Best Books of the Decade - People's Choice

When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released in 2007, it broke all first day sales records. At the end of the decade, it still held that honor. J.K. Rowling's boy wizard was one of the most popular fictional characters worldwide throughout the 2000s, selling millions of books and drawing people into movie theaters. The anticipation for the last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was immense.

• Read a complete review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
• Compare prices for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

The Twilight Saga consists of four books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Twilight was published in 2005, and the second half of the 2000s became all about vampires! Stephenie Meyer may not have started vampire romance, but her books took it to a new level of popularity. Meyer's young adult novels were popular with teenagers and adults, and were among the top 10 bestsellers for any genre for several consecutive years.

• Read a complete review of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• Compare prices for Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is a fast paced thriller where the main characters have to decipher clues in artwork, architecture and riddles to get to the bottom of a murder and save themselves. Released in 2003, The Da Vinci Code stirred up controversy because it involved a conspiracy in the Catholic Church, and presented ideas that undermine Christianity. Several books were subsequently published debunking and exploring themes within The Da Vinci Code. Not only did this book top bestsellers lists for years, but it thrust Brown's previous novels into the limelight and spawned a movie starring Tom Hanks.

• Read a complete review of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• Compare prices for The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini helped millions around the world understand the Afghan people. Released in 2003, Hosseini's book was a gift in a time when a coalition of troops from around the world spent much of the decade fighting a war in this country. The Kite Runner is a page turner with complex characters and situations that will make you think hard about friendship, good and evil, betrayal, and redemption. It is intense and contains some graphic scenes; however, it is not gratuitous. A great book by many measures.

• Read a complete review of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
• Compare prices for The Kite Runner.

Published in 2000, Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point remained popular throughout the decade. The Tipping Point answers two questions: "Why is it that some ideas or behaviors or products start epidemics and others don't? And what can we do to deliberately start and control positive epidemics of our own?"

• Read a complete review of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• Compare prices for The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is the true story of Mortenson's work building schools in remote villages in Pakistan. Mortenson moves from a lost climber who promises a school to one small village to a major player in promoting peace through education in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three Cups of Tea was published in 2006.

• Read a complete review of Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
• Compare prices for Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Freakonomics started as a New York Times Magazine article in 2003. Stephen J. Dubner, a journalist for The New York Times, was assigned to write a profile of economist Steven D. Levitt. Levitt and Dubner hit it off, and thousands of New York Times readers also felt a connection. In 2005, Levitt and Dubner published Freakonomics, a book that uses straight-forward analysis to turn conventional wisdom on its head. The pair also started a popular blog and published a sequel, SuperFreakonomics, in 2009.

• Read a complete review of Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
• Compare prices for Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

In 2006 Cormac McCarthy added another novel to his growing list of masterpieces. What separated The Road from his other works was McCarthy’s ability to capture moments of lyrical and emotional beauty in a father and son’s haunted relationship even as a silent cloud of death covers the world in darkness. Oprah chose The Road as a selection for her book club in 2007, it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2007 and in 2009 it hit the big screen.

• Read a complete review of The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• Compare prices for The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Shack by William P. Young was first released in 2007, became a phenomenon in 2008, and continued to top bestsellers lists in 2009. This book -- originally written by Young for his kids -- was rejected by mainstream and Christian publishers alike. Young and friends started their own publishing house -- Windblown Media -- to produce it, and in 2008 they teamed up with Hachette Book Group to help meet the demand for more than a million copies of the book. The Shack is the story of a man who confronts God about the tragic death of his daughter.

• Complete review of The Shack
• Compare prices for The Shack by William P. Young

Dead Until Dark is the first book in Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series, which inspired the HBO TV series True Blood and 8 sequels through 2009. Published in 2001, Dead Until Dark took off later in the decade with the popularity of the TV series and the Twilight-driven vampire craze.

• Read a complete review of Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
• Compare prices for Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris