It’s 2012! And as many eagerly anticipate the hot books of the year (including SheKnows!), we’re taking a look back at the ones that sizzled a decade ago, five years ago and just last year. Here’s what was on the bestseller list when everyone was, well, a bit younger.
Ten years ago…
Journey Through Heartsongs, written and illustrated by Mattie J. T. Stepanek. A collection of poems by an 11-year-old boy.
The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen. A multigenerational saga in which a mother tries to bring her dysfunctional family together for a final Christmas at home.
Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham. A husband and wife discover that their decision to forgo Christmas comes with consequences.
A Bend in the Road, by Nicholas Sparks. A widower and his son’s second-grade teacher discover that they are linked by a secret.
Thursday’s Child, by Sandra Brown. Pretending to be her bubbly identical-twin sister, a scientist goes on a date and winds up falling in love.
Five years ago…
Plum Lovin’, by Janet Evanovich. A mysterious man in Stephanie Plum’s life helps her track down a matchmaker who skipped bail.
For One More Day, by Mitch Albom. A troubled man gets a last chance to reconnect and restore his relationship with his dead mother.
You Suck, by Christopher Moore. A 19-year-old discovers that his girlfriend is a vampire — and now, so is he.
Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks. An unlikely romance between a soldier and an idealistic young woman is tested in the aftermath of 9/11.
The Boleyn Inheritance, by Philippa Gregory. Politics and treachery in the court of Henry VIII, narrated by three women, two of them his sometime wives.
One year ago…
Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. After his parents die in a car accident, young veterinary student — and an elephant — save a Depression-era circus.
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson. A hacker and a journalist investigate the disappearance of a Swedish heiress 40 years earlier — the first volume in the Millennium trilogy.
Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay. A contemporary American journalist investigates what happened to a little girl and her family during the roundup of Jews in Paris in 1942 and our current SheKnows Book Club pick.
Winter Garden, by Kristin Hannah. After their father’s death, two sisters must cooperate to run his apple orchard and care for their difficult mother.
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