Why We Read What We Read: A Delightfully Opinionated Journey Through Bestselling Books

by Lisa Adams, John Heath, Lisa Adams

What do weight loss, evil emperors and tales of redemption have in common?

We readers have many dirty little secrets-and our bestselling books are spilling them all. We can't resist conspiratorial crooks or the number 7. We have bought millions of books about cheese. And over a million of us read more than 50 nearly identical books every single year.

In Why We Read What We Read, Lisa Adams and John Heath take an insightful and often hilarious tour through nearly 200 bestselling books, ferreting out their persistent themes and determining what those say about what we believe and how we relate to one another.

Some of our favorite (and revealing) topics

--Repeating the
Diet, Wealth, and Inspiration

--Black and White and Read All
Good and Evil in Bestselling Adventure Novels and Political Nonfiction

--Soul
Religion and Spirituality

--Hopefully Ever
Love, Romance and Relationships

--Reading for
Trials and Triumphs in Literary Fiction and Nonfiction

--Controversy and Conspiracy in The Da Vinci Code

Explore the nature of what and how we read-and what it means for our psyches, our society and our future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, Humor, Literary Criticism, Writing, Literature, Sociology

341 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, this was a very nice treatment of the latest trends in America’s choice of reading as evidenced by book sales. The authors were funny and insightful, and worked hard to interpret the patterns of book sales into a portrait of the modern zeitgeist. It started out great, but became predictable and belabored in parts. Too much time was spent critiquing some books, the choice of which selection to apply a lengthy critique often seemed arbitrary (based on the authors interest and not exclusively on sales), and some books that I was really interested in learning more about were barely mentioned. I realize they had to lean on their discretion to keep the book brief enough to be readable, but it just felt imbalanced in parts. Much of it was synopses of books everyone has already read or heard about, or, in my case, books I’d never want to read. For instance, I’m not all that interested in reading John Gray’s Men Are From Mars…, much less Adams and Heath’s 20 page synopses/critique of it. Whoa. I’d pay not to read either.

They finally brought it back to the real objective of the work near the end, but it took some disciplined skimming to get me there. The findings were fairly obvious: we read to pass time, we read to ‘effortlessly confirm our own convictions’ (Jung), we read for easy secrets, and we read to vicariously experience adventure without the associated risks. I suppose I was attracted to the title because I was hoping for more insight into these principles, and not merely a run-down of sales receipts.

I did find the chapter “Soul Train” to be an interesting case-study of the direction that works on the subject of faith/spirituality are taking and how the world perceives their success or failure. On the whole, even with Rick Warren’s Purpose and Bruce Wilkinson’s Prayer, much of the evangelical output is the old ideas repackaged with the ubiquitous ‘go to church’ ingredient. Adams and Heath write that however sincere these Christian authors may very well be, it will always be a challenge to hear the whispers of truth from out the mounds of gold these writers are amassing. No one can argue that Adams and Heath have done their homework here. I mean, why, just why, would any critic, in his or her right mind read all of the Left Behind series (12 books!!) just to moan about it multiple times and offer the same conclusion as with many other works by the fundamentalist Christian movement? The authors’ verdict: people who can think the sovereign God plans these horrors and still loves us are “succumbing to a kind of spiritual Stockholm Syndrome” by never questioning their torturer. All of the survivors of God’s wrath seem to agree, “Man, I’m glad I’m going to Heaven, but why does God have to be such a nasty prick sometimes?” Brilliant…but it took Adams/Heath 12 books to figure that out?

There are some nifty lists in the back that provide an overview of bestselling books from 1993-2006, but that might be a reason why some may not read the book: it’s outdated by about 5 years. I knew it was fairly outdated when I bought it from a used book sale, but I was hoping to learn something from it nonetheless. Which I did.

So what were Adams/Heath’s final words of advice? Read things that may not be comfortable or familiar, and…read more tragedy. Tragedy doesn’t offer easy, platitudinal solutions that we’ve tried over and over again with the same results. Trends in reading suggest that readers want “simple, univocal reinforcements of hunches, rather than complex, challenging efforts to search for real answers.” Tragedy offers dilemmas in which we are psychologically ‘sucked in’ to searching for a subtly elusive answer, and this struggle stays with us long after reading a book without a satisfactory ending. Their finding is that “the most disturbing stories—whether books or films—stay with us the longest and push us to consider and reconsider the most.” The Road, Martin Eden, and Lord Of the Flies come to mind as great examples.

And a very helpful word of warning from Adams/Heath: be careful not to substitute reading for living, as so many do. Reading engages the brain AND the emotions, and can simulate the effects of adventures lived, but from the comfort and safety of the couch. The semblance of personal growth and change one feels as an after-effect to reading is almost powerful enough to offer the illusion you have lived through experiences that you have only heard about, and the counterfeit risks and sensations of suspense, exhilaration, romance or bravura may actually ward off those risks and opportunities for growth and expansion that reality has to offer. If we read more than we act, we face the very real hazard of “finding solace not in change itself, but in the comforting if short-lived experience of reading about it.”

Reader beware.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An expose. Adams and Heath neatly (and cheerfully) cut open a variety of best-sellers from the past 15 years in a gleeful, unscientific study. Partially, I'm thankful that they read all of these books so I don't have to (especially the 5,000 page mega-epic series 'Left Behind'). I'm more totally whoaed by the statistics they present (57% of Americans didn't read a single book last year, but I'm deeply grateful for their insights into What Americans Are Reading Nowadays. Without condescending, Adams and Heath trace the links between non-fiction, 'literary' fiction, romance novels, The MeglaEmpire of Chicken Soup For the Soul and Oprah reading Tolstoy. Their conclusion is sobering and has larger implications beyond the bookshelves. I'm not going to claim this book will totally change what I read from now on, but I will make an effort to be more thoughtful about how I read it.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, lighthearted read that manages to be very thought-provoking. I think the conclusions drawn by the authors about what the average American is about when she picks up a book are spot-on. This one is well worth a look -- just watch out for the killer albinos!

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do people read the books they read? It seems that American readers are lazy, know-it-all, escapists with a short attention span who are only looking for reinforcement of our own beliefs. It tries to explain why we make the choices we do regarding books.

Adams tries to answer this in 6 chapters.
1 - The Obvious: Diet Wealth, and Inspiration
2 - Black and White and Read All Over: Good & Evil in Bestselling Adventure Novels and Political Non-fiction
3 - Hopefully Ever After: Love, Romance, and Relationships
4 - Soul Train: Religion and Spirituality
5 - Reading for Redemption: Trials and Triumphs
6 - Deciphering "Da Code": Conclusions

I was looking for what seems to be the most popular literature. It seems that horror is all set with Stephen King who gives "his antagonists a voice and makes us care about them because they are interesting and reliable and more than not, they are just sorta normal." Or stories like Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling, "what separates the Harry Potter series from other good-and-evil stories is its ethical complexity. Harry's moral world becomes less easily navigated as he grows older and more experienced." Discussions about Christian literature like Rick Warren, and Joyce Meyer. Romance novels by Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, Janet Evanovich. And "alternative perspectives on romanc" like Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha, Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring and Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife. "Redemption, Trials and Triumphs" like Hosseini's The Kite Runner, Edward's The Memory Keeper's Daughter and Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars. Lastly Adams discusses deciphering the Da Vinci Code. Not exactly what I thought it would be.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MAN. This book is awesome, and snarky, and awesomely snarky. It's like the authors live in my brain when I want to snark at customers.

I wish I had taken notes. That's how much I love this book. I am seriously debating asking our marketing manager to try and book the authors for a presentation and signing.

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, I just plain enjoyed this one. It was funny, legitimately funny, and it was an interesting look at popular culture in America and what people like to read (or like to pretend they've read, like to "I've been meaning to read that"), and how that just plays into overall culture. I liked it. I thought it was insightful at times, and I never got sick of the Dan Brown jokes.

[William Schram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why We Read What We Read is a book that examines the bestseller lists for books that demonstrate our collective interests.

The book excludes a number of genres that might be curious to people. Cookbooks are passed over. Books that owe their bestseller status to a movie release are ignored. There are more omissions, but I don’t really feel like listing all of them.

Why We Read What We Read is pedantic. The back says it is sometimes hilarious which is true. They have little asides and quotes that illustrate their point. So there is one section that discusses Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird that talks about how there are no Mockingbirds in the book, but I don’t see how this is humorous. I mean, the title is explained by Calpurnia; in one of the chapters, she mentions that Mockingbirds don’t do anything except sing their songs and expect nothing in return. It has been a long time since I read that particular book, but I still remember that part. After that, I began to skim a bit, so I probably missed a lot.

I am not sure what to take away from this book, but I guess it was alright. The end of the book contains a list of all the top bestsellers from 2006 back to 1993. I got it from the Library so it wasn’t really too terrible. It was interesting to see the common themes present in books, but beyond that, it wasn’t too special.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book! I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading and is curious about how certain books make the bestsellers lists -- why others would choose to read them. Not only does this book abound with fascinating cultural insights, but also, it is peppered with the authors' witty and laugh-out-loud funny remarks.

An EXCELLENT book. Not to mention, a very fun read. The main question the book seeks to answer: "What do American reading habits -- or at least our book-buying habits -- say about our current values, desires, and fears?" (p. 4)

The parts of the book that most struck me:

1) Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons" versus "The Da Vinci Code" -- "Don't people notice they're reading the same book?" (p. 3)

2) Caveat: "Bestsellers, we must note, do make up only a very small percentage of all books sold -- but still, their success is determined solely by audience demand." (p. 5)

3) "Was a book bought but never read?" (p. 7)

4) "One of the most engaging and important bestsellers in recent years is 'Reading Lolita in Tehran' by Azar Nafisi." (p. 11)

5) "readers prefer to be told answers they already know or intuit rather than to ponder different ideas or engage in debates" (p. 13)

6) Political books: "proliferating 'nonfiction' political diatribes that sound more like schoolyard taunts and tattles than reasoned efforts at national improvement" (p. 16)

7) Relationship books: "the same rigid views of gender roles and relationships" (p. 17)

8) "'The Da Vinci Code' is, in many ways, the crowning example of our findings in this project. It's speedy, simple, full of secrets." (p. 21)

9) "Perhaps it's not such a coincidence that humor books began disappearing from the annual lists just as readers were turning to 'Tuesdays with Morrie,' the multiple offerings of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul,' and other sincere inspirational titles." (p. 26)

10) Regarding 'Tuesdays with Morrie': "We are reminded of some basic sentiments we have always known but keep forgetting: that our power boat isn't a substitute for love ... fame won't fill the voide the way children will ... and giving can be more satisfying than receiving." (p. 55)

11) "Evil exists in THEM -- the psychos, the freaks -- not in us. It's not in life's mundane and unpredictable injustices, or in the painful, infinitely varied choices and circumstances that for most of us will cause more heartbreak and destruction than homicidal maniacs." (p. 65)

12) "Harry's moral world becomes less straightforward, less easily navigated, as he grows older and more experienced." (p. 83)

13) "The message that men and women must get back to their 'traditional' roles is clearly resonating with enough readers to produce excellent book sales." (p. 134)

14) "More troubling, many of these books, especially the traditional romance novels, airbrush and glorify the old-fashioned marital standards that make women unhappy enough to read romances in the first place! Think about it: although many single and/or employed women also read romances, it's not Dr. Laura's abortion-happy career girl who has the time to read multiple books a week." (p. 172)

15) "Yet it seems that we in America have this 'religious' mentality not only about religion, but about everything else, too -- our diet, our relationships, our politics. We look to other people -- to WRITERS, no less, who barely even qualify -- to tell us how to live. We don't go out in the world trusting our own experience." (p. 223)

16) Regarding 'Cold Mountain': "Readers seem to be entranced by the idea of simpler, humbler times, where the currency of hard labor brings us everything we need." (p. 236)

17) "To Oprah, fiction is meant to conjure up our own memories and lives ... It is not necessarily Azar Nafisi's 'sensual experience of another world,' but rather the sensual experience of our OWN world." (p. 245)

18) "but it is equally true that we should not read everything we believe" (p. 274)

[John Tintera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the book, Why We Read What We Read. It is the fourth book I’ve read in the past year or so on the publishing industry and reading culture in England and North America. (The others were Merchants of Culture, The Late Age of Print, and The Times of Their Lives). All of these books are ambitious, but Lisa Adams and John Heath’s effort is perhaps the most ambitious of all. Their goal is to get an inside read on the psyche of mainstream America. To accomplish this they waded through nearly 200 of the books that appeared on the Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists from the years 1995-2005. It was a particularly fertile period from which to draw a sample: it saw the rise of Harry Potter, the birth and death of The Oprah Book Club, and the apotheosis of Dan Brown. The book is organized by genre: self-help, adventure novels, political non-fiction, romance, religion & spirituality, and literary fiction (e.g. The Kite Runner). The Da Vinci Code gets a chapter all its own. What came through all that reading is a culture that is hooked on quick fixes and simplistic answers to thorny problems. One that would rather take the advice of a huckster than think for itself. Even so, Adams and Heath are not complete scourges or prophets of doom. For example, they give a stiff defense of Oprah’s book club (she got people reading, after all, and there are even one or two enduring masterpieces on her list.) Adams and Heath also remind us where Oprah may have went wrong (it wasn’t that her books were too easy or two girly, but that she and her audience read not for reading’s sake but to gather insights into their own biographies). In their conclusion, Adams and Heath pine for a culture where deeper, more complex, and realistic books take a front row to the current fare saying, “If we can wean ourselves from the destructive and useless quest for easy answers, devoting ourselves instead to a genuine search for truth in all its complexity, we can change the substance of these [bestseller] lists.” True! Nevertheless, what Adams and Heath fail to take on board is that the success of authors like Dan Brown funds the professional publication of dozens of serious and experimental novels at big publishing houses--even poetry. To paraphrase the futurist, Kingsley L. Dennis, “Change always comes from the margins, not from the center.”

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Instead of just celebrating who we already are, book can refine us by inspiring us to question what we assume and believe... by removing our own histories and feelings from the story, [enabling us] to become the characters [and not the opposite]."

"Americans have taken the ubiquitous human jope that there is something beyond our immediate awareness and reduced it to comfortable formulas."

"We have often been taught not to believe everything we read, but it is equally true that we should not read everything we believe."

Adams and Heath go over and pick apart 5 different categories of books that have appeared on the bestsellers list from the early 90s to 2005 to put forward a reason for their popularity. The take-aways they offer aren't very optimistic, but there are at least one or two exceptional samples in each section that seem to have won the approval of the authors. The parting message to the reader seems to be that there is a need for the American people to learn to read critically and with purpose, versus for the quick dose of "empty-calorie," formulaic storytelling that they have found across the country's most popular book.

Despite the gravity of the subject, Adams and Heath are amazingly funny. I found myself laughing out loud as much as I found myself grimacing at some of the more odius examples they describe. They only complaint I can muster is it feels a little supercilious at times, since they are basically positing that the mainstream literary taste of America is trash.

[Filipa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como é que no século XXI ainda existem tradutores portugueses que traduzem "anecdotes" por "anedotas"?????

É por estas e por outras que eu já não compro traduções. Além da incompetência, ainda há revisores que deixam isto passar. E depois estás a pagar um balúrdio por um trabalho de porcaria. Haja profissionalismo, senhores!! Depois queixem-se que o mercado está mau.

Enfim, falando sobre o livro - tem ideias interessantes, mas como fala sobre o bestseller americano acabei por retirar mais sobre a cultura americana do que sobre propriamente a cultura da leitura. Contudo, foi uma leitura bastante interessante e que já me aumentou a wishlist.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about why people are drawn to best-selling fiction and nonfiction. The authors tackle romances, religious and spiritual books (e.g., the Left Behind series and New Age bestsellers), literary fiction, and even The Da Vinci Code! The authors are big fans of The Time Traveler's Wife and Reading Lolita in Tehran, as bestsellers that stand out from the crowd as excellent works.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting to consider trends in our reading and how that relates to cultural, economic, and entertainment trends.

[Ogi Ogas · Rating 3 out of 5]

My ratings of books on Goodreads are solely a crude ranking of their utility to me, and not an evaluation of literary merit, entertainment value, social importance, humor, insightfulness, scientific accuracy, creative vigor, suspensefulness of plot, depth of characters, vitality of theme, excitement of climax, satisfaction of ending, or any other combination of dimensions of value which we are expected to boil down through some fabulous alchemy into a single digit.

[mmmm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapter on romance novels made me laugh to the point of crying. This is a fun, quick read, but I can see why people find it a bit condescending.

[Caryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is desperately in need of an editor. There were so many typos is was difficult to read.

[kingshearte · Rating 4 out of 5]

We readers have many dirty little secrets - and our bestselling books are spilling them all. We can't resist conspiratorial crooks or the number 7. We have bought millions of books about cheese. And over a million of us read more than 50 nearly identical books every single year.

In Why We Read What We Read, Lisa Adams and John Heath take an insightful and often hilarious tour through nearly 200 bestselling books, ferreting out their persistent themes and determining what those say about what we believe and how we relate to one another.

I really enjoyed this book, and I kind of wish the authors had a book blog or something. Hmm, maybe they do. I should see if I can find one, because this book literally had me chuckling out loud at times. I don't know that I really gained any huge insights into popular reading habits - nothing I didn't basically already know, anyway. Working in a bookstore, I'm well aware of how much people gravitate toward Nora Roberts, and John Grisham, and any number of other, well, beach reads, really. And there's really nothing wrong with many of these books. It's just kind of sad that so many people read that sort of thing exclusively, and never pick up any of the really great classics, like The Count of Monte Cristo, or The Picture of Dorian Grey, simply because they're too long, or their covers just aren't flashy enough. Furthermore, on the subject of John Grisham, for example, while I may eventually pick up one of his books, it just baffles me a little that, if you're the sort who reads only one or two books a year, why would you consistently choose essentially the same book? I've certainly been "guilty" of reading almost an entire author's canon, but never to the exclusion of everything else that's out there. But I think for some people, book shopping has become more like grocery shopping or something. Instead of coming in and browsing, and picking up something new that grabs their attention, people just come in, go straight to their prolific author of choice, and grab the newest one. Which is really too bad, because they're missing out on a lot of really great books. Probably some duds, too, and I guess if you're only going to read one or two books a year, sticking with your favourite author is one way to ensure that you'll enjoy all two of them, but it just seems so limiting.

And then of course, there are the religion and self help books, and all that fun stuff, and it's with those books that this book really helped me, I think. I don't really read much of that type of book, so I don't really know anything about most of them. But of course, people are buying it. In droves. So this books reviews of some of them have given me at least a clue as to what's inside some of them. Did you know, for example, that pretty much every time a woman opens her mouth, she's telling you that while she knows you love her, she would appreciate your re-affirming that, and also, she would really like a hug? See, now that I realize this, I don't have to read Men are form Mars, Women are from Venus. Which is a good thing, because, based on the above and other samples of the "wisdom" contained in that book? Ug. Apparently, according to most of the top-selling relationship self-help books, I'm pretty much doomed to an ultimately unhappy marriage, because I'm sorry, but I'm not going to bow to the traditional gender roles. I will not stay home to cook, clean, and raise babies so my husband can go out, earn money, and feel like a studly stud. I might even - gasp! - occasionally question him on something. I'm a terrible wife, I know. Gag me.

Anyway, fantastic read, although I don't know if someone who didn't work in books would get quite as much out of it as a bookseller does. But I'd say it's a very worthwhile read for anyone who does work with books.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up from the library based on the title/description & Marianne's 3 star review. This book is pretty much as advertised - the authors explore the best seller lists from the past decade or so, grouping books by genre and sharing their thoughts on each grouping.

There's many amusing digressions along the way (such as the proliferation of pantsuits described in a Higgins Clark mystery) and no small amount of snark, as you might expect from two academic types. I was pleasantly surprised to see how even-handed the section on political books was; they found faults with both the conservative and liberal pundits; stating that they're more interested in placing blame on the other side than providing a thoughtful examination of the situation and/or a solution: "Empathy, not just for 'sinners' but also for those who disagree with one's definition of 'sin' is completely absent from the political books."

In fact, Adams and Heath believe a lot of what we read serves to reinforce our current set of beliefs, versus doing what good literature should, which is to present alternative viewpoints and challenge our mindset. "An American can easily make it through every single minute of a busy life without ever honestly confronting difference, without being challenged to defend a point of view..." Not quite sure I agree with that... but then again, I'm a bit of an outlier, I suppose.

Adams and Hart had some interesting insights on the the self-help and spirituality sections as well - dedicating considerable time to an analysis of the Left Behind series, and its focus on faith vs reason. They set their sights on the New Age genre as well, commenting that "Not everybody has the stamina to defend a locust-happy God."
Moving on to fiction - they examined the thriller genre, commenting along the way on the likes of Stephen King, who "picks his heroes from among the masses; they're not so much diamonds in the rough as chunks of colorful gravel". The DaVinci Code also gets quite a bit of attention - whether you agreed with Dan Brown's theories or not, you were reading his stuff!

They also came to rather a depressing conclusion about the romance genre - that women were reading these books (which ALWAYS have a happy ending) as an escape from their own lives: "Romance novels must be taken seriously for the therapeutic role they perform... but it's awfully sad, no way around it, when a book provides more sustenance than a mate. And it's sadder still to learn that we love to read about love because we have so little of it." I guess that means I'm pretty satisfied with my romantic relationship, because I don't care for this genre.

There's a lot of food for thought in this book; however, I'm not sure I agree with all of their conclusions. I'd be interested in reading an updated version at some point, as the political scene has only gotten more divisive since the 2008 elections.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me first add the subtitle that is on the cover, "A Delightfully Opinionated Journey through Contemporary Bestsellers." So, that is what it is. The quote from the Library Journal sums it up quite nicely "Insightful conclusions regarding the common thematic threads that resonate with American readers." I first heard of this book on an NPR program with the authors and I found the discussion interesting, as they talked about Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code and the "Oprah Book club." Admittedly, I've read a good number of these bestsellers and enjoyed many, but still, I can't help but agree with their conclusions (the "whys"). As they say it, "our reading habits undermine the process of gaining genuine insight into the world and ourselves."
The "what's" of what we read got into a lot of the quotes from books and plot synopsis, which I could have done without sometimes (particularly the chapter on romance novels). But it was just fascinating to try to figure out why some books are just so popular and why we, as a society, are pulled into the same junk again and again. Some of the main points are how reluctant we are to read about things we don't agree with, to see a different point of view or perspective. We like books that are neat, easy, and end happily. It's disappointing to realize where we are as a society, or at least the ones that buy books. And it bears self-reflection, why do I read what I read? What does it say about me? (don't answer that). And of course not all bestsellers are junk - but a lot of them seem to be (esp. when you add in all the romance novels that are always so marketable). And maybe a lot of people just have to jump in and see what all the hype is about (hopefully?). But, I suppose this book reiterates what most of us think we know already, that just because something is popular, doesn't mean it's good. And yet, somehow, we are sucked in over and over.


More questions I have: What makes a book a good piece of literature and not just a bestseller? What would the criteria be? (and would any of us agree?) How do you define a classic?

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informally written, sometimes snarky investigation of which books become bestsellers in the United States and why. Some of Adams's and Heath's opinions and conclusions:

* Americans tend to read books that confirm rather than challenge their beliefs, whether those beliefs involve politics, religion, business, science, or romance.

* Self-help books can be an addiction. Reading about the possibility of improving our physical health, spiritual health, or general outlook on life can make us feel good while we're reading it, but then we don't make any significant changes in our lives. After awhile, we need another self-help book.

* It's weird that so many Christian authors don't know how to read the Bible in any of its original languages.

* Americans dislike books with tragic endings. Often, the protagonist overcomes incredible odds; even if he or she doesn't, the book ends with some hope for the future.

* Dan Brown wrote two books--Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code--that are basically the same book.

* Americans love conspiracies. Kevin Trudeau, the author of Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, spent two years in prison for larceny, but people still buy his books.

Here are some books that were bestsellers AND worthwhile reading, according to Adams and Heath:

NONFICTION

Reading Lolita in Teheran by Azar Nafisi

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

John Adams by David McCullough

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

The Freakonomics books

Books of essays by Malcolm Gladwell


FICTION

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

The Reader by Bernard Schlink

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Harry Potter books

Light from Heaven by Jan Karon

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting concept (what do the books we as a society buy say about us?), but not very enlightening. I'd have to say that you can't really determine much about our society by the books we buy, and that's not a bad thing.*

The authors were clearly enamored with Azar Nifisi, who wrote Reading Lolita In Tehran, but they were relatively upfront about using her ideas and words to form at least part of their theory. They were unimpressed by basically all political books, focusing mostly on the contributions to the national dialogue of Michael Moore and Ann Coulter and their counterparts. They did give props to Al Franken for being funny (because he is), and to Bill O'Reilly for not being as wacked out as the left tends to paint him.

I can't say I enjoyed the book, because I don't think they managed to present any real conclusions from the bestsellers list. Also, I would like to point out that I pointedly never read Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus or Left Behind, and that was in large part to avoid whatever they were about. So, thanks for the long winded summary.

However, points for shoutouts to Julia Quinn, who writes witty and intelligent romance novels, and for reminding me that I should stop making fun of Oprah's Book Club, as my reading tastes often overlap with theirs. My bad.

*(I say that having read only 25 of the top 100 books sold between 1993-2003 according to USA Today, and that includes all of the kids books (5 Harry Potters, 2 Dr. Suess books, The Polar Express, Holes, and The Giver), along with three books I read in school (To Kill A Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, and Cold Mountain), which make 13 of that 25. Which should give you a pretty good idea of where I my reading list falls in comparison to the bestsellers.)

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a riveting read, but interesting nonetheless; and some chapters were more engaging than others. Across the board - romances, memoirs, religious and New Age, self-help and diet, political, literary, fiction and non-fiction - we as Americans seem to desire quick and easy fixes, reiteration and reinforcement of beliefs we already hold, and, above all, happy endings. We're not big fans of tragedy (bad things can happen, as long as everything turns out OK in the end), we don't like to consider other viewpoints from our own, and we're lacking in empathy. There's a lack of honest discourse and dialogue; we read to escape, not to think.

In the authors' words, we want "straightforward answers and reassurance. Our reading too often simplifies, rather than enriches; validates, rather than undermines; explains, rather than adumbrates*; commands, rather than suggests; answers, rather than questions; pardons, rather than challenges; and accuses, rather than seeks to understand." (274)

In other words...we're sheep. Lazy sheep.

*I had to look this up. Adumbrate (v): 1. To give a sketchy outline of; 2. To prefigure indistinctly; foreshadow; 3. To disclose partially or guardedly; 4. To overshadow; shadow or obscure.

[Readersaurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, the authors explore the titles on the Publisher's Weekly bestseller lists over a period of ten years. Looking for trends and reasons, they group these books into the following general types: Diet, Wealth, and Inspiration; Good and Evil; Love, Romance, and Relationships; Religion and Spirituality; Reading for Redemption. There are a lot of great genres not represented here, but that's because they weren't present on the bestseller lists.

Their conclusions here are a bit sad. Based on their analysis, Americans read to find themselves cathartically reflected in the story, or to find an easy way to a more perfect life. And most men don't read.

Although I enjoyed this book, I don't really buy it. If it's accurate, we are a nation of really shallow people.

Speaking of not really buying, I would love to see a similarly constructed book that examines the books with the top library circulation during this same period. Many people prefer to borrow than buy.

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both really funny and kind of depressing, this look at what bestsellers have in common (hint: they're kind of stupid) intends to explain what they say about us as a reading public (hint: we're kind of stupid). The big conclusions don't hold up very well, but the middle-level analysis is really interesting. Adams and Heath actually read a scary number of bestsellers and grouped them by themes (so self-help relationship books are in the same chapter as romance novels, and Harry Potter is in the same chapter as John Grisham ("good and evil")). Just the pointing out the commonalities among the books and how very, very many of them have sold is interesting enough, even if I don't buy what the authors make of them.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Non-Fiction) I am so glad I read this book on a bus to the ALA Conference in Chicago, so I could discuss this book with my dear friend and fellow-book lover Hannah. The authors warn us that they are "deliously oppinionated." This is what I loved about this book. They are hilarious, superbly witty, and insightful. One one of my favorite parts of the book is the observation that Americans buy a lot of marriage books, particularly the best-seller Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. However, the romance genre moves a lot of books too, and those novels definitely do not follow John Gray's advice. Humans are weird, so our reading tastes are weird. Leave it to these authors to tell us why we read what we read. Booklovers and Librarians, move this book to the top of your queue.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors read or at least skimmed the Publishers Weekly bestseller lists for about the past 15 years and drew conclusions about American readers from their reading. I tended to agree with most of them, although I must admit that the "literary novel" category was the only one in which I'd read more than a handful of the books. The mysteries I read are not by Mary Higgins Clark or James Patterson, and I haven't even read The Da Vinci Code! The authors have a good sense of humor and brought me quite a few chuckles. I picked this up because it was National Library Week and it was on a shelf near the circulation desk of books about reading.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exploration of modern-day bestsellers, the themes they explore, and why people are drawn to them over and over again.

Pretty interesting, and I agree with most of what is suggested in this study. I really enjoyed reading this (books about books - I certainly am a library student). I liked how they split things up by genre and analyzed that way - it made sense and helped organize their theories. My only problem with this book is that it needed a better editor. There were a number of times when I thought, "Wow, they missed something there." I just hate seeing poorly edited books. It makes me feel bad.

[Dfunky1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sociologically speaking this book is interesting, but in terms of readability it's just so-so. The humor is strained and of the groan rather than chuckle variety. Thus, you're constantly reminded throughout the text that the authors believe themselves to be uber-witty. Sometimes, in fact, it seems that Adams and Heath go for the easy joke instead of seeking insight into American values through a study of the books we read. This is especially demonstrated in the titles and subtitles of sections of the book.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rest of this book's title is "A Delightfully Opinionated Journey Through Bestsellers." So true!

Adams and Heath cover self-help, religious, romantic, tragic, and good vs. evil bestsellers. They even explore the popularity of the ghastly (yet bestselling) novel, The Da Vinci Code.

I like how they break down the bestsellers and their themes, and their assessment of bestselling books reinforced one of my beliefs--a book's bestseller status has nothing to do with the quality of writing. I've never read a book just because it was on the bestseller list, and now I know why!

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

An "Existentialism" kind of analysis of book reading. Don't be surprised if you have a feeling of "nihilism" after the brutal dissection of what we read and why.

Or simply read it for its delightfulness and humour.

Not as dry and academic like the ones by Harold Bloom or David Denby

PS: too bad SF is not subjected to analysis :-) not sure if it's because it's not the authors' forte or because of the too-varied themes in Science Fiction. Here's a challenge for Ms Adams and Mr Heath....include SF in your next edition/book