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Description:
Let's face it, we all want to be reading what the cool kids are reading. Or, we want to at least get a copy of what they’re reading so we can slip Don Quixote inside the dust cover and fool everyone at the beach into thinking we're with it. Same difference.
Transcript
- 00:04
Where to Find Bestsellers, a la Shmoop. Honestly, you could find a bestseller just
- 00:10
about anywhere.
- 00:11
A doctor’s waiting room…
- 00:13
A bus seat…
- 00:14
A bathroom stall. But suppose you actually want to seek one
Full Transcript
- 00:18
out; not just stumble upon one by happenstance.
- 00:20
Who do you ask? Where do you go? Is there a dress code?
- 00:26
Whoa, horsey. Let’s take a step back. First of all… what is a bestseller?
- 00:34
In short, a bestseller is a book that… sells… the best.
- 00:39
In other words, more people across the country are reading that book than just about anything
- 00:43
else.
- 00:44
Doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good. But it sure is popular. Just like that Karen Larsen
- 00:50
phony. Okay, sure. You want to be reading what all
- 00:54
the cool people are reading.
- 00:55
If it has such mass appeal, there must be something in there that will grab you as well.
- 01:01
You’ve tried calling, “Bestseller! Yoo-hoo, bestseller!” out your bedroom window, and
- 01:07
no response.
- 01:08
So… where to? You can look inside a newspaper, for starters.
- 01:12
First, of course, you’d have to get your hands on a newspaper, which isn’t the easiest
- 01:16
task these days.
- 01:17
You might have better luck tracking down Bigfoot, and then seeing if he’s got a copy of Grisham’s
- 01:21
latest legal thriller on him. Assuming, however, that you are able to locate
- 01:29
one of these elusive publications…
- 01:31
…check the Arts and Entertainment section, and you will see something called “The Bestseller
- 01:35
List.”
- 01:36
It’s just what it sounds like.
- 01:39
A list, sorted with the best-selling book at the top, that will show you at a glance
- 01:44
who the most popular books on the block are this week.
- 01:47
You can also find Bestseller Lists online. Which is probably the easiest way, since it
- 01:51
means you don’t have to leave your house…
- 01:53
…or engage in any stealthy newspaper hunting. Once you’ve identified the biggies, you
- 02:00
can either go to a brick and mortar bookstore…
- 02:02
…which may be even tougher to find than a newspaper…
- 02:05
…or, once again, go online. Like, to Amazon or some site like that.
- 02:11
Do a search for the titles that interest you, add ‘em to your cart, and purchase away.
- 02:15
You’ll be ready for hours of relaxing beach time before you know it.
- 02:20
And there’s an added bonus to staying ahead of the curve and reading Bestsellers before
- 02:25
they sit on the shelves for too long.
- 02:27
A number one New York Times best-seller is almost guaranteed to become a movie…
- 02:30
…so you can get a jump on the stories that are likely to be hitting your local AMC in
- 02:35
a year or two.
- 02:36
When people start getting excited about the movie coming out, you can look at them smugly
- 02:40
and say, “I know what happens.”
- 02:42
Worth the price of admission right there, isn’t it?
- 02:45
The Classics certainly have their place, and you can generally learn a heck of a lot more
- 02:49
about the human condition by reading those…
- 02:52
…but once in a while, you just want to read what all of your friends, parents, neighbors,
- 02:56
and neighbors’ cats are reading. So if you’re looking for some entertainment…
- 02:59
…and you don’t happen to have any tap-dancing hot dogs in your fridge…
- 03:03
…a best-seller may be the way to go.
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