BOOKS From the 70s LIST#
October 21, 2014
If Sixties was the “cultural decade”, the Seventies refer to the rise of the economies. Though revolutions, wars and disasters continued, seventies saw the development of new technologies especially in modern computing. Microwave oven, VCR, and cell phones arrived which in today’s world, in an advance form, are a big part of our lives.
Literature continued to grow as new writers with new books grabbed readers attention, then and now.
Love Story by Eric Segal, 1970
Erich Segal’s magnificent novel will grab you, hold you, and stay with you forever. You, like million others, will fall in love with Love Story.
The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth, 1971
Considered as a classic among spy-thriller genre. The Jackal. A tall, blond Englishman with opaque, gray eyes. A killer at the top of his profession. A man unknown to any secret service in the world. An assassin with a contract to kill the world’s most heavily guarded man.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, 1972
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page.
Breakfast for Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, 1973
A murderously funny satire, as Vonnegut looks at war, sex, racism, success, politics, and pollution in America and reminds us how to see the truth.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig, 1974
Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerfully moving & penetrating examination of how we live, a breathtaking meditation on how to live better.
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, 1975
The book tells the story of the four days of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The story is character driven and told from the perspective of various protagonists. A film adaptation of the novel, titled Gettysburg.
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976
The confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly erotic, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force—a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses.
The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien, 1977
Designed to take fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings deeper into the myths and legends of Middle-Earth, The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s world.
The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch, 1978
In exposing the jumble of motivations, Iris Murdoch lays bare “the truth of untruth”–the human vanity, jealousy, and lack of compassion behind the disguises they present to the world.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, 1979
The universe is a joke. Funny, enjoyable, and an unforgettable journey.
What are your favorite book(s) from the Seventies?
I haven’t read any yet sadly, but, I apparently need to add a few to my list so that I can be more well-read. Thanks for making the list!
You’re welcome. Glad you could pick some for your TBR! 🙂
I love your list, thanks!
🙂 thanks
Good list. Unfortunately, I haven’t read very many of them. (I guess I was too busy being a crazy teenager in the 70s to read much.) Did Erica Jong’s “Fear of Flying” come out in the 70s?
Haha 🙂 yeah it did.
I have only read Love Story from this list, actually only book that I have read as many as 7 times. Love it absolutely.
It’s a good one. Have read others by the same author?
No, I haven’t read anything else by Eric Segal. Any recommendations!!
Can’t. I haven’t read either. I too am looking for recommendations but heard the sequel too The Love Story is good! 🙂
Wow! Great list! I’ve read a few of these…now I need to read some more on the list.
HUGS,
Carolyn 🙂
Thanks 🙂 I am glad you enjoyed reading the post!
Hands down H2G2 is my favourite book from the seventies (although I’ve been keeping Interview with a Vampire on my radar for ages)!
Haha same with me. Interview with vampire on my TBR list has become a vintage 😀
70’s were cool, for film, books, and music. I’ve read six of those (so far). Thanks for posting.
You’re welcome! 🙂
The Hitchhiker’s Guide is my favourite.
Oliver’s Story is the sequel to Love Story. It is certainly a nice read for those who love the genre..
Thanks 🙂
I graduated from high school in 1973, so the ’70s were formative years for me. Here are some books from that era that meant (and mean) a great deal to me:
Small is Beautiful, by E.F. Schumacher.
Rules for Radicals, by Saul Alinsky.
Lesbian/Woman by Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin
All the President’s Men by Woodward and Bernstein
Against Our Will, by Susan Brownmiller (not pleasant, but enlightening)
The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe
When Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Harold Kushner
A Distant Mirror, by Barbara Tuchman
I didn’t realise Interview with the Vampire was so old!
When I was first read it, I didn’t!
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At the risk of sounding crass, you should monetize these lists. Then people could click on them and purchase them right from your site. Great list. My favorite is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. That book would get me laughing on the bus.
By monetizing you mean I should give links to websites like amazon? Well thanks, it’ll be an interesting thing to do 🙂
Yes, why not? The truth is, if people follow your reading suggestions many of them will go and purchase the books anyway, so why not link them from your site?
Well thanks for it. I will consider it and will try to implement it before the end of this month. Thanks a lot for visiting by 🙂