101 Books. From Me (and friends) To You.

Well, people, my listing side has finally gotten the best of me. This is probably going to be the longest blog post on this thing to date, but I am so excited to put it up here!

I've been finding myself these days in constant need of a good, trustworthy book recommendation. A lot of my friends seem to be finding themselves in the same situation. Thus, this list was born. I reached out to some friends who I know are great readers and asked for some book titles that they would definitely recommend. I got an overwhelmingly positive response with lots and lots of wonderful books. 101 to be exact. Here is a list of 101 book recommendations. A few things you should know: the list is organized as Title - Author (Name of Recommender). This is important because if you buy the book and hate it, you now have the name of the person you need to find and slap in the face for recommending a crappy book. This is also important because if you buy the book and love it, you now have the name of the person you need to find and hug for recommending a fabulous book. It is also good to know that these are in no particular order. I'm just the messenger of quality information. Look up any titles you find interesting and give them a try!

Before I give you all of their favorites, I want to give you some must-reads from my life. Maybe I'll do a post that delves into why all of these particular books have so touched my heart, but for now I'll just give you the names of some books that every human being should read: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. And clearly, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (but I firmly believe that this book transcends any list). Also, although I'm not a Harry Potter expert, J.K. Rowling's series was recommended a million times. Clara's comment on getting into the series: "Don't give up after the first one. Harry's eleven. It was J.K.'s first book. Cut them both some slack. It's about to get way better." Okay. You have my picks. Ready for the list? Drumroll please....

1. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (Clara Connis, me, everyone else in the world)

2. Intensity – Dean Koontz (Karley VanDyke)

3.The Princess Bride - William Goldman (Sasha Blasen)

4. Brave New World - Aldus Huxley (Colin Shevlin)

5.  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - Donald Miller (Zak Hood)

6.  Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut (Colin Shevlin)

7.  In the Garden of Beasts - Eric Larson (Nicole Ongna)

8.  The Hours - Michael Cunningham (Liz Brice)

9.  Lord of the Rings Trilogy - J.R.R. Tolkien (Jennie Hill)

10.  Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (Ryan Jensema)

11.  The River Wife - Jonis Agee (Jacquelyn Iwema)

12.  Atonement - Ian McEwan (Mike Merlino)

13.  Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut (Mike Merlino)

14.  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith (Katie Chappell)

15.  The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach (Andrew Knot)

16.  High Fidelity - Nick Hornby (Zach Blair)

17.  1984 - George Orwell (Andy Van Soelen)

18.  Divergent - Veronica Roth (Nicole Ongna)

19.  The Tipping Point - Malcom Gladwell (Rudi Gesch)

20.  The Red Tent - Anita Diamant (Sasha Blasen)

21.  Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison (Courtney Randle)

22.  Love Walked In - Marisa De Los Santos (Clara Connis)

23.  Green Eggs & Ham - Dr. Seuss (Andy Van Soelen)

24.  Three and Out - John U. Bacon (Andrew Knot)

25.  Along Came a Spider - James Patterson (Jenna VanMaanen)

26.  Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely (Sam Handel)

27.  On the Road - Jack Kerouac (Colin Shevlin)

28.  Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling (Gina Ciametti)

29.  Pilgrim at Tinker Creek - Annie Dillard (Jennie Hill)

30.  Haunted Ground - Erin Hart (Clara Connis

31.  Einstein's Dreams - Alan Lightman (Zach Blair)

32.  Blink - Malcom Gladwell (Sam Handel)

33.  The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat - Oliver Sacks (Sam Handel)

34.  Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis (Ashley Wisz)

35.  The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis (Andy Van Soelen)

36.  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safron Foer (Andrew Knot)

37.  The Host - Stephanie Meyer (Ashley Wisz)

38.  Lamb – Christopher Moore (Steve Ragatzki)

39.  Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand (Ryan Jensema)

40.  Malcom at Midnight - W.H. Beck (Liz VanDrunen)

41.  His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (Ryan Jensema)

42.  The Giver - Lowis Lowry (Alyssa Nekic)

43.  A Visit From the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan (Colin Shevlin)

44.  The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Nicole Ongna)

45.  The Song of the Dodo - David Quammen (Jennie Hill)

46.  Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris (Katie Chappell)

47.  Scribbler of Dreams - Mary E. Pearson (Jenna Reidenga)

48.  Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand (Nicole Ongna)

49.  The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (Zach Blair)

50.  The Mistborn Trilogy – Brandon Sanderson (Steve Ragatzki)

51.  Number the Stars - Lowis Lowry (Liz VanDrunen)

52.  The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver (Sasha Blasen)

53.  Traveling Mercies - Anne Lamott (Sasha Blasen)

54.  Good to Great - Jim Collins (Rudi Gesch)

55.  Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers (Karley VanDyke)

56.  The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Euginedes (Andrew Knot)

57.  The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath (Sasha Blasen)

58.  Straight Man - Richard Russo (Katie Chappell)

59.  Where The Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls (Alyssa Nekic)

60.  The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown (Rudi Gesch, with an anecdote to read the series)

61.  Counterfeit Gods - Tim Keller (Andy Van Soelen)

62.  The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (Mike Merlino)

63.  Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton (Ryan Jensema)

64.  Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (Jennie Hill)

65.  Outliers - Malcom Gladwell (Rudi Gesch)

66.  How to Cook Everything – Mark Brittman (Steve Ragatzki)

67.  Soul Pancake - Rainn Wilson (Gina Ciametti)

68.  Pale King - David Foster Wallace (Colin Shevlin)

69.  Map of Lost Memories - Kim Fey (Jacquelyn Iwema)

70.  Last Light - Terri Blackstock (Jenna VanMaanen)

71.  East of Eden – John Steinbeck(Courtney Randle, Jennie Hill)

72.  Palo Alto – James Franco (Courtney Randle)

73.  Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller (Zak Hood)

74.  The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne (Lauren Haney)

75.  The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (Katie Chappell)

76.  BossyPants - Tina Fey (Gina Ciametti)

77.  The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton (Clara Connis)

78.  A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (Liz Brice)

79.  Columbine - Dave Cullen (Sam Handel)

80.  Other People's Rejection Letters – Bill Shapiro (Gina Ciametti)

81.  The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan (Liz Brice)

82.  Heaven is For Real - Todd Burpo (Ashley Wisz)

83.  Freakonomics - Steven Levitt (Rudi Gesch)

84.  Wonder - R.J. Palacio (Liz VanDrunen)

85.  Through Painted Deserts - Donald Miller (Andy Van Soelen)

86.  The Fault in our Starts - John Green (Sasha Blasen)

87.  On the Road - Jerk Kerouac (Mike Merlino)

88.  Prodigal God – Tim Keller (Lauren Haney)

89.  The Reason for God – Tim Keller (Lauren Haney)

90.  The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory (Clara Connis)

91.  City of Bones - Cassandra Clare (Ashley Wisz)

92.  Frequently Avoided Questions – Smith and Whitlock (Lauren Haney)

93.  The Meaning of Marriage – Tim Keller (Lauren Haney)

94.  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis (Liz Brice)

95.  Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (April Saxma)

96.  One For The Money - Janet Evanovich (Jenna Reidenga)

97.  Freedom - Jonathan Franzen (Katie Chappell)

98.  MAUS I and II - Art Spiegelman (Zach Blair)

99.  Molloy - Samuel Beckett (Zach Blair)

100.  Because of Mr. Terupt - Rob Buyea (Liz VanDrunen)

101. Every Love Story is a Ghost Story - D.T. Max (Andrew Knot)