This weekend, I was reading Publisher’s Weekly and saw a piece about what books have become drastically more popular this year. While sales of Trump’s book The Art of the Deal have dramatically risen (325% increase), most of the other books had to do with with feminism, race, warnings of fascism, and the constitution. It Can’t Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis, has increased sales by twelve thousand percent. Sales of March, the graphic novel John Lewis co-created, increased by over four hundred percent. Sales of The Constitution, Brave New World, Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451 have all risen dramatically. This is heartening!
Since the election I’m definitely reading more – even more thrilled than usual to escape the real world into the land of books. In November, I read a lot of romance novels because they were the easiest to lose myself in. Now I’m upping my YA and trying to double my commitment to read diversely. But I’m also trying not to read books that I think will be too sad or depressing since there is so much of that in the real world right now. Have your reading habits changed since the election? I’m super curious. Do you have any suggestions?
Alison Doherty 
I’m also reading more. It’s a self care thing to keep me off of social media quite so much.
I’d fallen down a Vonnegut hole even before the election, and now I can’t decide if that was a good thing or not, but I’m still going!
Interesting. I’ve never gotten big into Vonnegut, but every now and then I try again. I definitely agree that I’ve replaced a lot of social media time with reading time, which was probably a good idea regardless of the political situation.
I’m definitely reading more – for the same reason as Reenie. Keeps me from fighting people on facebook. And what I’m reading has changed too – some of that has to do with personal resolutions (read more for pleasure instead of work – so there’s a lot more frivolous fiction in my diet right now), but I must admit to also beginning a reread of 1984, It Can’t Happen Here, and The Origins of Totalitarianism – if only to refresh my memory and be able to converse intelligently with everyone else who’s now either rereading or reading for the first time.
Interesting. My reading hasn’t become super political yet, but I have been thinking of giving 1984 a reread and maybe The Handmaid’s Tale.
I’ve been meaning to read that as well… I’m trying to be careful not to overload on political dystopian doomsday kind of stuff though.
I’ve noticed I’m less forgiving of books that aren’t holding my attention and definitely leaning towards my comfort genres so to speak. YA with a hint of dystopian or fantasy is my best bet these days.
Interesting! I’ve been thinking of rereading Hunger Games, but I know there’s a lot of other YA dystopian out there.
So many good ones! I loved the Uglies trilogy and the Lunar Chronicles especially.
Awesome! I read the first Uglies book, but didn’t keep going even though I really enjoyed it. Maybe I will start back up!
Oh I definitely recommend the rest of the series!