100 Great American Novels You’ve (Probably) Never Read

A neat looking new book came across my desk today called “100 Great American Novels You’ve (Probably) Never Read”. Wow! They really have my number - I haven’t read a single one. Nor have I heard of most of them (although a number of the authors were familiar from other titles they’d written - phew, I don't have to hand back my English Lit degree just yet!).

The idea of the book is that there are tonnes of novels out there that have all the qualities of classic novels, but just somehow have gotten overlooked. Many of the books are still in print or, if not, are available from libraries. For each book listed, the author gives a synopsis and other details. It seems like a great book for avid readers who are looking to find some hidden gems.

Here’s a few of the ones mentioned (including their original publication date) that are available from Halifax Public Libraries.

Bone by Fae Myenne Ng, (1993)

A Feast of Snakes by Harry Crews (1976)

Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1915)

McTeague: a Story of San Francisco by Frank Norris (1902)
The Rise of David Levinsky by Abraham Cahan (1917)
Stones for Ibarra by Harriett Doerr (1983)
They Came Like Swallows by William Maxwell (1937)
The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela (1935)

You can borrow 100 Great American Novels You’ve (Probably) Never Read too. Make a list of the ones you have and haven’t gotten to. The library can help you find some of them through Interlibrary Loan if we don’t own them.