What they’re reading in Alexandria (and everywhere else)….
It’s gratifying to see that two Virginia cities snagged top spots in Amazon.com’s 2012 ranking of the Most Well-Read Cities in America (“well read” being based upon all book, magazine and newspapers sales in print and Kindle format on a per capita basis for cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.)
Alexandria ranked No. 1 in the country and Richmond ranked No. 18.
Of course, being “well read” does not necessarily equate with intellectual accomplishment, especially in a year when “Fifty Shades of Grey” totally dominated book sales. The top seller in Alexandria was “Gone Girl” (actually a pretty good book), followed by all three of the “Fifty Shades” trilogy (none of which I have read but all three which a certain spouse who shall remain nameless has). I deduce, thereby, that Richmond’s reading preferences were not much different.
Fourth-ranked Cambridge, Mass., by contrast, topped the list for non-fiction and Business & Investing reading.
I’ve ordered my fair share of books through Amazon.com. On my bed-stand at the moment: “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us,” by Michael Foss.
