Reading best-selling books is a great way to stay in the loop, take part in lively conversations, and expand the types of books you read. One of the easiest ways to figure out what everyone is reading is to consult renowned bestseller lists. In the world of fiction, the top five books in mid-March, 2023 (on The New York Times bestseller list) indicate that there are some genres that will always resist passing fads and trends. For instance, this week’s number one book, Things We Hide From the Light by Lucy Score, is a classic mystery/romance that wraps its main characters up in traumas and secrets that readers simply cannot wait to resolve or discover. There are, however, newer genres that are holding strong, including nostalgic books like Bonnie Garmu’s Lessons in Chemistry. This book is set in the 60s, and it follows a gifted chemist whose career takes a 180º turn when she becomes the unwitting star of a TV cooking show. If you’re looking to expand the type of novel that’s on your shelf this month, take hold of the following trending genres on Amazon and similar online bookshops.
The Rich World of Fantasy
Fantasy is still one of the most in-demand genres, with readers keen to escape into braver, truer, more colorful worlds where protagonists have special powers or abilities that transform them into the ultimate hope for humankind. Two relatively newly published books that are taking the online industry by storm include Stephen King’s Fairy Tale (about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war) and Carissa Broadbent’s The Serpent and the Wings of Night (in which the world of humans and vampires unite and collide). These books tap into the human interest in risk, adventure, and mysterious beings who are as attractive as they are dangerous.
Science Fiction
Science fiction series are always popular, owing to their ability to tackle human dilemmas in a parallel setting. Books like Frank Herbert’s Dune Chronicles, Asimov’s Foundation, and Dan Simmons’ Hyperion entice readers to travel on noble voyages, brave a fearsome future, or tap into a future in which one entity’s absolute power reigns supreme over humankind. In the face of the recent pandemic, current wars, and the threat of global warming, it seems only logical to read books that enable us to analyze the futures we hope for and those we hope will never come. It is also vital to understand the ways in which our own desires, beliefs, and behaviors contribute to the future we are building.
Dystopian Books
The Dystopian category is strongly aligned with science fiction, but it focuses on societies that are in cataclysmic decline, usually giving us hope in the shape of an ordinary hero with extraordinary intelligence, nobility, and tenacity. Dystopian novels deal with issues that tend to be extreme versions of those faced in current times. Typical themes include environmental devastation, technological dominion, anarchism, and mass poverty. As Margaret Atwood states, these works “move (present problems) a little further down the road.” Hugh Howe’s The Silo Series Collection: Wool, Shift, Dust, and Silo Stories, in which the remnants of humanity live underground in a vast silo, delves into profound questions such as the validity of rules when one individual feels they are unnecessary.
Adventure Novels
Action and adventure novels tap into the demand for adrenalin-charged books that are a little lighter in flavor than dystopian novels. Currently selling like hotcakes are games like Dean Koontz’s The House at the End of the World and Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary. The latter is the riveting story of a lone astronaut, who is called upon to save the earth from disaster. The astronaut has no idea who he is or why he is millions of miles away from his home. He simply wakes up in space with two corpses for company, and he must cobble together the pieces that remain of his memory, so he can conquer one of the most powerful threats to the human species.
Romance Rules
Love knows no bounds, and it also continues to inspire and enthrall readers of all ages. Currently, the second-highest selling fictional work, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, taps into a classic theme in romantic fiction: the male who won’t commit. The protagonist of the book, the independent, hardworking Lily, starts a relationship with a talented neurosurgeon called Ryle Kincaid. He seems too good to be true, and we begin to think that he just might be! He seems to think that Lily should be grateful that he’s even dating her, and his coldness lead her to think of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and her fiercest protector and most avid supporter. When Atlas suddenly pops back into her life, the foundations of her relationship with Ryle are shaken to the limit.
Top trends in fiction genres have remained fixed over the years. Fantasy consistently scores high on most prestigious bestseller lists, as do Science Fiction, Dystopian books, and Adventures. Romance also rules, particularly books that challenge the reader to question their own ideals of “the one.”
