On Saturday, September 22, 2018, beginning at 1:00 p.m. in Room 101 of Duane G. Meyer Library, the finals of the Great Ozarks Read literary trivia contest will be held. Teams from Waynesville, Marshfield, Christian County, Joplin, and other locations in Southwest Missouri will gather to test their knowledge of the 100 novels selected via a scientific popular poll conducted by PBS for their Great American Read television series this fall. The teams were selected from high scorers of the preliminary rounds being held around the region. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Ozarks Public Television (OPT), the MSU Libraries, and the MSU Department of English also are partnering with many public library districts in southwest Missouri to do a GREAT OZARKS READ. Each member of each participating public library district, as well as members of the MSU campus community, are encouraged to vote for their favorite book (or series) from the list of 100. Already over 600 votes have been cast. The Twilight Series currently has a comfortable lead in the voting. Voting continues, so let us know your favorite book. Other contenders include:

Harry Potter (series); by J.K. Rowling – 1997	35
To Kill a Mockingbird; by Harper Lee – 1960	29
Little Women; by Louisa May Alcott – 1868	21
The Chronicles of Narnia (series); by C.S. Lewis – 1950	18
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; by Betty Smith – 1943	18
Outlander (series); by Diana Gabaldon – 1991	17
The Lord of the Rings (series); by J.R.R. Tolkien – 1954	14
The Book Thief; by Markus Zusak – 2005	14
The Help; by Kathryn Stockett – 2009	13
Gone With the Wind; by Margaret Mitchell – 1936	13
The Sun Also Rises; by Ernest Hemingway – 1926	12
Pride and Prejudice; by Jane Austen – 1813	12
Anne of Green Gables; by Lucy Maud Montgomery – 1908	12
Jane Eyre; by Charlotte Bronte – 1847	10