Bestsellers 2010

Word "bestseller" brings to mind flashing cameras, high society, and the author surrounded by celebrities. Sociologists ignore the buzz, and instead try to use bestsellers lists to divine trends and wisdom about our society. If Amazon Bestsellers 2010 are any indication, the only clear trend would be a conservative revival in the United States. The results of the November elections seem to support this conjecture, though not as strongly as the bestsellers would suggest. After all, year 2010 started with Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" making it to the top of the list, and Glenn Beck's "Arguing with Idiots" not far behind. This "conservative surge" is supported by the fact that in October 2010, Glenn Beck's "Broke" is near the top, and George W. Bush's "Decision Points" has climbed into the top 10. There were other books written by conservatives that hit the top 10 in previous months.

Could it be that sociologists are wrong in looking at bestsellers lists for political and societal trends? Political books tend to have a short life in the top 10, compared to fiction or autobiographical bestsellers. Kathryn Stockkett's "Help" had spent most of 2010 in the top five on the list; only recently it dropped off a bit. "The Grand Design" by Stephen Hawking had a much shorter stay at the top - more like a political book. "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid" on the other hand, is a series of books that has become a phenomenon, and at any point in time, at least one book from the series remains in the top 10. This has been going for years. As of the end of October, 2010, the book to beat is Keith Richards autobiography "Life". Richards has been living a very intense life for over 50 years, so I am sure he has plenty of material for more than one biography. I think his book will stay at the top for a while - star power is real when it comes to bestsellers.vergleichen

Ultimately, Amazon Bestsellers 2010, like any bestsellers list, is simply a list that indicates what books readers find particularly appealing. If you strip out political stuff and business books, what remains are books that really touch something in us. Reading books is an emotional experience. To make it to the top of the bestsellers list, and to stay there, a book has to be either exceptionally well written, thus a pleasure to read, or it has to have an emotional impact that's simply impossible to shake off. James Surowiecki, in his "The Wisdom of Crowds", cited statistical analysis that showed that average of guesses by a group of non-specialists tends to come closer to the "truth" than best guesses by experts. This would explain why bestsellers lists are so popular - we implicitly recognize that if a lot of people liked something, it's a good bet that we would like it too. So the wise thing to do is to forget the sociologists and their theories, and simply curl up in front of a fireplace with a favorite drink and the number one book on the bestsellers list.