1990s Books

This has been a tricky one to call, because most of the lists I can find are extremely USA-centric. I’ve tried to compromise by considering a stack of different sources, but the final choice is my own, based on books I've read. The USA list gives Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States for that year.

1990

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
The Stand by Stephen King
Sharpe’s Waterloo by Bernard Cornwell
The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
In USA
1. The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel
2. Four Past Midnight by Stephen King
3. The Burden of Proof by Scott Turow
4. Memories of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon
5. Message from Nam by Danielle Steel
6. The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum
7. The Stand by Stephen King
8. Lady Boss by Jackie Collins
9. The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
10. September by Rosamunde Pilcher

1991

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands by Stephen King
The Firm by John Grisham
The Eagle has Flown by Jack Higgins
The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
The Famished Road by Ben Okri
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
In USA
1. Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley
2. The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy
3. Needful Things by Stephen King
4. No Greater Love by Danielle Steel
5. Heartbeat by Danielle Steel
6. The Doomsday Conspiracy by Sidney Sheldon
7. The Firm by John Grisham
8. Night Over Water by Ken Follett
9. Remember by Barbara Taylor Bradford
10. Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark

1992

Fatherland by Robert Harris
Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Sharpe’s Devil by Bernard Cornwell
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker
The Queen and I by Sue Townsend
In USA
1. Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
2. The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
3. Gerald's Game by Stephen King 4. Mixed Blessings by Danielle Steel
5. Jewels by Danielle Steel
6. The Stars Shine Down by Sidney Sheldon
7. The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
8. Mexico by James A. Michener
9. Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan
10. All Around the Town by Mary Higgins Clark

1993

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
In USA
1. The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
2. The Client by John Grisham
3. Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend by Robert James Waller
4. Without Remorse by Tom Clancy
5. Nightmares & Dreamscapes by Stephen King
6. Vanished by Danielle Steel
7. Lasher by Anne Rice
8. Pleading Guilty by Scott Turow
9. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
10. The Scorpio Illusion by Robert Ludlum

1994

Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
The Tin Princess by Philip Pullman
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
In USA
1. The Chamber by John Grisham
2. Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy
3. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
4. The Gift by Danielle Steel
5. Insomnia by Stephen King
6. Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner
7. Wings by Danielle Steel
8. Accident by Danielle Steel
9. The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
10. Disclosure by Michael Crichton

1995

The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell

Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult
Enigma by Robert Harris
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
What a Carve Up by Jonathan Coe
The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
In USA
1. The Rainmaker by John Grisham
2. The Lost World by Michael Crichton
3. Five Days in Paris by Danielle Steel
4. The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
5. Lightning by Danielle Steel
6. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
7. Rose Madder by Stephen King
8. Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark
9. Politically Correct Holiday Stories by James Finn Garner
10. The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans

1996

Mercy by Jodi Picoult
Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
The Green Mile by Stephen King
Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell
The Third Twin by Ken Follet
Anita and Me by Meera Sayal
The Beach by Alex Garland
The Tenth Insight by James Redfield
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
In USA
1. The Runaway Jury by John Grisham
2. Executive Orders by Tom Clancy
3. Desperation by Stephen King
4. Airframe by Michael Crichton
5. The Regulators by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
6. Malice by Danielle Steel
7. Silent Honor by Danielle Steel
8. Primary Colors by Anonymous
9. Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell
10. The Tenth Insight by James Redfield

1997

The Killing Floor by Lee Child
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
Excalibur by Bernard Cornwell
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass by Stephen King
Sharpe’s Tiger by Bernard Cornwell
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
In USA
1. The Partner by John Grisham
2. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
3. The Ghost by Danielle Steel
4. The Ranch by Danielle Steel
5. Special Delivery by Danielle Steel
6. Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell
7. The Best Laid Plans by Sidney Sheldon
8. Pretend You Don't See Her by Mary Higgins Clark
9. Cat and Mouse by James Patterson
10. Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell

1998

Die Trying by Lee Child
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
The Pact by Jodi Picoult
The Loop by Nicholas Evans
Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulkes
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
Archangel by Robert Harris
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
In USA
1. The Street Lawyer by John Grisham
2. Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy
3. Bag of Bones by Stephen King
4. A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe
5. Mirror Image by Danielle Steel
6. The Long Road Home by Danielle Steel
7. The Klone and I by Danielle Steel
8. Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell
9. Paradise by Toni Morrison
10. All Through the Night by Mary Higgins Clark

1999

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
Hannibal by Thomas Harris
Tripwire by Lee Child
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
The Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
The Secret of Shambhala: In Search of the Eleventh Insight by James Redfield
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
In USA
1. The Testament by John Grisham
2. Hannibal by Thomas Harris
3. Assassins by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye
4. Star Wars: Episode 1, The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks
5. Timeline by Michael Crichton
6. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
7. Apollyon by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye
8. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
9. Irresistible Forces by Danielle Steel
10. Tara Road by Maeve Binchy