Best Books of the Decade: 1970s

1.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1) 4.22 avg rating — 1,969,818 ratings
2.
Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)
Watership Down (Watership Down, #1) 4.09 avg rating — 499,144 ratings
3.
The Stand
The Stand 4.35 avg rating — 814,234 ratings
4.
The Shining (The Shining, #1)
The Shining (The Shining, #1) 4.28 avg rating — 1,650,191 ratings
5.
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride 4.27 avg rating — 936,485 ratings
6.
Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)
Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)
by: Anne Rice
4.02 avg rating — 633,789 ratings
7.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Where the Sidewalk Ends 4.35 avg rating — 1,482,901 ratings
8.
The World According to Garp
The World According to Garp 4.11 avg rating — 235,955 ratings
9.
The Thorn Birds
The Thorn Birds 4.25 avg rating — 361,049 ratings
10.
Carrie
Carrie 3.99 avg rating — 813,568 ratings
11.
ShĹŤgun (Asian Saga, #1)
Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1) 4.41 avg rating — 206,450 ratings
12.
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
Roots: The Saga of an American Family 4.45 avg rating — 163,541 ratings
13.
’Salem’s Lot
’Salem’s Lot 4.10 avg rating — 636,600 ratings
14.
The Lorax
The Lorax
by: Dr. Seuss
4.35 avg rating — 363,645 ratings
15.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream 4.07 avg rating — 370,562 ratings
16.
Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia 4.06 avg rating — 579,924 ratings
17.
All Creatures Great and Small (All Creatures Great and Small #1-2)
All Creatures Great and Small (All Creatures Great and Small #1-2) 4.35 avg rating — 155,346 ratings
18.
The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story 4.18 avg rating — 215,937 ratings
19.
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion 4.03 avg rating — 324,983 ratings
20.
The Exorcist (The Exorcist, #1)
The Exorcist (The Exorcist, #1) 4.21 avg rating — 259,235 ratings
21.
Sophie’s Choice
Sophie’s Choice 4.17 avg rating — 93,602 ratings
22.
Breakfast of Champions
Breakfast of Champions 4.06 avg rating — 275,044 ratings
23.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (George Smiley, #5; Karla Trilogy, #1)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (George Smiley, #5; Karla Trilogy, #1) 4.06 avg rating — 102,489 ratings
24.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
by: Dee Brown
4.26 avg rating — 99,671 ratings
25.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Jonathan Livingston Seagull 3.86 avg rating — 267,209 ratings
26.
Go Ask Alice
Go Ask Alice 3.74 avg rating — 288,650 ratings
27.
84, Charing Cross Road
84, Charing Cross Road 4.16 avg rating — 93,079 ratings
28.
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders 4.06 avg rating — 152,004 ratings
29.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Phaedrus, #1)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Phaedrus, #1) 3.78 avg rating — 241,427 ratings
30.
The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom
The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom 4.47 avg rating — 348,474 ratings
31.
Tuck Everlasting
Tuck Everlasting 3.91 avg rating — 289,628 ratings
32.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret 3.94 avg rating — 252,095 ratings
33.
The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2)
The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2) 4.33 avg rating — 90,444 ratings
34.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH 4.17 avg rating — 183,688 ratings
35.
If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler
If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler 4.02 avg rating — 108,206 ratings
36.
The Day of the Jackal
The Day of the Jackal 4.27 avg rating — 142,696 ratings
37.
The Westing Game
The Westing Game 3.99 avg rating — 230,219 ratings
38.
Ragtime
Ragtime 3.89 avg rating — 45,692 ratings
39.
The Dead Zone
The Dead Zone 3.97 avg rating — 239,704 ratings
40.
Eye of the Needle
Eye of the Needle 4.21 avg rating — 165,972 ratings
41.
A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Time Quintet, #3)
A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Time Quintet, #3) 4.07 avg rating — 110,833 ratings
42.
All the President’s Men
All the President’s Men 4.18 avg rating — 56,969 ratings
43.
Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon 4.15 avg rating — 123,911 ratings
44.
The Bluest Eye
The Bluest Eye 4.13 avg rating — 288,050 ratings
45.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Fantastic Mr. Fox 4.08 avg rating — 143,978 ratings
46.
The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga, #1)
The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga, #1) 4.13 avg rating — 47,928 ratings
47.
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia 4.25 avg rating — 143,122 ratings
48.
Frog and Toad Are Friends (Frog and Toad, #1)
Frog and Toad Are Friends (Frog and Toad, #1) 4.25 avg rating — 96,143 ratings
49.
Gravity’s Rainbow
Gravity’s Rainbow 4.01 avg rating — 46,889 ratings
50.
The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank
The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank 4.06 avg rating — 11,853 ratings
51.
The Monster at the End of this Book
The Monster at the End of this Book
by: Jon Stone
4.46 avg rating — 126,503 ratings
52.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Fudge, #1)
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Fudge, #1) 4.11 avg rating — 141,624 ratings
53.
A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century 4.05 avg rating — 43,230 ratings
54.
Invisible Cities
Invisible Cities 4.10 avg rating — 93,518 ratings
55.
The Winds of War (The Henry Family, #1)
The Winds of War (The Henry Family, #1) 4.38 avg rating — 58,918 ratings
56.
That Was Then, This Is Now
That Was Then, This Is Now 3.94 avg rating — 39,449 ratings
57.
A Wind in the Door (Time Quintet, #2)
A Wind in the Door (Time Quintet, #2) 3.99 avg rating — 130,951 ratings
58.
The Right Stuff
The Right Stuff
by: Tom Wolfe
4.23 avg rating — 54,848 ratings
59.
Kane & Abel (Kane & Abel, #1)
Kane & Abel (Kane & Abel, #1) 4.34 avg rating — 128,769 ratings
60.
The Trumpet of the Swan
The Trumpet of the Swan 4.11 avg rating — 81,019 ratings
61.
The Forever War (The Forever War, #1)
The Forever War (The Forever War, #1) 4.14 avg rating — 176,915 ratings
62.
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Charlie Bucket, #2)
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Charlie Bucket, #2) 3.67 avg rating — 118,105 ratings
63.
Angle of Repose
Angle of Repose 4.24 avg rating — 61,303 ratings
64.
All Things Bright and Beautiful (All Creatures Great and Small, #3-4)
All Things Bright and Beautiful (All Creatures Great and Small, #3-4) 4.35 avg rating — 82,188 ratings
65.
Deliverance
Deliverance 3.89 avg rating — 33,569 ratings
66.
The Tombs of Atuan (Earthsea Cycle, #2)
The Tombs of Atuan (Earthsea Cycle, #2) 4.13 avg rating — 130,540 ratings
67.
A Scanner Darkly
A Scanner Darkly 4.03 avg rating — 108,201 ratings
68.
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven 4.13 avg rating — 84,186 ratings
69.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School (Wayside School, #1)
Sideways Stories from Wayside School (Wayside School, #1) 4.16 avg rating — 100,059 ratings
70.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, #1)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, #1) 4.18 avg rating — 141,448 ratings
71.
The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #1)
The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #1) 3.77 avg rating — 100,407 ratings
72.
The Dark Is Rising (The Dark is Rising, #2)
The Dark Is Rising (The Dark is Rising, #2) 4.04 avg rating — 60,003 ratings
73.
Kindred
Kindred 4.31 avg rating — 258,249 ratings
74.
War and Remembrance (The Henry Family, #2)
War and Remembrance (The Henry Family, #2) 4.43 avg rating — 38,935 ratings
75.
Dragonsong (Harper Hall, #1)
Dragonsong (Harper Hall, #1) 4.26 avg rating — 58,213 ratings
76.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Logans, #4)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Logans, #4) 3.90 avg rating — 128,886 ratings
77.
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast 4.05 avg rating — 82,277 ratings
78.
Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1)
Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1) 4.12 avg rating — 179,252 ratings
79.
The Executioner's Song
The Executioner's Song 4.05 avg rating — 22,783 ratings
80.
Danny the Champion of the World
Danny the Champion of the World 4.10 avg rating — 71,481 ratings
81.
The Hollow Hills (Arthurian Saga, #2)
The Hollow Hills (Arthurian Saga, #2) 4.25 avg rating — 22,755 ratings
82.
A Morbid Taste for Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #1)
A Morbid Taste for Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #1) 3.96 avg rating — 43,628 ratings
83.
Sula
Sula 4.05 avg rating — 116,978 ratings
84.
All Things Wise and Wonderful (All Creatures Great and Small, #5-6)
All Things Wise and Wonderful (All Creatures Great and Small, #5-6) 4.45 avg rating — 37,075 ratings
85.
My Name Is Asher Lev
My Name Is Asher Lev 4.24 avg rating — 42,910 ratings
86.
Ringworld (Ringworld #1)
Ringworld (Ringworld #1) 3.94 avg rating — 127,115 ratings
87.
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes 4.14 avg rating — 28,850 ratings
88.
Ghost Story
Ghost Story 3.92 avg rating — 81,717 ratings
89.
Fifth Business (The Deptford Trilogy, #1)
Fifth Business (The Deptford Trilogy, #1) 4.06 avg rating — 20,123 ratings
90.
Gnomes
Gnomes 4.07 avg rating — 36,725 ratings
91.
Ordinary People
Ordinary People 3.93 avg rating — 22,721 ratings
92.
Fear of Flying
Fear of Flying 3.47 avg rating — 22,979 ratings
93.
Dragonsinger (Harper Hall, #2)
Dragonsinger (Harper Hall, #2) 4.30 avg rating — 48,272 ratings
94.
The Selfish Gene
The Selfish Gene 4.16 avg rating — 189,040 ratings
95.
The Other Side of Midnight (Midnight #1)
The Other Side of Midnight (Midnight #1) 3.96 avg rating — 49,772 ratings
96.
Jaws (Jaws, #1)
Jaws (Jaws, #1) 3.95 avg rating — 174,069 ratings
97.
The Farthest Shore (Earthsea Cycle, #3)
The Farthest Shore (Earthsea Cycle, #3) 4.13 avg rating — 122,918 ratings
98.
In the Night Kitchen
In the Night Kitchen really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 18,742 ratings
99.
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting 3.95 avg rating — 53,056 ratings
100.
The Far Pavilions
The Far Pavilions
by: M.M. Kaye
4.20 avg rating — 44,840 ratings
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