Friday, November 13, 2015

Just When You Need It: 125 Books

This weekend holds the promise of time to catch up on my reading posts. I've certainly had a delightful time reading so far this fall.


Today though, as part of the celebration of Lenoir-Rhyne's 125th anniversary, I received another good list, "125 Books Every College Student Should Read."


It's important to consider that (1.  this is a list compiled by just a few people and (2. these same people could probably come up with a different list tomorrow in response to the same question. I can't help going through a book list though, marking the one's I've read. I considered color-coding my highlights:  books I've read but do not recall at all; books I've read over and over and over again; books I will never forget; books I have taught over and over and over again; in invisible ink: books I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't read yet.


Even with inclusion of 125 books, there is room for debate--why this one and not that one? Where, for example, is Ernest Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying? In my opinion, everyone capable of reading should read that one. If I spend ten minutes glimpsing at my bookshelves, the list would grow unwieldy.


That's what I enjoy best: the chance to talk about books, to weigh their merits, to consider the concept of books that anyone should read. I haven't clicked the link to the full recommendations, but I imagine that would add another dimension to the discussion.
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