A guaranteed zinger for your brain
Book-buying and the art of seduction
What causes you to pick up a book and flip through it when you’re browsing the vast inventory of a bookstore? Is it the size, the color, the title, or the cover art that captures your eye as you drift among displays and scan the shelves? Is it all of the above?
The art of seduction is essential to buying a book, an intangible luring of the psyche, a magnetic attraction between person and pages that publishers and booksellers strive to manipulate. One particular volume has to command your attention. You have to lock eyes and feel the irresistible pull to get closer. You must want to investigate further, to get to know that book above all others. You have to be curious enough to get close enough to read the blurb.
On one particular day at the end of last year, I was taking in the treasures on top of tables at Barnes and Noble, lingering and luxuriating in the wealth of language around me when one cute and quirky book started yelling at me:
“Check me out. I’m bright. I’m colorful. I’m not like everyone else. And I’m made JUST for you. Because you, sweetheart, have a very curious mind.”
I was hooked. I barely even picked it up before I noted how well it fit into my hands. How smooth and shiny the cover felt under my fingers. I had scarcely flipped open the pages before I was excited by the vibrant colors. I was turned on by the sight of worlds flying by in front of my eyes. In less than two seconds, I’d decided to take this mesmerizing book home with me for the night.
The beginning of an intense cerebral connection
Little did I know that that one evening would be the beginning of a long-lasting, intimate relationship.
I’m in love with a quirky, perky little book called Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds by Ian Wright.
Tidbits of trivia, odd assessments, and fascinating (albeit obscure) facts are laid bare on the pages of this book. Visually stimulating, Brilliant Maps delivers a zinger to your mind because everything is in the form of an infographic-map. Easy to see and quick to decipher in bold, boisterous color.
Facts you might not be able to resist knowing:
What country has the highest median age?
Which countries have the tallest women? The shortest men?
How many countries have had female leaders in the last 50 years? Which countries?
How do speed limits vary throughout the world?
Are dogs or cats the most preferred pet in your state? And which species wins the “popular pet” contest?
What are the world’s longest non-stop flights?
Which countries don’t have Macdonald’s restaurants?
And oh, so many more!
Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds reminded me that the term “reading” should be loosely applied to books. In this case, the information is interpreted through pictures. It also reminded me how much FUN books can be, perusing just for pleasure — not reading for a storyline or a fatal character flaw.
Don’t take my word for it. Lots of critics agree:
An Indie Bestseller
2019 Foreword INDIES Finalist
Outstanding Works of Literature (O.W.L.) Award Shortlist Winner — Gift & Special Interest, 2019
A Junior Library Guild Selection
The Hardwick Gazette encourages you to
“Become enthralled by this one-of-a-kind atlas of 100 full-color, infographic maps. Each one reveals something about the world you’ve never considered before.”
Ian Wright is a cartographer and creator of a popular website, Brilliant Maps, who now lives in London.
Spread the love
If you need a hostess gift, have a nerdy friend, know a map-lover, a geography buff, or a connoisseur of world affairs, Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds is a tangible token of your true affection. Give it to yourself first, and then share the seduction of this savvy, smart little book with someone you love.
It’s a zinger for your mind.
Want more mind-zingers? Read articles in Book Talk.
Buy it from Bookshop.org.