The China Books Critics Society and CCTV 10 have released the Top 25 China Good Book of 2013 at a special event meant to promote literature and a reading culture.

The 25 winning books were chosen from over 400,000 titles and are comprised of four fiction, four non-fiction, eight books about society and economics, five about science, three children's books, and one art book.

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The selection marks a shift in reading dynamic on the part of Chinese citizens who are becoming increasingly interested in books which talk about politics as opposed to fictional representations of rural life in China.

The Top 25 were chosen based on best-seller lists, book-ranking media lists, and the recommendations of well-known book critics.

Top picks include the popular Zhu Rongji on the Record: The Road to Reform 1991-1997 by former premier Zhu Rongji, and Essays after Retirement by former top Party member Wu Guanzheng.

The Top 25 China Good Book of 2013 follows on the heels of the opening of China's first 24 hour bookstore earlier this month.

Fan Xi'an, president of the SJPC, decided to bring the concept of 24-hour bookstores to China after he saw how successful the Elite bookstore chain is in Taiwan.

So far, Beijing's 24-hour bookstore has been successful, and indicates the growth of a reading Chinese society.

Without a doubt, these two ideas seem to go hand in hand: Top 25 Good Book of 2013 promotes local authors, while 24-hour bookstores make owning these books easy and affordable.