 TEN books were selected as the 2015 Top 10 Books of the Year recently, according to the organizing committee of Shenzhen Reading Month. “This year’s selection is very special as it was the 10th year anniversary,” said Hu Hongxia, one of the founders of the selection committee and deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Press Group. “I have witnessed its development from a citywide reading activity to a nationwide event. It is our dedication that has made it a brand of the city.” The books were selected from a list of 300 and were from every genre, including literary, political, history and topical. The judging panel included famous writers, book promoters, critics, editors, researchers and literature professors. Publishing houses were also introduced to provide their opinions on the books. Starting from the end of October, the judges chose 30 books from the list via a series of discussions and debates. “Based on our traditional process, each judge chose two books from the list and shared their opinions with the other members. Every judge holds a different opinion,” said Hu. The last step for the selection was voting. After three rounds of public voting, the final list was finally unveiled. The list includes “Year Zero” by Ian Buruma, “Midnight’s Children” by Salman Rushdie, “Jerusalem: The Biography” by Simon Sebag Montefiore, “Opium War” by Julia Lovell and “Passage to Manhood” by Liu Shaohua. “On the Top of the Mountains” by Chi Zijian is selected as the “Book of the Year.” As this year is the 10-year anniversary, the event also unveiled the “10 Books in 10 Years.” “Juliu River” by Qi Bangyuan, “2666” by Roberto Bolano, “1980s” by Cha Jianying and “Gulag: A History” by Anne Applebaum are all on the list. (Wang Yuanyuan) 2015 Top 10 Books of the Year • “On the Top of the Mountains” by Chi Zijian • “Year Zero” by Ian Buruma • “Midnight’s Children” by Salman Rushdie • “Mao Zedong” by Alexander V. Pantsov • “Passage to Manhood” by Liu Shaohua • “On Grief and Reason: Essays” by Joseph Brodsky • “Jerusalem: The Biography” by Simon Sebag Montefiore • “The Fall of Orders” by Pu Zhengmin • “Opium War” by Julia Lovell • “The Better Angles of Our Nature” by Steven Pinker | 