Help Me Build a Library! (Book List, No Carpentry Needed) :P

I read every Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys book I could get my hands on... When I was younger "The 'B' Book" (which I bought used for my daughter who also loves it).

Some other books that I still remember are "Bats and GLoves of Glory" a bunch from Macmillan Publishing, like Fog Magic (another favorite) and the Push Cart War... I think you will probably need to buy them used.

In Jr. High & High School and University I read a lot of Fantasy / Science Ficton -

Piers Anthony
Harry Harrison
Terry Brooks
David Weber

I also started reading Romance novels - I do not recommend them for any house with children though - I have to get rid of or hide my newer ones - they have changed a lot in the last 20 years - they used to be about romance now there is romance and a lot of sex.

When I was older (High School and beyond)

Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged, Fountainhead
James Michener - Alaska, Hawaii, any and all of his books
Robert Ludlum (All of HIS books, not the new ones)
Frederick Forsythe - all
Charles Dickens (I have read most of his stuff and I loved almost all of it)
Oscar Wilde
Margarte Atwood

Also Poetry - Emily Dickenson & Sylvia Plath are two fo my favorites

I tend to chain read - once I find (or found) and author I liked I read everything by the author.

Good luck and have fun!

It looks like, from your profile, that your kids are still really young. I would go with some Dr. Suess books for them. You can buy the big books that have 5 or 6 different stories in them. My daughter LOVES them! Where the Sidewalk Ends and Light in the Attic are some great ones too. Other books I enjoyed as a kid were A Wrinkle In Time and Charlotte's Web. I read a lot of girly books, which probably won't help you much! LOL!
As for the books for you and your husband, what kind of genres do you enjoy? Stick with stuff that you know you'll read. I made the mistake of buying some of the classics hoping I would get interested in them. Not the case. I wound up getting rid of most of them. Yes, it's nice to have them on the shelf, but if I'm never going to read them, what's the point? I'm a popular fiction and chick lit kind of girl. I've embraced it :)
I'm so totally jealous of your library :) I would love to have an entire room dedicated to books someday.

I could sit here all day, turning out book ideas, but then the house will have to clean itself.....LOL! Here are some of my favorites, as well as my kids'.

Harry Potter series
Hardy Boys
Percy Jackson series
Magic Treehouse
Diary of A Wimpy Kid
The Giving Tree and all Shel Silverstein books
The Purple Crayon
Anything from Stephen Kellogg
Little House on the Prairie series
Mother Goose classic stories

The Lovely Bones
Marley and Me
The Devil in the White City (sooo good,but wasn't MY kind of book. Good thing my family pushed me to read it!)
Odd Girl Out - must read for parents of girls!
Because I Said So - funny, fast
Jonathan Livingston Seagull - classic

I love biographies - Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Laura Bush - bipartisan when it comes to reading...LOL! Goldie Hawn, Deanna Favre...

I am a horse lover, so the book Chosen By A Horse was so incredibly good. Even if you aren't a horse person, the book is still so moving.

I would definitely check out Half Priced Books or something equivelent. You can find most of the classics there. I've found and received as gifts, some older, hard-bound classics that I cherish. The more "beat up" the book, the better. :)

Good luck and have fun!!

Well, you've already received a ton of great suggestions, but I'll add a few of my favorites as well. As a child, I loved Heidi and Little Women, the James Herriott series (All Creatures Great and Small), and all the Marguerite Henry books (Misty of Chincoteague etc). Reading with my children when they were little, we loved The Giving Tree, all the Tomie de Paola books, the Miss Spider series, The Velveteen Rabbit, Old Bear, and my all-time favorite, Goodnight Moon. When I was in college I got hooked on Anne Tyler books (Noah's Compass, etc) - I am always so happy when she comes out with something new - and also Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Hardy. Much more recently, I loved Angela's Ashes, Marley and Me, The DaVinci Code, and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. Also, pretty much anything by Anne Lamott (Imperfect Birds) and Anna Quindlen (Every Last One). I really could go on and on, but those are just what popped into my mind first. I am eternally grateful to my mother for fostering a love of reading in me from a very young age, particularly the "classics" which are sadly not taught as much in schools anymore (they seem to call any bestselling book a "modern classic" which is ok, but for kids to have no knowledge of the true classics is still a shame IMO). Good luck with buillding up your library - what a tremendous gift you are giving your children!

Hi A. C.

I always love it when people have a mix of different types of books. I have a small library but trying to add to it all the time.

Jane Austen Collection
Harry Potter Series
Twilight Series
J D Robb In death Series
The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton
The lovely Bones
Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Dr Seuss Collection
Some romance (Rachel Gibson, Christie Craig & Susan Donovan)
Anything by Nora Roberts
& all my daughters books (too many to mention)

I could be here forever as I LOVE reading. I also like books that look like they have been read (creased spines and the smell of old books) So I always look out for books at 2nd hand stores, garage sales and Ebay. My brother is the opposite. He has a huge collection and if he reads a book that he loves he buys 2 so one goes on the shelf and it looks nice and the other is for reading!! lol Oh and he also teaches you how to hold it properly so u don't ruin the spine. :-)
Let us know how you get on. xx

You're in luck!!! My family has been collecting books for a few weeks and is going to have a HUGE book sale (1,000's of books) on Saturday, Dec. 11th, 12-4 pm. Located at the Dunmoor subdivision clubhouse, 10600 Centennial Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30022. The neighborhood is located off of Waters Road between Kimball Bridge Rd and Jones Br. Road).

All books will be $1-$2 (the small baby picture books will likely be 4/$1)

All proceeds are going to CURE Childhood Cancer, a local organization.

You can build your entire library with this one sale and all money will go to a good cause! We have books for all ages and all topics (including classics, adult fiction/non-fiction, education, spiritual/religious, young children chapter books, baby/toddler picture books, teen chapter books, health/personal growth, cooking, hobbies, business etc.)

Please spread the word.

have you heard of the Ferst Foundation. They provide children under 5 with a free book every month. It's a great way to build a library. Have you looked at ebay to purchase books. I have been able to buy 'lots' of books for a great price. The last lot I bought 100 kids books for $30.

Wonderful question... You didn't say how old your sons are, so it's hard to tell whether baby-toddler books are appropriate still. I I have a fondness for the older books generally--Paddington Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, books by Selma Lagerlof (a Swedish author from around 1900)--and fantasy (J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Ursula K. LeGuin). The book by Selma Lagerlof is called The Wonderful Adventure of Nils, and it's about a boy who is shrunk by the household elf and flies off with the wild geese on their migration across Scandanavia. In the process, he learns to care about other beings and work to help them. It's hard to find and filled with unfamiliar place names, however a neat book. Another older book is called The Wise Men of Helm by Solomon Simon, a translation of Yiddish stories. They're very funny and introduce the reader to the world of pre-WWII Polish Jewish society. Our 8 year old loves the Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott, however I think those books are probably better borrowed from the library; they don't seem like the kind of book to read repeatedly, and my mother always has said that there's no point in buying a book if you are only going to read it once. Good luck and have fun!

You can buy a set of Dr. Seuss books at Sams for much less than a bookstore. I am surprised how many kids pick those over all the other books in the house.

I'm also a chain reader so it's hard to name individual books but I'll tell you about my favorite authors.

I grew up with Madeleine L'Engle and she's still my #1 favorite. She writes for all ages, everything from small children to teens to anthologies and autobiographies (she had SUCH an interesting, ordinary life) for adults. Oh, and poetry. Please check her out.

I still cherish my copies of The Hobbitt and the LOTR, and the Chronicles of Narnia; even though they've recently been so commercialized, the books are better.

Some of my favorite authors growing up:

Robert Cormier (cor-mee-AAY)--a pessimist; most of his books are a little sad. You may have heard of "The Chocolate War" or "The Bumblebee Flies Anyway," both made into movies

Paula Danziger--an optimist who tries to give guidance to teens and tweens through story-telling

Robert Newton Peck (I met this man and didn't like him personally but still he was a great author)--his popular books are all about a boy named Soup who gets into trouble a lot, kind of like Huck Finn or Dennis the Menace; but probably his most popular book was "A Day no Pigs Would Die" which didn't have the Soup character in it.

Richard Peck--mostly young adult books--Horror, caper, mystery, occult, social commentary, historical

Paul Zindel--wrote fiction young adult books based loosely on his own life with neglectful parents, but written with humor. However, my favorite book of his was "I Never Loved Your Mind," which would probably appeal to older teens/young adults more

Can't forget S. E. Hinton--The Outsiders, Rumblefish, Tex, and my favorite, That was Then, This is Now; many more

Catherine Gaskin--historical romance

Catherine Marshall--her bestseller was "Christy"--she wrote stories based on her families' lives

Anya Seton--historical romance

C.S. Lewis--The Chronicles of Narnia, autobiographies and religious anthologies

Robert Heinlein--a classic scifi author

Ursula K. LeGuin--fantasy; my fave was Very Far Away from Anywhere Else

Rumer Godden--children's books, poetry, fiction and nonfiction

Terry Brooks--scifi/fantasy

Maya Angelou--autobiographies and poetry

Richard Adams--an animal lover who uses animals as protagonists in most of his novels, the most famous (and one of my favorite books) being "Watership Down"

Edward Abbey--a radical environmentalist whose fictional characters are "eco-warriors" and monkeywrenchers

James Herriott--short true stories by a traveling rural veterinarian, good for bedtime stories. "All Creatures Great and Small," "All Things Bright and Beautiful"--you can easily find both these books in one volume, probably for cheap, at the big chain book stores

Some more serious true story/bibliographies that I read were "All God's Children" by Fox Butterfield (about the babyface killer and how our environment affects our character) and "Makes Me Wanna Holler" by Nathan McCall (about growing up black in the 'hood and still (or eventually, for this man) making good choices)--read this one yourself before letting your sons read it because it can be pretty graphic. We used to give this book to students in a program I worked for but we ripped out the chapter titled "Trains" first.

A book I think everyone should read is "The Children's Story" by James Clavell.

It's hard to stop but I'll force myself here.

FYI, at least here in OK, on Black Friday, Half-Price Books is opening at 7 a.m. and giving book bags and $5 gift certificates to the first 100 people, with one person getting a $100 gift certificate.

Also, check out your local "Friends of the Library" chapter to see if and when they host book sales. I've picked up great books for as little as ten cents at these sales.

If you want more book titles, message me and I'll make a list from my bookshelves :)

Both of you need to write down what you enjoyed reading. That's the place to start. If those books aren't readily available for your children in your local bookstores, look on eBay and other old-book sites. If you have thrift stores or second-hand stores in your area, hit them regularly to look for those and other treasures. Yard sales can be surprising, too.

I have overflowing bookshelves with books I've found secondhand, usually at thrift stores. They aren't pretty, but they were inexpensive, and I was able to introduce my children to authors such as Marguerite de Angeli, Clare Turlay Newberry, and Carolyn Haywood this way - people who have written and illustrated in the past but perhaps aren't so well-known now. I'm big on finding books with good illustrations because that was my way of introducing my children (and now my grandchildren) to art.

Both generations have loved Russell and Lillian Hoban's Frances books! They love all those Purple Crayon books, too. As my kids got older they liked Gordon Korman's Bruno and Boots books, which are very silly; Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles; and many others. I have Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books, which are also still in print (and are not just for girls); I fell in love with them as a child and I still re-read them every year with great enjoyment! There is something about good writing that lasts and lasts.

Which brings me to other authors. For myself, hunting through old books has brought me great treasure. I have discovered the classics - which I basically ignored growing up except when I had to read them for school - and now love Defoe, Austen, Alcott, even some Dickens. This summer we took a long road trip so I grabbed a book I had picked up for the Wyeth illustrations but didn't think would really interest me: THE BOUNTY TRILOGY, published in the 1930s. What a surprise - couldn't put it down! I can't seem to get into modern detective fiction, but I have come to love Dorothy Sayers' mysteries (as well as her other books), because they are so well written, and every time I re-read one I discover something I hadn't noticed before.

You already know that you help your sons develop a love for reading by reading yourself, by reading with them, and by showing your enjoyment of books. I applaud your forthcoming library!

The Little House series is great for any gender, and really any age.

I can remember when I was in elementary school I was completely infatuated with this Time-Life series of books on pirates. It wasn't even geared towards children, I just loved reading them and looking at all the pictures. I also found Gray's Anatomy and Bartlett's Quotations fascinating. My kids love trivia books, like Believe It or Not and Book of World Records. I guess the point is that you never know what's going to interest any one of you at any time, so get a wide variety of books and keep them handy. Try Goodwill and yard sales, and just start buying.

I am a diehard bibliophile and I love love love this question! Don't know how old your kids are but some of my favorite kids books/authors are:

Roald Dahl (kind of scary for some kids, but if you have a rebel in your family he or she will love these)
Harriet the Spy
The Great Brain series
A Wrinkle in Time -Madeleine L'Engle
Mr Popper's Penguins - Richard and Florence Atwater

As an adult my favorites are:
The Shipping News -Annie Proulx
The Poisonwood Bible -Barbara Kingsolver
So Much for That - Lionel Shriver
anything by Richard Russo or Russell Banks

Oh, I could go on and on but the baby just woke up! I am curious what to see what others like!

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorites. I didn't read it for the first time until I was in high school I think. As for younger kids, Where the Wild Things Are and Harry Potter (there are some other similar series if your kids enjoy that type of reading) seem to be popular.

There's the classics: Charlotte's Web, Where the Red Fern Grows, A Tale of 2 Citites, Huckelberry Finn, Jane Eyre are just some of my favorites.