We’ve been visiting the bookstore again! Here are a few more titles that make us want to read on, and some thoughts about why they work:
Give a common word a new twist:
Adulting: How to become a grown in 468 easy(isn) steps
Sciencia: Mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy for all
Singular, intriguing word of wisdom:
Never let a serious crisis go to waste: How neoliberalism survived the financial meltdown
Nice girls don’t get the corner office: 101 unconscious mistakes women make that sabotage their carers
Spin on a fiction bestseller title:
The Talent Code: Greatness isn’t born, it’s grown. Here’s how.
Sincere and soulful:
Discovering Your Soul Signature: A 33 day path to purpose, passion, and joy
Compelling cognitive dissonance:
Falling Upwards: How we took to the air
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A message for an age of anxiety
Inverting the Pyramid: The history of soccer tactics
The Outsourced Self: What happens when we pay others to live our lives for us
Bold:
The Power of No: Because one little word can bring health, abundance, and happiness
The S Word: A short history of an American tradition: Socialism
Hello, I’m Special: How individuality became the new conformity
Straight up:
How to Win Friends and Influence People: The only book you need to lead you to success
How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior
Common threads–numbers, steps, paths, and ways to some desired state seem to play a role in many of our favorite titles. Why is this? People like a hint of real, specific guidance, perhaps. We also seem to like words like how, that imply a process we can follow, and why, which alludes to some deeper level of understanding to be gained.
What other nonfiction titles do you think work well? And which ones don’t?