As Books editors at Amazon, we read all year with this page in mind. We're always asking ourselves, "Is this a keeper? Is this one worth telling people about?" And here is our chance to collect those books that made us say, "Yes." These are the books we've been telling each other about all year, and the ones that we've watched our customers spread the word about too, starting with our choice for the book of the year, Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a brilliantly and compassionately told story of a woman lost to history and the family that sustained her memory while her cells became a foundation of modern science.

You'll find many more great books for readers of all ages and interests in our top 100 editors' and customers' lists, as well as our year-end top 10s in nearly two dozen categories.