Why these book reading patterns will rule bookshelves in 2023

Cosy up with crimeWhile the voyeuristic reader will continue to seek more of crime and horror stories they might take a detour from the gory kind and resort to cosy crime The liking for this section can be traced back to what Richard Osman does with his plots The difference between this brand of books and shocking murder mysteries is the gap between clever and chilling Why will readers increasingly fall back upon it Life wouldnrsquot get slower or less challenging in the face of reality cosy crime stories make for lighthearted but intelligent reads They also give you time to languish in every characterrsquos psycheWhile you keep an eye on upcoming releases in the genre we recommend reading A Bird in the Hand by Ann Cleeves The Cat Who Caught a Killer by LT Shearer and Devilrsquos Chew Toy by Rob OslerWeaving visual narrativesThe visual beats the written in terms of accessibility To access and enjoy the offerings of the visual medium one doesnrsquot necessarily need an education It uses a universal language And thatrsquos one of the main reasons behind the success of graphic novels and comics During the course of the year the Indian comic industry made up for a twoyear lull in leaps and bounds We spotted books rooted in our identity culture and mythology Amar Chitra Katha partnered with Godrej and Boyce to introduce two biographies in the graphic format mdash Ardeshir and Pirojsha Godrej and Naval Godrej We also delved into a new series called Professor Ashwatthama by Sahil Sharma Hamza Sayed owner and founder of The Comic Book Store in Bandra notes ldquoComics in vernaculars are set to grow I met someone who described a book they are working on itrsquos based in Rajasthan and discusses vampires in folklore Homegrown authors and artists are venturing into uncharted territories revealing areas of study we might not have given much thought tordquoFrom a sales perspective Sayed points at the constant localised demand for Manga ldquoIt will continue to be big even in the coming year As a shop we are unable to cater to readersrsquo demands for Manga books despite having a designated section for it Every week we source at least 200 of these books Most of them are preordered and nearly 150 get sold out in transitrdquo Sadder but wiserWhat are young adults reading We mean women mdash women in their late teens and early twenties We checked with citybased readers and bookshop owners to confirm our observation that a clique of writers are cohesively building the Sad Girl books genre And we suspect the genre would thrive in the coming months for its detached narrative voice Think of books such as My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh or Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen Readers seem to associate with a disaffected woman narrator who mirrors their daytoday struggles even if it is the lack of motivation to step out on a bright and sunny day However critics and podcasters have also warned us against the romanticisation of such a genre The reason being that the genre promotes a racist culture where white women claim to use their fragility and despair to equate softness with weakness Also these main voices have been accused of using other marginalised individuals as trivial props in their journey Despite the critique such books will dominate a sizeable chunk of the year ahead as young adults mdash who have had the context of the pandemic mdash consider these titles from the lens of cultural alienation The youngandmelancholicwoman situation against a fetching backdrop of indulgent routine is attractive Finding the right wordsScan every major literary honour and nomination of 2022 and you will unequivocally find translations making their way to the top While Geetanjali Shreersquos Tomb of Sand mdash translated into English from the Hindi novel Ret Samadhi mdash won the International Booker Prize titles such as Vultures by Dalpat Chauhan Battles of Our Own by Jagadish Mohanty and Khalid Jawedrsquos The Paradise of Food among others particularly caught our eye Translated books are beginning to become the new face of Indian literature as both Indian and global readers take an active interest in microcultures A spotlight on the genre could also mean that vernaculars mdash many of which were seldom used for urban settings mdash would be cultivated with care A translator must know the nuances of a language to translate it into English or other widelyaccepted languages and further hold on to a position as significant as Indian writing in English Be it for their innovative aesthetic on the covers or the sheer diversity of content Korean translations will continue to feature on our bedside tables and shelves For those looking to read such books we suggest finding translators you like reading From thereon you will organically discover an enriching treasure troveLooking back with loveRomance novels will find their warm niche among reading trends But this year their focus might just not be on women Men might want to study the genre to be able to speak about love and sex with more empathyTo ring in the year we suggest titles such as Love on the Brain Something Wilder The Roughest Draft Falling Into Place and The Marriage Clock