81 The Overstory - Richard Powers
I have read pretty much everything Richard Powers has written, but even I can admit that sometimes his books can be a little hard going. This is only partly a novel, and partly a distress call for the state of the planet (or at least its ecosystem) due to what humankind is doing to it. There are a diverse group of protagonists - scientists, psychologists, activists, computer geeks, and really the some of the trees are characters in their own rights - whose stories start separately but gradually intertwine, which means it takes a while for the story to really get going.
It is a challenging, thought-provoking, and ultimately rather depressing read, even though he injects a slight element of optimism at the end. It has made me look at the woods I go dog-walking in with new respect, particularly a small plantation of California Redwoods near here, even though they are relatively toddlers at less than 200 years old.
82 Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
One of those books everyone thinks is a children's book, maybe because we have all read/seen adaptations of it for children, but when you pick up the original book, you soon realise that really it is quite serious satire on early 18th century politics and government. Of course there are Lilliputians and giants and talking horses etc, but they are all making a point about the flawed state of British society.
83 The End of Days - Jenny Erpenbeck
A half-Jewish girl is born in the early years of the 20th century, in central Europe. There are so many different times and ways her life could end or could carry on - all it takes is a tiny difference in timing or luck, rippling out to affect not just her but those around her, and even the course of history. What happens to her family if she dies as an infant? What if she survives into her teens? What if she lives through all the turmoil and ends her days as an old woman, veteran of the Communist party, in a nursing home in Germany? A quite short, intense book, but well worth reading.
84 Crusoe's Daughter - Jane Gardam
Coincidentally, another book covering the sweep of 20th century history as lived by one woman, in this case one who spends almost her entire life in a house in north-east England, right on the edge of the North Sea. She is almost marooned, but occasionally bits of the outside world drift into her life and shake it up, like a footprint on Crusoe's beach.
I think this is currently out of print (it was published in the 1980s) but it really shouldn't be - it is up there with some of her other classic novels, like Bilgewater.