22. The Known World

By Edward P. Jones (388 pp.)

This book won the Pulitzer in 2004 and it's been on my bookshelf almost that long. I started it once and couldn't get into it and although I always intended to pick it up again, it never seemed the right time. Then I finally tried again and got a little stuck at first. It took me awhile to figure it out. It drops in and out of different story lines and sometimes will tell the entire story of a character upon introduction and then never mention that character again. After about 25 pages I went back and started again and made a little cheat sheet to help me remember who was what. It is a fabulous book. It's set in Virginia and revolves around slave owners and former slaves who own slaves. It is not an easy story but really well done. If you've had it on your shelf for almost 10 years, time to dust it off.

21. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Won't Stop Talking

By Susan Cain (271 pp)

A couple of people recommended this book for me. I've had it on the shelf for awhile and finally read it. It is terrific and would have been helpful information about 30 years ago. It's about introverts and talked about it in the context of kids, the workplace and life in general. It's a bit long-winded in spots but a lot of great information.