Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 14, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 14, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. By Any Other Name, by Jodi Picoult (signed copies)
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
3. James, by Percival Everett
4. Somewhere Beyond the Sea V2, by TJ Klune
5. Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout
6. Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner
7. The Devil Raises His Own, by Scott Phillips (signed copies)
8. Colored Television, by Danzy Senna
9. Spirit Crossing V20, by William Kent Krueger
10. Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty

Wow, this is the first really competitive week for hardcover fiction new releases in a long time, but none of them hit #1, outflanked by our Jodi Picoult event for By Any Other Name, to say nothing Shelby Van Pelt selling out copies as her conversation partner. The top debut is Somewhere Beyond the Sea, the latest from TJ Klune, a writer so popular even his reissued backlist is selling in bestseller numbers. It's got yellow sprayed edges, which means that the standard image we pick up from the publisher is 3D to show it off. From Library Journal: "The follow-up to The House in the Cerulean Sea is another heart-wrenching tale of being perceived as different, finding acceptance, and having a place in the world."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Experiencing the American Dream, by Mark Matson
2. The Rediscovery of America, by Ned Blackhawk
3. Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay
4. Bone of the Bone, by Sarah Smarsh (Boswell September 19 event)
5. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
6. What's Next, by Melissa Fitzgerald
7. Nexus, by Yuval Noah Harari
8. Autocracy Inc, by Anne Applebaum
9. The Dane County Farmers Market Cookbook, by Terese Allen
10. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin

Top debut with traditional sales is Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, one of many titles about AI coming out this fall. I even read one, just not this one. Yuval Noah Harari, author of the Sapiens phenomenon, has gotten mixed reviews per BookMarks. Dennis Duncan writes in The New York Times: "After a lot of time, we have arrived at a loose proof of what we hopefully felt already: Systems that are self-correcting - because they promote conversation and mutuality - are preferable to those that offer only blind, disenfranchised subservience."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Wish You Were Here, by Jodi Picoult
2. 19 Minutes, by Jodi Picoult
3. Mad Honey, by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
4. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
5. The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams, by Karen Hawkins 

6. Whalefall, by Daniel Kraus
7. Some Desperate Glory, by Emily Tesh
8. My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante
9. Weyward, by Emilia Hart
10. Pay the Piper, by George A Romero and Daniel Kraus

I used the British pop chart model of only including the top 3 backlist titles on the list, avoiding flashbacks of the old New York Times list with seven Garfield titles. Had I not, we would feature eight Jodi Picoult titles. But then I wouldn't be able to note that the paperback release of Whalefall coincides with another Kraus new release, as he completes the second unfinished manuscript of classic filmmaker George A Romero. Pay the Piper got a negative Publishers Weekly, contrasted with upbeat reviews from Library Journal and Booklist, to say nothing of enthusiastic blurbs from contemporary horror greats Paul Tremblay, Grady Hendrix, Tananarive Due, and Joe Hill. From Booklist: "The pervasive unease and steady pacing will lead readers eagerly to the book's final third, where it all breaks wide open, violently revealing the epic root of the terror."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson
2. American Whitelash, by Wesley Lowery
3. As Long as Grass Grows, by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
4. River Profiles, by Pete Hill
5. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
6. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
7. Murdle, by GT Karber
8. Frightful Folklore of North America, by Mike Bass (Boswell September 18 event)
9. How to Listen, by Thich Nhat Hanh
10. Awakening the Heart, by Thich Nhat Hanh

Our top debut from individual sales this week is the latest pull-out from the late Thich Nhat Hanh, How to Listen. Years ago we pulled out this series from Parallax Press and had a little chair on a table inspired by the How to Sit entry. Over half a million Mindfulness Essentials books have been sold since 2015, all illustrated by Jason DeAntonis.

Books for Kids:
1. Shot Clock V1, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds
2. Clutch Time V2, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds
3. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
4. Popcorn, by Rob Harrell (Shorewood Library event September 20)
5. Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell
6. Running in Flip Flops from the End of the World, by Justin A Reynolds
7. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan (Milwaukee Public Library event today, 2 pm)
8. Peekaboo Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid, illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius
9. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
10. Everything We Never Had, by Randy Ribay (Wauwatosa Library event October 2)

Impossible Creatures, Katherine Rundell's detour into classic kids fantasy has been a huge success in the UK (it was the Waterstone's Book of the Year for 2023), and now it's published Stateside. Kirkus: "An epic fantasy with timeless themes and unforgettable characters." Publishers Weekly: "A boy with an affinity for animals, a girl who can fly when the wind blows, and a secreted-away world in need of saving propel this realms-roving dazzler, a trilogy opener from Rundell" School Library Journal: "A quintessential fantasy that will delight readers of all ages who can handle intense storylines." And I think, despite the 2D cover, that sprayed edges are involved.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 7, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 7, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Spirit Crossing V20, by William Kent Krueger (signed copies available)
2. Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner
3. Death at the Sign of the Rock V6, by Kate Atkinson
4. The Price You Pay V8, by Nick Petrie
5. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
6. James, by Percival Everett
7. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski
8. Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors
9. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
10. The Life Impossible, by Matt Haig

Best reviewed fiction of the week and #1 Indie Next Pick for September is Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner. From Ron Charles in The Washington Post: "Creation Lake bears all the hallmarks of her inquisitive mind and creative daring... a spy thriller laced with a killer dose of deadpan wit... Kushner inhabits the spy’s perspective with such eerie finesse that you feel how much fun she’s having... the real covert operative here is Kushner, who’s never felt more cunning than in this novel about the clashing ideological claims that have left us bereft at the end of time. Bore through this noir posing and wry satire of radical politics, and you feel something vital and profound prowling around in the darkness beneath."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Where Rivers Part, by Kao Kalia Yang (HAWA October 17 event - almost at capacity)
2. The Interbellum Constitution, by Alison LaCroix
3. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
4. Lovely One, by Ketanji Brown Jackson
5. The Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay
6. When the Clock Broke, by John Ganz
7. Out of the Darkness, by Ian O'Connor
8. Turning to Stone, by Marcia Bjornerud
9. The Eastern Front, by Nick Lloyd
10. The Situation Room, by George Stephanopoulos

Second week on sale is a top 10 showing for Lovely One, from Supreme Court Jusice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Alexandra Jacobs reviewed the book for The New York Times,  noting that she had a stint as a reporter/researcher: "Jackson also considered becoming a Broadway actress, teaching herself to sing for a college revue about Billie Holiday, and her book could probably be optioned for a bio-musical itself. (Imagine the big 'Immunity' number!) Lovely One is about motivation and mentors, swooshing through a résumé without apparent flaw. It’s a great glass elevator of uplift."

It's been a few weeks of sale for Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers. Ian O'Connor's biography of the man whose relationship with the Green Bay Packers was complicated in the later years, and that's perhaps why our sales are softer than one might expect. From the Star Tribune a review from Chris Hewitt: "O’Connor is a terrific writer who spends about three-fourths of the book recounting, absorbingly, the highlights of Rodgers’ career, from severely undersized high school quarterback to community college star to the University of California to Green Bay...O’Connor’s interview with Rodgers doesn’t seem to have produced much new, off-the-field information, but if an insightful look at the magic he has made on the gridiron is what you seek, Out of the Darkness could be for you."

JR Radcliffe in the Journal Sentinel didn't review the book so much as highlight the, well, highlights.

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Drifter, by Nick Petrie
2. For Her Consideration, by Amy Spalding
3. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
4. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
5. Fraud, by Zadie Smiht
6. Black Sheep, by Rachel Harrison
7. Bunny, by Mona Awad
8. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, by Sangu Mandanna
9. The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu
10. Herscht 07769, by László Krasznahorkai

Hey, when a book translated from German (Herscht 07769) hits our top ten from the new release table, I feel compelled to highlight it as our next two Lit Group selections are Kairos and Austerlitz. László Krasznahorkai received the 2019 National Book Award for Translated Literature and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement. His new novel covers neo-Nazis, particle physics, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Pub date is September 24 but not strict on-sale for this one.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
2. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel 

3. Frightful Folklore of North America, by Mike Bass (Boswell September 18 event)
4. Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
5. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
6. Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo
7. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
8. Murdle V1 by GT Karber
9. Storytelling with Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
10. John Gurda's Milwaukee, by John Gurda

Sometimes the most drama isn't in the book but the backstory. Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo was picked up to air on Showtime/Paramount+, only to be shelved later, in the great streaming cancellation-for-tax-writeoff of 2023. A few weeks later, Starz picked it up and it is airing now. Mikey O'Connell reports in The Hollywood Reporter. On being put in a box: "If you write about female desire, you are suddenly the voice for that..So many women creatives are put in boxes. We even do it to Taylor Swift!"

Books for Kids:
1. Shot Clock V1, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds (Racine Library September 11 event)
2. Daphne Draws Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
3. Everything We Never Had, by Randy Ribay (Wauwatosa Library October 2 event)
4. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan
5. Caraval, by Stephanie Garber
6. Peekaboo Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
8. Orris and Trimble: The Beginning, by Kate DiCamillo, illustrations by Carmen Mok
9. Peekaboo House, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
10. A Dictionary Story, by Oliver Jeffers, illustrations by Sam Winston

Current and future events take the top three spots this week - that's what happens when school is back in session. Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds are visiting Racine schools for Shot Clock and Clutch Time, while Randy Ribay will be in the Milwaukee area for Everything We Never Had. And Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic has programs set up in Waukesha County for Daphne Draws Data. If you are an educator getting on our list for school visits, contact jenny@boswellbooks.com.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 31, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 31, 2024:

Hardcover Fiction:
1. A Season of Perfect Happiness, by Maribeth Fischer
2. Eagle Rock V4, by Ian K Smith
3. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
4. The Dark Wives V11, by Ann Cleeves
5. Spirit Crossing V20, by William Kent Krueger (St Marks September 7 event is at capacity)
6. James, by Percival Everett
7. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski
8. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach
9. Sandwich, by Catherine Newman
10. Funny Story, by Emily Henry

To my knowledge, the Vera Stanhope novels from Ann Cleeves no longer work in tandem with the Vera series. But reviews for The Dark Wives are excellent - this installment would probably make a great episode, perhaps a two parter. From Kirkus: "In the north of England, DI Vera Stanhope and her team labor to uncover the connection between a teen missing from a children's care home and a pair of murders...An excellent character-driven entry that highlights major problems in Britain's child welfare system."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Eastern Front, by Nick Lloyd
2. What's Next, by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack
3. Land Rich, Cash Poor, by Brian Reisninger
4. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
5. Hitler's People, by Richard J Evans
6. The Wide, Wide Sea, by Hampton Sides
7. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan
8. The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple, by Jenny Rosenstarch
9. A Gentleman and a Thief, by Dean Jobb
10. A Walk in the Park, by Kevin Fedarko

The Eastern Front: A History of the Great War, 1914-1918 leads this week's list  Nick Lloyd's The Western Front came out in 2021. From William Anthony Hay's rave in The Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Lloyd’s harrowing narrative in The Eastern Front reminds us that the fighting in Eastern Europe shattered empires and normalized violence there, fostering an instability that has lasted for more than a century. Indeed, today’s war in Ukraine follows in some ways from the catastrophe of 1914."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Kairos, by Jenny Erpenbaeck (Boswell book club selections)
2. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
3. Austerlitz, by WG Sebald
4. Trust, by Hernan Diaz
5. The Postcard, by Anne Berest
6. Good Night Irene, by Luis Alberto Urrea
7. The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston
8. A Court of Thorns and Roses V1, by Sarah J Maas
9. The House of Earth and Blood V1, by Sarah J Maas
10. My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante

The New York Times best 100 of the 21st century has three entries this week - My Brilliant Friend at #1, Demon Copperhead at #61 (which was the readers' #1 choice) and Austerlitz at #8, which is our November Lit Group selection. From John Banville in The Guardian: "His masterpiece, and one of the supreme works of art of our time."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
2. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
3. A Promised Land, by Barack Obama
4. Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond
5. King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hochschild
6. The Girls of Atomic City, by Denise Kiernan
7. Cream City Chronicles, by John Gurda
8. Random Acts of Medicine, by Anupam B Jena and Christopher Worsham
9. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
10. Going Infinite, by Michael Lewis

After four years, Crown released A Promised Land in paperback on August 13. Looking back at its 2020 reviews on Bookmarks, I note how many more there were compared to a major 2024 release, in part due to the disappearance of regular reviews at a number of city papers. Ron Elving on NPR: "Whatever one's feelings about this man, they are likely to be brought to the surface by this book. We hear his voice in every sentence, almost as if he were physically present and reading the book aloud."

Books for Kids
1. Shot Clock V1, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds (Racine Public Library September 11 event)
2. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan (Milwaukee Public Library September 15 event)
3. Daphne Draws Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic (Boswell September 4 event)
4. How We Play, a board book by Dolisha Mitchell
5. Peekaboo Lion, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
6. Hello Hands, a board book by Aya Khalil
7. Bear's Lost Glasses, by Leo Timmers, translated from Dutch by David Colmer
8. A Dictionary Story, by Oliver Jeffers, illustrations by Sam Winston
9. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
10. Happy Halloween, by Harriet Stone

Bear's Lost Glasses is one of Jenny's picture book picks for fall. Kirkus loves it too: "This comical charmer, originally published in the Netherlands, will engage children as they laughingly correct Bear's misnomers. Set against white backdrops, the caricature-esque illustrations capture the expressive protagonists' close friendship. A humorous, delightful tale about finding wonderful new ways to see the world."

Boswell bestsellers for the week of August 24, 2024

Boswell bestsellers for the week of August 24, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski
2. Spirit Crossing, by William Kent Krueger
3. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
4. James, by Percival Everett
5. Sandwich, by Catherine Newman
6. The Woman, by Kristin Hannah
7. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
8. All Fours, by Miranda July
9. The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley
10. A Season of Perfect Happiness, by Maribeth Fischer (Boswell August 28 event)

A Season of Perfect Happiness takes place in the Milwaukee area, with Ten Chimneys (the Lunt-Fontaine home) figuring prominently, and other scenes set at the Lakefront, State Fair, and at Kopps. Several couples are torn apart by secrets. As my friends Lisa and Ken said to me, "There's a lot to talk about after reading this book!" It's got some nice blurbs, including one from Liam Callanan, who called it "exquisite."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Land Rich, Cash Poor, by Brian Reisinger
2. Happy Days: The Official Cookbook, by Christina Ward
3. Men Have Called Her Crazy, by Anna Marie Tender
4. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan
5. Celebrate with Babs, by Barbara Costello
6. On the Edge, by Nate Silver
7. The Art of Power, by Nancy Pelosi
8. The Bookshop, by Evan Friss
9. Turning to Stone, by Marcia Bjornerud
10. The Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay

Men Have Called Her Crazy is a bestselling memoir with seven reviews on BookMarks and a lot of nice blurbs, including this from Carmen Maria Marchado: "Men Have Called Her Crazy is so many things I didn't know I needed: a testament to the work of healing, a raw howl of anger, and an indictment of misogyny's insipid, predictable, infuriating reign."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston
2. Ex-Wife, by Ursula Parrottt
3. The Iliad, by Homer, translated by Emily Watson
4. The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman
5. The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides
6. Western Lane, by Chetna Maroo (Boswell upcoming book club selections)
7. It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover
8. The Overstory, by Richard Powers
9. Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy
10. Goodnight Tokyo, by Atsuhiro Yoshida

I don't know what this indicates, but six of this week's top 10 were published more than a year ago, and one of the four new books is a new translation of The Iliad. I should also note that none of them are school or other bulk orders - we just sell a lot of these title. One new title (at least for English-language readers) is Goodnight Tokyo, by Atsuhiro Yoshida, which is also out of stock at all of Ingram's warehouses. The publisher calls it a cross between Agatha Christie, Teju Cole, and Hieronymus Bosch, though one of the blurbs compares it to Murakami. It's not currently on his rec shelf, but it also has a rec from Jason.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Future Tense, by Tracy Dennis-Tiwary
2. We Had Fun and Nobody Died, by Amy T Waldman and Peter Jest
3. King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hochschild
4. The Girls of Atomic City, by Denise Kiernan
5. Unmask Alice, by Rick Emerson
6. What an Owl Knows, by Jennifer Ackerman
7. Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah
8. John Gurda's Milwaukee, by John Gurda
9. A Promised Land, by Barack Obama
10. Let's Make Bread, by Ken Forkish, illustrations by Sarah Becan

Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries, written by Rick Emerson, looks at the life of Beatrice Sparks, a psychologist (maybe) who penned Go Ask Alice and several follow-ups, including Jay's Journal, which was to scare folks about Satanism the way Alice did LSD. From William Tipper in The Wall Street Journal: "Beatrice Sparks 'discovered' and 'edited' a half-dozen more such journals before her death at 95 in 2012... Her biographer makes her into something of a villain whose presence seems almost oppressive in these pages."

Books for Kids:
1. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
2. A Magic Fierce and Bright, by Hemant Nayak (Boswell September 29 event)
3. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan
4. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan (MPL/MMWC September 15 event)
5. Shot Clock V1, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds (Racine Library September 11 event)
6. Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch, by Codie Crowley
7. Peekaboo House, by Camilla Reid, illustratitons by Ingela P Arrhenius
8. Peekaboo Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid, illustratitons by Ingela P Arrhenius
9. Bluey Beach, from Penguin Young Readers licensees - there is apparently no actual person involved with this book
10. Break to You, by Neal Shusterman, Debra Young, and Michelle Knowlden

Break to You with lead writer Neal Shusterman is the story of, to quote the author "Romeo and Juliet in juvie." We don't usually have coauthors downloaded into the author field of our inventory database. I guess this system was invented before coauthors and illustrators, but we sometimes add them by hand later. I was interested to see there two coauthor for this one. Shusterman and Knowlton worked together previously and brought in Young, a mutual friend. Alas, Young passed away before publication. More in Nerd Daily.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 17, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 17, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski (Boswell event August 22)
2. Sandwich, by Catherine Newman
3. Bad River V6, by Marc Cameron
4. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
5. Table for Two, by Amor Towles
6. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
7. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
8. Brothersong V4, by TJ Klune
9. Funny Story, by Emily Henry
10. How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood

Brothersong is the final book in the classic Green Creek saga from TJ Klune about "a pack of secret werewolves and other shifters in a small town," now available in hardcover editions. The enthusiastic blurb from Charlaine Harris for the first in the series is like a visit from an old friend: "Wolfsong is so well written that I'm in awe of TJ Klune's talent."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Land Rich, Cash Poor, by Brian Reisinger (Boswell event August 20)
2. The Lucky Ones, by Zara Chowdhary 
3. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
4. On the Edge, by Nate Silver
5. The Art of Power, by Nancy Pelosi
6. The Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay
7. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan
8. White Robes and Broken Badges, by Joe Moore
9. Men Have Called Her Crazy, by Anna Marie Tendler
10. Autocracy Inc, by Anne Applebaum

On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything is the new book from Nate Silver, author of The Signal and the Noise. The book has two raves and two mixed on BookMarks. From Kirkus, one of the raves: "A thought-provoking examination of how society has become increasingly divided between the risk-tolerant and the risk-averse...Silver provides a clever look into a unique realm. An enlightening study of the people who play the game of risk and win."

 

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston
2. The Iliad, by Homer, translated by Emily Watson
3. A History of Burning, by Janika Oza
4. A Curious Beginning V1, by Deanna Raybourn
5. Reyjavik, by Ragnar Jonasson
6. A Novel Love Story, by Ashley Poston
7. The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
8. Gravity Lost V2, by LM Sagas
9. Peace, by Gene Wolfe
10. The Lightest Object in the Universe, by Kimi Eisele

O. Henry Prize Winner Janika Oza's debut gets a fresh cover treatment in paperback for A History of Burning, something we see less of than in previous times. The book had a nice New York Times review (plus three from the advance trades - that made four reviews on BookMarks all told) that led to a NYT Notable Book of 2023.From S Kirk Walsh: "The result is a haunting, symphonic tale that speaks to the nuanced complexities of class and trauma for this particular family."

Paperback Nonfiction: and Comic Strips
1. Pearls Seeks Enlightenment, by Stephan Pastis
2. Pearls Await the Tide, by Stephen Pastis
3. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
4. The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk
5. Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
6. Floundering Fathers, by Stephan Pastis
7. A Life of One's Own, by Joanna Biggs
8. The Sisterhood, by Liza Mundy
9. Murdle V1, by GT Karber
10. Wild Girls, by Tiya Miles

Seven reviews for A Life of One's Own: Nine Women Writers Begin Again, according to BookMarks. One of the raves was from Lauren Michele Jackson in The New Yorker: "Biggs hails her guides in mononyms, like intimates or pop stars: Mary, George, Zora, Virginia, Simone, Sylvia, Toni, Elena. Within their differences (of eras, means, race), each charged herself with writing while woman, thus renegotiating their relationship to marriage and child rearing, endeavors long considered definitive of womanhood."

Books for Kids:
1. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan (MPL Centennial Hall event September 15)
2 Timmy Failure V1, by Stephan Pastis
3. Squirrel Do Bad V1, by Stephan Pastis
4. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
5. The White Guy Dies First, edited by Terry J Benton-Walker
6. Death at Morning House, by Maureen Johnson
7. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Renee Graef
8. Peekaboo Bear, by Camilla Reid, illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius
9. A Natural History of Dragons, by Emily Hawkins
10. The Yellow Bus by Loren Long

The fall books are creeping into the store, notably the ones that use old-fashioned pub dates instead of on-sale dates and don't have street-smart markers. One of them is A Natural History of Dragons from Emily Hawkins, with illustrations by Jessica Roux. Last year's A Natural History of Magical Beasts was a hit for us. The series also includes Fairies and Mermaids. From The Bookseller, which is like the Publishers Weekly of Great Britain: "Presented as a handbook from the late 1800s written for the students of the Academie Solomanar: the only school for dragon-riders."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 10, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 10, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
2. All Fours, by Liz Moore
3. The Mercy of Gods: The Captives War V1, by James SA Corey
4. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
5. Sandwich, by Catherine Newman
6. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski (August 22 Boswell event)
7. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
8. Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst
9. Funny Story, by Emily Henry
10. The Daughters' War, by Christopher Buehlman

When it's Renaissance Faire in Bristol, our thoughts turn to Christophe the Insultor, who is also known as Christopher Buehlman, poet, playwright, and novelist. The Daughters' War is the prequel to The Blacktongue Thief, a breakout fantasy hit (we've sold over 100 copies) after a series of excellent horror novels that were published too early to catch the genre's resurgence. From the starred Booklist: "Fans of the previous book will relish this prequel, while those who have never read Blacktongue will find much to enjoy in this unflinching look at family, loss, love, and war. Highly recommended for all fantasy collections."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
2. The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
3. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
4. The Art of Power, by Nancy Pelosi
5. The Horse, by Timothy Winegard
6. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
7. How to Know a Person, by David Brooks
8. Shameless, by Brian Tyler Cohen
9. The Dragon from Chicago, by Pamela D Toler

10. Consent, by Jill Ciment

Another quiet week for hardcover nonfiction, but in it's second week, The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity trots into our top 10. The author is teaches at Colorado Mesa University. From Kirkus: "Sometimes weighed down by too-abundant detail, but a thorough, comprehensive look at the horse across time and space." Too much detail for horse lovers? Seems impossible.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Dark Restraint: Dark Olympus V7, by Katee Roberts
2. The Air He Breathes V1, by Brittainy Cherry
3. Camera Lake, by Alex Pickett
4. The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston
5. The Fires Between High and Lo V2, by Brittainy Cherry
6. Pearls Seek Enlightenment, by Stephan Pastis (August 16 Boswell event)
7. Neon Gods: Dark Olympus V1, by Katee Robert
8. Western Lane, by Chetna Maroo (Boswell book club selections)
9. Apprentice to the Villain V2, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
10. The Iliad, by Homer, translated by Emily Watson

Sprayed edges are going crazy! Just take a look at the fantasy tables in the rear-right corner of the bookstore. Casey McQuiston's The Pairing is the latest, but if you don't buy it quickly, we'll only have the plain white edges, and who wants to read that? Two bisexual exes meet on a food and wine tour. From Library Journal: "Lush scenery, well-drawn secondary characters, and believable, grounded conflicts lead to a sweet and satisfying ending for Kit and Theo in McQuiston's funniest, sexiest novel to date."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. We Had Fun and Nobody Died, by Amy T Waldman and Peter Jest
2. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
3. River Profiles, by Pete Hill
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. The Truths We Hold, by Kamala Harris
6. How to Think Like a Woman, by Regan Petaluma
7. Heartland, by Sarah Smarsh (September 19 Boswell event)
8. The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine, by Michael Scott Baumann
9. The Sisterhood, by Liza Mundy
10. Say Nothing, by Patrick Radden Keefe

Inflation may have abated, but a lot of titles are still playing catchup. We have an event coming up where the price of the paperback went up three dollars, and converted from traditional printing to print-on-demand to boot. And Kamala Harris's The Truths We Hold: An American Journey has one copy left at Boswell at $18, but the next books we order will come in at $20. You can imagine why demand jumped enough to warrant a new printing.

Books for Kids:
1. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan (September 15 Milwaukee Public Library/MMWC event)
2. Big, by Vashti Harrison
3. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
4. The Dictionary Story, by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
5. Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch, by Codie Crowley
6. Lulu and Rock in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
7. The Dot, by Peter H Reynolds
8. A Magic Fierce and Bright, by Hemant Nayak (September 29 Boswell event)
9. Gertie the Darling Duck of World War II, by Shari Swanson, illustrations by Renée Graef
10. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long

The Dictionary Story is the latest collaboration from Jeffers and Winston, following A Child of Books. From Kirkus: "The creators of A Child of Books (2016) are back with another charming work of metafiction. A little dictionary notices that while other books tell stories, she's just a list of definitions. Eager for change, Dictionary decides to bring her words to life, and things almost immediately get out of hand."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 3, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 3, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
2. A Collection of Lies V5, by Connie Berry
3. The Best Lies, by David Ellis
4. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
5. James, by Percival Everett
6. Slow Dance, by Rainbow Rowell
7. All Fours, by Miranda July
8. Housemates, by Emma Eisenberg
9. Real Americans, by Rachel Khong
10. North Woods, by Daniel Mason

Slow Dance is Rainbow Rowell's first novel for adults since Landline. Her latest is about teenage best friends who drifted apart and it's a Reese's Book Club pick and an August Indie Next Pick. From the starred Booklist: "Their dance is sweet and sexy, and Rowell draws out the whole, simmering affair as she ping-pongs through her characters' past and present, step, together, step, together...this romantic one is sure to be a crowd-pleaser."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan
2. The Lucky Ones, by Zara Chowdhary (Boswell August 15 event)
3. Autocracy Inc, by Anne Applebaum
4. The Demon of Unrest, Erik Larson
5. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
6. Conflict, by David Petraeuus
7. What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, by Caroline Chambers
8. More Is More, by Molly Baz
9. The Great River, by Boyce Upholt
10. Guilty Creatures, by Mikita Brottman

It isn't taking much to get in our top ten hardcovers this summer. I'm hoping things pick up in the fall. But with a second week on, I can give a shout out to Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida, a tale of two couples where the swampiness just seeps out of the pages. From Kirkus: "An atmospheric tale that unwraps the wholesome, God-fearing exterior of two lovers to show the rot underneath."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Happy Place, by Emily Henry
2. Summers End V5, by Juneau Black
3. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski (Boswell August 22 event)
4. The Weaver and the Witch Queen, by Genevieve Gornichec
5. Cuckoo, by Gretchen Felker-Martin
6. The Searcher, by Tana French
7. All This Could Be Different, by Sarah Thankam Mathews
8. A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara
9. Shady Hollow V1, by Juneau Black
10. Dune, by Frank Herbert

The Weaver and the Witch Queen is a historical fantasy by the author of The Witch's Heart and is an Oli staff rec. From Kristi Chadwick in Library Journal: "Gornichec's latest gives quasi-historical figure Gunnhild, Mother of Kings, a magical life and love story...Gornichec showcases her knowledge of Icelandic folklore and history, while her storytelling reveals the complex and engrossing lives and emotions of her characters"

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Grief Is a Sneaky Bitch, by Lisa Feefauver
2. We Had Fun and Nobody Died, by Amy T Waldman and Peter Jest
3. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
4. You Could Make This Place Beautiful, by Maggie Smith
5. Loving Corrections, by adrienne maree brown
6. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
7. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
8. Milwaukee Ghosts and Legends, by Anna Lardinois
9. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
10. Holding the Note: Profiles in Popular Music, by David Remnick

When is a pub date a pub date and when is it an on-sale date? I often don't know. Loving Corrections from adrienne marie brown has an August 20 pub date, but I looked it up on Edelweiss and there are plenty of sales already, with at least two stores selling in double digits. From the Foreword review: "Probing, fierce, and honest, the essays of Loving Corrections advocate for more compassionate, inclusive understandings of family, community, and oneself...The provocative, tender, inspiring essays in Loving Corrections approach contemporary topics with a gentle spirit and fresh perspective."

Books for Kids:
1. The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani
2. The Night Before First Grade, by Natasha Wing, illustrations by Deborah Zemke
3. Linked, by Gordon Korman
4. The Great Lakes, by Barb Rosenstock, illustrations by Jamey Christoph
5. Peekaboo House, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
6. Such Charming Liars, by Karen M McManus
7. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
8. The Grandest Game, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
9. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illsutrations by Erin Kraan
10. The Good Girl's Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson

From Karen McManus, the author of the popular One of Us Is Lying series (for which she appeared at a group event put together with Boswell) comes Such Charming Liars, the story of two long separated stepsiblings, one with a jewel thief mother and the other with a con artist dad. Can they make it through one last heist? From Kate Patterson in School Library Journal: "Told through Kat and Liam's dual perspectives, this novel's twists take readers on a wild ride until the very last page. While the mystery is thrilling, McManus also deftly explores themes of family, loyalty, love, and class...This might be McManus's best yet."

Boswell bestsellers week ending July 27, 2024

Boswell bestsellers week ending July 27, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Summer Pact, by Emily Giffin
2. Sandwich, by Catherine Newman
3. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
4. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
5. James, by Percival Everett
6. Long Island Compromise, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
7. The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman
8. The Book of Elsewhere, by Keanu Reeves and Chia Miéville
9. The Midnight Feast, by Lucy Foley
10. All Fours, by Miranda July

Keanu Reeves has teamed up with science fiction writer Chia Miéville for The Book of Elsewhere. From Booklist: "A warrior who can't be killed and who doesn't understand why. A government agency studying him. Ancient powers who worship him and seek to destroy him. And an immortal deer-pig...Set in the same universe as Reeves' BRZRKR graphic novel series, the nature of the narrative is revealed somewhat slowly, and the writing style is oddly anachronistic and very erudite." It was announced last year at San Diego Comicon and published in time for this year's show.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Good to Great, by Jim Collins
2. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
3. Autocracy Inc, by Anne Applebaum
4. Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell, by Ann Powers
5. Outlive, by Peter Attia and Bill Gifford
6 .This Earthly Globe, by Andrea Di Robilant
7. The Lucky Ones, by Zara Chowdhary (Boswell August 15 event)
8. The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
9. Guilty Creatures, by Mikita Brottman
10. Democracy or Else, by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett et al

Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum's latest is Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World, out this week, earning two raves, five positives, and a mixed from BookMarks. From Ruth Ben-Ghiat in The Washington Post: "Applebaum argues that dictators like those in Iran, Venezuela, China and Russia differ from despots of earlier ages because their partnerships are born less from ideological commonalities than from 'a ruthless, single-minded determination to preserve their personal wealth and power.' Applebaum rightly places kleptocratic institutionalized thievery at the center of her analysis."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Death's End V3 by Liu Cixin
2. The Three Body Problem V1, by Liu Cixin
3. Ex-Wife, by Ursula Parrott
4. Summers End V5, by Juneau Black
5. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
6. Three Keys, by Laura Pritchett
7. Adventure Zone V6: The Suffering Game, by Griffin McElroy
8. Throne of Glass V2: Crown of Midnight, by Sarah J Maas
9. Throne of Glass V1, by Sarah J Maas
10. The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah

One of our regulars noted how many high profile books there are about women in their fifties, including Sandwich, All Fours, and Same As It Ever Was. Add to that Three Keys, by Laura Pritchettt, the story of a woman's travels after the death of her husband and estrangement from her son. From Kirkus: "The author's nuanced descriptions of Ammalie's determination, joy, and trepidation as she meets people, as well as the lessons she takes away from each of the encounters, are engaging enough to get you through the slower portions. The book examines weighty topics like grief, marriage struggles, and growing older in a manner that is thought-provoking and insightful. A satisfying examination of one woman's journey of self-discovery.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Arise, by Elena Aguilar
2. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
3. Riding More with Less, by Sam Tracy
4. Grief Is a Sneaky Bitch, by Lisa Keefauver (Boswell July 29 event)
5. We Had Fun and Nobody Died, by Amy T Waldman and Peter Jest
6. World Travel, by Anthony Bourdoin
7. It Didn't Start Out That Way, by Judy Bridges
8. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
9. Secret Milwaukee, by Jim Nelsen
10. The 1619 Project, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Two books from a book club presentation on Wednesday hit the list. On the fiction side was Ex-Wife, which Jason noted has been selling consistently since its release. We have the best sales on Edelweiss in the Midwest/Great Lakes region. And on the nonfiction list is The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, a national bestseller for which we are #16 on Edelweiss. Oru rule of thumb, gathered from publisher conversations, is that if we're ranking higher than the mid-thirties, we're punching above our weight.

Books for Kids:
1. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
2. Peekaboo Car, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
3. Children of Anguish and Anarchy V3 by Tomi Adeyemi
4. Children Just Like Me, from DK
5. Ladybug Girl, by David Soman, illustrated by Jackie Davis
6. Wild, by Yuval Zommer
7. Elephant and Piggie Biggie V1, by Mo Willems
8. Children of Blood and Bone V1, by Tomi Adeyemi
9. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
10. If Only I Had Told Her, by Laura Nowlin

Another relatively quiet week for the bestsellers. The Wild is a picture book by Yuval Zommer that hit the March/April kids Indie Next liast. It's got a nice Publishers Weekly: "Zommer's latest makes a plea for environmental awareness as his signature visuals highlight the life-sustaining beauty of the natural world. A classic fairy tale opening belies the true-to-life aspects of the tale that follows, about a harmonious place called The Wild, which humans initially appreciate, then gradually destroy until discovering their misguided ways."