BookRank

Best of the year

Best books of 1969

14 highest-rated books first published in 1969.

← 19681970 →

Why The Godfather is #1

The Godfather (Mario Puzo) scores 8.6/10 from 772 ratings — 0.3 points ahead of The Left Hand of Darkness in second place.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. Method →

  1. The Godfather
    The GodfatherMario Puzo · 1969 Crime & mystery772 ratings3
    8.68.6 / 10
  2. The Left Hand of Darkness
    The Left Hand of DarknessUrsula K. Le Guin · 1969 Science fiction1.4K ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
    The Very Hungry CaterpillarEric Carle · 1969 Picture books491 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
    I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsMaya Angelou · 1969NYT bestseller Biography & memoir514 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  5. Papillon
    PapillonHenri Charrière · 1969 Biography & memoir127 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  6. Slaughterhouse-Five
    Slaughterhouse-FiveKurt Vonnegut · 1969Filmed 1972 Science fiction3.5K ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  7. Ubik
    UbikPhilip K. Dick · 1969 Science fiction806 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  8. Master and Commander
    Master and CommanderPatrick O'Brian · 1969 Historical fiction219 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  9. Dune Messiah
    Dune MessiahFrank Herbert · 1969 Science fiction2.4K ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  10. The French Lieutenant's Woman
    The French Lieutenant's WomanJohn Fowles · 1969 Romance64 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  11. The Ship Who Sang
    The Ship Who SangAnne McCaffrey · 1969 Science fiction93 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  12. The Andromeda Strain
    The Andromeda StrainMichael Crichton · 1969Filmed 1971 Science fiction853 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  13. The Looking Glass War
    The Looking Glass WarJohn le Carré · 1969 Spy & espionage86 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  14. Hallowe'en Party
    Hallowe'en PartyAgatha Christie · 1969Filmed 2023 Crime & mystery306 ratings
    7.07.0 / 10

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