Best Selling Books in the 90s

Sometimes, it is a mite too much money to buy all the best selling books that are published each year. Besides that, none of them have stood the test of time, so five years after one has bought them, it turns out they weren’t that good after all. For me, The Cellestine Prophesy comes to mind. I have never read a worse book in my life. It is beyond me how a boring story with at least 25 grammar errors per page reached the best-selling lists.

Generally what I do is carry a list with me of books I would like to read and when I get to second hand bookstores, I immediately browse for them! Here are some of the books I read in the 90s.

A Return to Love
I came to this book rather late. It was as a result of Nelson Mandela’s acceptance speech when he became the first black president of South Africa at the end of Apartheid. Most people thought the words were original to him, but actually they came from Marianne Williamson’s book, “A Return to Love.” So I read it. Um. I guess it’s for some. Personally, I never ran wild as a child despite the fact that there were difficulties. But I did like her poetic way of writing, and I do believe she’s an excellent writer. But them, the whole thing about being a good writer is that one can get anyone to believe anything. Isn’t that what fiction is about?

Tale of the Body Thief by Anne rice
Anne Rice, of course, made the big time with her Vampire Chronicales. This is the forth in the series. All the others also did well on the best selling lists. Did I enjoy them. I never finished the series. I think I just got tired of vampires. I still am. But it was a good read while it lasted.

The Road Ahead
One book I remember purchasing was, “The Road Ahead” by Bill Gates. I remember being most disappointed in its contents. I’m not quite sure what I expected. Unfortunately, it’s long gone from my bookshelf. But I’d be interested to know what he thought was ahead so that I could compare it with what is actually happening.

The Bourne Ultimatum
I love Jason Bourne, don’t you? Who hasn’t seen his movies? You do know, of course, that the book always tends to be better than the movie. This is no different. I also love Robert Ludlum so I still read his books, sometimes over and over again.

The Sum of All Fears
I loved Tom Clancy’s hero, Jack Ryan. Truthfully, I didn’t realize it was a series until I picked up another book and discovered the same hero. So, I read them in the wrong order! It didn’t really matter. I think this was the forth book that was filmed and I seem to remember that Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman played the leads.

Mexico
I have to confess that, for me, the best book I read by James Michener was Soyanara, and that might have been in the 70s. That was because it was the only short one he wrote. Michener generally writes long, long, long books. This one is no exception. If you want to learn about Mexico, this is a good book to read. He sets stories amongst historically accurate scenarios.

Diana: Her True Story

In the 90s, everybody was so taken up by Diana. I have to confess that though I loved her clothes as we have pretty much the same sort of style, I wasn’t that into her. So I never read the book. I much preferred Fergie who, although did things I would never dream of doing, had a bit more personality. Still, many loved the book, so I’m putting it here.

Vanished & Mirror Image
Somebody once told me that I wrote like Danielle Steel. I didn’t know whether that was a compliment or not, so I read these. I don’t think I write like Danielle Steele. I do have a heavily romantic streak, though, so love romantic stories and these were fine. I consume the genre by the bucket full – generally Mills and Boon, Harlequin, Barbara Cartland, etc.

Nightmares and Dreamscapes It’s just as well that these were short stories because one was enough to give me nightmares. Still, once started, I was compelled to finish. I also have to tell you that I’ve never read a Stephen King book since then (except for On Writing) as I prefer to sleep without imagining all sorts of weird things.

Disclosure, The Lost World, & Jurassic Park
Yes, I’m a Michael Crichton fan. The only book I didn’t enjoy about his was the one about the Japanese, and I can’t remember the title. I read Disclosure several times, though, probably because at the time emails were quite new, and the thought of a woman doing all those things in an effort to get ahead was quite beyond me.

Yes, I also read all three Jurassic Park books. What can I say? That I’d read them again if they came my way? Yes, I would.

The Horse Whisperer
So many people were talking about it that I read it. I should know better. I know that many people like to read inspirational stories, but I’m not one of them. Having said that, the author is a good writer, and despite myself, I felt good after reading it!

Cause of Death
She kept me glued and I would read about Dr. Kay Scarpetta’s exploits again if one of Patricia Cornwell’s books came my way. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I guess I haven’t really gone out of my way to find them because I have other preferences. That doesn’t mean these aren’t good reads. They are. I just like my heroes to be men. Smile.

A Reporter's Life
Undoubtedly worth reading. I have never seen a Walter Cronkite broadcast and I most certainly wouldn’t recognize him. Still, I was fascinated by the content of this book. The events described gave me a lot of information I didn’t have previously. In addition, I saw things from another point of view and might even have adjusted mine on occasion. I think this is a good book to read even from the perspective of how one person sees events.

Eight Weeks to Optimum Health & Sugar Busters
There was a time that I read everything about health, especially about anti-aging. That started in the early 80s when my health went south and the doctors and specialists said there wasn’t a cure. So I read some books and cured myself. Essentially, I changed my nutrition, consumed a pile of vitamins and minerals, and within four or five months I returned to health. My hair which had started going grey (in my early 30s) returned to a glossy dark brown. In any event, Andrew Weil came later, but I still read him. I mostly read books by Adele Davis and Leslie Kenton. They preceded him. The Sugar Busters book just added to what I already knew. I read the book because it was good to confirm it. I have no quarrels with anything written in it.

A Pirate Looks at Fifty
It’s always nice to know how others lead their lives, especially when it’s very different to our own. This was is Jimmy Buffett’s story. It certainly kept me glued. A line comes to me from a poem by Wordworth , “The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more..” I think this book left me like that. I remembered things long after I put it down.

The Pelican Brief
John Grisham tells a good story and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I think I’ve also read it more than once because I still remember it. Or maybe it was just a good story. There was a film made of it as well, starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.

The story involves the assassination of two judges and how a legal student realizes what the motivation behind the murders were, and why.

The film received good reviews, but the book was better.

Notes From a Small Island
I have a love affair with Bill Bryson. That’s because he makes me laugh. And laugh. And laugh. Whenever I see a book written by him, I grab it because I know that I’m going to be glued. He really does see things in a way that makes one realize how peculiar they really are!

A Brief History of Time
Forgive my ignorance but before I read this, I had a completely different idea of time. Stephen Hawking made me see the universe in a completely different way. Highly recommended.

Schindler's list
I didn’t see the movie. I couldn’t bear it. The book is better. Thomas Keneally knows how to write.

The Golden Fox
For many years, I read everything I could by Wilbur Smith. He is a South African author and he tells such brilliant stories. This last decade I haven’t heard much about him, but his books are worth reading and rereading, especially if one loves a good yarn.

The Liar
Stephen Fry makes me laugh and think. I’m a great fan of Stephen Fry. He is a frequent guest on TV, writes columns, and I listen to him sometimes at Intelligence Squared. This book is tip top entertainment.