The Reading Room

Books I Pushed Across The Desk

Thirty years of handing things to teenagers who did not ask. These are the ones that came back read.

a list by Margaret Iyer10 books

Nineteen Eighty-four
“The one that always came back with the corners gone.”
George Orwell
Shelve
1
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
“For the ones who insisted they hated reading. Worked most times.”
Douglas Adams
Shelve
2
Siddhartha
“Short, which was half the battle.”
Hermann Hesse
Shelve
3
Educated
“Later years. Sixth form, and only when I knew the family.”
Tara Westover
Shelve
4
Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor Emil Frankl
Shelve
5
Just Kids
“For the art students who thought nobody had ever been broke before.”
Patti Smith
Shelve
6
To Kill a Mockingbird
“For thirty years. Less certain about it now, still on the list.”
Harper Lee
Shelve
7
Of Mice and Men
“The set text that actually worked.”
John Steinbeck
Shelve
8
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
Shelve
9
Their Eyes Were Watching God
“Sixth form, and only after a conversation.”
Zora Neale Hurston
Shelve
10