Carrie

Author: Stephen King

First line: News item from the Westover (Me.) weekly Enterprise, August 19, 1966: RAIN OF STONES REPORTED

Why you should read this book: It's King's first published novel, and, coincidentally or not, it's still one of his best. One reason is that it's compact: essentially the story of two incidents along with their aftermath, some backstory and, a good amount of supplemental information cleverly disguised as personal letters, newspaper articles, government reports, &c. The story of retribution for intense adolescent abuse takes on new meaning in the post-Columbine era.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Your neighbors scare you. A lot.