When you don't know what to read

The library has several excellent titles that give suggestions on authors and novels that are worth reading. Some of these books are aimed at book discussion groups and others at individuals interested in broadening their reading horizons. One title I've looked at more than once is THE NEW LIFETIME READING PLAN by Clifton Fadiman and John S. Major. It's divided into five sections. The first section deals with authors such as Homer and Virgil and the following sections trace important literary works from that time until the 20th century, the fifth section featuring Edith Wharton, E.M. Forster, Ernest Hemingway and Saul Bellow. Each entry puts the featured author into his or her historical and literary context and explains why the suggested title is important in world literature. The book describes itself as a "lifetime plan" and is certainly helpful if that's what the reader wants, but it can also be dipped into for one or two suggestions. Another similar title is THE WELL-EDUCATED MIND: A GUIDE TO THE CLASSIC EDUCATION YOU NEVER HAD by S. Wise Bauer. Although the suggestions in these books aren't exactly beach reading, they are fun to look through to see what classics you might be interested in.