1. Literature Circles
Book Options

2. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
Talk about unlucky sevens. An hour ago, seventeen-year-old, seven months pregnant Novalee Nation was heading for California with her boyfriend. Now she finds herself stranded at a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, with just $7.77 in change. But Novalee is about to discover hidden treasures in this small Southwest town--a group of down- to-earth, deeply caring people willing to help a homeless, jobless girl living secretly in a Wal- Mart. From Bible-thumping blue-haired Sister Thelma Husband to eccentric librarian Forney Hull who loves Novalee more than she loves herself, they are about to take her--and you, too--on a moving, funny, and unforgettable journey to Where the Heart Is.

3. Stones By William Bell
Garnet Havelock knows what it’s like to be on the outside, not one of the crowd. Now, in his final year of high school, he’s just making time, waiting to get out in the real world.
Then, a mysterious girl transfers to his school and Garnet thinks he might have found the woman of his dreams – if only he could get her to talk to him.
At the same time, Garnet becomes caught up in a mystery centered in his community. As he and Raphaella draw closer to the truth, they uncover a horrifying chapter in the town’s history, and learn how deep-seated prejudices and persecution from the past can still reverberate in the present.

4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow. This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

5. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily’s fierce-hearted black “stand-in-mother,” Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina – a town that holds the secret to her mother’s past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.

6. Keeper ‘N Me by Robert Wagamese
Garnet Raven was taken from his home on an Ojibway Indian reserve and placed in a series of foster homes at the age of three. Having reached his mid-teens, he escapes at the first available opportunity, only to find himself cast adrift on the streets of the big city. Having skirted the urban underbelly once too often by age 20, he finds himself thrown into jail. While there, he gets a surprise letter from his long-forgotten native family. The sudden communication from his past spurs him to return to the reserve following his release. Deciding to say a while, his life is changed completely as he comes to discover a sense of place, and of self. While on the reserve, Garnet is initiated into the ways of the Ojibway-both ancient and modern-by Keeper, a friend of his grandfather, and the last fount of history about his people’s ways. By turns funny, poignant and mystical, Keeper N’ MeI reflects a positive view of native life and philosophy – as well as casting fresh light on the redemptive power of one’s community and traditions.

7. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding, an English writer. The story begins when a group of boys find themselves without adult supervision after an evacuation attempt from a war zone leaves them lost on a deserted island. The boys gather together and choose a leader for themselves, a young boy named Ralph. However, it does not take long before Ralph discovers that it is much harder to be an adult than he thought. None of the other boys want to be told what to do. None of them put much effort into building a shelter or doing other things required for their survival.

8. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo-alone and unaided-who had to confront the great dragon of Smaug, the terror of the entire countryside.

9. Book Pass
You will have 2 minutes to skim over each book choice. Open to a random page and read the writing to see if it speaks to you.

10. Now it’s time to choose….
On your card, record your name, and then record the books you would most like to read with #1 being your top choice and #3 being your least desirable pick.