Over one million books are published each year, adding to the immeasurable number of books already published. These books can then be picked up by casual readers, or aspiring writers. Those same books could also be added to some reader’s favorites, sometimes making a bridge to new genres for the reader. 

     Books cover a wide range of interests. These different interests are put into groups based on similarities making genres. Some people stick to one genre, making many claims and providing a multitude of arguments as to why that genre is the best, while others try to branch out by dipping their toes into many book genres. 

     No matter what kind of reader someone is, there is most likely a genre out there for them. 

     The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is quite popular, being used to describe many things. This same thing can be said about another aspect of books – genres. The genre determines many things about a book; from the flow of the story, to the formatting of the story. 

     For example, when you think of horror, you might think of killers, gore, nightmares, and clowns. This is how much a genre impacts the way that people view a book. Some people might even avoid a book just because it is in a genre they don’t usually read. But, on the other end of the spectrum, genres can really help direct a person to books that interest them. 

     According to librarian Jean Gritter around five years ago the West Albany Library didn’t look like how it does today. The library has since then been reworked to make sections for genres and ever since, the amount of books checked out has gone up.

     If you look at the rankings for most checked out books at the school library, the most popular genre is fantasy. Fantasy is a very broad genre covering many topics and ideas with one connecting factor – the magical and the mythical. 

     These things are represented in many different ways, so picking up a new fantasy book can be really enjoyable and surprising. You just don’t know how the content will be represented. Fantasy also covers a lot of interests, so it makes sense that it is the most popular genre. 

     There is a lot to explore in fantasy and other genres. Fantasy is the most checked out genre, which must imply that it is the best genre. There are a lot of people who really enjoy fantasy, making it really popular. 

     It’s also very multifaceted so it appeals to a wide range of people. There’s really no downside to not reading the most popular genre. It is liked by a lot of people so you can talk about books to a larger audience, and many people write in the fantasy genre making access to more books easier. Just because this is the case doesn’t mean that many people enjoy a genre that others wouldn’t even consider reading. 

     These differing tastes and opinions lead to people saying that different genres are the best genres. This is why the best genre is subjective to the reader. It is the reader’s opinion that makes the best genre, so the genre that gets someone excited to read and start a new book is the best genre. 

     It’s not based on statistics, it’s all that specific reader’s opinion. This is why we are able to have a really diverse selection of books. People usually write books in their favorite genre because they have the most exposure to it. When people are able to take a new spin on old ideas we are able to find the book or genre that makes us want to start a new page.