Must Read Books Of The Last Decade

Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by admin in Education, Literature

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Published: 2003

The Kite Runner is the story of strained family relationships between a father and a son, and between two brothers, how they deal with guilt and forgiveness, and how they weather the political and social transformations of Afghanistan from the 1970s to 2001. Starting in 2001, the narrator Amir contemplates over the betrayal he dealt to his best friend, this leads to a backflash of the story. As the protagonist Amir grows to adulthood, he must come to terms with his past wrongs and adjust to a new culture after leaving Afghanistan for the United States.

—————————-

Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
Published: 2005

The First in a successful book series (now adapted for the big screen). Twilight follows a seventeen-year-old “Isabella “Bella” Swan“, who moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington and finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a vampire, Edward. Their “relationship” is put into jeopardy by another vampire “James” who makes it his duty to hunt Bella for her blood. What follows next is built up drama and suspension as Edward and Bella either risk love or end their relationship for Bella’s sake.

—————————-

Freakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
Published: 2005

The book is a collection of economic articles written by Levitt, an expert who has already gained a reputation for applying economic theory to diverse subjects not usually covered by “traditional” economists. Somehow both writers are able to compare Sumo Wrestlers to teachers, the Ku-Klux Klan to estate agents, the controversial role that legalized abortion has played in reducing crimes AND make it sound plausible. This is a must read book

—————————-

Angels & Demons - Dan Brown
Published: 2000

Angels and Demons is a mystery novel featuring the character Robert Langdon, who is also the principal character of Dan Brown’s subsequent, better-known novel The Da Vinci Code. The story involves a conflict between an ancient group, the Illuminati, and the Catholic Church. It is credited with being the first novel to contain ambigrams. This book is a gem in a pile of brilliant Dan Brown novels

—————————-

The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
Published - 1999/2000

“The Coldest Winter Ever is a book about the daughter of a big black drug dealer growing up in a very sheltered life. At the age of seventeen her and her family loses all their wealth and the family is split up. The four children become orphans in different places and the mother hits rock bottom using the drug her husband once sold. Winter, the main character, was left to fend for herself on the streets basically and get caught up in drug dealing and illegal weapons that land her in prison for fifteen years”

—————————-

The 50th Law - Robert Greene & Curtis Jackson (50 cent)
Published: 2009

“In The 50th Law, hip hop and pop culture icon 50 Cent joins forces with Robert Greene, bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, to write a guide for success in life and work based on a single principle: fear nothing. With intimate stories from 50 Cent’s life on the streets and in the boardroom as he rose to fame after the release of his album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, as well as examples of others who have overcome adversity through understanding and practicing the 50th Law, this deeply inspirational book is perfect for entrepreneurs as well as anyone interested in the extraordinary life of Curtis Jackson”

—————————-

White Teeth - Zadie Smith
Published: 2000

Multi Award winning novel focusing on the later lives of two wartime friends; the Bangladeshi Samad Iqbal and the Englishman Archie Jones, and their families in London. The story mixes pathos and humour, all the while illustrating the dilemmas of immigrants and second-generation immigrants as they are confronted by a new, and very different, society.

—————————-

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Published: 2000

This book advocates financial independence through investing, real estate, owning businesses, and the use of finance protection tactics. Its predominantly based on Kiyosaki’s upbringing and education in Hawaii. Rich Dad, Poor Dad highlights different attitudes to money, work and life of these two men, and how they in turn influenced key decisions in Kiyosaki’s life.

—————————-

Atonement - Ian McEwan
Published: 2001

Another award winning novel by a British author; Atonement is the story is of a woman’s life changing mistake as a young girl who dreams of being a writer in upper-middle-class interwar England. It circles the affects on herself, family and friends, and her own effort to achieve atonement over the coming century, which leads to an exploration on the nature of writng itself.

—————————-

Ugly - Constance Briscoe
Published: 2006

“Constance’s mother systematically abused her daughter, both physically and emotionally, throughout her childhood. Regularly beaten and starved, the girl was so desperate she took herself off to Social Services and tried to get taken into care. When that failed, she swallowed bleach ‘because it kills all known germs and my mother always told me I was a germ’. When Constance was thirteen, her mother simply moved out, leaving her daughter to fend for herself: there was no gas, no electricity and no food. But somehow Constance found the courage to survive her terrible start in life. This is her heartrending  and ultimately triumphant  story”

—————————-

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - J.K Rowling
Published: 2007

The seventh and final of the Harry Potter novels. This book chronicles the events directly following Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005), and leads to the long-awaited final confrontation between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. One of the most successful book series in history ends with a bang.

—————————-

Rapture - Carol Ann Duffy
Published: 2005

“Rapture is a book-length love-poem, and a moving act of personal testimony; but what sets these poems apart from other treatments of the subject is that Duffy refuses to simplify the contradictions of love, and read its transformationsinfatuation, longing, passion, commitment, rancour, divorce and griefas simply redemptive or destructive. Rapture is a map of real love, in all its churning complexity”

—————————-

Multiple Streams of Inspiration - Jack Canfield, Johnny Wimbrey, Bryan Flanagan
Published: 2007

“Life at best is a series of change, as we bravely encounter these changes we learn how to use our intrinsic power to evolve into more dynamic, creative beings. That’s the premise of this book! It’s about life’s challenges and the incredible, inspiring ways in which we can successfully overcome them. A must read if you desire to be encouraged, inspired and empowered to live a bigger, more fulfilling life. The many talented writers, each provide an insightful approach to living a life of unlimited success”

—————————-

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time - Mark Haddon
Published: 2003

The story is written in the first-person perspective of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy with autism living in Swindon, Wiltshire. Every day is an investigation for him because of all the aspects of human life that he does not quite get. When the dog next door is killed with a garden fork, Christopher becomes quietly persistent in his desire to find out what has happened and tugs away at the world around him until a lot of secrets unravel messily.

—————————-

The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren
Published: 2002

The book offers readers a 40-day personal spiritual journey, and presents what Warren says are God’s five purposes for human life on Earth and describes itself as “a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st Century. # Purpose #1: You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure (Worship)# Purpose #2: You Were Formed for God’s Family (Fellowship) # Purpose #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ (Discipleship)# Purpose #4: You Were Shaped for Serving God (Ministry) # Purpose #5: You Were Made for a Mission (Mission). Inspirational.