Browsers' helper

"Library science" researchers have shown that most of us are browsers. We go to a library or bookstore to find an interesting book to read. We scan the shelves until we find it. Occasionally we go with a book in mind, or search the card catalog, or look for something else by an author we've enjoyed-but most of the time we browse.

Browsers face a problem, though. Too many books fill the shelves. They overwhelm us. So librarians learned to shelve fiction in categories: mysteries or romance, horror or science fiction. We are like children who know we want chocolate before we go into Baskin-Robbins, so don't distract us with all those other flavors.

We've organized the following pages for browsers. We asked WORLD writers and some talented freelancers to pick a nonfiction category or a fiction genre they like, and to recommend a handful of recent books. We've used Dewey classifications to divide our nonfiction recommendations: books on the 2008 financial crisis, poverty-fighting, sports, humor, biographies, and history. In fiction, we have "inspirational fiction" (that's how novels published by Christian houses are labeled), speculative fiction (science fiction and fantasy), and young-adult fantasy, followed by a look at P.G. Wodehouse and American Southern Literature. The section concludes with a look at books that make good gifts on some special occasions.

330 Finance A crisis observed | David L. Bahnsen

362 Poverty Heart, head, hands | Amy L. Sherman

796 Sports Highs and lows | Les Sillars

817 Humor Laugh tracts | Albin Sadar

921-928 Biography Better than bullets | Edward Lee Pitts

973 History Fighting cancers | Emily Belz

F-Inspiration Getting better | Susan Olasky

F-Speculative Worlds apart | John Ottinger III

F-Young Adult Enchanted woods | Megan Basham Darker times | Janie B. Cheaney

F-Wodehouse Bygone Britian | Kenan Minkoff

F-Southern A rare jewel of conference contentment | William Boyd

Buy the book: Links to purchase the books featured in WORLD's 2011 Books Issue

Browse through our library of annual Books Issues dating back to 1999.