Since the election, many have been turning to books as they take a break from the onslaught of news, finding a sense of “respite and renewal” in literature.
But what are they reading?
Many on social media have been drawing comparisons between the objectives of Project 2025 and The Handmaid’s Tale, including Margaret Atwood herself. Sales for the novel are up dramatically, with many readers finding a new resonance in the dystopian world of Gilead. And consumer searches for dystopian books more broadly are up over last year, as are sales for some nonfiction titles that meet the moment, notably Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny and the more recent Defectors by Paola Ramos.
However, proving that the uptick in book buying spans the political divide, so are searches for Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal.
Still other readers are looking to books for pure escapism. Searches for rom-coms and fantasy books are up since the election and higher than they were last year.
See below for some of the top titles readers are picking up now, or click on one of these lists for more book ideas:
