What did we love about Erast Fandorin, what explains the Harry Potter phenomenon, and what can “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien teach us? Why don’t we take thick paper books with us on trips anymore? What do a “big American novel” and a Russian novel have in common? How is a detective story constructed, and why don’t we often like translations? For what, in fact, is the Nobel Prize awarded, and why should the choice of the Swedish Academy be approached with respect and trust—even if you personally don’t like it? How do modern children read, and what should parents do if, as children, they read differently? Most of the essays in literary critic Galina Yuzefovich’s book “What Bestsellers Are Talking About” are accompanied by recommended reading lists—you’ll have plenty to read after this book…