In this item Rachel Smith suggests what we read, and why, might be more revealing than you think.
"As I purchase yet another book to stack atop the wobbling ‘to be read’ tower beside my bed, I ask myself: what do the books we buy say about us?
"The Sunday Times Bestseller List, which tracks the popularity of titles released in the UK, turned 50 this month. To celebrate, they released a list of the 100 bestselling titles from the last half a century.* It’s a fascinating insight into what we read, or at least what we buy."
This article is from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity section on Connecting with Culture, Understanding Culture.
"Clear themes emerge. We want books that inform how we live, whether self-help manuals, driving handbooks, dieting guides, or the recently booming genre, cookbooks. There are plenty of popular psychology books on the list too, which The Times ascribes to the fact that ‘our relationships with each other matter more than almost anything else.’
The popularity of the new-ish ‘misery memoir’ genre reveals our willingness to investigate the dark side of life, our desire to make sense of pain, and our need to find a safe space to shed cathartic tears. It’s balanced with an equal number of light-hearted books, both comedic and gently philosophical, offering a combination of two things we Brits characteristically crave: humour and comfort.
And in the top spot? Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. Yes, I was surprised too. Perhaps its popularity testifies to an ambitious desire to understand the universe, where we came from, and what it might mean that we’re here on Earth. (Or maybe just that we want visitors glancing at our bookshelves to see us as intelligent and thoughtful.)
Why are we here? Where do we come from? How can we love others well? How should we live? Where can we find comfort and joy? How can we face sadness and darkness? These are the questions our friends and neighbours are considering when they buy and read these books. They’re the same questions we ourselves might have when we come to our Bibles.
Perhaps when you next peek at a friend’s bookshelves, or invite them to borrow something from yours, you might ask them what they’re reading and why. Like the Sunday Times list, or your own ‘to be read’ pile, the answers might be more revealing than you think, opening up a space to share biblical words of world-changing wisdom and hope that give life far beyond the page."
Rachel is a part-time writer and a full-time mum. She attends King’s Church Durham.
This article is from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity section on Connecting with Culture, Understanding Culture.
*This is measured according to how many weeks a title has spent in the top 10. See here for the definitive list (behind paywall).
