Five and Ten is all about variety of narrative desire, from person to person and within a single reader’s taste, as demonstrated in the following reading recommendations. 

This week at John C. Campbell Folk School, my students have been working to open the door to their novels, and the variety among the novels they are writing is energizing.

I asked for five titles from everyone, books they’ve read in the past ten years they want other folks to read, and as you’ll see, I got five—more or less—from everyone.

Jeanne Kosartes from Cashiers, NC recommends four titles:

1)      Cost, Roxana Robinson

2)      American Pastoral, Philip Roth

3)      Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

4)      The Reader, Bernhard Schlink

Don Benson from Canton, OH recommends six:

1)      The Wolf at the Door, Jack Higgins

2)      The Amber Warning, Robert Ludlum

3)      Assegai, Wilber Smith

4)      By Reason of Insanity, Randy Singer

5)      On Writing: A Memoir of Craft, Stephen King

6)      The Disciple, Stephen Coonts

Marjorie Hobkirk, a local Brasstowner and member of the Brasstown Volunteer Fire Department, recommends four:

1)      The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, Sue Monk Kidd

2)      Traveling with Pomegranates, Sue Monk Kidd

3)      The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

4)      Animal Speak, Ted Andrews

Amazing jewelry artist and fellow instructor here at John C. Campbell, Pam East recommends five and/or six:

1)      In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson

2)      Across the Nightingale Floor, Lian Hearn

3)      Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen

4)      Tipping Point and/or Blink, Malcolm Gladwell

5)      Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love, Jill Browne

Check out Pam’s jewelry at her website: www.pameast.net.

Check out John C. Campbell Folk School at www.folkschool.org.