Reading may not be a priority past-time for many modern Chinese, but that didn't stop publishers from offering up a daunting, even overwhelming, number of books in 2004. For novices wondering where to start, here's a run-down of what we consider to have been the most interesting books of last year.

"Ten Propositions of Life" - Qian Mu /Guangxi Normal University Press

This book is a collection of Professor Qian's informal essays and public speeches, all of which can broadly be categorized as dealing with the problems of the life. However, if life's problems could be so easily lumped under one heading, they surely wouldn't be that problematic, so Professor Qian's work comes in three volumes, "Ten Propositions of Life", "Three Steps of Life", and "Life Philosophy in China". Qian quotes copiously from a great variety of sources and his narrative takes in history, religion of western and eastern culture, as he attempts to express his understanding of life. People of different ages and occupations can all benefit from the recorded results.

"Wolf Totem" - Jiang Rong/ Yangtze Art and Literature Press

Wolf Totem proved to be the most sensational novel of 2004, but don't let that make you assume that it's a sensationalized story. It is a serious novel which tells of life on the Mongolian grasslands, and with its animalistic concerns, steers well clear of familiar themes found in other popular novels. Author Jiang Rong took great pains to create his book, living in the grasslands for over a decade. He explains the differences between the Han and the Mongolian by examining the differing totem worship of these two ethnic groups found in China.

"Collected Works of Susan Sontag"-Shanghai Translation Publication House

Susan Sontag was the author of four novels, stories, plays and in the case of this collection, essays. As an essayist, she was generally concerned with the modern age, and her opinions were always as sharp and independent as any intellectual, something that got her into a lot of trouble in her own country because of her comments concerning 911 and terrorism. Having shot to fame back in the 1960s, there is now a lot of posthumous reassessment ahead in the light of Susan Sontag's death in December of 2004.

"Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin and I" - Lin Shu/ Tsinghua University Press

Widow Lin Shu tells the story of her deceased husband Professor Liang Sicheng and his first wife Lin Huiyin. As well as narrating her story with a large number of photographs, Lin Shu uses primary sources pertaining to Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiwin, a famous architectural couple when they were together. All in all, it is a book that clearly promotes the virtues of the traditional Chinese woman.

"A Biography of Mao Zedong" - Philip Short/China Youth Press

A decent English language biography of Mao is arguably lacking in the world of literature, but former BBC journalist Philip Short's become one of the better received efforts upon its release in 1999. Since then it has been translated into many languages, including the honor of this recent Chinese edition. For Chinese people, it brings the viewpoint of a fairly moderate westerner concerning Mao. For westerners, it brings studies of Mao up to date, and provides an account far more balanced than the naivety of Edgar Snow, or the hypercritical approach of much of the western media towards China's 20th century leaders.

"Yifei's vision" - Chen Yifei/Jiangsu Fine Arts Publication House

World famous designer Chen Yifei has produced a groundbreaking work in China. Chen Yifei encourages his readers to appreciate artistic creation through the consideration of fashion design, modern art and humanism. He uses copious visual aids to spice up his prose, beautiful and delicate pictures without which the book wouldn't be such a triumph.

"A cook's tour" - Anthony Bourdain/Joint Publishing House

Since ancient times, the Chinese have been very particular about their diet, thereby giving any cookbook a good chance of success in the Sino book market. In the opinion of author and cook Anthony Bourdain, the body is a recreational garden and people should learn to enjoy themselves. The book vividly describes the cooking of various delicacies, whilst also analyzing the cultures behind the diet, although polemic against anything not fitting the author's cemented opinions make it more of a blind prejudiced stumble around the world rather than a serious analysis.

"Time Management"-CITIT Publication House

People's potential is often unlimited, but time is always so short, so limited. Living in a competitive modern society, this book asks; "how can people resist distraction and disturbance to make the most of their time?"

"No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the US Army's Elite Rangers" -Brace E. Barber

(Publishing House of Electronic Industry)

Brace E. Barber is a graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, as well as the US Army Airborne and Ranger Schools. In this book, he shares the skills taught to US rangers, and shows how their professional dedication, responsibility, obedience and honesty should be vital to almost any organization. In China, it quickly became the best selling book in the field of management in 2004.

"In Criticism of Chinese Cities" - Hai Mo/Yangtse Art and Literature Press

In 2004, Xinhua News Agency released some shocking news; that the United Nations has declared that among 20 cities declared not suitable for humankind, 16 cities could be found in China. Hao Mo's book, the first in China to reflect broadly on the current city culture, skillfully exploited the uproar surrounding this revelation, with analysis and criticism of the culture of those 16 cities of China.

Source: CRI