Best Sellers, on a Scale of Good Read to Good Grief

Best Sellers, on a Scale of Good Read to Good Grief is a piece by NYTimes book critic Janet Maslin, who says The world of best sellerdom is full of books that might be wildly popular even if their pages were blank.
John Grisham’s latest novel is one. The self-help blockbuster by Spencer Johnson set a new standard for the all-but-empty page.

In these cases, the title itself is the book’s greatest asset. And as Dr. Schlessinger addresses questions like “How can I get him to stop walking around angry and pouting?,” she makes it clear that “proper” is her title’s most indicative word. This contentious book includes scrappy transcripts from the author’s radio show and e-mail feedback (one woman promises to chart her menstrual cycle and not be disagreeable to her family when experiencing PMS).