If you’re interested in demographics, the most wished for books on Amazon (no link provided, due to this site’s policy) is:
1. America: The Book by Jon Stewart
2. State of Fear by Michael Crichton
3. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
4. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
5. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
6. He’s Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
7. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
8. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
9. Chronicles, Vol. 1 by Bob Dylan
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
11. His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis
12. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
13. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
14. I Am a Cheesy Protagonist Who Engages in Ironic Bad Sex (title recently changed) by Tom Wolfe
15. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
16. The Complete Far Side by Gary Larson
17. Mind Hacks by Tom Stafford, Matt Webb
18. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
19. When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin
20. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
21. Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
22. The Da Vinci Code: Illustrated Edition by Dan Brown
23. Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals: Cooking ‘Round the Clock
24. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
25. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Magic Hours by Tom Bissell: This marvelous collection of essays chronicles everything from film shoots to novelists rescued from oblivion. (The essay on the Underground Literary Alliance, with its portrait of raucous factions, unexpectedly reveals how soft today's literary world has become.) But if you peer between the cracks of these smart pieces, you may very well see how cultural lives are formed from the most unexpected life choices. And as we follow Bissell's development as a writer over the years, that goes for Bissell as well. (
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway: Harkaway's latest novel greatly improves on his previous book, The Gone-Away World, which I'm already on record as praising. Angelmaker adopts genre elements without ever feeling like a genre book, and it leads me to believe that Harkaway is well on his way to a narrative grace close to China Miéville's. Yet inexplicably this very fun book, which includes an eightysomething badass named Edie Banister, a mysterious mechanical object that may destroy the world, farcical scenarios involving lawyers and the police, and some unexpectedly moving moments about fatherhood, doesn't appear to be getting much attention in American newspapers. Nothing from the snobs at The New York Times Book Review, nothing from The Washington Post. And since I can't get Harkaway on Bat Segundo, I hope this Jump Up and Down mention gets you hopping as well.
The Age of Insight by Eric Kandel: Unless you're really pressed for time, forget Jonah Lehrer. If you want to understand creativity and its relationship to neuroscience, then the bowtie-wearing Nobel laureate is your man. In addition to being a physically beautiful book (you will drool over many of the paintings), there are helpful overviews on optical illusions, science, biographical backgrounds, and many vital figures from the Vienna Secession. Kandel's enthusiasm (and his call for greater unity between the humanities and science) is contagious.
Interesting… the other thing I was thinking about is that I remember — vaguely, so possibly inaccurately — that Amazon no longer makes the majority of their money from books. It’s from the other junk they sell.
A reminder that while cream rises to the top, so does shit.
I can’t stop laughing over the fact that people not only needed the “mammoth” version of “The Da Vinci Code,” they apparently needed the illustrated version too. And you’re absolutely right, Gwenda. They get their bread from the other stuff.
Where have you gone, Toni Bentley? A nation turns its lonely sphincter to you. Woo woo woo.