What's on Your Apocalyptic Bookshelf?

"If I had known the world was going to end, 

I would've brought better books." 

(Dale, from the TV show, "The Walking Dead")

Besides making me laugh, this line got me thinking - what books would I want with me if the Super Flu hit or the zombies ruled or the whole deserted island thing happened?

Surprisingly, the woman who waffles over pretty much everything - including whether or not to have waffles for breakfast - knew right off the three books on her apocalyptic bookshelf, followed quickly by two more additions. 

The Stand by Stephen King  (Oh, the irony!)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Any of the Calvin and Hobbes collections by Bill Watterson

Yes, I know - the smart thing would be to choose books about surviving, but since I'm pretty sure I wouldn't last all that long anyway, I'd rather go down reading some of my all time favorite books. They all have a depth and a heart that draw me back to them over and over. The characters are old friends yet the stories offer something new with each re-read. All of the books ground me yet take me somewhere else - a plus when you're hiding from vampires or werewolves or whatever is roaming around out there waiting to eat you.

What books would be on your "end of the world" bookshelf and why?

Crying Over a Character - Favorite Teen Read

Literary agent Nathan Bransford posed the question "What was your favorite book as a teenager?" on his blog the other day, and my first thought was THE STAND by Stephen King. And, according to the comments on that post, I wasn't the only one.

I was a voracious reader (then and now!) and loved a lot of what I read, but I think the reason THE STAND stands (ha ha) out for me - besides the fact it's a great story with amazing characters - is because it's the one book I remember clearly where I cried when a main character died. Now, obviously, I had read CHARLOTTE'S WEB and THE OUTSIDERS and others where characters died and I have to believe I cried for them, too, but for some reason it's THE STAND where I clearly remember sobbing when one of the main characters dies. (I don't want to say who, don't want to ruin anything for anyone who hasn't read it!) I thought, "no, he can't be dead, he's a main guy" and flipping back a few pages to see if I missed something. Then, I flipped forward, thought "it's a trick, a dream, it was faked." But no.

To be able to do that to a reader? For a reader?

It's one of the reasons why I write. So I can - hopefully! - do that to, for, another reader, out there, somewhere...

Anyone else want to share a favorite teen read? Or one that struck a chord for you in some way?