How I Found:  After yet another attempt to ban To Kill a Mockingbird because it makes people uncomfortable, I reread this classic with an attempt to find where that discomfort lies. Maybe it's the point where Scout is teased for her father defending Tom Robinson, or maybe it is the word that is used to do so, but I hope it's the point where Atticus loses the case after proving Tom's innocence, and Jem clearly sees the cruelty of the world in which they live. Because, as Atticus explain, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."
Why You Might Read:  Everyone ought to read as a reminder of where we've been as a nation, how far we've come and how that compares with where we are right now.  This book reveals that the innocence of childhood can become the ignorance of adulthood without the careful guidance of those who know better, and we can't know better if we ignore the discomfort right in front of us.  

How I Found:  Should I admit that  I have never read any of his other books?  Not having done so, I decided to give it a whirl.  I liked his style from the beginning, but it took me a few chapters to really get into it. Then, I read the rest of the book in 3 hours.  Woah.  I don't remember the last time I did that; I honestly just could not put it down.  Once the teens started discussing art and Davis started using quotes to frame his blog, I was hooked.  Ava's struggles with anxiety were so real, it made it impossible not to empathize, and if for no other reason, I hope this is another teen sensation because of that.  In one of her most lucid moments she thinks, "You're both the fire and the water that extinguishes it. You're the narrator, the protagonist, and the sidekick. You're the storyteller and the story told. You are somebody's something, but you are also your you." This is something everyone, child, teen, or adult, needs to come to terms with, anxiety-ridden, or not.
Why You Might Read:  It's a quick one, once you get going, but it is also beautifully expressed and relatable even if you are far beyond the age-range of the characters.  By the end, you'll feel compassion, sympathy, and maybe even an understanding about an all-too-common mental issue that many who do not suffer from would prefer to deny.  Plus, with a title like this, you might just want to uncover the mystery therein--it's all about the stories we tell, the ones we choose to believe, and the ones we create of our own lives. 

How I Found:  Always on the look-out for books that are simply inspirational, I was intrigued by the title here. The idea is we set goals for ourselves with the purpose of arrival, but here is a reminder that what matters most are the steps we take, the dragons we defeat, the lessons we learn that get us where we want to be. Whether you are alone on your journey, or have friends and family to support you, it takes guts to move on, BIG or small.  
Why You Might Read: If you have a goal in mind, take your teddy bear with you if you have to, some talisman to remind you of where you've been, but know as you look ahead and wonder if "blueberries will be blue there", or if you will "never ask silly questions again", you will, and that's ok, never stop questioning and always know once you arrive, there's another destination around the bend to a you and a "there", you haven't even dreamed of yet.