News on Relevant Science: 15 Fad Books You Probably Forgot About

Like pretty much anything else out there, literature still winds up enslaved to fads and trends, some positive, some negative, and others entirely neutral. A few of the fads books out there still deserve academic and mainstream attention that, for some reason or another, fizzled when some other shiny read ambled on into the bookish sphere. Some probably never should've wasted valuable publishing resources in the first place, but at least give snarky Internet writers fodder. The following represent some, but by no means all, examples of faddish reads from across the quality spectrum.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Credit card debt doesn't seem so sexy and glamorous ten years later, does it? Sophie Kinsella's gushing love letter to rampant, irresponsible materialism (and, of course, the joys of manipulating a major rich hottie to pay it all off) is best left in the previous decade, a far safer locale than the recycling bin where it truly belongs!
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Unlike all the other fad books listed here, this one's notoriety drew readers stricken with schadenfreude rather than any genuine interest. Once an Oprah's Book Club selection, meaning thousands upon thousands immediately flocked to it because a celebrity said so, A Million Little Pieces eventually fell to, well, a million little pieces when it turned out the author just made everything up, which obviously only causes controversy if the book in question is marketed as NONFICTION.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Even though 1997's "it" novel Memoirs of a Geisha finally received the coveted film treatment in 2005 (starring a Chinese woman, because of course it did), the medium shift failed to renew any significant interest in the source material. Interestingly enough, unlike A Million Little Pieces, Memoirs of a Geisha was always intended as pure fiction, despite the title. Funny how that works.
The Babysitter's Club series by Ann M. Martin

Despite the movie, television show, dizzying array of spinoffs, and doll series, the ladies (and one boundary-busting gentleman) of the BSC remain largely unknown to today's adolescents and their sparkly vampires and whatnot. Kristy and the gang enjoyed a good decade on the shelves of engaged readers, making their reign last significantly longer than the average fad.
Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution by Robert Atkins

Yeah, yeah. Diet books should probably count as cheating since they could easily fill this entire list, but since they're still publications, they totally qualify. Here's a hint for anyone trying to drop some weight: If a guide touts itself as "revolutionary," chances are it's actually anything but. Although being able to eat nothing but delicious meat certainly tempts any non-vegetarians out there…
The Official Preppy Handbook by Lisa Birnbach

The Official Preppy Handbook was to the 1980s what The Hipster Handbook eventually became to the 2000s: an acidic, satirical analysis of a popular subculture that spawned numerous wannabes. Despite its largely forgotten status (though its legacy lives on in the aforementioned spiritual successor by Robert Lanham), the book completely deserves a read through; preppies still exist, after all!
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Most people these days still talk about David Fincher's superb adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's debut novel (and rightly so!), but how many even remember that it was a book in the first place? Beyond the opening credits, of course. Although the author's subsequent publications vary from the equally evocative to the face-palmingly frustrating, Fight Club stands among his most essential reads.
He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Lisa Tuccillo

Whether this bang-your-head-into-the-wall stupid dating guide could be thought of as more misandrist or misogynist is kind of like figuring out how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop: the world may never know. Considering its vomitous, eye-rolling over-reliance on arbitrary gender roles and standards (not to mention unfair demonization of shy, polite men who may not always return phone calls), society certainly benefits from the book phasing into obscurity. Here's hoping it stays that way, with any potential popularity resurgence as purely ironic in nature.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

With its quirky, twisted, and shamelessly postmodern structure, heavily experimental author Mark Z. Danielewski's first novel seemed an unlikely candidate for mainstream fervor, however fascinating it might be. Most of House of Leaves' contemporary obscurity stems from the author's seemingly under-the-radar existence, with little activity beyond publishing three subsequent books, rather than a lack of talent or effectiveness.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Like Mark Z. Danielewski, Zadie Smith never failed to live up to her literary promise, she just appears to prefer staying low-key after initially blowing up. Time named this novel one of the best released between 1923 and 2005, yet few beyond the most ardent bibliophiles have even heard of (much less read) it these days. A shame!
Pretty much anything by Horatio Alger

The vast majority of readers old and young today probably have no idea who this author even is, but in the 19th century, his narratives of industrious Americans were the cat's pajamas-clad bee's-knees. Modern audiences might cringe at the blatant pandering, formulaic plot lines, and stock characters, but back in the day Horatio Alger earned the Gilded Age zeitgeist's affections.
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Despite sitting firmly on bookstore shelves labeled "FICTION," an epidemic of The Da Vinci Code fever plagued American audiences when readers (egged on by Dan Brown himself, of course) started touting the conspiracy theories it posited as TOTALLY THE VERY REAL HIDDEN TRUTH ABOUT ART HISTORY AND THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR, YOU GUYS!!! Seeing as how Y2K failed to deliver three years earlier, the paranoid had to latch onto something to satiate themselves. Apparently the poorly-written adventures of a blandly perfect protagonist and his blandly perfect attempts at deciphering (fake) art history proved a worthwhile outlet.
The Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal

Sweet Valley High always stood as the trashy alternative to Babysitter's Club for adolescents too young to pick up Jacqueline Susann's kitschy classic Valley of the Dolls. Neither series holds up terribly well into adulthood, but those lucky enough to remember them these days probably hold some rightfully fond memories all the same.
The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston

People somewhere must still stick with this fad strategy stemming from a fad book, because South Beach Diet frozen meals are still sold today. But that doesn't change the fact that its time in the media spotlight has already passed over in favor of the next sexy way to temporarily lose weight. Wasn't it replaced by that lemon juice and chili powder one or something?
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Oh, sure, the movie adaptation significantly improved sales of The Help, and it seems like anyone who isn't already nose-deep in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been checking out the narrative of a plucky white journalist and her anti-racist action. Yay and all that. But history shows that few are really going to go pick it up (or even give one fig) once the film's hype eventually winds down.