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Books Published in the Year You Were Born


Kylie

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I was checking out Devi's new challenge and it gave me an idea for this thread (thanks Devi!).

 

What books were published in the year you were born, and have you read any/many of them?

 

There are various places you can check to find out what was published in your year. Probably the easiest way is to find your Year in Literature at Wikipedia, or you could try Googling 'books published in xxxx'. By Googling that I also found a list on Goodreads for my year.

 

So here are some of the most well-known books published in the year I was born: 1982. I've separated them according to whether I've read them or have them on my TBR pile/wish list.

 

Read

Arthur C Clarke 2010: Odyssey Two

Roald Dahl The BFG

Sue Townsend The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4

 

TBR

Raymond E Feist The Magician

Thomas Keneally Schindler's List

Stephen King The Running Man / Different Seasons / Pet Sematary

Haruki Murakami A Wild Sheep Chase

Alice Walker The Color Purple

 

Wishlist

Alan Moore V for Vendetta

 

It's quite interesting to view these books in the context of them being published when I was born! :)

 

Also, according to Wikipedia, Gabriel Garcia Marquez was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. Sadly, the following authors passed away: Philip K Dick, Georges Perec, Ayn Rand, Ngaio Marsh and John Cheever.

 

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Interesting idea for a topic!

 

I was born in 1985.

 

Read

Terry Pratchett - Discworld 1: The Colour Of Magic

Thea Beckman - De Toekomsttrilogie 1: Kinderen Van Moeder Aarde

Orson Scott Card – Ender's Game

 

TBR

Isaac Asimov - Foundation 1: Foundation

Isaac Asimov - Foundation 2: Foundation and Empire

David Eddings - The Belgeriad 5: Enchanters' End Game

Jean M. Auel – The Clan of the Cave-Bear 3: The Mammoth Hunters

Stephen King – Skeleton Crew

Kurt Vonnegut – Galápagos

Anna Blaman - Drie Romans (omnibus)

 

Wishlist

Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale (Devi is giving me this :exc:)

John Irving – The Cider House Rules

Carl Sagan – Contact

 

Out of the people that Wikipedia lists as born or died, I don't know any of them.

 

I'm sure there may be more Dutch books or such published at the time, but Googling 'books published in 1985' in Dutch doesn't yield any good results :(.

 

Great idea, I look forward to see what other years we'll see in this thread :).

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Oh wow- this is cool! I'm 1977.

Most of them I haven't read.

 

Richard Bachman- Rage (Read)

Stephen King- The Shinning

J. R. R. Tolkien's- The Silmarillion

Toni Morrison- Song of Solomon

George RR Martin- Dying of the Light

Colleen McCullough – The Thorn Birds (Read)

Margaret Atwood- Dancing Girls

Larry McMurtry– Terms of Endearment

 

Adapted for movie: Christopher Wood James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me

 

1977 also saw the death of Vladimir Nabokov and Anaïs Nin

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I was born in 1985.

 

 

TBR

Isaac Asimov - Foundation 1: Foundation

Isaac Asimov - Foundation 2: Foundation and Empire

 

 

Eh?  Those were published in 1951 and 1952 respectively - you've just aged yourself by 34 years  :giggle2:

 

 

1966 for me:

 

Read:

Daniel Keyes – Flowers for Algernon

Alistair Maclean – When Eight Bells Toll

 

Want to read:

Ian Fleming – Octopussy and The Living Daylights

Robert A. Heinlein – The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Larry McMurtry – Last Picture Show

Philip K. Dick  - Now Wait for Last Year, The Crack in Space, The Unteleported Man

 

 

Sarah Waters was born.  C. S. Forester and Evelyn Waugh died.  Dune won the Hugo Award.

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Any thoughts on 1975, by The Skin O' My Teeth. Just picture me as slightly but not the total opposite of Milla Jovovich. You just wouldn't believe were the exact same age.

 

Dhalgren

Salem's Lot

 

Try GR's for yours

https://www.goodreads.com/book/popular_by_date/1975

Edited by dex
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I was actually surprised to find I barely knew any of the books on my list! (1992). I have read three...

 

Terry Pratchett - Small Gods

Terry Pratchett - Lords and Ladies

Jacqueline Wilson - The Suitcase Kid

 

I also discovered that Angela Carter and Isaac Asimov both died that year.

 

Interesting thread idea :smile:

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This will really date me, but Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was published the year I was born !

 

I also have, but haven't read , Warlock by Oakley Hall ,which was also published the same year .

 

So far, I believe I'm winning ( or losing ) for oldest on the list .

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Some interesting ones on here (published in 1976):
 
Read

 

The Deep - Peter Benchley

Interview with a Vampire - Anne Rice (no idea this was published so long ago)

Blubber - Judy Blume

Roots - Alex Haley

The Demon - Hubert Selby Jnr

The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins
 
 
Want to read

 

Deus Irae - Philip K Dick

The Gemini Contenders - Robert Ludlum

Wilt - Tom Sharpe

Woman on the Edge of Time - Marge Piercy

 

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1966 for me:

 

</snip>

 

Sarah Waters was born.  C. S. Forester and Evelyn Waugh died.  

All the best people were born in 1966!  :D

 

My list is pathetic!

 

READ

Truman Capote – In Cold Blood  :lol:  This is listed on Wikipedia under 'Non-fiction’ too!

Roald Dahl – The Magic Finger

 

WANT TO READ

Fiction

Daniel Keyes – Flowers for Algernon

Paul Scott – The Jewel in the Crown

Non-fiction

Hunter S. Thompson – Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

 

The only births/deaths I’ve heard of are the ones Steve quoted plus…

 

June 30 – Margery Allingham, English crime novelist, 62

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All the best people were born in 1966!  :D

 

 

:D In my very humble opinion, not quite all the best ones, but yes, a few best ones! :D  :hug:

 

Read

Stephen King: Cujo

 

TBR:

Peter Carey: Bliss 

 

Wishlist

Raymond Carver: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

 

(And yay, a Finnish book on the list: Anja Snellman's Sonja O. kävi täällä. Not read it. I've read two of her books but not liked them.)

 

Wow, not a very exciting year... :D 

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The Goodreads list is proving quite interesting for me (1973) - there aren't many I recognise, but I'm happy to see Rendezvous with Rama which is one of my favourite books. 

 

It appears the original book of I Know What You Did Last Summer was first published in 1973, and then updated in 1999 (to include emails, mobiles etc). One reviewer has said the original is creepy rather than gory, so I may well read it one of these days. Jaws was also published in 1973.

 

No 1 on the GR list is The Princes Bride - one I've often seen recommended, but when I tried it, I couldn't get into it.

 

I've just spotted one.. I was attracted by the title, The Man Who Folded Himself, and it's gone straight on my wishlist. :)

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Wishlist

Raymond Carver: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

 

This is my second favorite book and he is tied with Ernest Hemmingway as my favorite author.  Highly recommended.  I hoe you get a copy and enjoy it.  I never see Carver mentioned on this site.

 

 

Non-fiction

Hunter S. Thompson – Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

 

This is another one of my very favorites.  Hunter writes a captivating story in this one- actually, when didn't he?  (BTW- Writing about him in the past tense is still really hard for me, I loved Hunter).

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This is my second favorite book and he is tied with Ernest Hemmingway as my favorite author.  Highly recommended.  I hoe you get a copy and enjoy it.  I never see Carver mentioned on this site.

 

 

I'm certain they have copies at the library :yes: It might just take some time before I get to it, too many books, too little time, you know... :blush: I really like Hemingway, too. I should really get to reading more of his books, I've only read three so far. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is a very interesting idea. I can't believe it's not something I've thought of looking into before, seeing as I do this all the time with music.

 

Had a look at the Wikipedia page for 1970, but couldn't find much there that inspired me to read  - with the exception of Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl!

 

Further investigation necessary!

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I'm certain they have copies at the library :yes: It might just take some time before I get to it, too many books, too little time, you know... :blush: I really like Hemingway, too. I should really get to reading more of his books, I've only read three so far. 

Which 3?  Carver writes Short Stories, so it will probably go pretty fast for you.

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1958 has some interesting titles. Books that I've either read or are on my TBR list:

 

Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

The Darling Buds of May - HE Bates

Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote

Dr No - Ian Fleming

Our Man in Havana - Grahame Greene

Venetia - Georgette Heyer

The Leopard - Giuseppe Lampedusa

Exodus - Leon Uris

The Once and Future King - TH White

The Agony and the Ecstacy - Irving Stone

Memento Mori - Muriel Spark

The Other Side of the Sky - Arthur C Clarke

The King Must Die - Mary Renault

 

Children's

Tom's Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce

A Bear Called Paddington - Michael Bond

Treasure of Green Knowe - Lucy M Boston

 

Non-fiction

The first volume in Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy

The Affluent Society - JK Galbraith

Once There Was A War - John Steinbeck

The Zimmerman Telegram - Barbara Tuchman

The Colonial Experience - Daniel J Boorstin

The Great Democracies - Winston Churchill

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Non-fiction

The first volume in Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy

 

I love Shelby Foote.  I own a few of books by him, but have yet TBR.  Most of my experience with him comes through Ken Burns  documentaries.

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