The Most Addictive Books of the Last 25 Years

Because we'll probably never embark on a trip like this—in fact, we're sitting in a cubicle. But we adored going along for the ride.

After a scorching divorce, 30-something Elizabeth Gilbert set out on a year-long journey through Italy, India and Indonesia. Culinary delights, rigorous spiritual searching and exhilarating romance (in that order) were all in store, and we devoured every detail. Afterward, we couldn't stop talking about Gilbert's adventures in self-discovery—and our own—maybe due to ideas like this one. "People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants," she writes. "But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention."