50 Years of Books We LOVE
Not sure what to read? Here’s a great resource! This list was compiled by Titcomb’s staff as we prepared for our 50th anniversary celebration. It was culled from lists of national bestsellers, staff favorites and Titcomb’s bestsellers since 1967. Choosing books the books was not an easy task! There are, of course, many more we could have mentioned.
Below is a list of one adult book (listed first) and one children’s book (listed secondly) for the past 50 years. We hope you will find the list useful and interesting - and we hope you will be inspired to read one of the books listed here!
1967 - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke; Corduroy by Don Freeman
1969 - Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut; The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
1970 - 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Haniff; Are you There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
1971 - The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty; Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
1972 - Watership Down by Richard Adams; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
1973 - The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern; How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
1974 - Jaws by Peter Benchley; Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
1975 - Shogun by James Clavell; Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
1976 - Roots by Alex Haley; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
1977 - The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough; The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
1978 - The World According to Garp by John Irving; The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
1979 - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; Bunnicula by James Howe
1980 - The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel; The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks
1981 - Cujo by Stephen King; Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
1982 - The Color Purple by Alice Walker; Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
1983 - Ironweed by William Kennedy; Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
1984 - The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy; The Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood
1985 - The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsberg
1986 - The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy; Redwall by Brian Jacques
1987 - Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner; Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
1988 - A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking; Matilda by Roald Dahl
1989 - Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett; Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
1990 - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton; On the Far Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
1991 - Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang; Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1992 - The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje; Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Treehouse #1) by Mary Pope Osborne
1993 - The Shipping News by Annie Proulx; The Giver by Lois Lowry
1994 - The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama; Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
1995 - Lincoln by David Herbert Donald; The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
1996 - Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt; Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
1997 - A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
1998 - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver; Holes by Louis Sachar
1999 - Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier; The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snicket
2000 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon; Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
2001 - Empire Falls by Richard Russo; A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
2002 - Three Junes by Julia Glass; Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
2003 - The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown; Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
2004 - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson; Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
2005 - The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion; The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
2006 - The Widow’s War by Sally Gunning; Owen & Mzee: The Story of a Truly Remarkable Friendship by Craig Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, and Paul Kahumbu
2007 - In the Woods by Tana French; The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
2008 - The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer; The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2009 - The Help by Kathryn Stockett; The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
2010 - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot; Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
2011 - The Paris Wife by Paula McLain; Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
2012 - A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver; Wonder by R. J. Palacio
2013 - Orr: My Story by Bobby Orr; Cool Creations in 35 Pieces by Sean Kenney
2014 - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr; Animal’s Santa by Jan Brett
2015 - Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee; What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss
2016 - Martha’s Vineyard - Isle of Dreams by Susan Branch; Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
2017 - Halo Effect by Anne LeClaire; Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found by Martin Sandler