Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 21, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 21, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab
3. Waterline, by Aram Mrjoian (signed copies)
4. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
5. Bug Hollow, by Michelle Huneven
6. James, by Percival Everett
7. The River Is Waiting, by Wally Lamb
8. Spent, by Alison Bechdel
9. Dream Count, by Chimananda Ngozi Adichie
10. The First Gentleman, by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

I've been cheering on Bug Hollow since well before its release date last Tuesday. Regular readers of the blog know I'm a big Michelle Huneven fan ("joy and sorrow and humor in a blender") and it seems like Penguin Press has been showing the book some release love too. Raves in The Washington Post and New York Times. All raves in BookMarks except for PW, who compared the book to flipping through a yellowed photo album. And the problem with that is? For a more enthusiastic take, watch our Readings from Oconomowaukee interview.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Submersed, by Matthew Gavin Frank (signed copies)
2. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson
3. Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay
4. Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow
5. Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
6. Not My Type, by E Jean Carroll
7. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
8. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
9. World Within a Song, by Jeff Tweedy
10. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Not My Type: One Person Vs a President, by E Jean Carroll pops in the first week of sale. Looking at the national lists, there are usually 5+ debuts per week on the New York Times fiction and nonfiction bestseller lists and we're lucky if a couple of them move in those kinds of quantities for us. It's also the forty year anniversary of Female Difficulties, Carroll's 1985 collection that I read. I remembered it was published by Bantam, which was back then the flagship Bertelsmann publisher, and not the imprint of one of the divisions of the American operations. Oh, the days of Yeager and Iacocca and Shirley MacLaine's Dancing in the Light, for which the woman who read the titles in the NYT bestseller hotline would sing as if she was twirling with Fred Astaire. Also there's a NYT review from Alexandra Jacobs.

Paperback Fiction:
1. North Woods, by Daniel Mason
2. Problematic Summer Romance, by Ali Hazelwood
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
4. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
5. One Golden Summer, by Carley Fortune
6. Table for Two, by Amor Towles
7. The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman
8. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Osman
9. Go As a River, by Shelley Read (Boswell June 27 event)
10. The Sicilian Inheritance, by Jo Piazza (Boswell July 20 event)

We're getting read for the double Readings from Oconomowaukee event for Go As a River this Friday for Go As a River, 2 pm at Boswell and 7 pm at Books and Company. The novel was on Peter Heller's NYT recommendation list for those visiting Colorado, as as Woman of Light, a recent book club pick. Shelley Read was on Mitzi Rapkin's First Draft podcast. And Books and Books's Mitchel Kaplan is one of the producers of the film version, per IMDb.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Warrior Princesses Strike Back, by Sarah Eagle Heart and Emma Eagle Heart-White
2. Counting Like a State, by Philip Rocco
3. The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys, by Rahim Thawer
4. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
5. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
6. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
7. The Wager, by David Grann
8. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
9. Wisconsin Idols, by Dean Robbins
10. Attack from Within, by Barbara McQuade

With a pub date of June 3, Barbara McQuade's Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America is had a nice sales pop this week without even placing on the new paperback table (and no it's not a bulk sale - I checked). From Nina Jankowicz in The Washington Post: "It is our very democratic freedoms that make us so susceptible to disinformation. Our steadfast commitment to every individual’s right to freedom of speech as enshrined in the First Amendment renders us more vulnerable to all manner of malign actors - including foreign adversaries using sock-puppet accounts, and political ad campaigns targeted at vulnerable populations." If you are interested in this subject, we're hosting Matthew Facciani for a talk on his book Misguided on July 9.

Books for Kids:
1. The Day the Crayons Made Friends, by Drew Daywalt, illustrations by Oliver Jeffers
2. A Forgery of Fate, by Elizabeth Lim
3. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, illustrations by Aaron Boyd
4. This Could Be Forever, by Ebony LaDelle (Alice's Garden June 29 event)
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
6. The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, illustrated by Ruth Harper
7. The Gate, The Girl, and the Dragon, by Ruth Grace Lin
8. London Calling V6, by James Ponti (Boswell July 21 event)
9. The Sherlock Society, by James Ponti (same)
10. Orris and Timble: Lost and Found, by Kate DiCamillo, illustrations by Carmen Mok

It's volume 2 of the planned trilogy of Orris (owl) and Timble (rat) in our top 10, having released in late April. From Kirkus, on Lost and Found: "Having filled his feathered friend's head with stories of quests, the bookish Orris should be unsurprised when Timble, who's growing into a mature owl and yearns to visit the stars and moon, fails to appear one night...and then the next. Still, his friend's disappearance is enough to make a rat feel fretful, as well as a little abandoned. But worry turns to resentment when Timble does at last come back...Sensitive and quietly enthralling."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 14, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 14, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab
3. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
4. James, by Percival Everett
5. The King of Ashes, by SA Cosby
6. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
7. Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry
8. The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett
9. Fever Beach, by Carl Hiaasen
10. Flashlight, by Susan Choi

Top debut this week is VE Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, which had several reads from Boswellians. There's no BookMarks listing set up for this title, despite a review in The New York Times from Everdeen Mason that I would rate as at least a positive: "Vampirism is offered as reprieve from oppression. By becoming undead, these women gain bodily autonomy and societal agency. But their immortality also introduces new troubles - as vampires, they will always face the threat of their hunger and yearning calcifying into something as dangerous as the forces they wanted to escape."

I would be remiss if I did not link to my staff rec for King of Ashes.  We had signed copies, but sold out in the first week. More (unsigned, alas) copies arriving soon.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Insect Epiphany, by Barrett Klein 
2. Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow
3. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
4. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson
5. We Can Do Hard Things, by Glennon Doyle, Abbie Wambach, Amanda Doyle
6. Rich Girl Nation, by Katie Gatti Tassin 7. The Book of Alchemy, by Suleika Jaouad
8. How to Lose Your Mother, by Molly Jong-Fast
9. Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story, by Ron Faiola
10. The Sixth Wisconsin and the Long Civil War, by James Marten

I really enjoyed How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir, so I'm glad to see it scratch our top ten in its second week of sale. The book has four raves and three positives on BookMarks, including this from Martha McPhee in The Washington Post: "Jong-Fast didn’t want to write this stuff, and she doesn’t want you to hate her mom or anyone else in the story. But, she says, looking back helped give her perspective on the present, on the agony of putting her mother, now 83, in a memory-care facility, along with her stepfather...With propulsive humor and perspective on her annus horribilis, Jong-Fast achieves the memoir’s transformative work of alchemy, arming us all with lines so good you won’t just want to underline them, you will want to cut them out to share."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Breakfast Wine, by Alex Poppe
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
3. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
4. The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese
5. Beautyland, by Marie Helene Bertino
6. The Hero of Ages V3 Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson
7. Go As a River, by Shelley Read (Boswell June 27 event)
8. Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
9. Problematic Summer Romance, by Ali Hazelwood
10. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir

It is through NBCC finalist Beautyland, a March paperback release that popped into our top ten this week as the July Science Fiction Book Club selection, that I learned about the Dakota Johnson Tea Time Book Club. Worth a review (I found the list on Goodreads*) - the only one I've read so far was The Anthropologists. Beautyland has ten raves and a positive on BookMarks. From Michael Schaub's review in the Chicago Review of Books: "Her project - to write about what it means to be human - is also Bertino’s project, and in Beautyland she has done so masterfully. Beautyland is Earth, and Earth is Beautyland - the source of so much awe, the site of so much pain. In her depiction of alienation, Bertino has given us a novel about our very real, very human longing for connection with one another." Fascinating that the review is such a different style from Schaub's work on the NPR website.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Poets and Dreamers, by Tamara Saviano (Boswell August 27 event)
2. Murdle V1, by GT Karber
3. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
4. Secret Milwaukee, by Jim Nelsen
5. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
6. Historic Wisconsin Roadsides, by Tom Manus and Kristi Flick Manus
7. The Devil's Best Trick, by Randall Sullivan
8. The British Are Coming, by Rick Atkinson
9. Cultish, by Amanda Montell
10. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger

Historic Wisconsin Roadsides: Towns Off the Beaten Path in the Badger State, an April release from Reedy, is an essential guide to Wisconsin road trips. From the publisher: " Packed with over 1,200 recommendations, find where to get a free ice cream cone from a 1932 dairy bar when the temperature drops below -20°, eat what many consider the original butter burger** (not where you expect), ride Elvis's favorite roller coaster, find a whimsical 1927 C.W. Parker Amusement Company carousel, and visit the world's coolest 1950s motel featuring live music, songwriting workshops, and a radio station broadcasting only music created onsite."

Books for Kids:
1. Be a Bridge, by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrations by Nabila Adani
2. The Day the Crayons Made Friends, by Drew Daywalt, illustrations by Oliver Jeffers
3. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
4. The Forgery of Fate, by Elizabeth Lim
5. City Spies, by James Ponti (Boswell July 21 event)
6. Our Class Is a Family, by Shannon Olsen, illustrations by Sandie Sonke
7. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, illustrations by Aaron Boyd
8. Hot Dog, by Doug Salati
9. The Singular Life of Aria Patel, by Samira Ahmed
10. We're All in This Together: Leo's Lunch Box, by Raphael G Warnock, illustrations by Tamika Grooms

Brand new and Boswell Best featured is The Singular Life of Aria Patel. From Kirkus: "A Chicago teen must find her way home after being thrown into a succession of universes...The rush of the multiple universes and scientific mystery-solving brings excitement to this well-paced story, counteracting Aria's anxious perseveration, and the romantic storyline is sweet." For ages 12 and up.

*Yes, I know it's Amazon.

**Original source did not put a space between butter and burger. I think it more commonly does have one.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 7, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 7, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Listeners, by Maggie Stiefvater (signed copies)
2. The Last Ferry Out, by Andrea Bartz (signed copies)
3. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
5. James, by Percival Everett
6. Meet Me at the Crossroads, by Megan Giddings (signed copies)
7. Never Flinch, by Stephen King
8. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
9. The Marble Hall Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
10. Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy

The Listeners has four raves and two positives on BookMarks. Margot Harrison in The New York Times notes how Stiefvater blends history and fantasy: "This premise is based on real events. Some American hotels really did house enemy diplomats during World War II. But at the fictional Avallon, with its reputation as 'a place where past and future were erased, replaced by an immutable, carefree present,' the repercussions of this unusual arrangement are perilous. The bad vibes that arrive with the new guests threaten the Avallon’s main attraction: the springs that run under the hotel and fill it with scents of 'perfume, blood, fruit, dirt, caves, blossoms.' The sweetwater is, you see, a bit alive. June’s special sensitivity to it is one of the secrets to her success, and she fears the water will react poorly to the hotel’s new occupants, who are essentially pampered prisoners."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow
2. Steve Martin Writes the Written Word, by Steve Martin
3. Original Sin, by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson
4. Submersed, by Matthew Gavin Frank (Boswell June 16 event)
5. The Number One Dad Book, by James Patterson
6. The Book of Alchemy, by Suleika Jaouad
7. On Tyranny graphic edition, by Timothy Snyder
8. The Fate of the Day, by Rick Atkinson
9. The Insect Epiphany, by Barrett Klein (Boswell June 11 event)
10. We Can Do Hard Things, by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle

Steve Martin Writes the Written Word: Collected Written Word Works is a collection of Martin essays over the years. We all know how much Martin likes books because we've seen the advertisement with him and Martin Short set in a bookstore. I don't usually flag ads but hey, it's a nice plug for us biblio retailers. There don't seem to be reviews out there, possibly because aside from the introduction, it's all previously published - columns from New Yorker;s Shouts and Murmurs, plus both of his novellas. What a deal!

Paperback Fiction:
1. Problematic Summer Romance, by Ali Hazelwood
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
3. All Fours, by Miranda July
4. North Woods, by Daniel Mason
5. The Bullet Swallower, by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
6. One Golden Summer, by Carley Fortune
7. Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors
8. The All of It, by Jeannette Haien
9. The Battle of the Bookstores, by Ali Brady
10. The House of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski

When romance novels and bookstore novels converge, is the bestseller list of an indie bookstore far behind? The Battle of the Bookstores, by Ali Brady (a pen name), about two manager who must compete for a job when their stores merge. From the starred Booklist: "This also serves as a beautifully written paean to the magic of bookstores, the power of romance novels, and the joy of reading. In addition to all the witty banter and sexy chemistry between the protagonists, readers will be struck by thoughtful insights about dyslexia and family relationships as well as spot-on observations about the art and craft of bookselling."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
2. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
3. How Golf Can Save Your Life, by Drew Millard
4. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
5. New York Times Cooking No Recipe Recipes, by Sam Sifton
6. The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein
7. Titan, by Ron Chernow
8. Every Living Thing, by Jason Roberts
9. When the Sea Came Allife, by M Garrett Graff
10. Wordslut, by Amanda Montell

Regarding How Golf Can Save Your Life, I can't remember the last time a golf book was in our top 10. It's got to go back when I tabulated lists for Harry W Schwartz - we could sell a golf book this time of year in Brookfield and Mequon. But I also can't imagine any other golf book has a quote from Shea Serrano, who called the book "smart, insightful, funny, moving." Another tidbit. This is a reprint of a 2023 hardcover, but I spotted it also as an Overlook (bought by Abrams) title from 2021. I don't think that version ever was published.

Books for Kids:
1. The Day the Crayons Made Friends, by Drew Daywalt, with illustrations by Oliver Jeffers
2. The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt, illustrations by Oliver Jeffers
3. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
4. A Forgery of Fate, by Elizabeth Lim
5. The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater
6. Winnie the Pooh, by AA Milne
7. The Man Who Didn't Like Animals, by Deborah Underwood, illustrations by Leuyen Pham
8. Maxine Gets a Job, by Alexandra Garyn and Bryan Reisberg, illustrated by Susan Batori
9. Kill Creatures, by Rory Power
10. Skipshock, by Caroline O'Donoghue

It was a big release week for YA! Our top new entry is A Forgery of Fate, by Elizabeth Lim, with its snappy sprayed edges. From Emmy Neal in School Library Journal: "-This inspired retelling of Beauty and the Beast traps a reluctant con artist in an underwater kingdom with a dragon lord determined to destroy the gods. Hand to readers who like the ache of slow-burn romance and the whimsy of fairy tales. Highly recommended for all collections." Also starred Publishers Weekly and Booklist.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 31, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 31, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
2. Never Flinch, by Stephen King
3. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong (real signed copies, not tip-ins)
4. Fever Beach, by Carl Hiaasen
5. James, by Percival Everett
6. Spent, by Alison Bechdel
7. Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry
8. Shield of Sparrows (deluxe edition), by Devney Perry
9. The Knight and the Moth, by Rachel Gillig
10. The Devil Three Times, by Rickey Fayne

Second week on for Carl Hiaasen's Fever Beach, his 29th novel, including his novels for kids and his collaborations with William Montalbano from the early 1980s. BookMarks scores four raves and a mixed for this one. From Ron Charles in The Washington Post: "Fever Beach is as subtle as a falling coconut, but so are the times we live in...Utterly ridiculous and deeply satisfying." And if you have a subscription to The Atlantic, "We're All Living in a Carl Hiaasen novel."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson (signed copies, but no cartoon ginseng, alas)
2. The Six, by Steven Schwankert (also signed)
3. Arctic Passages, by Kiran Mulvaney
4. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
5. Original Sin, by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson
6. The Fate of the Day, by Rick Atkinson
7. The Insect Epiphany, by Barrett Klein (Boswell June 11 event)
8. The Book of Alchemy, by Suleika Jaouad
9. Wisconsin Supper Clubs, by Ron Faiola
10. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan

Five weeks running and Rick Atkinson's The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780 is still chugging along. Had a #1 debut on the New York Times, but our sales have been steady, but without the big first-week pop. Five raves from BookMarks, including this from William Anthony Hay in The Wall Street Journal: "The American Revolution defined the United States in an epic conflict that reached far beyond its shores. The Fate of the Day, the second volume of Rick Atkinson’s Revolution Trilogy, traces the war’s growth from colonial revolt into a global stalemate that reflected both sides’ refusal to flinch, showing how it effected ordinary people as well as examining the motives of the statesmen and soldiers who drove it. Varying his focus to capture compelling personalities and episodes along with the wider picture, Mr. Atkinson sustains dramatic tension in a detailed, comprehensive account of the Revolution’s pivotal middle years."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Let's Call Her Barbie, by Renée Rosen
2. Problematic Summer Romance
3. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
4. Table for Two, by Amor Towles
5. North Woods, by Daniel Mason
6. Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
8. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
9. Go As a River, by Shelley Read (Boswell June 27 event)
10. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey

Problematic Summer Romance is the newest Ali Hazelwood, her 13th published novel in four years. Fantastic Fiction notes is a professor somewhere - on  other websites, she no longer is - and on those, she now writes full time. Per USA Today, she recently cancelled her international tour.

It is hard to keep websites updated. On one author's website, I recently looked up their event schedule and it was quite full  - for the year 2019. 

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Generations, by Jean M Twinge
2. Neurotribes, by Steve Silverman
3. The Bill of Obligations, by Richard Haass
4. At the Edge of Empire, by Eric Hinderaker
5. Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma
6. Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond
7. Wisconsin Idols, by Dean Robbins
8. Midnight in Chernobyl, by Adam Higginbotham
9. The Devil's Best Trick, by Randall Sullivan
10. Hiking Zen, by Phap Xa and Phap Luu

Hiking Zen: Train Your Mind in Nature just out this week, was originally solicited as Walking Zen. We had to change the title only after it arrived. If you search the internet, you will find listings under the old title. Phap X also goes by Brother Equanimity and Phap Luu is also Brother Stream. The book has a blurb from Dan Rather: "If you are a fan of Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King’s non violent compassion in action - or if you are just tired of endless daily stress — let these inspiring stories and simple practices bring more peace and meaning to your soul."

Books for Kids:
1. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
2. Dry, by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
3. Peekaboo Love, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
4. City Spies, by James Ponti (Boswell July 21 event)
5. Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight, by Shannon Gibney, illustrations by Charly Palmer
6. Dog Man: Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey
7. The Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay
8. Peekaboo Farm, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
9. An Immense World Young Readers Edition, by Ed Yong
10. Giant Parsnip Soup, by Daniela Sosa

Giant Parsnip Soup is a new book written and illustrated by Romanian born, Cambridge resider Daniela Sosa. It's a friendship and counting book. Kirkus notes: "Savory fun for everyone. Kids will lap this right up." And from School Library Journal: "This is a great interactive book for young children, who can search for details in the pictures, count along with the text, and perhaps even learn a thing or two about how food is delivered to our kitchens." Speaking of parsnips, on this week's Top Chef, Tristen used mashed parsnips in place of coconut milk in a recipe.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 24, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 24, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Anima Rising, by Christopher Moore
2. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
3. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
4. The Devil Times Three, by Rickey Fayne
5. Nightshade, by Michael Connelly
6. Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry
7. James, by Percival Everett
8. Fever Beach, by Carl Hiaasen
9. The Last Ferry Out, by Andrea Bartz (Brookfield Library June 3 event)
10. Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy

Nightshade is Michael Connelly's fortieth novel and the first to feature Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Stilwell (doesn't seem to have a first name in the copy or in any of the reviews). All the advance reviews are great. From the starred Booklist: "specially after he gets a sense of how the victim was treated when she worked as a waitress at an elite island club. Catalina is a playground for visitors, while the working-class denizens scramble, and the powerful scheme. With an intriguingly low-key but skilled and principled hero, his significant other, a pesky if useful reporter, a conniving mayor, and a crime boss known as Baby Head, Nightshade is a gripping and promising start to crime virtuoso Connelly's new series."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Marsha, by Tourmaline
2. Calling In, by Loretta J Ross
3. The Book of Alchemy, by Suleika Jaouad
4. Original Sin, by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson
5. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson (Boswell May 27 event)
6. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
7. Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow (Turner Hall Ballroom June 4 ticketed event)
8. Good Stress, by Jeff Krasno
9. Things in Nature Merely Grow, by Yiyun Li
10. A Little History of Mathematics, by Snezana Lawrence

Marsha is Black trans artist Tourmaline's bio of Black trans artist Marsha P Johnson, per the publisher, a central figure in LGBTQIA+ history and the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. From Library Journal: "This biography is abundant with stories about other things in Johnson's life, such as the Angels of Light and the many people she influenced, including Andy Warhol." I also learned that in 2020, the East River State Park was renamed in her honor.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
2. Rain Over Snow, by Jameelah Shareef
3. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
4. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey (Upcoming Boswell book clubs here)
5. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, by VE Schwab
6. All Fours, by Miranda July
7. The Social Graces, by Renée Rosen
8. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
9. Park Avenue Summer, by Renée Rosen
10. Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett

There sure were a good number of hardcover holdouts who finally got their paperback release this spring, including Remarkably Bright Creatures, Lessons in Chemistry, and Tom Lake. For some reason, I think the rule is that if a hardcover release is extended beyond the normal window, the odds of an April or May paperback release increase substantially. I think it's a summer reading thing. Here's an interesting detail from Broadway World about Patchett and Our Town, on attending a Symphony Space performance last October: "Ann shared that despite Wilder’s play being the piece of writing she has read the most in her life, she had never seen a production of Our Town on stage until Kenny Leon’s production on Sunday."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. A Dumb Birds Field Guide to the Worst Birds Ever, by Matt Kracht
2. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
3. At the Edge of Empire, by Eric Hinderaker
4. Wisconsin's Idols, by Dean Robbins
5. The Light Eaters, by Zoë Schlanger
6. The Bill of Obligations, by Richard Haass
7. No Straight Road Takes You There, by Rebecca Solnit
8. Murdle V1, by GT Karber
9. Men Explain Things to Me, by Rebecca Solnit
10. Midnight in Chernobyl, by Adam Higginbotham

I think I highlighted Zoë Schlanger's The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth, but it's always nice to see an additional pop off the new paperback table. The updated publisher info notes that it was longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Nonfiction Prize and was a finalist for the Chautauqua Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and won the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History. I am repeating this in the order of the publisher - you think you would list the winner first!

Books for Kids:
1. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
2. The Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay
3. Will the Pigeon Graduate?, by Mo Willems
4. So Over Sharing, by Elissa Brent Weissman
5. Daddy, by Leslie Patricelli
6. Dads Can Do It All, by Ted Maase
7. I Love You Night and Day, by Sriti Prasadam Halls
8. Good Luck, Ice Cream Truck, by Sorce Fairbank, illustrations by Terry Runyan
9. Monarch, by Kirsten Hall
10. Dry, by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Jenny was working with a local child care center on additions to their library. One recent release that hit the mark was Good Luck, Ice Cream Truck, by Sorche Fairbank, where the characters greet trucks as they await the titled start of the book. Instead they see all kinds of other trucks, including ones for mail, cement, and garbage. But while they are all interesting, there's nothing that matches the one that carries ice cream. See you later, excavator!

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending May 17, 2025

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending May 17, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. People of Means, by Nancy Johnson
2. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
3. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
4. Fever Beach, by Carl Hiaasen
5. The Devil Three Times, by Rickey Fayne (Boswell May 20 event)
6. Marble Hall Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
7. The Names, by Florence Knapp
8. Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry
9. The Devils, by Joe Abercrombie
10. James, by Percival Everett

The Emperor of Gladness, Ocean Vuong's second novel, is the latest selection of the Oprah Book Club and had a strong first week. It's got 10 raves plus a positive and mixed on BookMarks. It's nice to see a review from the Christian Science Monitor. Here's Heller McAlpin's take: "In 2019, Ocean Vuong, an award-winning Vietnamese American poet, stunned readers with his first novel. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous was a brutal and tender coming-of-age story about surviving the aftermath of political and domestic trauma, written in the form of a son’s letter to his illiterate mother. In his unremittingly gorgeous second novel, The Emperor of Gladness, Vuong again deftly walks a tightrope between despair and hope, heartache and love."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow (Turner Hall Ballroom June 4 event)
2. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
3. Artic Passages, by Kirean Mulvaney
4. The Six, by Steven Schwankert (Boswell May 29 event)
5. The Fate of the Day, by Rick Atkinson
6. Capitalism and Its Critics by John Cassidy
7. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson (Boswell May 27 event)
8. Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
9. The Book of Alchemy, by Suleika Jaouad
10. Proto, by Laura Spinney

It's a lively top 10 with three upcoming events and three additional May 13 releases popping. I wouldn't expect a pop from Island Press, but Arctic Passages: Ice, Exploration, and the Battle for Power at the Top of the World is summer reading for a local school. Hasn't sold much at other stores yet, but it's got a strong buy from Ingram. From Foreword Reviews: "The Arctic's precipitous warming is studied not only for its devastating ecological implications but for global superpowers' maneuvers to capitalize on possible new trade opportunities."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
2. Late to the Search Party, by Steven Espada Dawson (signed copies)
3. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey (Boswell upcoming book clubs)
4. North Woods, by Daniel Mason
5. The Third Rule of Time Travel, by Philip Fracassi
6. The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese
7. The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson
8. Table for Two, by Amor Towles
9. Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett
10. Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Three upcoming book club book selections in the top ten, being that two of our four groups met this week. The Third Rule of Time Travel is the next selection of the Science Fiction Book Club. It's a paperback original that released in March. From Publishers Weekly: "Corporate politics and experimental physics clash in this exciting sci-fi outing from Fracassi...Underlying the brisk time-caper plot is Colson's ominous warning that scientists should not play God. Sci-fi fans with a taste for noir will savor this one."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Reading for Our Lives, by Maya Payne Smart
2. Wisconsin Idols, by Dean Robbins
3. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
4. At the Edge of Empire, by Eric Hinderaker
5. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
6. Maus boxed set, by Art Spiegelman
7. The Flavor of Wisconsin, by Harva Hachten and Terese Allen
8. 111 Places in Wisconsin That You Must Not Miss, by Michelle Madden
9. When Women Ran Fifth Avenue, by Julie Satow
10. Poverty by America, by Matthew Desmond

Maya Payne Smart's Reading for Our Lives: The Urgency of Early Literacy and the Action Plan to Help Your Child has been completely updated and revised in paperback. From Michael Eric Dyson: "This is a book that every parent must read to make sure their children reach their full potential as readers and citizens of our nation."

Books for Kids: 

1. Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name, by Luvvie Ajayi Jones, illustrations by Joe Spiotto
2. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
3. A Place for Pluto, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Melanie Demmer
4. The Very Last Leaf, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Jennifer Davison
5. Malcolm Lives, by Ibram X Kendi
6. Every Day's a Holiday, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Husna Aghniya
7 Dry, by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
8. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
9. Will the Pigeon Graduate?, by Mo Willems
10. Dog Man V13: Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey

Dr Ibram X Kendi visited America's Black Holocaust Museum for Malcolm Lives!: The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers where he was in conversation with Maya Payne Smart (see above). From Kirkus: "Scholar and award-winning author Kendi offers a thoroughly researched biography that examines the life of the activist, intellectual, and Muslim minister." There should be some signed copies at ABHM.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 10, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 10, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
2. A Pair of Wings, by Carole Hopson
3. The World's Fair Quilt, by Jennifer Chiaverini
4. The Perfect Divorce, by Jeneva Rose
5. The Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy
6. Beartown, by Fredrik Backman
7. The Unlucky Ones, by Hannah Morrissey
8. This Book Will Bury Me, by Ashley Winstead
9. James, by Pecival Everett
10. Shield of Sparrows, by Devney Perry

The thing you need to know about romantasy (and romance in general) is that the genre holds a lot of life lessons, most notably that today's enemy might be tomorrow's lover. Think about this the next time you go into battle. Shield of Sparrows is Entangled's lead for spring and comes complete with decorative sprayed edges (for a limited time). Said an anonymous reviewer on the Ingram order page: "The best read of 2025." The series is in development with Amazon MGM Studios.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. We Can Do Hard Things, by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle
2. The Book of Alchemy, by Suleika Jaouad
3. Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
4. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson (Boswell May 27 event)
5. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
6. Big Dumb Eyes, by Nate Bargatze
7. On Call, by Anthony Fauci
8. The Next Day, by Melissa French Gates
9. Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, by Fredrik Backman
10. The Fate of the Day, by Rick Atkinson

First week out for We Can Do Hard Things from the Doyle siblings, plus Glennon's spouse Wambach. From Booklist: "The authors, who host the We Can Do Hard Things podcast, mine their audiences and friends to get a wide range of thoughts on 20 tough questions, including, Why am I like this? How do I let go? How do I do the hard thing? and What is the point?... The style is breezy, with blocks of text alternating with line drawings, quotes, and affirmations from a diverse group of thinkers. At 500 pages, it's an easy read that can be sampled depending on the reader's needs."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
2. Beartown, by Fredrik Backman
3. A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman
4. Us Against You, by Fredrik Backman
5. One Golden Summer, by Carley Fortune
6. Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
8. I Cheerfully Refuse, by Leif Enger
9. North Woods, by Daniel Mason
10. The Vegetarian, by Han Kang (Boswell-run book club info here)

The only new title on this list is One Golden Summer, by Carley Fortune, a paperback original. From Publishers Weekly: "The beachy latest from bestseller Fortunef ollows Alice Everly, an overworked photographer who's lost her creative spark. When her grandmother, Nan, breaks her hip, Alice hopes to cheer her up by bringing her back to her lake cottage where Alice spent one wonderful summer when she was 17...The sparks between Alice and Charlie (a neighbor) fly off the page and endearing Nan adds heart. This is a treat."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
2. I Live Underwater, by Max Gene Nohl
3. Pocahantas and the Powhatan Dilemma, by Camilla Townsend
4. The Wager, by David Grann
5. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
6. Dumb Birds Field Guide to the Worst Birds Ever, by Matt Kracht
7. The Birding Dictionary, by Rosemary Mosco
8. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
9. At the Edge of Empire, by Eric Hinderaker
10. Rome and Persia, by Adrian Goldsworthy

A nice pre-pub-date pop on a formerly unpublished memoir. I Live Underwater: The Thrilling Adventures of a Record-Breaking Diver, Treasure Hunter, and Deep-Sea Explorer. From his bio: "He was a salvage diver, inventor and scuba innovator, Hollywood consultant, and world record-setting diver before his untimely death at age 47. He is widely considered to be the person who revolutionized deep sea diving." He was also Mary Nohl's brother.

Books for Kids:
1. Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name, by Luvvie Ajayi Jones
2. The Bletchley Riddle, by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
3. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
4. A Place for Pluto, by Stef Wade, illustrated by Melanie Demmer
5. Moving to Mars, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Erin Taylor
6. Stuck! the Story of La Brea Tar Pits, by Joyce Uglow
7. Q and U Call It Quits, by Stef Wade, illustrated by Jorge Martin
8. If I Coujld Choose a Best Day, by Charles Waters and Irene Latham, illustrated by Olivia Sua
9. Will the Pigeon Graduate?, by Mo Willems

A preorder campaign for Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name drives sales for Luvvie Ajayi Jones's picture book and her troublemaker brand (Professional Troublemaker for adults, Rising Troublemaker for teens, Little Troublemaker Makes a Mess for younger readers) is a first-day-of-school/how-to-deal-with-a-bully primer. Kirkus Reviews called it "Thoughtful guidance for youngsters processing big emotions."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 3, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 3, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry
2. Big Chief, by Jon Hickey (signed copies)
3. Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy
4. 33 Place Brugmann, by Alice Austen
5. This Book Will Bury Me, by Ashley Winstead
6. How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood
7. James, by Percival Everett
8. The Paris Express, by Emma Donoghue
9. The Mighty Red, by Loiuse Erdrich
10. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman

Another self-publishing success story, in this case one that's sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Dungeon Crawler Carl came out last August, with the paperback arriving this July and several other volumes released in the meantime. The Eye of the Bedlam arrives May 13. From the publisher: "You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Medicine River, by Mary Annette Pember
2. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
3. Who Is Government?, edited by Michael Lewis
4. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson (Boswell May 27 event) 

5. The Book of Alchemy, by Suleika Jaouad
6. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
7. Garden to the Max, by Terese Woodard
8. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
9. The Fate of the Day, by Rick Atkinson
10. Lorne, by Susan Morrison

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life from Suleika Jaouad, author of Between Two Kingdoms, had a great first week. We were out for a few days. This primer on journaling includes entries from everyone from Kiese Laymon to Lena Dunham and has blurbs from Adam Grant, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Elizabeth Gilbert, who writes: "This book is not only beautiful but exceedingly helpful. I recommend it to every dreamer, with the highest respect and joy."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt (MPL event May 8)
2. Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett
3. Table for Two, by Amor Towles
4. The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
5. Trust, by Hernan Diaz
6. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K Le Guin
7. Strange Pictures, by Uketsu
8 I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
9. Forth Wing V1, by Rebecca Yarros
10. The Paris Novel, by Ruth Reichl

Uketsu appears on video in a white mask and black body stocking with the voice visually distorted. His novel Strange Pictures is a big hit in Japan and based on the Edelweiss numbers, it's doing well here too. The novel, translated by Jim Rion, is explained thusly: "Structured around these nine childlike drawings, each holding a disturbing clue, Uketsu invites readers to piece together the mystery behind each and the over-arching backstory that connects them all."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Reading for Our Lives, by Maya Payne Smart
2. Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond
3. Evicted, by Matthew Desmond
4. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
5. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
6. The Devil's Best Trick, by Randall Sullivan
7. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
8. The Dumb Bird's Field Guide to the Worst Birds Ever, by Matt Kracht
9. Rand McNally Large Scale Road Atlas 2026
10. The Man Who Organized Nature, by Gunnar Broberg (out of stock at all Ingram wholesale warehouses!)

The Devil's Best Trick: How the Face of Evil Disappeared is from Grove, so it's got a May 20 pub date, not an on-sale date. The publisher calls Randall Sullivan's latest "part true crime story, part religious and literary history, an investigation into the nature of evil and the figure of the Devil." BookMarks offers one rave, four positives, and a big old pan from Carl Hoffman at The Washington Post whose byline notes he once lived in Indonesia. The rave is from Clancy Martin in The New York Times, who writes: "The prose has wonderful momentum even when he’s writing about arcane debates in the early Christian church. Each chapter is a turn, a surprise. The writing is never clichéd, nor is the thinking. Sullivan knows a great lede, and he’s just as good with cliffhangers."

Books for Kids:
1. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
2. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
3. Wil the Pigeon Graduate?, by Mo Willems
4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins
5. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, illustrations by Aaron Boyd
6. Hot Dog, by Doug Salati
7. The Man Who Didn't Like Animals, by Deborah Underwood, illustrations by Leuyen Pham
8. Little Bird Laila, by Kelly Yang, illustrations by Xindi Yang
9. When We Ride, by Rex Ogle
10. How to Spot a Mermaid, by Jane Yolen, illustrations by Sally Deng

Will the Pigeon Graduate? is a graduation gift book for all ages. From Kirkus: "An earnest graduation gift: sweet for lifelong fans, cheerfully encouraging for striving, future graduates. And guess who attended? Gerald the Elephant and Piggie! If you didn't hear, Union Square, formerly Sterling, was just sold by Barnes and Noble to Hachette Book Group.

I am playing with not italicizing titles. I think you can figure it out from context. We'll see if I continue with this.