It’s day one for Five and Ten, a regular Friday post of recommended reads from friends of Dancing with the Gorilla.

I’ve changed the name of this feature several times, trying to settle on the right handle. I’m going with Five and Ten because the first books I read were purchased at the dimestore,  two of my favorite authors grew up in the aisles of their fathers’ Ben Franklin dimestores: Lee Smith and Michael Lee West,  and because almost everyone I asked for a list of five books begged to give me ten. 

Whatever the handle, I hope you enjoy looking back at a decade of good reading as we step off into the next ten years of this still new century.

A word about buying books. I know in this economic squeeze we all buy used books. I do it myself. And there are good reasons to shop online. Even so, I encourage you to please consider  independent merchants like those old dimestore owners, and how vital local retail centers can be with dedicated supporters. Writers love people to buy books. In the interest of shopping locally and keeping a percentage of your tax dollars in your local community, frequent your local independent bookseller.  Ask your favorite bookseller for his or her list of top five books of the last decade, and share your list with your bookseller.

On to the lists: I’ve asked writers, booksellers, and readers of all sorts to share a list of five books they’ve read in the last 10 years (1/1/00 through 12/31/09) that they’d like to recommend to other readers. The books may have been published years before, but should have been read by the lister in the last decade. Listers define any additional parameters of their list. So you may see a list of five great children’s books, or a list of poetry collections, or five favorite mysteries or thrillers, or an eclectic mix of books on any given list.   Today’s three lists demonstrate that variety. 

Wanda Jewell is the Executive Director of Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance and a champion of books, authors, and most of all independent booksellers everywhere, particularly in the South. For a list of new Southern books, check out SIBA’s Okra Picks at http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/okra. Wanda’s own list  of five is all about getting off on the right foot, and that’s what were doing today with her terrific recommended titles that work extremely well for first-of-the-year reads. Thanks, Wanda.

1) Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done by David Allen

2) Life Makeovers: 52 Practical & Inspiring Ways to Improve Your Life One Week at a Time by Cheryl Richardson

3) The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

4) Choosing Happiness: Life & Soul Essentials by Stephanie Dowrick

5) Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Our next list for this week is from William Brock: my husband, a metal artist, and a voracious reader. His list will tell you a lot about him. For one thing, he has an MS in Structural Engineering, so when he fired off his list from his end of the sofa, his final words were, “and in that order.” For more about him and his outsider metal art, visit his website at www.rustedbirdstudio.com. Thanks, honey.

 1) Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

2) The Stand by Stephen King

3) Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens

4) Gettysburg by Stephen W. Sears

5) Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Finally, my contribution is a list made up of five novels I love by authors I’ve never met. That’s saying a lot because I know a lot of authors. These books will rank high on just about any novel list.

1) Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

2) Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

3) The Hours by Michael Cunningham

4) Child of God by Cormac McCarthy

5) Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez

Suggestion: Go fluff that throw pillow, grab that afghan, and curl up in your favorite spot with one of these great books.