We've heard that publishing is dying; evidently no one is reading anymore. But we also know that sex sells, and a certain type of young lady swoons over a well-read man, so maybe it's time we started using books to get laid more often. Do your part -- the print economy will thank you!

Here's a cheat sheet for the titles that will get you into the beds (and bookshelves) of that bespectacled hottie on the other side of the subway platform. We've got Japanese novels guaranteed to tempt Brooklyn hipsters, sports memoirs for toned joggers, and art books for that angry-but-sensual Pratt student.

Rest assured, all of these titles are worth actually reading, in addition to their undeniable aphrodisiac powers.


Type of girl: Underfed Brooklyn hipster
How you can tell: Skinny jeans and a violent hair cut.
Book: "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami.
Line to feed her: "I'm psyched for the Radiohead guy's soundtrack for the adaptation of "Norwegian Wood," aren't you?"
What it says about you: You know that the Japanese can do weird magical realism as well as the Latin Americans.
Back-up titles: "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell; "Diary of an Oxygen Thief" by Anonymous.

Type of girl: Aspiring stand-up comedian.
How you can tell: Look for her in Chuck Taylors waiting outside the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater on a Sunday evening.
Book: "I Don't Care About Your Band" by Julie Klausner.
Line to feed her: "I've rarely LOL'ed so hard at what unrepentant scumbags we men can be. And damn, this girl sure likes writing about blowjobs!"
What it says about you: You're an open-minded dude who's not afraid to laugh at himself. And if she sleeps with you, she'll get to borrow your "Flight of the Conchords" DVD.
Back-up titles: "Steal This Book" by Abbie Hoffman; Chelsea Handler's "My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands."

Type of girl: The literate athlete.
How you can tell: Spandex, running sneakers, and an attractive sheen of sweat.
Book: "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of An All-Night Runner" by Dean Karnazes.
Line to feed her: "This mofo is insane – he runs for, like, hundreds of miles without stopping. And I thought I had stamina."
What it says about you: You like to build your brain-muscles when you're not building your muscle-muscles.
Backup titles: "It's Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong.

Type of girl: Art student
How you can tell: Weezer glasses, ripped leggings, dried paint under fingernails.
Book: "On the Way to Work" by Damien Hirst.
Line to feed her: "Sure, his shark-in-formaldehyde schtick got a bit tired, but I find his Dot Paintings both understated and sublime."
What it says about you: "I think fine art is mostly inane, but when combined with an excess of attitude and hard drugs, it can be pretty awesome."
Back-up titles: "On Photography" by Susan Sontag; Kim Gordon's "Performing/Guzzling."

Type of girl: Corporate babe
How you can tell: She's speed-eating a low-fat wrap on her power lunch break in Bryant Park.
Book: "The Little BIG Things" by Tom Peters.
Line to feed her: "Most business writing is pure drivel, but I'll let Tom Peters smash my paradigm any day." On second thought, that could be grossly misinterpreted. Proceed with caution.
What it says about you: You're in between your first IPO and retirement in the Caymans. Also: you like books with short sentences and big, flashy fonts.
Back-up titles: "The Four-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss.

Type of girl: Indie comic nerdette
How you can tell: Flannel shirt, adorably stooped posture, endearing squint from reading too many graphic novels.
Book: "Black Hole" by Charles Burns.
Where you can find her: At the 'zine convention, waiting in line for a vegan burrito.
Line to use: "I'm amazed that these days our most poignant, grown-up stories are being told using a medium generally reserved for children's tales."
What it says about you: You think visually. Also: you probably don't have more than $3.99 left on your debit card.
Back-up titles: The last issue of The Believer; Robert Crumb's "The Book of Genesis."