What does it mean to be well-read? How would you know what to
read to be considered a well-read individual? This list is a good
place to start. If you were to read everything listed, you would be
incredibly well-read. Here you’ll find suggestions for reading in
fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. It includes authors both male and
female, and American, British and world classics. In some cases, the
annotation is followed by the title of another work (or more) by the same
author. Use these suggestions for alternate or additional reading.
Be selective, and if you like, use the Personal
Reading List as your guide. Try to fill in at least one blank in each
category. Most of the books on the list will fit into more than one
category, so use your own judgment to make them fit. If you can complete
the Personal Reading List, you can congratulate yourself, and consider
yourself more well-read than average.
Try to set a goal for yourself. If you decide to try to read, perhaps,
five titles each year, then you should be able to fill in at least one
blank in each category during your four-year high school career. However,
this is only a suggestion. The only real reason for reading from this list
is that you want to do it, for yourself. Also, there’s no need to end
the project at graduation.
All the books on this list are available in our high school library,
and the call numbers (where the books are located on the shelves) are
indicated in red. The call numbers may be
similar in a different library, but you should always check the library
catalog for the exact location.
The selections on this list were drawn primarily from two sources:
Estell, Doug, et al. Reading Lists for College-Bound Students.
2nd ed. New York: Macmillan, 1993.
Estell, Doug, et al. Reading Lists for College-Bound Students.
3rd ed. Thomson Press, 2000.
Lewis, Marjorie, ed. Outstanding Books for the College Bound.
Chicago: American Library Association, 1996.