Play Book Tag discussion

Looking for anything to keep me away from doing tax returns-came upon this-pretty neat-Find the book that was a best seller the year you were born

http://mentalfloss.com/article/576021...

Ah, but I have to enter my age--no good. I would rather have a site that simply lists the best seller for every year in the past 120 years instead of giving that out. You know, cookies and all (even if I am on incognito).

I'd be interested to know for me, all my kids, my parents, my husband, siblings, grandparents, et al. You can see why I haven't even started reading my library copy of the Art of Procrastination--I think I've already mastered it.

Karin wrote: "Ah, but I have to enter my age--no good. I would rather have a site that simply lists the best seller for every year in the past 120 years instead of giving that out. You know, cookies and all (eve..."

Enter a false age, and then you can click on the arrows and scroll through all the years-sorry I should have said that up front!

Joanne wrote: "Karin wrote: "Ah, but I have to enter my age--no good. I would rather have a site that simply lists the best seller for every year in the past 120 years instead of giving that out. You know, cookie..."

Thanks! I think I'll go for 25--a year older than my eldest is turning this spring.

So, I have read the bestseller from the year I was born because my parents had it and I have read more than one book by that author (not the same as the one from my birth year--I am rather vague here). Two of my kids were born in years where the number one best seller was by the same author (different books), and two of my children/nieces or nephews who were born in consecutive years have the SAME book as the best seller--imagine that, number one bestseller two years in a row. I've forgotten the book.

BUT, it only goes to 1948!!! How can I get both parents and my grandparents? How disappointing! Don't people over 70 read? But of course they do!

Well, enough procrastinating for now, anyway. Just as well I couldn't go all they way back to all of my grandparents and aunts and uncles.

Here's a list that covers bestsellers from 1918 to 2017, no need to enter your age. https://lithub.com/here-are-the-bigge...

Interesting! Thanks Rachel and Joanne - I did my Gran, my parents, my Mum's surviving sisters (she was 1 of 4 but 1 has died), and myself and out of all of them only one book turned up on both lists. Even then, I can't even say that it is 100% true to my family, as the book turns up on the year I had my heart transplant, not my actual birth year! (If anyone's wondering, it's The Lovely Bones)

Karin wrote: "Ah, but I have to enter my age--no good. I would rather have a site that simply lists the best seller for every year in the past 120 years instead of giving that out. You know, cookies and all (eve..."

And here's the site for that, Karin!

http://hawes.com/

It's a really tacky old site and you have to kind of work your way through a window or two to get a broader look than just the top ten fiction. They have both fiction and non-fiction for the whole year and through out each year as in every week. It's a hoot to look up different years -- i.e. year I graduated high school, the #1 fiction was Jonathan Livingston Seagull (ugh) and #1 non-fiction was The Sensuous Woman - and yes I read them both back then! In fact, The Sensuous Woman was the hot secret book passed around with brown paper covers *snort* ROFL.

Three days after my birth, in 1969, Portnoy’s Complsint was number one, with a Chaim Potok and a Daphne De Maurer book in there as well. Didnt love the 1968 list. Went for three days grace.

Theresa wrote: "i.e. year I graduated high school, the #1 fiction was Jonathan Livingston Seagull (ugh)..."

And this was the year I was born. I haven't read it, but it's on my tbr. I think I added it once upon a time when I found a similar link.

Theresa wrote: "i.e. year I graduated high school, the #1 fiction was Jonathan Livingston Seagull (ugh)..."

I remember watching the movie with my brother. He leaned over and whispered ... "You realize we're all sitting in this theater watching a movie about a bird!"

Book Concierge wrote: "Theresa wrote: "i.e. year I graduated high school, the #1 fiction was Jonathan Livingston Seagull (ugh)..."

I remember watching the movie with my brother. He leaned over and whispered ... "You rea..."

ROFLMAO!

LibraryCin wrote: "Theresa wrote: "i.e. year I graduated high school, the #1 fiction was Jonathan Livingston Seagull (ugh)..."

And this was the year I was born. I haven't read it, but it's on my tbr. I think I added..."

IMHO only 2 reasons to read it: It's very short and you need it to fill a challenge prompt - bestseller in year you were born! (or graduated high school in my case).

#1 bestseller

The year I was born 1988
Tom Clancy, The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Not Read)

Year my mother died 1998
John Grisham, The Street Lawyer (of course Grisham) (Read)

Year I graduated 2006
Mitch Albom, For One More Day (Not Read)

Year I Married 2007
Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns (Read)

Kids born 2009 and 2015
John Grisham, The Appeal (Read)
Harper Lee, Go Set a Watchman (Read)

Out of those, my favorite year of best selling books was...2015 I read and enjoyed more on that list than the others.

I also see I am not a big best seller reader other than a few of my favorite authors.

Has anyone noticed that only a handful of these books are well regarded or considered classics today? It's one more reminder that the best seller list doesn't help us to pick good books.

NancyJ wrote: "Has anyone noticed that very few of these books are well regarded or considered classics today? It's one more reminder that the best seller list doesn't help us to pick good books."

They are entertaining stories. Many of the authors that appear every years are not the best writers but are some of the best story tellers.

Jason wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Has anyone noticed that very few of these books are well regarded or considered classics today? It's one more reminder that the best seller list doesn't help us to pick good books."
..."

Good point. I often pick up a Grisham or Dan Brown Audiobook for my husband for long drives because they're dependable in that way. I still read Jeffrey Archer books for the same reason. His short stories are always interesting.

NancyJ wrote: "Jason wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Has anyone noticed that very few of these books are well regarded or considered classics today? It's one more reminder that the best seller list doesn't help us to pick..."

I am the same way. I read every Grisham and Dan Brown book. I've starting working my way through Crichton's novels. They are good and entertaining, but I can't just read them. I need some biographies, non-fiction, classics, and social literature also. A constant mix that is not normally represented on the best selling list.

Oh dear! 1966 - Valley of the Dolls! I'm not sure I can bring myself to read it and I can assure you that it was not what my parents were reading when I was born! My Dad was a huge fan of Tolkien and Horatio Hornblower and my Mum was an Agatha Christie, cosy mystery reader at the time.

ShazM wrote: "Oh dear! 1966 - Valley of the Dolls! I'm not sure I can bring myself to read it and I can assure you that it was not what my parents were reading when I was born! My Dad was a huge fan of Tolkien a..."

I was ten on 1966 and I remember my best friends mother always took a break mid-afternoon and read for awhile. I remember the cover of this book vividly and can see her with her tea on the end of her couch holding it! I thought she was so brave to be reading such a scandalous book !

Let's see...fiction bestsellers

Birth year 1955: Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk - I actually read this as a young teen because I found it on the livingroom boomshelf!

Highschool graduation 1973: as mentioned in previous comment Jonathan Livingston Seagull - actually read and disliked then! It also reigned in 1972.

College graduation 1977: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

Law school graduation 1985: The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel - loved that series and remember going to a reading, talk and signing for it. Still love it.

Partnership in first law firm 1990: The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel

For me the poorest quality read was 1973. And yes I have read all I listed although not necessarily at the time or even because they were bestsellers. In fact, I definitely contributed to making the Jean Auel's bestsellers!

Hmm... I never thought of looking up the bestsellers of my milestone years - now I will have to go back and check them out!

I didn't post it here, but I did also look at my graduating year from high school (1990), but it wasn't a book I recognized.

The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer was the book that popped up on the first site. Then I went to the other site that Rachel posted and it didn't even show up there but did on the next but as #2! I preferred Rachel's site though, #1 was The Miracle of the Bells which I think I saw as a movie. I haven't read either of these!

The year I graduated High School it was The Source by Michener. I definitely read that and loved it.

Theresa wrote: "Karin wrote: "Ah, but I have to enter my age--no good. I would rather have a site that simply lists the best seller for every year in the past 120 years instead of giving that out. You know, cookie..."

Are you trying to ensure that I never get my taxes done ;) ? All those lists!

Rachel N. wrote: "Here's a list that covers bestsellers from 1918 to 2017, no need to enter your age. https://lithub.com/here-are-the-bigge..."

Thanks! BUT, my youngest grandparent was born in 1917 (and her youngest grandchild was born in 1983--the youngest grandchild on the other side was born in 1976)/

BUT, important years for me):

WOW - NONE! I have read none of the best sellers for the year I was married and the years my children were born!!!! BUT, I have read a couple that were not bestsellers published those years. What's up with that? And it's not just because I had no time to read novels during those years, because the ones I have read I read quite a few years later.

Many of the ones I've read from that first link (I said I was 30, a lie, of course, since my eldest child is going to be 24 this year) were ones my parents had at home, but not all of them.

I did read the one from the year one of my brothers was born (Jonathan Livingston Seagull) and one of my cousins (Love Story--but her birth year is easy to remember because it's 1970. I know the birth year of almost every cousin I have from the eldest to the youngest with only two exceptions, and I have no idea whey I didn't learn their birth years when I was a kid and it was so very important to me to know all of that sort of thing. They span a 30 year gap, too.

1937 - I have read two from the year my maternal grandparents got married - Gone With the Wind and Of Mice and Men, and two from the year my mother was born.

Barbara wrote: "The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer was the book that popped up on the first site. Then I went to the other site that Rachel posted and it didn't even show up there but did on the next but as

There was something off for me too on that first site for birth year. It had a book I never heard of, while Rachel's site and Hawes both showed Marjory Morningstar which makes sense. I checked for 1973 and it matched with other lists.