Books

Romance, classic and poetry pop list of most popular books globally

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Book covers. PHOTOS | POOL

Romance, classic, and poetry are the most popular among readers worldwide, according to a study carried out recently. The study by a Switzerland firm created a map that showcases which book genres were most searched in each country.

According to them, romance books dominated and outsold fantasies, classics, poetry, adventure books, and all other genres. Romance did so well, noted the study, that they made unit sales of a whopping Sh5.3 billion ($47 million) in 2021, representing an increase of 24 percent from the previous year.

It looked at the Google search volume for each book genre in different countries, both in English and in their native language. “One could very easily assume French preference for romance books given their “city of love” sobriquet.

Apart from its stunning beauty and very romantic lifestyle, some of the world’s best love stories actually came from here. It’s also interesting to note that readers in Venezuela read both romance and horror books at about the same level,” noted the study.

You are far more likely to find classic books in the homes of English-speaking countries, noted the study, which attributed this to the passion of English for their cultural heritage, and respect for books that have endured the test of time such as 'Pride and Prejudice', a book by Jane Austen, 'David Copperfield' by Charles Dickens, and 'Moby-Dick' by Herman Melville.

In the US, classic books also reigned supreme, followed closely by romance and poetry books. Next were Manga and historical fiction, crime and fantasy, which had almost a similar number of readers. In Europe, fantasy ranked popular, based on the belief that historically, most fantasy stories focused solely on European-inspired locations, making them appealing to readers of all ages.

Fantasy books include Hobbit, the Harry Potter series, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which are all set in Europe. Horror books are the most popular book genre in Latin countries, Asians and Canadians searched on the internet for “poetry books” more than any other book genre.

The thriller novel genre rules supreme in Dutch-speaking countries, whereas Norwegian readers choose crime fiction above other genres.

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