Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The long-awaited and much-anticipated conclusion to the series we’ve grown up with cannot be ignored. Though the prose of many authors trumps that of J.K. Rowling, few have not enjoyed the magical world she created (and let’s be fair — she wrote better with every book). The seventh and final installment of Harry Potter was (for most) a deliciously satisfying end to an era.
A Thousand Splendid Suns
is an incredibly moving novel from the acclaimed author of The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini has done it again — A Thousand Splendid Suns captures beautifully the heartbreak and happiness that is modern Afghani existence, but more importantly, life in general.
Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
For those with the stomach to withstand the horrors laid down in this vastly unsettling memoir, Long Way Gone has a poignant message to offer to the world. The story of Ishmael Beah will unfailingly pull viciously at the heartstrings of every reader, while his smiling cover image will ignite hope for humanity.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
This book certainly provided food for thought in 2007. No pun intended — we swear. A memoir, a journalistic investigation, and a rather convincing persuasive argument, this is an interesting and thought-provoking look at sustainability, and saving the world, one fluffy baby chick and pimply pumpkin plant at a time. Living proof that Barbara Kingsolver’s nonfiction is just as worthwhile as her many novels.
I Am America (And So Can You)
Laugh. Sigh. Laugh. Pound wall in frustration at the world. Laugh. Succumb to desire to drink copiously. Laugh. Cry. Laugh. Become seriously offended. Laugh. Need we say more? Really? Stephen Colbert’s newest contribution to society is never dull — according to the Barnes and Noble review it is in fact, “ironically strident, annoying, repetitive, dishonest, priggish, self-congratulatory, exploitational, celebrity-driven, offensive — and often extremely funny” all at once.