10 Notable Books Turning 50 This Year

How many have you read?

The popular culture of an era often says something about the character of the time it inhabits. Today, we're revisiting ten of the most notable books turning fifty this year. We found 1975 to be a year of high-flying entertainment and thrills. There are also a surprising number of reads aimed at younger audiences. Some of these titles tapped into the cultural zeitgeist of that moment in history. Others offer something universal that speaks to us all. Whatever the reason, they still have a place on our shelves.

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Writer Ben Mears returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot (aka 'Salem's Lot), Maine, where he lived as a child. There he makes some deeply unsettling discoveries. Only King's second novel, it has inspired several adaptations including a 1979 movie, a 2004 miniseries, and a new feature film streaming on Max. The author revisits Jerusalem's Lot in two stories from his 1978 collection, Night Shift.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

This spellbinding middle-grade novel tells of the Tuck family, blessed with—or doomed to—eternal life after drinking from a magic spring. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever is not the blessing that it might seem. It has been adapted for stage and screen, including a 2002 film starring Alexis Bledel.

Shogun by James Clavell

After getting lost at sea, seventeenth-century Englishman John Blackthorne washes up on the shores of feudal Japan. As he confronts unfamiliar cultures and internal political strife, he finds himself torn between two worlds. The brilliant new TV adaptation of this thrilling historical drama has scored a boatload of awards. It is the third of six books in Clavell's Asian Saga series.

Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary

The third book in the Ramona Quimby series, this enduring middle grade classic follows the rambunctious youngster as she navigates first grade. With a teacher who doesn't understand her, a tattletale classmate, and a scary dog who follows her home from school, Ramona has a hard time acting like everyone wants her to. Ramona's relatable struggles continue to help readers of all ages feel seen.

Factotum by Charles Bukowski

One of Bukowski's best, this beer-soaked, picaresque novel follows the wanderings of aspiring writer Henry Chinaski, Bukowski's perpetually unemployed, alcoholic alter ego, who has been rejected from the World War II draft and makes his way from one menial job to the next. The novel was adapted into a 2005 film starring Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, and Fisher Stevens.

Forever… by Judy Blume

Katherine and Michael are in love, and Katherine knows it's forever—especially after she loses her virginity to him. But when they're separated for the summer, she begins to have feelings for another boy. Blume has said she wrote the revolutionary novel for her daughter as an antidote to the books of the time that suggested teenage sex would lead to ruin, or even death.

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

Strega Nona—"Grandma Witch"—is the source for potions, cures, and magic in her Calabrian town. When she asks Big Anthony to look after her home while she's away, he can't resist trying out her magic pasta pot, with disastrous results. In this retelling of an old tale, author-illustrator dePaola combines humor in the writing and warmth in the paintings as he builds the story to a hilarious climax.

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Self-proclaimed spinster and self-taught Egyptologist Amelia Peabody is the intrepid heroine of this Victorian-era thriller. After inheriting her father's fortune, Amelia embarks on an Egyptian adventure, teaming up with Evelyn, a newfound friend who has been abandoned by her scoundrel lover. The two women sail up the Nile to an archeological site run by a pair of handsome brothers.

Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow

Called one of the 100 best novels of all time, this historical saga changed our concept of what a novel could be. Adapted into an Oscar-nominated 1981 film, the sweeping tapestry captures the spirit of America in the early twentieth century. Placing historical figures like Harry Houdini and Booker T. Washington alongside his characters, Doctorow blurs the line between fiction and reality.

Curtain: Poirot's Last Case by Agatha Christie

The aging Hercule Poirot and his old friend Arthur Hastings race to apprehend a five-time killer in this final installment to a beloved series. It's a country house mystery, with all the action contained in one house and set in the same place as book one in the series, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. This was the last novel published by The Queen of Mystery before her 1976 death.

Whether these books are new to you or favorites from your past, please join us in celebrating their continued relevance and resonance after fifty years! How many have you read?

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon