Big Books of 2026

Listopia > 1950s Book Lists

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerFahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyLord of the Flies by William GoldingCharlotte’s Web by E.B. WhiteLolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Best Books of the Decade: 1950s
1,181 books — 1,508 voters
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyI, Robot by Isaac AsimovThe Martian Chronicles by Ray BradburyThe Foundation Trilogy by Isaac AsimovFoundation by Isaac Asimov
Classic Science Fiction - 1950-1959
277 books — 273 voters

1776 by David McCulloughTeam of Rivals by Doris Kearns GoodwinBattle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPhersonJohn Adams by David McCulloughA People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
U.S. History Reading List
443 books — 140 voters
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerExodus by Leon UrisMy Cousin Rachel by Daphne du MaurierEast of Eden by John SteinbeckDoctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
Fifties Fiction Favorites
99 books — 113 voters

A Spy Among Friends by Ben MacintyreIron Curtain by Anne ApplebaumThe Triumph of Improvisation by James Graham WilsonThe Billion Dollar Spy by David E. HoffmanThe Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
The Cold War (nonfiction)
358 books — 102 voters
Revolutionary Road by Richard YatesValley of the Dolls by Jacqueline SusannThe Man in the Gray Flannel Suit by Sloan WilsonThe Group by Mary McCarthyThe Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe
If You Like Mad Men . . .
63 books — 90 voters

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeCharlotte's Web by E.B. WhiteThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg LarssonThe Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsThe Chosen by Chaim Potok
New York Times Bestsellers
231 books — 80 voters
The Coldest Winter by David HalberstamThe Korean War by Max HastingsOn Desperate Ground by Hampton SidesFrozen Chosin by Edwin H. SimmonsThis Kind of War by T.R. Fehrenbach
Korean War
136 books — 52 voters

11/22/63 by Stephen KingThe Poisonwood Bible by Barbara KingsolverCircle of Friends by Maeve BinchyBrooklyn by Colm TóibínThe Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Books Set in 1950s
72 books — 47 voters
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin TalleyOut of the Easy by Ruta SepetysThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerJean and Johnny by Beverly ClearySister of the Bride by Beverly Cleary
YA Fiction set in the 1950s
88 books — 47 voters

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. SeussThe Cat in the Hat by Dr. SeussHorton Hears a Who! by Dr. SeussLittle Bear by Else Holmelund MinarikMadeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans
Picture Books of the 1950s
264 books — 44 voters
Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor BrownSwerve by Jim LindsayFear of Flying by Erica JongLondon Calling by Sara SheridanSnow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Books Set in the Fifties
85 books — 40 voters

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeGone with the Wind by Margaret MitchellThe Book Thief by Markus ZusakA Prayer for Owen Meany by John IrvingCutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Favorite Books of Women Born in the 40s and 50s
448 books — 36 voters
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor CoerrPenny from Heaven by Jennifer L. HolmThe Lions of Little Rock by Kristin LevineDanny the Champion of the World by Roald DahlWith the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Middle Grade Fiction set in the 1950s
172 books — 35 voters

Fifteen by Beverly ClearyThe Luckiest Girl by Beverly ClearyJean and Johnny by Beverly ClearySister of the Bride by Beverly ClearyThe Boy Next Door by Betty Cavanna
Teen Romance of the 1950s
100 books — 27 voters
War Horse by Michael MorpurgoIsabel by Carolyn MeyerThe Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow by Ann RinaldiNumber the Stars by Lois LowryThe Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Historical Fiction for Children
123 books — 26 voters

Killers of the Flower Moon by David GrannThe Nightingale by Kristin HannahLittle Fires Everywhere by Celeste NgA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth OzekiAnimal Farm by George Orwell
Born in the 1950s - What we've read in 2018
346 books — 26 voters
The Nightingale by Kristin HannahWhere the Crawdads Sing by Delia OwensBeneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. SullivanBecoming by Michelle ObamaThe Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
2019: What women born in the 1950s have read so far this year
255 books — 25 voters

The Let Them Theory by Mel RobbinsThe Wedding People by Alison EspachHere One Moment by Liane MoriartyEverything Is Tuberculosis by John GreenAll the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
2025: What PEOPLE born BEFORE 1970 Have Read So Far
325 books — 23 voters
Buses Are a Comin' by Charles PersonThe Giver of Stars by Jojo MoyesThe Overstory by Richard Powers61 Hours by Lee ChildThe Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
2020: What readers born in the 1950's have read this year.
305 books — 22 voters

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa PearceThe Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. BostonThe River at Green Knowe by Lucy M. BostonTony and the Wonderful Door by Howard FastCurtain of Mist by M. Pardoe
Children's Time Travel Fiction of the 1950s
34 books — 14 voters
Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars by Ellen MacGregorCitizen of the Galaxy by Robert A. HeinleinFarmer in the Sky by Robert A. HeinleinStarman Jones by Robert A. HeinleinHave Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein
Children's Science Fiction of the 1950s
153 books — 13 voters

Inkheart by Cornelia FunkeThe Last Thing He Told Me by Laura DaveA Time for Mercy by John GrishamThe Thursday Murder Club by Richard OsmanThe Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
2021: What readers born in the 1950's have read this year
235 books — 13 voters
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline SusannRevolutionary Road by Richard YatesThe Group by Mary McCarthyThe Best of Everything by Rona JaffeThe Man in the Gray Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson
Liz's Mad Men Reading List
28 books — 11 voters

A Spy Among Friends by Ben MacintyreThe Ghost by Jefferson MorleyA Spy Named Orphan by Roland PhilippsStalin's Englishman by Andrew LownieTreason in the Blood by Anthony Cave Brown
Cambridge Spy Ring (nonfiction)
30 books — 11 voters
Hither, Page by Cat SebastianTommy Cabot Was Here by Cat SebastianHoneytrap by Aster Glenn GrayWe Could Be So Good by Cat SebastianSecret Light by Z.A. Maxfield
M/M Romance Books set in the 1950s
18 books — 10 voters

The Pale Horse by Agatha ChristieThe Zig Zag Girl by Elly GriffithsThe Secrets of Greystone House by Marcus AttwaterBrat Farrar by Josephine TeyMagpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
1950s British Mysteries
18 books — 8 voters
MY DAUGHTER NATASHA by Artie DimancheOn the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson SextonOctober Suite by Maxine ClairGathering of Waters by Bernice L. McFaddenSugar by Bernice L. McFadden
Adult Historical Fiction Set in the 1950s By African-Americans
9 books — 7 voters

The Midnight Library by Matt HaigThe Weekend by Charlotte WoodMigrations by Charlotte McConaghyElla Minnow Pea by Mark DunnThe Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Verant
2020: What women born in the 1950s have read so far this year
142 books — 6 voters
Bonjour tristesse by Françoise SaganThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerThe Poisonwood Bible by Barbara KingsolverLolita by Vladimir NabokovPeyton Place by Grace Metalious
Step Back in the 50s/60s
25 books — 5 voters

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