If you and your neighbors all have routers on the same channel then you could be interfering with each others signals all the time and it is just made worse during high use times. I think the default for most routers is channel 9 or 11. Try using vista stumbler it works with win vista and 7. Look at all the network that are available and see what channels they are on. You want to pick a channel that is not occupied or if the are all occupied the ones with the weakest signal.

1984! IF there was ever a generation that needed 1984 its this one. Also Hyperion 2 is a good one. I remember really liking the anvil of stars when I was in HS, but I'm not really sure that would be class appropriate. Aldus Huxley is also classic HS Reading. The hobbit is good beginner fantasy, but i think sometimes LOTR can be a bit dense with all the "insert crazy tolkien name" son of "insert tolkien name. I also had a rough time with the songs first go around. I think dune is a must. I think on of the key things even though it sounds ridiculous is to make sure to allow some in class reading time. When i was in HS most kinds didnt read shit. ALso In class discussion about what is really going on in the books and how certain books such as 1984 speak to us about what is going on today.