15 Books To Read When You're Feeling Nostalgic

Highlighting my favorite decade, plus...whether it's thrillers, coming-of-age, or dramas, there's something special about reading books set in a bygone era

Apr 16, 2023

One of my favorite types of reading experiences is reading books set in or published during my childhood and teenage years. For me, that is the 1970s and 1980s. That time of life when our phones had cords, our friends left messages on our answering machines, Friday evenings were spent roller skating at the local skating rink or grabbing VHS movies at Blockbuster. It was a time when people didn’t spend hours looking at screens because there were no screens. I’ll be the first to say the internet, computers, cell phones, etc have changed my life - for the better- and I can’t imagine not having them in my life! But I remember what life was like before them and I’m often nostalgic for that simpler time of life.

BLAST FROM THE PAST: CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1980s

The 1980s was a decade of significant cultural change and produced many memorable cultural items….

Fashion: The 1980s was a time of bold, bright, and often outrageous fashion trends. Popular styles included shoulder pads, leg warmers, acid-washed jeans, parachute pants, oversized sweatshirts, and neon colors
Music: The 1980s was a decade of diverse music styles, including new wave, synthpop, hair metal, rap, and hip hop. Memorable musicians and bands from the era include Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, U2, Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Run-DMC, and the Beastie Boys
Movies: The 1980s produced some of the most iconic movies of all time, including "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Back to the Future," "The Empire Strikes Back," "The Breakfast Club," "Top Gun," "Die Hard," and "Ghostbusters
Television: The 1980s was a golden age of television, with shows such as "The Cosby Show," "Cheers," "Family Ties," "The Golden Girls," "Miami Vice," "Knight Rider," and "The A-Team" becoming cultural touchstones
Video Games: The 1980s saw the rise of video games as a popular form of entertainment, with arcade games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, and home consoles like the Atari 2600 and the Nintendo becoming popular
Toys: The 1980s produced many iconic toys, including Cabbage Patch Kids, Care Bears, Transformers, My Little Pony, and the Rubik's Cube
Technology: The 1980s was a decade of technological advancement, with personal computers, VHS tapes, and the first mobile phones becoming widely available.

I absolutely love reading books either entirely set in a bygone era, or with a past timeline that alternates with a present one. Give me ALL the mysteries set before cell phones and I’ll be a happy reader!

Today, I’m sharing 15 books I enjoyed that are set in a bygone era, along with a few articles about why we love nostalgia in our reading lives. If you’d like even more recommendations, check out our recent episode of Book Talk, etc podcast in which Tina and I share book recs from the 1980s and 1990s and have a fun discussion about the events, fashion, music, and culture of both decades.

BOOKS SET IN A BYGONE ERA

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (1970s -1990s)

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

Crooked Letter Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (1970s)

Sag Harbor by Colton Whitehead (1985) (I reviewed on Book Talk, etc)

Live By Night by Dennis Lehane (1920s)

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro (has a 1985 timeline)

Joyland by Stephen King

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (1970s)

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (1950s)

Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon (1980) (I reviewed on Book Talk, etc)

Hum If You Don’t Know the Words by Bianca Marais