The Most Popular "Beach Read" the Year You Were Born
The perfect day at the beach involves sunshine, sand, and a good story to read. If you're in need of a new recommendation, all of these books took the world by storm and millions of people have gotten lost in their pages.
1950
$4
Kathleen Winsor's Star Money tells the story of Shireen Delaney - a woman living a life most people dream about, but longing for the one thing she doesn't have.
1951
$3
A young Georgia woman named Fancy lifts herself up the social ranks near the turn of the 19th century. This novel was Frank Yerby's first to have a female protagonist.
1952
$12
Daphne du Maurier was a "beach read" queen for decades and My Cousin Rachel was no exception. It's the story of a woman who may or may not be poisoning the men who fall in love with her.
1953
$17
In 1953, people couldn't get enough of the incredible story of Napoleon Bonaparte's real-life fiancée Désirée Clary. This fictional account of their relationship plays out over the pages of the teenager's diary as written by Annemarie Selinko.
1954
$11
Francoise Sagan's salacious novel tells the story of a conniving 17-year-old spending summer vacation with her father in a villa outside of Paris.
1955
$13
Patrick Dennis's novel about an orphaned boy who goes to live with his free-spirited aunt spent 112 weeks on the best seller list. It has been adapted into a play, a musical, and two movies - one based on the book and the other based on the musical.
1956
$9
Patricia Highsmith's famous sociopath (portrayed by Matt Damon on the big screen) made his debut in 1956. She went on to write four sequels.
1957
$12
Peyton Place was such a phenomenon upon its release that it became a figure of speech people used to refer to a town or group holding in secrets. It inspired two soap operas, a big screen movie, and two made-for-TV movies.
1958
$16
This classic courtroom drama tells the story of a Michigan lawyer who takes on a case defending a young Army lieutenant against murder charges. It was also adapted into a popular movie starring Jimmy Stewart.
1959
$14
Robert Condon's political thriller still resonates with readers decades after its initial publication. So much so that Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington starred in the second movie adaptation of it back in 2004. The first movie hit theaters in 1962.
1960
$30
Years before House of Cards, there was Advise and Consent. Allen Drury's novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960 and is considered a "landmark in political fiction."
1961
$9
Irving Stone struck gold with this biographical novel about the life of Michelangelo. The author based some of the story on letters written by the artist himself translated from Italian.
1962
$9
Ship of Fools is the story of a diverse group of passengers on a German cruise ship sailing from Mexico to Europe. It was also turned into an Oscar-winning film in 1965.
1963
$17
Helen Gurley Brown set out to inspire women to break free from their financial dependence on men and embrace their sexuality in this iconic self-help book. It was pretty clear that the sexual revolution was underway when two million copies were sold over a three week period.
1965
$6
Bel Kaufman's novel explores the public school system seen through the eyes of a new school teacher who quickly learns that her career will be an uphill battle. Sandy Dennis starred in the film version.
1966
$10
It doesn't get "beach readier" than Jacqueline Susann's classic novel. The story of three women trying to make in New York City has achieved cult status in novel and movie form.
1967
$12
Readers fell in love with the Buendia family from the mythical town of Macondo in this Nobel Prize-winning book. It's considered one of the most acclaimed novels of the 20th century.
1968
$14
Arthur Hailey's novel goes inside a major metropolitan airport during a huge winter storm and follows all the major players who work behind the scenes. It was the basis for the star-studded 1970 film that scored a Best Picture nomination.
1969
$6
Maya Angelou's unforgettable memoir follows her difficult childhood to her life in San Francisco where she learns that love for yourself and the kindness of others can be liberating.
1970
$7
People love a good love story, but they also love a sad tragedy. Erich Segal hit all the right notes with this hugely successful novel about two people from opposite worlds who fall for each other. Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal starred in the Oscar-winning movie.
1971
$13
Sylvia Plath's most well-known work about a young woman's mental breakdown mirrored the author's own struggle with depression and bipolar II disorder. Since its initial publication, it has become required reading for many high school students around the country.
1972
$3
The origin of the New Testament of the Bible is the central focus of this thriller, which had everyone talking in 1972. It was adapted into an 8-hour miniseries in 1978.
1973
$1
A journalist examines the life of a senator and his involvement in it as he travels to cover the man's funeral. It wasn't very well-received by critics, but readers ate it up nonetheless.
1974
$21
Three generations of the de Salis family deal with a mysterious curse that plays out on the family's Irish estate.
1975
$13
Edward Pierce is a gentleman in Victorian London who is also robbing people blind. He hatches a scheme to pull off his biggest crime aboard a locomotive, but things don't go exactly as planned.
1976
$8
A woman learns her family estate has been left to her cousin upon her father's death, but starts obsessing over a curse that he warned her about prior to his passing. It was one of the highest-selling books of the year.
1977
$11
Toni Morrison's Nobel-winning work follows the life story of Macon "Milkman" Dead III in Michigan. The novel became a best seller again in 1996 when it was chosen for Oprah's Book Club.
1978
$8
A family is torn apart by greed over control of their pharmaceutical company following the death of the patriarch/president in a climbing accident. Audrey Hepburn starred in the 1979 film adaptation.
1979
$14
Four Radcliffe alums attend their 20-year reunion having had very different post-collegiate experiences.
1980
$8
Judith Krantz's novel follows the turbulent life of Princess Marguerite "Daisy" Valensky. It's not the lightest read, but royal family drama always has mass appeal.
1981
$18
Goodbye, Janette goes inside the world of high fashion following the lives of Tanya Pojarska and her two daughters - Janette and Lauren. It marked Robbins's 16th novel.
1982
$9
John Jakes kicked off his popular Civil War trilogy with this novel establishing the friendship of Orry Main and George Hazard, who meet while attending the Military Academy at West Point. The trilogy was adapted into a six-part miniseries, which premiered in 1985.
1983
$5
Nora Ephron's novel is an autobiographical account of her marriage and split from her second husband, Carl Bernstein. She also wrote the screenplay when it was made into a film in 1986.
1984
$10
Most people probably think about the 1987 film, but John Updike's novel had its own impact on pop culture in the '80s.
1985
$8
Iris Rainer Dart tugged on all of the heartstrings with her story of the lifelong friendship between CC Bloom and Hillary Whitney Essex. Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey starred in the film version.
1986
$8
Krantz's second entry on the list focuses on Maxi Amberville and her experience navigating the world of magazine publishing. It was adapted into a TV miniseries credited as Julianne Moore's first acting gig.
1987
$14
Stephen King's tale of an obsessive fan is just one of many of the horror novelist's top-selling books since his literary debut with Carrie. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her starring role in the 1990 movie.
1988
$20
Tom Wolfe's examination of life in New York City in the 1980s focuses on the lives of three men: a bond trader, a lawyer, and a journalist. It was initially published as installments in Rolling Stone magazine before the author made some revisions and released it as a book.
1989
$8
Mary Higgins Clark does what she does best in this murder mystery about the death of a gossip columnist.
1990
$12
King's 1978 novel about the ultimate battle between good and evil was so popular, it was re-released in 1990 as an uncut edition and found a whole new audience. It spent more than half of the year on the best seller list.
1991
$9
John Grisham's second novel was a top seller for most of 1991. Readers were enthralled by Mitch McDeere's career at Bendini, Lambert & Locke, and kept that enthusiasm alive when it was brought to the big screen starring Tom Cruise.
1992
$8
Grisham kept the momentum going with this thriller about a young law student in New Orleans who gets pulled into a political cover-up and must team with a Washington reporter to put all of the pieces together.
1993
$3
Robert James Waller's novel about a lonely housewife in Iowa who has an affair with a photographer wasn't just a popular summer read, it's one of the highest selling books of the 20th century. Waller released a sequel called A Thousand Country Roads in 2002.
RELATED: 10 Things You Should Never Say to a Devoted Romance Novel Reader
1994
$9
James Redfield's international bestseller touches on spirituality and psychology in a story about an ancient manuscript uncovered in Peru. It's part novel, part self-help guide.
1995
$15,
A South Carolina man living in Rome begins to examine his family's past while trying to find peace after his wife commits suicide.
1996
$12
A divorced mom and investment analyst takes a vacation in Jamaica and meets a man who helps her rediscover herself. Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs starred in the film, which was a box office hit in 1998.
1997
$9
J.K. Rowling burst onto the scene in June 1997 and the literary world was forever changed. It was a minor success to say the least.
RELATED: The 40 Children's Books That Belong in Every Family Library
1998
$7
Nicholas Sparks followed up on the success of The Notebook with this story about a woman trying to track down the author of a note she found inside a bottle while jogging on the beach. Kevin Costner starred in and produced the film version.
1999
$9
Released in 1998, Maeve Binchy's novel about a woman in Ireland and a woman in Connecticut who decide to swap homes for a summer. Sales for the book got a huge boost in 1999 when it was chosen for Oprah's Book Club.
2000
$3
Danielle Steel is no stranger to churning out beach reads and The House on Hope Street was the one everyone was talking about in 2000. It's the story of a woman left to raise her five children alone following the sudden death of her husband.
2001
$8
Another testament to the power of Oprah and her book club, Lalita Tademy's novel follows four generations of African-American women living on a plantation in Louisiana.
2002
$13
Two former nannies pulled from their own experiences to craft the story of a women who takes a job taking care of the 4-year-old son of a wealthy Manhattan family.
2003
$9
It seemed like everyone in the country was reading Dan Brown's novel in the summer of '03. It sparked international interest in the history of Christianity and has been translated into 44 languages.
2004
$10
Two years before Meryl Streep brought Miranda Priestly to life on film, Lauren Weisberger's novel was the book in everyone's bag. A less popular sequel called Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns was published in 2013.
RELATED: 18 Things You Didn't Know About The Devil Wears Prada
2005
$9
Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel caught a lot of buzz before it was even published thanks to an advertising blitz hyping its release. By the time it hit bookshelves, it was the first debut novel to top the best seller list.
2006
$10
Elizabeth Gilbert's journey of self-discovery inspired millions to step out of their comfort zones and travel the world. Ryan Murphy directed the film adaptation starring Julia Roberts.
2007
$11
Hosseini's follow-up novel to The Kite Runner explores Afghan history through a story about family and friendship. It sold over one million copies in its first week of release and spent 15 weeks at the top of the best seller list.
2008
$8
Jodi Picoult's books had been attracting readers for years before she released this story about a man on death row looking for salvation and mother grieving over unspeakable loss. A film version has been in the works since 2011.
2009
$9
Kathryn Stockett's book about African-American women working in white households in the 1960s was referred to as the "sleeper hit" of the summer. The author has stated that it was initially rejected over 60 times before she finally sold it and it spent over 100 weeks on the best seller list.
2010
$9
Stieg Larsson's third book in his Lisbeth Salander series was published just in time for summer in 2010. It was considered a best seller before it was even on shelves thanks to the hype built from the previous novels and pre-orders.
2011
$12
Emma Donoghue's novel won several book awards upon its release, so it's no surprise that it was also adapted into an award-winning film. Donoghue even turned it into a stage show in 2017.
2012
$7
This little novel dropped in June 2012 and became the book that was on everyone's lips for the rest of the year. Its runaway success (pun intended) made Flynn an in-demand author and inspired people to go back and read her previous work.
2013
$14
Meg Wolitzer's novel time-jumps between a group of teenagers at summer camp in 1974 and decades later with those same people as adults. It was adapted into a pilot by Amazon in 2016 but was not picked up for a series.
2014
$14
HBO's critically acclaimed and award-winning series was based on Liane Moriarty's novel, which was a staple on the best seller list during the summer of 2014. Moriarty didn't write a sequel but is revisiting her characters for another season of the series.
2015
$9
Wednesday Martin dives deep into the world of moms on Manhattan's Upper East Side in this memoir reminiscent of Gossip Girl.
2016
$9
Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel spent over two years on the best seller list. It's the story of a blind French girl and German boy whose lives intersect while living in occupied France during World War II.
2017
$14
Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel is the story of an aging movie star who is ready to spill all of the secrets of her life to a magazine editor.
Summer reading lists aren't just for kids.