We can count works, but what works count? Many who believe that reading works of literature is essential to an education and not simply enjoyment believe that a reader should spend time with works that have been "approved," that have withstood the so-called "test of time," that are part of what is termed the "canon," which is a list of such traditionally accepted works of literature.

• For a fun way to search for books to read, visit the Book Forager at http://www.branching-out.net/forager/index.htm. Once you get there you can use your favorite criteria to sort through a database of reading choices. As you conduct searches, keep track of the characteristics you choose! Do you like what they turn up?

In describing your repertoire, it might be important to decide if your reading has been from the so-called "canon" or if it has been from the millions of other works available.

Clearly a description of your repertoire should be doable without the necessity of these judgments. But it is exceedingly difficult to do so. For example, whether or not you have decided you read a lot or a little, there seems to be implied the cultural judgment that one SHOULD read a lot. For a very long time being "well-read" has been associated with being well educated. Beliefs of this sort are part of a culture's literary ideology. From this ideology we tend to make lists and award prizes for best works.

Below you will find websites that deliver lists that suggest "greatness" of one sort or another.

• The Nobel Prize has been awarded in literature for one hundred years. Have you read any of these authors? Nobel Site's page on Laureates for Literature <http://www.nobel.se/literature/laureates/>
• Here is Malaspina's list of the Great Books which Mortimer Adler presented in Appendix A of his How to Read a Book.
• Here is their entry page for their Core List which includes other works Adler left off his list. <http://www.mala.bc.ca/~mcneil/list.htm>
• On the other hand, here is Amazon.com's list of the top 100 books of the Millenium. This list was compiled through votes from their users. <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/features/c/century/millennium-books-1-25.html/002-4122858-1099205>
• In 1998, The Modern Library (a publisher) developed a list of the 100 best works of the century. It stimulated controversy. Examine their page on this, especially the page for best Fiction. <http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100best.html>

The American Library Association also publishes lists of "bests."

• Here is their entry page called Winning Titles <http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/>
• Here is the entry page for Outstanding Books for the College Bound http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/obcb/index.html> At the bottom of the page you will find links to the actual lists. Here is the page for Fiction <http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/obcb/fiction.html>
• Here is their 100 Best Books for Teens. <http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/bestofbest2000.html>
• Here is their list for Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers <http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/quickpicks/>

Then again, many local libraries publish lists to help their readers find worthwhile reading.

• Literature and Languages: Selected Reading Lists from the Chicago Public Library
• Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield, Massachusetts, has even compiled a list of Oprah's best picks <http://www.noblenet.org/wakefield/zraoprah.htm#Oprahlikes

Search these lists. Give yourself one point for each work you have read. (If you feel really industrious, copy and paste the titles you find into a list. You can use it later.)

• Do you read special Genres? If many of the things you have read in the past are not on the lists, it could be for many reasons. Do you like special genres? Horror, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Westerns, Crime novels and so on, or types such as short stories or poetry? If you do, you may not find them on standard lists of "best" works, but your interest in reading these should be a part of your description of your repertoire. How many of these kinds of works do you read? How often?
• Do you read Best Sellers? Many of these books, though they can be terrific books, also are not on lists of "bests" unless they have won awards or are by outstanding contemporary writers.

Write a Description of Your Repertoire: After this review of "lists" and thoughts of things not on the lists, you are ready to compose a statement on the nature and the depth and breadth of your repertoire. You might do this in a brief prose or journal format or you might try a reader's resume.

If you want to write a Reader's Resume, go to explore some ideas for Writing a Reader's Resume

You might also want to write a Reader's Story.