Yesterday, I wrote about a list of the most popular books, by year from 1945 on, and got through the first couple of decades.
Moving right along, we find that 1965's most popular book was Dune. I tried to read this. I can even picture the cover from the dog-eared paperback I borrowed from someone. But no could do. The closest I've come to anyting Dune-ish, was watching the movie this year, only because I decided to see every Academy Award nominated film. And some Dune thang was on it. But watching the movie only counts if you ignore the fact that I slept through a lot of it.
I pride myself on not reading a ton of trash, but how could I have avoided the 1966 trasher extraordinaire, Valley of the Dolls. And how could I have avoided the trasher extraordinaire movie a couple of years later. Bonus points, because the theme song was performed by the incredible Dionne Warwick, who, as far as I'm concerned, has never, over her long career, sung a wrong note.
I loved 1967's The Outsiders. When I read it, I wasn't aware there was such a thing as the Young Adult Category, but I'm all for it. I also loved the movie, which came out in 1983. I haven't seen it in decades, but it was one of Patrick Swayze's first films, as well as an early outing for a bunch of the Brat Packers: Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez.
I enjoy dystopia, so I probably would enjoy Philip K. Dick. But I've never read him. And I've never heard of 1968's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Certainly a great title, and a more pressing question now in the age of AI, so I might just pick up a copy. Plus it was the book that inspired Blade Runner. So there's that.
1969: Slaughterhouse Five. Now we're talking. Haven't read Vonnegut in many, many years, so don't know how this has stood the test of time. But back in the day, I was a huge Vonnegut fan.
I've never read 1970's most popular, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. But I'm sure familiar with Judy Blume and, without having read her work, am an admirer of the career she forged for herself - and for being the first to address some previously ignored topics for her young readers. She very much helped make things real.
I remember absolutely nothing about 1971's Angle of Repose, other than that it was long, and that it was one of the paperbacks I took with me on my first trip to Europe in 1973, when my friend Joyce and I spent four months hitching, camping, hosteling all over the place. Not much time spent on that trip reading, but I always have to have a book going. (Another book I brought along was some James Mitchener tome. Maybe Hawaii, maybe The Source. Or was it a Leon Uris tome? Maybe Mila 18.)
I'm familiar with 1972 book of the year Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, if only because I've used The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day words to describe something plenty of times in my writing. Thank you, Judith Viorst.
For 1973, we're back to Vonnegut with Breakfast of Champions. Been there, read that. In 1974, did I read Carrie? Wasn't that much of a Stephen King (or thriller in general) fan back then, but I may have read this. Over the years, I have very much grown to like and admire his writing. I'm pretty sure I spent part of 1975 slogging through Humboldt's Gift, but Saul Bellow was never my favorite "big serious" writer. I probably read an excerpt of 1976's The Selfish Gene somewhere along the way. It's by Richard Dawkins, and as an atheist...
1977 - Song of Solomon. Of course I read Toni Morrison. The genre listed is African-American Literature. Seriously, this is great American Literature. Never read the 1978 book, which was Stephen King's The Stand. But dystopian fiction, so probably would have liked it. In 1979, I was definitely reading Sophie's Choice. And in 1980, I was definitely reading A Confderacy of Dunces. Published posthumously, so there's hope. But I really don't want to get a novel published after my death, let alone after suicide.
I read all of John Updike's Rabbit novels, so I read 1981's Rabbit Is Rich. Next up,1982 was the year of The Color Purple. Enjoyed the book. The movie, not so much. Whatever else I was doing in 1983, I wasn't reading The Color of Magic, which I've never heard of. But in 1984, I did read The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Ditto in 1985 for White Noise. DeLillo is an acquired taste, but I acquired it. Unditto in 1986, when the most popular book was Love You Forever, a book I never heard of. Maybe if I'd had kids...
Back to Toni Morrison in 1987, with Beloved which is just listed as Fiction, as opposed to African-American Literature. Works for me. As did reading it. Hard 1988 NO to The Alchemist (which actually wasn't published in the US until the early 1990's, but for some reason lands in on the list for 1988. Was there an English-version published in Brazil available in the States that year? I don't think there were enough Portuguese speakers in the US who were interested in reading about a mystical journey to make this one a bit hit.) But the list ends the decade on a 1989 high note for me with The Joy Luck Club,
And the 1990's began on a high note with The Things They Carried. I don't think Tim O'Brien ever fully lived up to the early promise of his Vietnam works - Carried and Going After Cacciato - but those were both great books. And I believe that for some reason - he's not from New England - he's a Red Sox fan. In 1991, the book of the year was A Thousand Acres, which I liked. A little less literarily, in 1992 I read The Pelican Brief. John Grisham could always tell a good story. Lois Lowry is another children's/YA author I've never read, but have, of course, heard of. In 1993, her The Giver was el libro mas popular. (If I haven't read the book, I can at least practice my Duolingo Spanish.)
For a while, I was a Janet Evanovich fan, looking forward to each new numbered Stephanie Plum mystery. But she eventually ran out of steam (even though she kept churning Stephanie Plum tales out). But in 1994, I was enjoying One for the Money.
1 comment:
I especially like seeing the YA classics on the lists.
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