Not every book will be to everyone’s taste. Often this is nothing to do with the book being good or bad, but rather that it’s style of writing is not to your preference. So, beyond genre or length or other ways of categorising books, I think it’s useful to consider the difference writing styles of books, so you know what to expect before you begin.
To my mind, writing styles are a product of two aspects. One aspect is formality of tone, some books are more formal, others less so. Books written by ex-journalists – or those who have recently discovered a topic – are often more informal, think Bounce, Range, and Tipping Point. Whereas books written by professors and experts in their field are often more formal – think On Grand Strategy, Mindset, or A Sense of Style.
The other aspect is narrative, how does the book flow. Some books are linear and flow like a story – think The Geography of Genius, How to Win, or Eleven Rings. Others are more conceptual, and jump around topics as they build a narrative, think Good Strategy, Bad Strategy, A New Geography of Jobs, or Black Box Thinking. Together these create four writing styles.
These books are likely to flow like a story, each chapter chronologically making way for the next. As such they are often the preserve of biographies, journeys, or voyages of discovery as each new experience is documented and evaluated. Generally, more informal in tone.
These books use a familiar device across chapters to make their point – first telling an allegorical story that embodies this point, then highlighting the theory it exemplifies and lastly drawing meaning out of both. Often more informal in tone, and conceptual – jumping around topics each chapter..
These books are the product of experience. Often written by luminaries in their field, they are formal in tone and distil the author’s distinguished point of view on a topic, as such they are often linear in narrative. The more formal counterpart to Chronological books.
These books are formally written by experts in their field. They are dense with evidence, examples and case studies and generally use a conceptual narrative to build their story. Whereas Story-Theory-Meaning are often lighter touches on a topic, Lectures are robust, deep examinations of an individual’s life work committed to paper.