1. With the release of the sixth book in her children’s fantasy series, J.K. Rowling holds the honor of being the bestselling author of 2005. Her number one bestseller, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ended months of anticipation and worldwide speculation as to the next installment in the wildly popular series, which has become a huge hit with both children and adults.

Four of the Harry Potter books have been translated to film, with the remaining three to follow. In this sixth book, the plot twists and shocking surprises moved readers to nearly sell out booksellers with pre-orders of the book before its release. The book details Harry’s preparation to the culminating battle in book seven and results in the death of someone close to him.

Rowling’s unprecedented success with the series has suggested that if she continues to write after the series conclusion in book seven, she will do so under a pseudonym.

2. James Frey held the second spot for bestselling author of 2005 with his memoir A Million Little Pieces. Praised by critics and promoted as an Oprah Winfrey book club selection, Frey’s nonfiction account of his life as an alcoholic, drug dealer, and addict has spread through mainstream society.

The beginning of the book reveals Frey as he reaches the bottom of his addiction. He goes into rehabilitation and the reader is taken on a difficult journey to recovery. Through thoughts of suicide and bouts of self pity and anger, Frey discovers that he alone is responsible for his life.

Frey’s cast of real life characters is engaging and includes a crack whore of unusual beauty, an underworld kingpin who makes an appearance in his next book, and a man more dangerous than his addiction. Frey approaches these characters with compassion and realism, while holding himself to a new standard of living.

3. David McCullough, author of the bestselling novel, 1776 also tops the list of successful authors in 2005. His book tells the story of the birth of the United States of America in the year that has become shrouded in myth and ritual very far removed from the reality of those important times.

McCullough is a two time Pulitzer Prize winner and has illuminated the histories of such men as John Adams, Harry Truman, and Theodore Roosevelt with finesse. In 1776, he shows the fervent colonists, outnumbered and outgunned, pitted against the superpower of that day, the United Kingdom. The book revisits history on a more intimate level than most historical tales, revealing the time through the lives of individual men.

McCullough did extensive research to come up with the fascinating and sympathetic cast of characters on both sides of the war. The valor of the British troops is contrasted with the courage of the colonists.

4. Mehmet C. Oz combines his expertise with that of anti-aging guru Michael F. Roizen to write the besteller You, The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger.

Oz is the director of the Integrated Medicine Center at Columbia University and Roizen, professor of medicine and anesthesiology at SUNY Upstate, is the author of The RealAge Makover.

Together, they have written a book that serves up anatomy and health lessons to the layman with a side of humor. Elves guide readers through the various body parts and tiny aliens infect the different organs with disease. There is a recommended ten day diet that includes thirty different recipes, plus a variety of exercises scattered throughout the book. If you want a basic understanding of the human body and its processes, this book is a fun way to learn.

It starts out with a quiz to help you identify your knowledge, or lack of it, concerning your own body. After that, each system or organ is addressed in terms of its function, how to keep it healthy, and the disease that affect it, including tips for prevention.

5. Thomas L. Friedman is the author of the bestselling book The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. Friedman, a foreign affairs expert, is also a three time Pulitzer Prize winner. His book addresses the major trend of globalization and its geopolitical effects on our modern society.

As technology advances, the previously excluded countries, such as China and India, are brought onto the same economic playing field as the previously major players, such as the USA and Japan. The global supply chain has broadened to include these countries only within the last few years and this trend, according to Friedman, is the most significant of our time. In terms of India and China alone, the middle classes have experienced an explosion of wealth.

Friedman, a successful columnist for the New York Times, has the ability to translate these complex issues into a readable and relatable format. As globalization changes the face of economics and politics as we know it, it may very well change the face of the planet as well.

6. Young Christopher Paolini may be inexperienced in life, but he is becoming an expert in the world of publishing. His novel Eldest was a bestseller in 2005, continuing the public’s interest in the tale of Eragon and Saphira. Eldest is the sequal to his hit book Eragon and is the second in the Inheritance trilogy.

The tale of a teenage boy and his dragon, Paolini’s books pit good against evil in epic struggles for right amongst a world of corruption and cruelty. The lush landscapes, fantastic magical events, and complex characters made Eldest and its forerunner popular not only with the kids, but also with adult fantasy and mainstream fiction fans.

He addresses themes such as responsibility, friendship, honor, and forgiveness with a mature and fluid writing style. Critics eagerly await the next installment of the trilogy and expect great things from Paolini in the future.

7. New York Times Magazine writer Stephen J. Dubner teams up with economist Steven D. Levitt to bring Levitt’s quirky outlook on the world to light in Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. The book takes everyday occurrences and situations and applies economic theory to them, providing the reader with a new way to see and understand the world.

Using such diverse items as KKK membership rolls, online dating services, and baby names, Levitt uncovers underlying patterns and answers to common questions that take on a freakish quality. Some examples include the similarity between school teachers and sumo wrestlers, why drug dealers still live with their mothers, and what exactly makes a perfect parent.

Economists and fans of psychological fiction alike will enjoy this book. Dubner’s writing skill combined with Levitt’s extraordinary outlook on life and mathematics will have reader’s wanting more.

8. Rachael Ray is fast becoming the new Martha Stewart and made her mark in 2005 with her book Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners. The book is a spin off of the 30 Minute Meal cookbook series that features different recipes for every day. Ray, the popular host of three different shows on the Food Network, has contagious enthusiasm and fresh ideas for the modern kitchen.

Without learning an enormous amount of information, Ray shows readers how they can create different recipes with only a few ingredients changed out in basic meals. Basically, if you master the basic meals, you can create unique and original meals with your changing moods.

Ray keeps cooking fun and draws from her own favorite dishes, plus those of her friends, family, and even celebrities. With literally a different meal for every day, your cooking rut is over for good.

9. Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, fascinated readers in 2005 with is tale of two motherless boys on the streets of Kabul. The book opens in 1975 as Afghanistan is on the brink of Soviet invasion. Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman, is friends with Hassan, the son of the household servant.

The boys are inseparable, competing together in the local kite fighting competition. But when Amir betrays Hassan, the pain and hatred between the two worsens. Amir spends most of his life trying to reconcile the cowardice and cruelty he displayed to his best friend.

The book illustrates the devastating situation in Afghanistan both before and after the war and touches on the idea that the hatred we learn as children translates into the aggression we express as adults.

10. Malcolm Gladwell released another bestselling book in 2005 called Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. A follow up to his huge hit The Tipping Point, this book deals with the question of how we make decisions, both good and bad, and what makes some people better at it than others.

Gladwell uses examples from modern life, such as speed dating, pop music, and notorious crimes to show that what might be considered decisions that are made in the blink of an eye are actually much more complex than that. With supporting research from neuroscience and psychology, Gladwell demonstrates that it is the details on which we focus that makes us good or bad decision makers, rather than the ability to gather all the information at once.

The book reveals how we can become better decision makers in every day life and it changed the way that readers think about thinking.