Reading Through MY Ages

Pamela Tracy here and obviously I’m avoiding working on my current WIP.  

Somehow, I found myself on a mission.  

It all started when I read a post on Steve Laube’s blog about books thirty years ago. 

 So

What was America reading during the decade I was born.... ABC order

1. A Shade of Difference - Allen Drury - 1962
2. A Small Town in  in Germany - John le Carre - 1968 (Never read this, but The Little Drummer Girl disturbed me greatly years later)
3. Advise and Consent - 1960
4. Airport - Arthur Hailey - 1968 (I think I read this.  I know I read Roots.  Hey, who's Alex Hailey.  Were these guys brothers?)
5. All in the Family - Edwin O’Conner - 1966 (I’m going to look this up, too.  I remember the TV show and wonder if it’s the same)  
6. Armageddon - Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins - 1964 (Really?  I thought they were fairly new)
7. Candy - Kevin Brooks - 1964
8. Capable of Murder - Allen Drury - 1966 (Really?  I’ve got to look him up.  He’s mentioned twice)
9. Caravans - James A. Michener - 1963
10. Christy - Catherine Marshall - 1967 (I’ve read this book twice and fully intend to read it again.)

Read 2 of 10.  

What was America reading during the decade I learned to drive...ABC order

1. 1876 - Gore Vidal - 1976
2. A Stranger in the Mirror - Sidney Sheldon - 1976 (Love his books.  Rage of Angels is my favorite)
3. August 1914 - Aleksandr Solzehitsyn - 1972 (Lots of dates this decade.)
4. Beggarman, Thief by Irwin Shaw - 1977 (Not sure, think so, maybe, but I read Rich Man; Poor Man.  This was Nick Nolte at his best)
5. Bloodline - Sidney Sheldon - 1979 (Pretty sure I read this)
6. Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut - 1973 (Yup, read it - although I’m sure I read it in the 80s))
7. Burr - Gore Vidal  - 1973
8. Captains and the Kings - Taylor Caldwell - 1972
9. Centennial - James A. Michener - 1974
10. Chesapeake- James A. Michener - 1978

Read 4 of 10.  Hey, I’m growing up!

What was American reading when I went to college...ABC order

1. ... And the Ladies of the Club - ? - 1984
2. 2010: Odyssey Two - Arthur C. Clarke - 1982 (I’m pretty sure.  I know I read the first one)
3. A Perfect Spy - John le Carre - 1986 (The Little Drummer Girl scared me.  I didn’t read him anymore)  
4. Alaska - James A. Michener - 1988 (I don’t think so)
5. An Indecent Obsession - Colleen McCullough - 1981
6. California Gold - John Jakes - 1989 (I think so)
7. Caribbean - James A. Michener - 1989 (This guy did something right)   
8. Changes - Danielle Steel - 1983 (Yes)
9. Christine - Stephen King - 1983 (Read it the week it came out)
10. Clear and Present Danger - Tom Clancy - 1989 (Yes)

Read 5 out of 10

What was America reading when I entered the job force...ABC order

1. A Man in Full - Tom Wolfe - 1998
2. Accident - Danielle Steele - 1994 (Yes)
3. Airframe - Michael Crichton - 1996 (How did I miss this one?)
4. All Around Town - Mary Higgins Clark - 1992 (Yes)
5. Apollyon - Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins
6. Assassins - Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins 
7. Bag of Bones - Stephen King - 1998 (Yes)
8. Cat and Mouse - James Patterson - 1997
9. Cause of Death - Patricia Cornwell - 1996
10. Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier - 1997

Read 3 out of 10 (I’m going the wrong way!)

Oh!  My very first book came out this decade.  Just squeaked by in 1999.  It didn't make the list, but I'm pretty proud of it.  
It Only Takes a Spark 

was my one and only Barbour Heartsong.

What was America reading the decade I married..ABC order.

1. A Day Late and a Dollar Short - Terry McMillan - 2001 
2. A Painted House - John Grisham - 2001 (I have it.  I just haven’t read it yet)
3. A  Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini - 2007 (I read The Kiterunner.  Very engaging and well written; however, there are certain scenes I don’t want in my memory.)
4. Angels & Demons - Dan Brown -
5. Armageddon - Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins - 2003
6. At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks - 2005
7. Beach Road - James Patterson, Peter De Jonge - 2006
8. Black House - Peter Straub, Stephen King
9. Bleachers - John Grisham - 2003 (Yes)
10. Blow Fly - Patricia Cornwell - 2003 

Read 1 out of 10 (Maybe I’m getting busier or maybe my reading habits have changed)

Oh!  I had ___ releases during this decade.  Two of them made a splash.

My first LI, written for their suspense line, and a Rita finalist.

Won the Carol!

1960 - 2000 came from http://www.ranker.com/list/best-selling-novels-of-the-1960_s/bestselling-books and so forth.  It stopped in the 2000s. (Guess we have to wait until the decade is done for the next entry)   So, I had to switch

According to USA Today, the bestsellers of 2010, the year my firstborn started school, and not ABC order were...

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (Yes - but only the first one.  Again, I don’t like certain scenes in my memory.
2. The Girl Who Played with Fire  Stieg Larsson
3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest - Stieg Larsson
4. Decision Points by George W. Bush
5. The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks
6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (I have it.  It takes a while when you’re reading them chapter by chapter with a nine-year-old.  I will be reading it because I read the books my son reads.)
7. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert (Yes)
8. Dear John - Nicolas Sparks
9. The Help - Kathryn Stockett (Yes.  Loved it! A top ten favorite.)
10. Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer (I have it, but only made it to book two) 

Read 3 out of 10 (Good, going back up.  I looked at 2011 and really wowed that year, but then according to USA Today, the top ten were mostly YA) 

satoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story

Oh!  I didn't have a book in 2010, one of the few years that had a void.  However, from 2011 until 2016, there will be 15 books to add to my resume.     

My next release, April 2015, from LI
It starts The Rancher's Daughters series 

And, of course, we've got to mention the best Book of all time

I've read it the whole way through - and pieces of it, I've read a hundred times or more

You recognize any of the books I've mentioned :)