Great Books, Great Libraries - Featured Booklists

Adrenaline Rush
Banned Books
Going Hollywood
Immigrant Experience
Lasting Legacies
Life Lines
Loved Ones
Midwestern Authors
Our History
Prize-Winners
Strong Starts
Super Sleuths
Tall Tails
Vick's Picks

Featured Booklists

Read some really great books as recommended in our Featured Booklists (right sidebar).

Then take the Reading Challenge for adults, teens, kids, and preschoolers!

Featured Booklist - September

Tall Tails Booklist

Anyone who has ever had a beloved pet can spend hours telling stories about what makes their feathered, furry, or scaly friend special. From their comedic antics to their unconditional love, animals give so much and yet ask for so little in return. Consider, for example, Dewey, the celebrated library cat of Spencer, Iowa, whose humble presence at the Spencer Public Library brought warmth and joy to library visitors from all over the world. Love horses? Then introduce yourself to Beautiful Jim Key, a horse so intelligent he could spell words, do simple arithmetic, and tell time, and who helped push the humane movement back into the public conscience at the turn of the century. Then there is A Lion Called Christian, whose reunion with his owners over a year after being released into the wild has tugged at the heartstrings of millions of YouTube viewers.

There are plenty of others in this menagerie, some real, others imagined, but all vividly brought to life on the page by such authors as Sara Gruen, John Grogan, Lawrence Anthony, and Christopher Nicholson. So take a walk on the wild side, if you will. A Tall Tail is waiting for you!

Featured Booklist - August

Prize Winners Booklist

Every book is special in its own way. Some make us laugh, some make us cry. Each one attempts to bring out a response from the reader. Sometimes the writing style is unlike anything ever seen. A special few bring out such emotional and critical appeal that they must be awarded. This list identifies those books that are so special that different organizations around the world have awarded them for literary excellence. Many of the books listed have been honored with the distinction of winning the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, and the Booker Prize.

Consider classic award-winning works by Larry McMurtry, Harper Lee, Susan Sontag, and John Updike. Try some of the new classics written by Cormac McCarthy, Junot Diaz, Geraldine Brooks, and Column McCann. Check out our Prize Winners booklist for a sampling of some of the best adult, young adult and children's award-winning books!

Featured Booklist - July

Adrenaline Rush Booklist

Adventure books typically have fast-moving plots, exotic settings, and larger-than-life heroes. The hero (usually male) is involved in death-defying activities and the stories can be set at any time during the last several centuries.

Some classic authors are Max Brand, Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, Jack London, Alistair MacLean, and Patrick O'Brian.

The characters are likeable and usually follow their own moral code. The stories usually feature a great deal of daring physical action and can exhibit a high level of violence.

Some top authors are Dale Brown, Clive Cussler, Bernard Cornwell, and W. E. B. Griffin.

Traditionally viewed as a "men’s genre", it would be wrong to assume that women don't read adventure stories. Anyone who enjoys a good story with lots of action may like adventure tales.

Some subgenres are military, western, espionage, and disaster stories.

We have included typical adventure fiction as well as true-life adventure stories in our Great Books list this month--Adrenaline Rush.

Featured Booklist - June

Lasting Legacies Booklist

Books entertain, enlighten, and educate us individually. Sometimes, though, a book can change the world. The books chosen for the Lasting Legacies booklist have all, in some way, had an impact that went far beyond the individual readers. Some introduced groundbreaking stylistic choices that shaped the way fiction is written, such as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. Others, including Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Miller’s Tropic of Cancer, stretched the boundaries and made society question what we are willing to accept. Still others shaped the way we consider politics (Machiavelli’s The Prince), gender roles (de Beauvier’s The Second Sex) or ourselves (Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams).

So, grab one of these books with a lasting legacy and see if it changes your world.

Featured Booklist - May

Immigrant Experience Booklist

The American Dream leads many people from all walks of life to immigrate to the United States. These books highlight the journey that these souls have taken in their quest for a better life. While most involve groups coming to these United States, a few involve people moving to other countries. The idea is the same; these immigrants are seeking better lives. Some of these titles show that the pursuit is not always easy. Many of these stories show that with perceverence and hard work, the dream of a better life can be achieved. Allow the people who have made the journey, or have created a story based on others' experiences, tell you what such a journey is like.

Which groups are represented?
The books in this list represent people from all walks of life. Many popular titles deal with the lives of Irish, African, Indian, Carribean, Japanese, and Chinese immigrants, but are certainly not limited to only these groups.

The experiences in these book vary by age group, too. Adult immigrants arrive with the expectation of more work opportunities and a better life for their families. Some arrive hoping to work so they can later send for their families to join them. Children experience immigration in many unique ways from learning a new language to starting at a new school in a strange land.

Featured Booklist - April

Life Lines Booklist

Life Lines are stories that are at once heartbreaking and heroic, the personal accounts of authors and subjects whose disparate backgrounds form the hues and patterns of a living tapestry. In their own words, the writers reveal experiences that are often worlds away from our own, set in times and places that may be foreign to us, and yet each selection serves as a testament to the very human truth that we all have a story that desires to be told.

For more great books, print this booklist with recommendations for all ages.

Featured Booklist - March

Midwestern Authors Booklist

Writing From the Heartland - The authors chosen for this list were either born in or reside in one of the following states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, or Ohio. Their stories and books open our eyes to the uniqueness of each of these states, but also help us realize that we are all part of that larger, special place called the Midwest.

In children’s books, illustrators share importance with authors. The debut of a gifted new illustrator is a noteworthy event. The books in the kids’ booklist represent either an author or illustrator from the Mid-West.

For more great books from Midwestern authors and illustrators, print this booklist with recommendations for all ages.

Featured Booklist - February

Strong Starts Booklist

In February, we're focusing on great books by first-time authors. Occasionally, an author bursts onto the scene with a book that makes people take notice, whether it's because they've become an overnight success story or because the book is high-quality writing that brings with it the promise of many great books to follow. Several of the books selected for this month, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, are considered classics. Others, like The Alchemist and The Kite Runner are more recent, but are modern-day classics sure to be read for decades to come. Finally, we've included some, like When the Elephants Dance and The Gargoyle, that slipped under the radar, but we think are great books by first-time authors that we encourage you to give a chance.

In children’s books, illustrators share importance with authors. The debut of a gifted new illustrator is a noteworthy event. The books in the kids’ booklist represent the first effort in children’s literature by either the author or, where listed, the illustrator.

For more great books for first-time authors and illustrators, print this booklist with recommendations for all ages.

Featured Booklists - January

Vick's Picks Booklist

We asked reknowned book reviewer, Vick Mickunas from the Dayton Daily News, to create a list of his favorite books. Here is his personal note to our Library.

"Congratulations to the Washington-Centerville Public Library for 200 years of service to the community.

I have been asked to compile a list of my favorite books with the hope that library patrons might wish to peruse some of them during this bicentennial year of 2010.

I make no claims that these are the 25 best books ever written. Half of them are recognized as classics. The other half are books that might be considered classics some day. These are all works of fiction, the products of pure imagination.

If I was ever stranded on that imaginary desert island these are the books that I would want to have with me.

I'll list the classics first. Most of these books are well known and require no introduction. The second half of the list is more contemporary so I have made a few comments about these lesser known works.

Please note that I'll also provide a numerical rating for each book between 1 and 5. The more difficult books will have the higher numbers. An asterisk (*) indicates books with "mature" subject matter. Thanks, for reading!"

Vick Mickunas, Book Reviewer, Dayton Daily News

Reserve a book from Vick's Picks Booklist.

Read Vick's comments and view his rankings.

Visit Vick's Dayton Daily News Blog: Book Nook

Super Sleuths Booklist

Authors chosen for the Mystery/Super Sleuths booklist are award-winning pioneers in their field who create memorable characters and teach us about the history, culture, and beauty of their settings.

What is a Mystery?

• Character-driven stories where a crime, usually a murder, has been committed
• Investigator(s) attempt to solve the puzzle by peeling away layers of information
• Secondary characters are very important and mesh intricately with the storyline
• Location or time play a crucial role, but pacing is not as important to the reader
• Administration of justice is the heart of the solution and always ends the story

Subgenres

• Private Investigators - often series characters; self-reliant loners who have a personal moral code and who sometimes work outside the law; usually work on one case at a time; usually have a darker tone.
  
• Police Detective - have the force of the law on their side; often overwhelmed by politics and large caseloads; always work as a team-never alone; likely to be placed in dangerous situations; women usually play second fiddle to men.
  
• Amateur Detectives - outside the official investigation; may be supects themselves; never formally trained, but still able to turn up clues; rely on intuition.
  

Websites

   ARRT Mystery Genre Study

   ClueLass

   Cozy Mystery List

   Stop You're Killing Me!

   Tangled Web - UK

   Fantastic Fiction

Our History Booklist

Many "Great Books" have been written during the Library’s 200-year history. Join us as we step back through the decades and enjoy some wonderful classics that have stood the test of time. Our selections include a rich choice of titles including children's classics, world-changing authors, and other selections that simply had to be included. What a difficult process it proved to be! Take a moment to enjoy our choices and then embark upon the Great Books Reading Challenge. You'll take a trip that is enriched with mystery, passion, and all the possibilities our Library’s collection has to offer.

In the printed History Booklist, you will find book selections as well as facts and details about the Library’s history -- including our initial founding in 1810, details about the Library’s loss of its charter, leaving the community without a library for years due to the antics of a local bank. The public's desire and passion for reading persevered and thrived. Our Library was reestablished and flourishes today serving the same Centerville and Washington Township residents as so long ago.

Enjoy the journey!


*Some items may not be suitable for all ages or tastes.

*Search the eCatalog for books in other formats and editions or contact the Library for assistance.