, The Shining, Psycho, When a Stranger Calls, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Addams Family, Sweeney Todd, The Others, Secret Window, The Mummy, To Kill a Mockingbird, Black Swan, Alice in Wonderland, Twilight, Nightmare on Elm Street, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Blade, Interview with the Vampire, and so many more...

Reading Lists - NPR's Top 100 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels

It's been quite awhile since I posted a reading list! While I don't have any new staff-generated content, I do have an absolutely incredible list to share, created by NPR. According to NPR listeners, these are the top 100 science fiction and fantasy novels of all time. The number one spot went to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, which shouldn't be a surprise to fantasy fans. Other top-ten titles include George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series and a perennial book lover's favorite, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Young adult and children's books, horror stories, and paranormal romance were excluded, which means several beloved series, including Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Sookie Stackhouse, aren't on the list. What you'll find is a list of science fiction and fantasy in their purest forms. View the complete list here:

Top 100 Science Fiction, Fantasy Books

Of course, this list might be more than a little bit overwhelming, especially for a new sci-fi or fantasy reader. So where should you start? The editors at SF Signal have made a fun and useful flow chart to help you pick a book from the list. You can find it here:

A Guide to Navigating NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

Happy reading!

Samuels Says - "Which non-fiction books have instructed or inspired you?"

This month for our display, we asked the staff: "Which non-fiction books have instructed or inspired you?" Here are our picks—we'd love to hear yours too!

Boo

Windows 7 by Joyce Cox Preppernau (005.446 Pre)
A Bitter Sweet Season: Caring for our Aging Parents-and Ourselves
by Jane Gross (306.874 Gro)
We are Their Heaven: Why the Dead Never Leave Us by Allison DuBois (133.91 Dub)
Skyland: The Heart of the Shenandoah National Park by George Pollock (975.594 Pol)
The Great Valley Road of Virginia: Shenandoah Landscapes edited by Warren Hofstra (975.5 Gre)
The Book of Quotes compiled by Barbara Rowes (808.8 Boo)

Melissa

Holy Bible (220.5 Hol)
Where have all the Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca (303.3 Iac)
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte (635 Rio)
Draw Me a Tree: What the Tree You Draw Reveals About You by Ethel Johnson (158.2 Jo)
Almost Christian: What the Faith of our Teenagers is Telling the American Church by Kenda Creasy Dean (277.3 Dea)
Drive: the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (Overdrive Ebook)
Stop Getting Ripped Off: Why Consumers Get Screwed, and How You Can Always Get a Fair Deal by Bob Sullivan (381.34 Sul)
Tips for the Lazy Gardener by Linda Tilgner (635 Til)
Heaven is for Real: a Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo (133.901 Bur)
Universal Design for the Home by Wendy Adler Jordan (728 Jor)
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (332.024 Kiy)
The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria (303.49 Zak)
Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know, Instructions for Life From the Every Day to the Exotic by Lauren Smith (640 Smi)

Ben

Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Bio Frank Anne)
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli (320.1 Ma)
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (812.52 Mil)
The Double Helix by James D. Watson (572.86 Wat)
Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain (Bio Twain Mark)
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African by Olaudah Equiano (Slave Narratives 920 Sla)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston (796.522 Ral)
Stonewall Jackson–the Man, the Soldier, the Legend by James I.Robertson Jr. (Bio Jackson Stonewall)

Kathy J.

The Bible
Author Max Lucado
Betty Crocker’s Cookbook by Betty Crocker

Michal

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir (942.052 We)
Frommer’s Bermuda 2004 by Dawn Porter (917.29 Por)
Bermuda Guide by Ron Charles (917.29 Ch)
The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot (530 Ta)
An Embarrassment of Mangoes: a Caribbean Interlude by Ann Vanderhoof (917.29 Van)
The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir (Bio Elizabeth I)
Home Herbal by Penelope Ody (615.321 Od)
Gardening for Fragrance by Ann Bonar (635.968 Bo)
Trees and Shrubs for Fragrance by Glyn Church (635.968 Chu)
Aromatherapy for Mind and Body by David Schiller (615.321 Sch)

Kristin

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (500 Bry)
You Were Always Mom’s Favorite by Deborah Tannen (306.875 Tan) 
Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks (813.54 Spa)
Generation Kill by Evan Wright (956.7044 Wri)
Waiting on a Train by James McCommons (385 McC)
This Book is Overdue! By Marilyn Johnson (027 Joh)
Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind by Ellen Brown (813.52 Bro)
Death and the Virgin Queen by Chris Skidmore (942.05 Ski)
A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz (970.01 Hor)
Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz (973.7 Ho)
Taylor’s Guide to Bulbs by Barbara Ellis (635.94 Ell)

Joan 1

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (940.54 Hil)
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir (Bio Oufkir Malika)
Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalvan (362.4 Mon)
Lost City of Z: a Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann (918 Gra)
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (820.9 Naf)
River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard (918.1 Mil)
Personal History by Katharine Graham (Bio Graham Katharine)
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (371.822 Mor)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (364.1 Cap)
Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health by Gilbert H. Welch (616.074 Wel)
Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko (613.25 Zin)
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (613 Pol)
The Wild Trees: a Story of Passion and Daring by Richard Preston (585 Pre)

Jessica

How to (Un)Cage a Girl by Frances Lia Block (YA 811 Blo)
Girls to the Front by Sara Marcus (305.4 Mar)
Earth: Then and Now by Fred Pearce (779.361 Pea)
Mid-Atlantic Gardener’s Guide by Andre Viette (635.9 Vie)
Curly Girl: More than Just Hair by Lorraine Massey (646.724 Mas)
Exit Through the Gift Shop (DVD 751.7 Exi)
Food, Inc. (DVD 338.1 Foo)
Walmart: the High Cost of Low Price (DVD 381.149 Wal)

Jeanne—“Would have starved without” Joy of Cooking
The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer (641.5 Rom)
Crockett’s Victory Garden by James Underwood Crockett (635 Cr)
Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland by William David Webster (599.09 We)
Trees of North America by C. Frank Brockman (582 Br)
American Sterling Silver Flatware by Maryanne Dolan (739.2 Dol)
The Pleasures of Cross-Stitch (746.443Ple)
Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins (641.313 Jen)
Lonely Planet: Corsica by Oda O’Carroll (914.495404 Oca)
Birds of North America by Chandler Robbins (598.2973 Ro)
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders by Lorus and Margery Milne (595.7097 Mil)

Katie

The 150 Healthiest 15 Minute Recipes on Earth by Jonny Bowden (641.555 Bow)
Your Beautiful Wedding on Any Budget by Todd Outcatt (395.22 Out)
Simple, Stunning Wedding Showers by Karen Bussen (793.2 Bus)
Don’t Throw it Out by Lori Baird (640.41 Bai)
Herbs and Spices: the Cook's Reference by Jill Norman (641.657 Nor)
American Christmas edited by Chuck Williams (641.5686 Ame)
Wedding Cakes You Can Make by Dede Wilson (641.8653 Wil)
Get Married Without a Hitch by Lisa Helmanis (395.22 Hel)
Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze? (500 Why)
The Itty Bitty Kitchen Handbook by Justin Spring (641.5 Spr)

Jan

The Cleaner Plate Club by Betty Bader (641.5 Bad)
The Makeup Wake Up by Lois Johnson (646.726 Joh)
Garden Stone by Barbara Pleasant (717 Ple)
Inside the Not So Big House by Sarah Susanko (728 Sus)
Singer Sewing Essentials (642.2 Si)
Almost Vegetarian by Diana Shaw (641.5636 Sha)
Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express by Mark Bittman (641.555 Bit)
Newman’s Own Cookbook by Paul Newman (641.5 Ne)
Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel (641.452 Bu)
Shop Smart, Save More by Teri Gault (640.73 Gau)
Grow Vegetables by Alan Buckingham (635 Buc)
Guide to Virginia Vegetable Gardening by Walter Reeves (635 Ree)
Deer Proofing Your Yard and Garden by Rhonda Hart (635.0496 Har)
The Plant Propagator’s Bible by Miranda Smith (631.53 (Smi)
The 20th Century Year by Year by Charles Phillips (Oversize 909.82 Twe)

Joan 2

Life at the Edge and Beyond by Shonda Schilling (616.85 Sch)
Look Me in the Eye: My Life With Asperger’s Syndrome by John Elder Robison (362.196 Rob)
Stop Walking on Egg Shells by Paul T. Mason (616.85852 Mas)
Smart But Scattered by Peg Dawson (649.15 Daw)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (612.027 Skl)
Your Kids and Sports by Michael Koehler (796.083 Koe)
Rae: My True Story of Fear, Anxiety and Social Phobia by Chelsea Rae Swiggett (YA 618.9285 Swi)
Hannah: My True Story of Drugs, Cutting and Mental Illness by Hannah Westberg (YA 618.9285 Wes)
My House is Killing Me by Jeffrey May (616.97 May)
The 5 Minute Face: the Quick and Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman by Carmindy (646.72 Car)
No Lye: The African-American Women’s Guide to Natural Hair Care by Tulani Kinard (646.724 Kin)
Fix it and Forget it Cookbook by Dawn J. Rank (641.5884 Ran)
Unmarried Parents’ Rights by Jacqueline D. Stanley
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis (Bio Oher Michael)

Tamara

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams (591.529 Ad)
Storms of My Grandchildren by James Hansen (363.738 Han)
Great British Cooking: a Well Kept Secret by Jane Garney (641.5941 Gar)
When Gadgets Betray Us by Rob Vamosi (004.46 Vam)
Stitch-n-Bitch by Debbie Stoller (746.432 Sto)
Teach Yourself Visually, Knits and Crochet (746.43 Tea)
Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt (629.283 Van)
On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (813.54 Kin)
Foxfire books (any of them) (917.58)
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards (741.2 Edw)
Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft (362.82 Ban)
Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn (641.8653 Byr)
Heloise: Hints for All Occasions by Heloise (640 He)
Made by Hand by Mark Frauenfelder (BCD 339.4 Fra)
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell (641.5 Pow)
The Book of Games by Peter Arnold (794 Boo)
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke (Bio Van Dyke Dick)
That’s Not All Folks by Mel Blanc (Bio Blanc Mel)
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (332.024 Ram)
The Between the Lions Book for Parents by Linda Rath (372.4 Rat)
Dangerous Book For Boys by Conn Iggulden (J 031.02 Igg)
Complete Book of Home Preserving (641.42 Com)
Canning and Preserving with Ashley English by Ashley English (641.4 Eng)
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (500 Gol)