Summer reading list? Start here

One of the students in the journalism class that I taught this past semester at Gonzaga University said he wished that I had handed out a must-see list of movies, which I thought was a good suggestion.

But my first love is, and always has been, reading. So before I tackle the Movies You Should See Before You Die, I thought I’d come up with a list of 15 Books That You Everyone Should Read At Least Once.

I offer them in no particular order:

“The Prince,” “The Dissertation,” “Mandragon” – R.M. Koster ’s “Tinieblas Trilogy” is a mostly undiscovered American classic. Set in a fictional Latin American country, it is a powerful and evocative look at characters trying to retain their humanity in difficult circumstances.

“Slaughterhouse-Five” – The late Kurt Vonnegut ’s best novel is one of the most gently devastating looks at the horror of war ever written.

“The Sparrow,” “Children of God” – With this two-book series, Mary Doria Russell created a new genre: Jesuit science fiction. It also is a knowing look at the workings of culture.

“The Catcher in the Rye” – J.D. Salinger ’s coming-of-age novel is, no secret here, one of the most influential works of fiction to come out of the mid-20th century. And, if you want to know the truth, it’s a great read.

“The Great Gatsby” – F. Scott Fitzgerald ’s small, poetic novel is perhaps closest thing to a perfect book ever written. And those closing lines are dream-like.

“Huckleberry Finn” – This best of Mark Twain was, according to Ernest Hemingway, the very basis of all American literature. He wasn’t wrong.

“East of Eden” – John Steinbeck ’s “Grapes of Wrath” is more famous, and arguably better, but this one captured me in 10th grade and refused to let me go.

“A Farewell to Arms” – A graduate-student friend of mine at UC-San Diego used to use this Ernest Hemingway novel to teach students about World War I. Despite his up-and-down reputation, Hemingway remains a worthy read.

“1984” – You’re living aspects of this George Orwell novel, so you might as well understand the references.

“The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” – Along with Truman Capote, Harper Lee, Flannery O’Connor and others, Carson McCullers represented the best of America’s Southern literature.

“Lord of the Flies” – Ralph and the boys, creations of British Nobel Prize winner William Golding , let us know just how close we are to the jungle

“A Clockwork Orange” – Brilliant and fiery, this Anthony Burgess novel of the future/here-and-now was made into a brilliant movie by Stanley Kubrick.

“The Stranger” – The ultimate existentialist, Albert Camus demonstrates the meaning, er, meaninglessness, of it all.

That’s a beginning. There are many more, some of which might even include a play or two.

Below: Kurt Vonnegut makes the list on the strength of his novel “Slaughterhouse-Five.”

Associated Press photo