The written word is one of the most treasured of life’s concepts. It allowed people to pass down stories and knowledge in a more accurate and repeatable way than previous oral storytelling traditions did. Rather than a few specially trained historians, anyone suddenly had access to books as long as they could read.
Books do more than just inform people. They relax people. They inspire people. Books entertain people! There’s really no end to what books contain. It’s true that books have taken a different path recently. Their time as a physical item to be bought and traded may be coming to a close. But through electronic devices, books will never fade away!
Fiction vs. Nonfiction
The distinction between these two genres can sometimes confuse people. The best way to think about it is that fiction means something which has been created from nothing. Fiction work can range from classic tales from Hemingway like The Sun Also Rises to modern “classics” like the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Fiction books are everywhere, with new ones being created by exciting authors all the time.
Nonfiction books are the opposite. Nothing is intended to be made up, or at the worst they are based on real world events. Nonfiction books often try to tell the true stories of people, or attempt to explain the world around them. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin is a nonfiction book. "The Witches" is a nonfiction work about the Salem witch trials. History and society is explored through nonfiction work.
Book Subcategories
Since the two overarching types of books cover so much ground, it’s not surprising that there are books on almost any topic. People can easily find what they are most interested in reading. Some of the most exciting book categories are:
- Autobiography - These nonfiction offerings are written by the person in question, often accompanied by a writer to help them get their words down on the the page. The book is meant to give readers a glimpse into the author’s life.
- Self Help - Some people are mocked for using self help books, but why is that? People who read self help style books are simply attempting to find ways to make them a better person.
- Romance - This category is interesting because the stories can be either fiction or nonfiction (while arguably far more written are fiction). The romance genre helps people understand experience love in a unique way.
- Cookbook - A good cookbook is actually a sub category of a sub category (reference books). Cookbooks are filled with information on how to properly create elaborate or simple meals along with important instructions.
- Crime and Mystery - Crime, the prevention of crime and mystery will always be popular in people’s eyes. People love a good crime book. Arguably more popular these days are true crime books. These books (and often accompanying media content or podcasts) help explore the details of specific crime cases in great detail.
- History/Historical - History books can cover vast areas and time, or they can be centrally located on a single time and moment with great detail. Historical fiction on the other hand loves to ask the question “what if?” and explore if something had gone differently in the past.
- Spiritual - These works help people get in better touch with their spiritual side. It doesn't need to specifically be books about organized religion, but can offer people ways to get in touch with the world around them.
- Fantasy/Sci-Fi - These genres of fiction tend to get lumped together. Fantasy and sci fi are some of the most exciting types of fiction. From dragons to spaceships, more fantasy and sci fi stories are making it to the mainstream than ever before.
- Spy/Espionage - The essential works of Ian Fleming gave birth to James Bond, but the genre certainly didn’t stop there. An interesting non-fiction wrinkle is retired espionage agents writing memoirs of the past for things that may not be classified anymore.
