Support your local independent bookstores (if you still have any)!

I don't know how common bookstores that are not part of large chains still are in other countries, here in Germany we have this thing called Buchpreisbindung (roughly translates to "fixed book prices") which means bookstores actually have to compete only through presentation and their professional advice. Independent bookstores often have very knowledgeable personal that can give you great advice for free (in case of Germany) or with little extra cost compared to just ordering on Amazon/one of the corporate chains, e.g. at the bookstore around the corner the owner has been selling books for 50 years and has read basically everything ever published at this point.

She has just recommended me Gentleman overboard which is a short, although nonetheless incredibly moving book about a gentleman... well, going over board.

As for the titles/front page design/self-help books: I feel with OOP, but this seems to be what people care about/still feel they have the time to read. One actually very good (although slightly older) book from this rather modern category is The subtle art to not give a fuck.

Tldr go out, search for and support independent bookstores!

Is this about the US, is the US alright?

I was in a bookstore yesterday. I did have a chuckle at this self-help book called something along the lines of "How to Politely Tell People to Fuck Off", which proudly stated to be written by a social therapist or some other Pokemon evolution of a psychologist.

Otherwise it was novels from mainstay authors, young adult stuff whose quality was undecypherable from their "my cousin knows Photoshop" covers and a bunch of pseudo-academic highly specific texts from local self-published authors.

I was disheartened to see that the native minority language section keeps shrinking, especially among children's stuff. And while I was looking at that I also noticed the manga section is bigger than the graphic novel section and that is bigger than US comics, which were now nonexistent. More neutral about that one.

Cue “am I out of touch” meme.

OP, it's OK to no longer be up-to-date with the literature scene.

The part a out randomly generated awards are so on point. Altough it could work with author names as well well. P. E. Nmyass

I just learned the book I'm reading has a glow in the dark cover

I'm too early on in the book to know what that means

Lmao, Sarah J Maas catching strays.

Ok but I would read 'All The Fire That We Hold Tomorrow.'