fantasy · General · reading · Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday: Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers

Sonia Lal

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

The common features I’ve identified recur with such frequency, it’s almost as if this books have been spun out of identical genetic matter. I would go so far as to say that these twelve novels are permutations of one book, written again and again for each new generation of readers. True, these twelve novels have radically different settings, different characters, very different plots. But no matter which decade they were written in or what publishing vagaries brought them to the forefront, all have used strikingly similar techniques and themes to provide deep enjoyment to millions.

– Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers by James W. Hall

29 thoughts on “Teaser Tuesday: Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers”

  1. I don’t read Non-fiction. But this looks very interesting. It didn’t occur to me that the biggest bestsellers have techniques and themes. This sounds like something my boyfriend would love to read about. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  2. Hi Sonia,

    Whilst I am not sure that this is a book that I could sit and read from cover to cover, if it is full of interesting thoughts like that, then it may be a good one to dip in and out of from time to time.

    I actually think that what the author writes is a perfectly valid statement. There are only so many permutations of a storyline in a given genre, so it is inevitable that whilst an author will put their own slightly unique spin on a story, the books will basically come out sounding the same if you were to analyse them closely.

    Great words for thought and all before 6am!!!

    Yvonne

    Reply

  7. I’m more of a fiction reader but this book sounds interesting. The “tease” brings up some good points. There’s not much difference in literature these days; there’s a lot of books with worn-out characters, plots, and so forth.

    Thanks for stopping by my TT 🙂

    Reply

  8. Very interesting idea that every generation has best sellers that work off the same templates. But then, paraphrasing Proverbs: There is nothing new under the sun.

    Thanks for visiting!

    Reply

  9. Aww Sonia…just when you had me wanting more, the teaser ended!! Please, just a few more phrases with the big reveal?

    🙂

    Reply
  13. Pingback: Book Review: Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers by James W. Hall | Story Treasury

  14. Sounds interesting but I don’t know if I would make it all the way through. But I know what they are talking about. I like when I find something new and different which is rare. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    Reply

  15. Hey, thanks for plugging my book, Hit Lit. Love this forum. I wish some of my college students were as passionate about reading books as you folks. James Hall

    Reply

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