#22

Title: Boiling Point

Author: Ross Gelbspan

Year: 2004

This book provides a good, accessible overview of global warming's impact on the natural and social worlds; the author claims that the general public has been intentionally deceived to believe that global warming is not a real threat and not caused by human actions, and he offers a solution (which seems overly idealistic) for solving the climate change problem.

#21

Title: Peony in Love

Author: Lisa See

Year: 2009

This novel is rich in Chinese history, detailing the struggles of women during the early Qing Dynasty; I love the author's focus on uncovering women's silent attempts to be heard, both in writing and in their society, but I feel the mode of first-person narrative seems at times inauthentic and tedious.

#20

Title: Cutting for Stone

Author: Abraham Verghese

Year: 2009

A complex story spanning continents and generations, this 500+ page book took a while to read but was ultimately worth it; Verghese has previously published non-fiction accounts of his work in the medical field, and this novel, while at times intimidating with its medical jargon, appeals enough to the non-specialist realm of human emotion to make it enjoyable for the common reader.

#19

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Author: J. K. Rowling

Year: 2007

This final book in the series left me guessing until its compelling conclusion, and I disagree wholeheartedly with those who claim this series isn't "literary"; the masterful writing and complex subject matter of this epic allow Rowling's fantasy world to, in many ways, mirror reality, and therefore address the themes and concerns that persist throughout centuries of celebrated literature.