Although authors constantly fall in and out of the spotlight with today's readers, genres generally remain constant or even come full circle in popularity. Reading paperbacks and actually flipping through pages may be a thing of the past for some, but the will and want to read is still a common hobby of most. Kindles, smartphones and E-books have sparked the interest of the new technological world while still keeping the reading allure and engaging.

The top selling genre of today's readers appears to be romance novels with $1.44 billion sales per year. Following closely are crime/mystery, with $728.2 million earnings, then religious/inspirational at $720 million, followed by science fiction/fantasy at $590.2 million, and finally horror with $79.6 million sales per year. These five genres have stayed consistent within the top ratings for the past few years, fluctuating between ranks as new books emerge and sky-rocket in popularity. Similarly, within the top selling genres, the top five authors of today have had their spot for surprisingly some time now.

It is hard to rank an author above all others like genres can because of the constant fluctuation. However, some authors prove to have worldwide, New York Times award-winning books that deserve to be recognized. J.K Rowling, most commonly known for the truly abiding Harry Potter Series, totals in at seven science fiction books and eight films. John Green, another household name, proves to be popular for his young adult and commonly romantic books. Common works include “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Looking For Alaska,” “Paper Towns” and many others that often became films. Neil Gaiman is a fairly newer author who has appeared within the spotlight for his mystery and crime-related novels. “American Gods” and “Neverwhere” blew up in 2016 and have been rapidly selling ever since. John Marrs is rightfully noted as well for his more inspirational pieces, including “The Good Samaritan” and “When You Disappeared.” Finally, concluding the five reputable authors of today, is a well-deserved author that has been at the top since the beginning with his chilling horror novels. Stephen King, has more than 54 novels under his name and seven under a pen name of Richard Bachman. A few of his most famous are “It” “The Tommyknockers” “Misery” and many more that continued on in television and movies.

Senior Molly Zygmunt, although she has a very busy schedule, tries to make it a priority to read. Her genre of choice is horror and mystery as it compels her to read from cover to cover. Zygmunt's all-time favorite book is “Beast from the East” written by her favorite author R.L Stein. “I prefer to read print over eBook; there's something about physically flipping the pages and disconnecting from the electronic world for a while that is soothing,” said Zygmunt. “It is important to set aside time to read because it helps immensely with cognitive skills while becoming a better writer and speaker.”

Junior Christian Prestil admits he rarely has free time to read, but nevertheless still enjoys it when he does. Prestil’s interest in adventure fiction books is rooted in his favorite author Paulo Coelho. “The Alchemist,” which combines elements of adventure, wisdom and wonder, still remains as Prestil’s favorite book. “Reading not only engages and helps people understand others and their culture but also expands the mind and its various perspectives”.

Sophomore Gabrielle Layne is a very avid reader. She explained that reading is a way to escape reality and take a break for a while. “I think it is important to read because it increases your vocabulary and widens your imagination,” said Layne. Her preferred genre stands to be realistic fiction with two of her favorite authors being Sarah Dessen and Stephen King. As Layne’s favorite book often varies, one she would recommend at the moment is “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” by Hunter S. Thompson.

  Regardless of how technological society becomes, there will always be a need for reading among most people. Although genres and authors may fall in and out of popularity, the legacy of their well-respected art will live on forever.