Wild Swans by Jung Chang

This is truly one of the best books I have ever read. By turns informative, heartbreaking, funny, and fascinating, this book follows the story of the author's family as they try to live and survive in communist China.

The story focuses on the lives of Chang's grandmother, a concubine to a warlord general, Chang's mother, an official in the communist party, and Chang herself, a curious girl growing up during the Cultural Revolution. The story also takes asides into other family member's lives, as well as the local and national history of the time.

Chang does something truly amazing with this book: she makes China's recent history come alive through the eyes of her family. From the terrible (her father's imprisonment in a "Thought Reform" Camp) to the beautiful (her grandmother's second marriage), Chang writes simply, truthfully, and with such honesty that you can't help but get caught up in her past.

Woe is I by Patricia T O'Connor

Along the same geeky lines of 100 Words Every Highschool Graduate Should Know, I checked out this book on grammar in the hopes of improving mine.

This book is pretty amazing: it is a guide to English grammar that is clear, readable and even (gasp!) enjoyable to read. (Well that last one may be a stretch for some, but I must confess I enjoyed reading it.) With witty title headings (such as "Plurals Before Swine" and "The Which Trials") directing you to common grammatical mistakes and quick fixes, this book is a great guide for anyone who finds themselves writing an important paper or cover letter, or simply trying to improve their English.