Bucket+List+of+Books

__The Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling__ Harry Potter is a young boy who finds out that he's a wizard. The series is all about him attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and his trials and errors in learning the ways of magic. Voldemort, the wizard that killed Harry's parents (and tried unsuccessfully to kill him), soon returns and plans on conquest. The only person that can stop him? Harry. A MUST READ!

__The Color Purple - Alice Walker__ A young girl, Celie, is forced to marry at the age of fifteen. She is ripped away from the only thing she has in her life that matters, her sister, Nettie. Written primarily in a series of letters, "The Color Purple" follows Celie and Nettie throughout their lives. Will Celie overcome her traumatic past and find Nettie again? Will Celie ever learn to love?
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__Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes__ Charlie, a middle-aged, mentally retarded man is selected to participate in a trial for a new drug to "cure" his retardation. Initially, the drug was tested on mice. One in particular, Algernon, did astonishingly well. Charlie and Algernon developed a bond not many understood. Not only does Charlie regain full mental capacity...it increases. He gets smarter and smarter and notices one day that Algernon is regressing. Will Charlie regress, too? A MUST READ!

__The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath__ A young woman by the name of Esther Greenwood is in New York on a fashion writing scholarship. Things soon turn awry though as she develops a severe case of depression. The novel centers around her suicide attempt and recovery. A MUST READ!
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__The Hunger Games Series - Suzanne Collins__ There are 12 Districts in Panem. Each year each District sends two "tributes," one boy and one girl, to the Hunger Games. These games are essentially battles for life. The "Gamemakers" control everything from the weather to the trees to the animals. Considering that everyone and everything is out to get you, the longer you last, the better the odds you'll win. There is only one winner...usually. A MUST READ!

__The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series - Kathryn Lasky__ The Gaurdians of Ga'Hoole are a legendary group of owls that govern the Ga'Hoole tree -- an idyllic tree on a small island in the middle of a sea (and owl Atlantis, if you will). Soren, pushed out of the nest by his evil brother, gets taken to an academy where is almost brainwashed but then escapes. The series is all about his journey to the Tree, its history, and the ever-present battle between Soren and his brother.

__The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood__ Offred lives in a world where the only value of women is to produce children. She was torn away from her family and used solely to procreate. She struggles to hold on to the memories of her old life while living her new one. Can she? Will she ever find out what happened to her husband and child?

__By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead - Julie Ann Peters__
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__Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury__ In a society where books are forbidden, what does one do when they want to read? Ordered by the government to burn books, Guy Montag is constantly surrounded by them. Temptation finally overcomes him and he reads. The government knows, though, and comes after him. Will he escape them? Can he make the power of books live on?

__1984 - George Orwell__ Winston Smith lives in Oceania, a future totalitarian military state. Big Brother is watching all the time; privacy is a non-existent concept. Thinking anything that the government doesn't wish you to is a crime -- thoughtcrime -- punishable by "vaporization". Despite this, Winston defies the government by writing in a journal and thinking dangerous thoughts. But then Winston meets Julia, another rebel, whom he quickly falls for. But is she really a rebel, or does she work for Big Brother?

__Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson__
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__The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros__ __Brave New World - Aldous Huxley__ __Ariel: The Collected Poems - Sylvia Plath__ Written by one of the best poets EVER (yes, I am biased), Ariel is a collection of Plath's most depressing poetry published posthumously.

__The Lord of the Rings series - J.R.R. Tolkien__ __A Mango Shaped Space - Wendy Mass__ __To Kill a Mokcingbird - Harper Lee__ __Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck__ __Eragon - Christopher Paolini__ __Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy__ __Jurassic Park - Michael Chriton__ __The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini__ __Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank__ __The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson - Emily Dickinson__ __Night - Elie Wiesel__ __The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe - Edgar Allan Poe__ (contributed by Mr. Gingrich)

__ The Way of the Peaceful Warrior--Dan Millman __ Dan Millman begins the story as a college student and respected gymnast. Despite his success, he is often restless and dissatisfied with life. During a late night jog, Dan runs into an old man who works as a gas station attendant--the old man intrigues Dan by instantly moving, seemingly by magic, from the ground to the roof of the gas station. As the two talk, Dan nicknames the old man "Socrates," and begins learning the philosophies of the gas station attendant. Dan struggles with "Soc's" methodologies, but slowly learns the way of the peaceful warrior--a path that emphasizes living in the present moment.

__ Psycho-Cybernetics--Maxwell Maltz __ Initially a plastic surgeon, Maltz realized during his practice that people weren't pursuing plastic surgery in order to fix a physical issue, but rather their own mental self-image of themselves. In this book, Maltz uncovers the fact that your own self-image is what limits your potential, and that, by improving your self-image, you can achieve greater happiness and success.

__ Food Rules--Michael Pollan __ Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much. Those are the famous words of Michael Pollan in his book "Food Rules." In this book, Pollan summarizes his other works in a concise 70-or-so easy to understand rules. A quick read that offers profound advice on having a balanced and healthy relationship with food.