Autographs of which writers were most wanted by readers at “Book Arsenal”? Who are the most popular authors of self-development methods and from whom our citizens draw business wisdom? Whose detective stories cause the greatest interest and the desire to buy all the volumes? What kind of fantasy novels appeared on the shelves of bookstores and how film adaptations affects the sale of books? Who are new Ukraininan authors? Whose recipe-books are the most popular in Ukraine?  Olena Katsevych, the senior seller of “Bukva” bookstore in Prospekt shopping mall told Weekend about the preferences of readers.

Timeless Classics
Authors of different eras and genres about the eternal
1.    Erich Maria Remarque
His works are most frequently asked by readers of different ages.
2.    Ayn Rand “Atlas shrugged”
Now this bestseller experiences a new wave of popularity.
3.    John Steinbeck “The Grapes of Wrath”
This is a cult novel for which the writer received Pulitzer and later the Nobel Prize for Literature. Today Steinbeck is being actively translated into Ukrainian and buyers are interested in these publications.
4.    Harper Lee “To Kill a Mockingbird”
The American writer wrote this famous novel based on real events, watching her family and neighbors in her native city. Harper received the Pulitzer Prize for the book, and the book is still compulsory reading in American schools. 

The most popular genres are fantasy books and business books. Modern fantasy is popular among teenagers. Older people prefer, for example, books of Ray Bradbury and other authors in the genre of science fiction. Sales are also affected by the release of screen versions of books. At the same time, a book with a cinema cover is sold better than a book with usual design. For example, “Ready player one” is presented in different covers. The book with the film cover was sold out literally in two weeks.    
Fans of Ukrainian fantasy often ask for the books of Maryna and Serhii Diachenko and Vasyl Shklyar. These ones are, perhaps, the most popular domestic authors in this genre. 

Popular fantasy 
Martin, Pratchett and other
1.    George Martin “A Game of Thrones” 
Readers constantly ask for these books, especially when a new season of the series comes out.

2.    Ray Bradbury
He is considered to be a classic and his books are often bought.
3.    Thomas Olde Huevelt “The Witch”
This mystical novel has been the best seller for several monthes, the book of the Dutch author was recommended by Stephen King himself. By the way, Olde Heuvelt was a guest of “Book Arsenal” and I was lucky to visit the autograph session of the writer!
4.    Terry Pratchett
His books are always among the best sellers, especially his “Truth” translated by Olexandr Mikhelson.
5.    Oleh Panov
A cycle about the “dark city” is among his most popular works. 
6.    Joanne Rowling
I think, her series about Harry Potter is already a classic which will never become obsolete. These books are asked for both by those who are ten years old and  twenty years old. It is interesting that some parents believe that 11-12 years old children are too young to read about Harry Potter, while others say that by that time their children have read the whole series.

Young people read much about start-ups, business rules and building of their "Me", a personality development. Which books in this category are bought more often than others?
Business and self-development 
How to build startups and own "Me"

1.    Robert Kiyosaki 
The books of this businessman, trainer and teacher are devoted to self-development, motivation and education of financial literacy.
2.    Robin Sharma “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”
 The book of this Canadian of Indian origin written in the form of a parable is very popular all over the world.
3.    Stephen Covey “The Seven Skills of Highly Effective People”
The book of this American business consultant on the principles of humanistic psychology is always sought on the shelves.
4.    Lee Kuan Yew
The books of this politician, the creator of Singapore's “economic miracle” have become especially popular over recent years. They are always among the best sellers.

Modern Ukrainian authors
Variety of styles and genres
1.    Luco Dashvar
She worked in a rural newspaper and in lady's magazines, she was the editor-in-chief of her own project, and in 2007 her novel “The Village Is Not People” was marked with a literary award by “Coronation of a Word”.  Since then, Dashvar's books have been published in record edition and she is engaged exclusively with writing books and scripts.
2.    Serhii Zhadan
Readers love both prose and poems of this talented author.
3.    Oksana Zabuzhko
Readers ask both for her famous books and for new ones.
4.    Iryna Lobusova
A writer from Odessa, an author of a cycle of retro novels. Her book “Kings of Moldavanka” about bandit gangs in Odessa became the best-seller of “Folio” publishing house in 2017.

Timeless detective
Riddles for intellectuals
1.    Dan Brown
A new book about investigations and adventures of Professor Robert Langdon was published recently and caused a new surge in interest.
2.    John Grisham
The books of this lawyer, politician and writer are translated a lot throughout the world and are often filmed in Hollywood.
3.    Gillian Flynn
The books of this American writer and television critic became especially popular after the publication of the sensational psychological thriller “Gone Girl”.
4.    Arthur Conan Doyle
The fact that his works are required reading today is not the only reason for their popularity.
 
Books for children aged 10 years and older
What do adults envy?
1.    Jeff Kinney “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”
This is a very popular series of books about the adventures of high school student Greg Heffley and his friend Rowley Jefferson. For the moment only seven books from this series of 12 books, have been translated into Ukrainian. This is an easy literature, stylized either as comics, or as a real diary of a schoolboy. 
2.    Roald Dahl
The tales of this Englishman of Norwegian origin have already become classics. “Charlie and chocolate factory”, “Matilda” and his other books are funny, interesting and kind. 
3.    Erin Hunter “Warrior Cats”
This is a series of novels about the adventures of the tribes of wild cats fighting each other, experiencing different adventures and trying to survive on their territory. These books are intended for secondary school age. For the moment only the first cycle of the series, consisting of six books has been translated into Ukrainian

Popular authors of recipe-books 
Who teach us cooking?
1.    Gordon Ramsey 
This British chef is popular not only in the restaurant world. His restaurants have 16 Michelin stars, there are queues there and tables must be booked long before the visit.
2.    Jamie Oliver
A famous popularizer of simple and healthy food, author of numerous books on this subject, TV presenter, owner of the title “naked chef” for the simplicity and accessibility of his recipes.
3.    Yulia Vysotskaya
An actress, TV presenter of program “Eating at home”, popularizer of healthy and affordable home cuisine.
4.    Nika Belotserkovska
An author of a popular blog in LJ and several books with recipes, owner of a culinary school in southern France.
5.    Aram Mnatsakanov
A restaurateur who became known to public after TV show “Hell’s Kitchen”.

Prose for women
Favorite authors
1.    Jojo Moyes
Her books are very popular. The most famous novel by this British writer is “Me before you” was filmed in 2016.
2.    Elchin Safarli
The books of this modern Azerbaijanian writer tell about the eastern traditions, culture, way of life and of course about beautiful love. “Sweet salt of the Bosphorus” and “You were promised to me” written by one of the youngest writers of the East have already become bestsellers. This year at “Book Arsenal” people queued up trying to get his autograph. 
3.    Donna Tart
A brilliant American novelist won not only a well-deserved Pulitzer Prize, but also the love of readers for her books “The Goldfinch”, “The Little Friend” and “The Secret History”.

What do men read? They are interested in life hacks from famous personalities – both modern like Ilon Mask and Steve Jobs and from other epochs eras more than in fiction.

Men's reading 
Life hacks from stout hearted
1.    Gregory David Roberts “Shantaram”
 A large-scale novel by an Australian writer about the events from his own life. The action takes place in India in the eighties of the last century. 
2.    Richard Branson “Losing my Virginity” 
A legendary British entrepreneur, one of the richest people on the planet, the creator of the Virgin Group Corporation, legendary man talks about the rules of business and life. 
3.    Radislav Gandapas “The Kama Sutra of Public Speaking. Ten chapters on how to give and receive maximum pleasure from a public performance” 
A very popular book among those who often appear before different audiences. They say it helps to win listeners and achieve their goals.

4.    Terry Golway “Words that ring through time”. 
This collection includes 51 speeches from various historical personalities, from Moses to Barack Obama. There are speeches that changed the course of history thanks to the talent of speakers. Before each text the author tells about the historical context and the situation in which the famous words were said.