One of the most lyrical, hauntingly beautiful novels I have ever read, this is a story about love and death. I taught this novel for 2 years and it never failed to disturb, excite, terrify, and amuse my students.

I have read this brilliant novel seven times. I've written two academic papers on it. I even taught it for 1 year in a literature/composition course, and each time I read it I STILL find something new. When people ask what my favorite novel is I always say Robinson's "Housekeeping."

This is an erotic, daring story about two people embarking on a passionate love affair. The book strives to answer the question raised in its opening sentence, "Why is the measure of love loss?"

This stark, beautiful novel tells the story of a smart young woman's mental breakdown in the early 1950s. When I saw the movie "Girl, Interrupted," I immediately thought of "The Bell Jar," Plath's famous, largely autobiographical novel.

Do yourself a favor. First, read this brilliant classic. Next, read Micheal Cunningham's "The Hours," a wonderful take on "Mrs. Dalloway." Finally, watch the academy award-winning film, "The Hours." After doing this you will have no doubt that great art builds upon great art.

It is hard for me to pick a favorite Austen novel, but unlike, say, "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility," Austen's "Emma" uses point of view to the greatest advantage. When I first read it I was utterly surprised by the ending. A brilliant plot! Studying Austen's literary tricks tells us much about why Harry Potter is so popular.

If there is a more self-deluded, terrifying narrator then Humbert Humbert, I have yet to encounter him. And yet, controversial as this novel is, the story is beautifully crafted and utterly compelling. This is a book that cannot be ignored.

This is an intimidating book, even for the advanced reader, but it is one that holds great rewards. It was "Moby-Dick," along with Emily Dickinson's poetry, that first pushed me to start asking the Big Questions: Who Am I? Why am I here? Why is there evil in the world? Why death? Do we really have free choice?

There is no question that Toni Morrison is one of the greatest writers today, but even though I greatly admire her other novels, such as "Song of Solomon" and "Sula," for me "Beloved" is her most powerful work. This gut-wrenching story about love and the horrors of slavery will chill you to the bone.

Do I really need to sell this brilliant classic? Is there any English speaker who hasn't read, or at least heard of, this famous gothic story?

A beautiful coming of age story, this lyrical novel centers on a 16-year-old girl, a member of the Taiga Tribe. When she witnesses her Aunt Ama kill an endangered panther, she must reconcile her people's beliefs with those of the modern, scientific world.

Concerned about the future implications of cloning and genetic experimentation? Then, this is the book for you. The best thing about Atwood is that she is darkly, wickedly funny, even when she is telling a story with political overtones. I taught this book last year and my students wrote brilliant papers on it. A dystopian classic!

What can I say about this quiet, darrkly comic novel except that when I finished it I turned around and read it through again? Of course, I can tell you that it won the Pulitzer Prize, but only by reading it for yourself can you fully appreciate its stark beauty.

This is Jean Hegland's first novel, a fact I can hardly believe. Hegland tells the story of two sisters, Eva and Nell, whose lives are turned upside down as disease and anarchy breaks out across the country. This novel is something new, a magical, passionate journey that haunts you long after you've finished reading it.

Silko is one of the greatest Native American writers to date, and "Ceremony" is her best book. It tells the story of Tayo, who was a former prisoner of war in WWII, and his quest for healing and meaning.

After teaching this novel for three years, I reluctantly moved on to other dystopian novels such as "Brave New World" and "The Handmaid's Tale." But, "1984" is still the most terrifying dystopian novel ever written. You will feel very grateful for your freedom after reading "1984," the title of which should really be "2084" since it is set far into the future.

When this novel was first published in 1937, it did not receive a great deal of praise. This comes of no surprise to me because this story is wonderfully modern; it sounds like something Toni Morrison might write. I love this book. It’s as simple as that. I hope I can teach it someday.

This is Barbara Kingsolver's most ambitious work. It tells the tale of missionary Nathan Price, his wife, Orleanna, and their four daughters as they struggle to survive in, and make sense of, the Belgian Congo.

This is the page-turning story of Bernadette O'Brien, a brilliant professor at Harvard and her shocking murder of two of her male students, for which she was sentenced to death. Maso's writing is so uniquely erotic, so dark, so funny and twisted and beautiful that you soon find yourself reading anything with her name on it.

Set in South Carolina in 1964, this moving story is told from Lily Owen's point of view, a young girl who must come to terms with her gulit over her mother's death.