Why these book reading patterns will rule bookshelves in 2023

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Cosy up with crime

While 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 wouldn't get slower or less challenging; in the face of reality, cosy crime stories make for light-hearted but intelligent reads. They also give you time to languish in every character's psyche.

While 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 Devil's Chew Toy by Rob Osler.

Weaving visual narratives

The visual beats the written in terms of accessibility. To access and enjoy the offerings of the visual medium, one doesn't necessarily need an education. It uses a universal language. And that's 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 two-year 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 - 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, "Comics in vernaculars are set to grow. I met someone who described a book they are working on; it's 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 to."

From a sales perspective, Sayed points at the constant localised demand for Manga. "It will continue to be big even in the coming year. As a shop, we are unable to cater to readers' 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 pre-ordered and nearly 150 get sold out in transit."

Sadder but wiser

What are young adults reading? We mean women - women in their late teens and early twenties. We checked with city-based 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 day-to-day 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 - who have had the context of the pandemic - consider these titles from the lens of cultural alienation. The young-and-melancholic-woman situation against a fetching backdrop of indulgent routine is attractive.

Finding the right words

Scan every major literary honour and nomination of 2022, and you will, unequivocally, find translations making their way to the top. While Geetanjali Shree's Tomb of Sand - translated into English from the Hindi novel, Ret Samadhi - won the International Booker Prize, titles such as Vultures by Dalpat Chauhan, Battles of Our Own by Jagadish Mohanty and Khalid Jawed's 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 micro-cultures. A spotlight on the genre could also mean that vernaculars - many of which were seldom used for urban settings - would be cultivated with care. A translator must know the nuances of a language to translate it into English or other widely-accepted 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 trove.

Looking back with love

Romance 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 empathy.

To 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.