Sunday Bestsellers--Interesting Tidbit on The Interestings, Paris Trumps New York, Beautiful Ruins Sales are Beautiful, and Elinor Lipman Hits Four Different Bestseller Lists. Why Hasn't She Written a Board Book?

Hardcover fiction:
1. The View from Penthouse B, by Elinor Lipman (signed copies available)
2. Snapper, by Brian Kimberling (also)
3. Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson (also, but not for long)
4. Paris, by Edward Rutherfurd
5. Woke Up Lonely, by Fiona Maazel (also)
6. Vader's Little Princess, by Jeffrey Brown
7. Maya's Notebook, by Isabel Allende
8. The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer
9. Leaving Everything Most Loved, by Jacqueline Winspear
10. A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin

Jason asked me if I knew what was up with Edward Rutherfurd's Paris? In one week, we outsold the complete run of his previous novel, New York. "Well, I thought, our traffic is up, the make up of our customers is a bit different, what with other stores having closed, and then there was that review in the Montreal Gazette." As Jeff Heinrich notes, "Rutherfurd’s prose is so clean and unembellished, the dialogue so fluid and true to the era it’s spoken in, that 'l’appétit vient en mangeant,' as the French say: the more you read, you more you want. The characters are memorable and 'attachant,' even the crooks and low-lifes (and there are a few)."

And then of course it's Paris.

Hardcover nonfiction:
1. Out with It, by Katherine Preston
2.  I Can't Complain, by Elinor Lipman
3. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, by David Sedaris
4. The Third Coast, by Thomas Dyja
5. Cooked, by Michael Pollan
6. Behind the Beautiful Forevers, by Katherine Boo
7. Gulp, by Mary Roach
8. Clean, by David Sheff
9. Limping through Life, by Jerry Apps
10. Mom and Me and Mom, by Maya Angelou

"Oh, did you know David Sedaris is coming for Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls?"

"Shut up. Can I get a ticket?"

"There are no tickets. It's Sunday, May 26, 2 pm."

"When should I come?

"Early."

Everybody's talking about the Sedaris interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. Listen to this now--I dare to call it "soul baring."

Paperback fiction:
1. Farmer's Almanac, by Chris Fink
2. Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter
3. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. The Orphan Master's Son, by Adam Johnson
5. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, by Maria Semple
6. Child of God, by Cormac McCarthy
7. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
8. Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
9. The Orchardist, by Amanda Coplin
10. The Inn at Lake Devine, by Elinor Lipman

There's no question about it. Paul blew away from the competition with his St. George pick, Child of God. It's very unlikely that anyone will overtake him, so congratulate him now on his success. And speaking of blowing up competition, Beautiful Ruins is closing in on 100 paperback copies sold before our event on May 6. I'm hoping to write a piece on the book this week, featuring our lovely window that Stacie and Hannah dreamed up--perhaps someone at Harper will tell me what exactly exploded the book in paperback beyond word of mouth.

Paperback nonfiction:
1. Historic Milwaukee Public Schoolhouses, by Robert Tanzilo
2. Tweet Land of Liberty, by Elinor Lipman
3. More Than They Bargained For, by Jason Stein and Patrick Marley
4. The Swerve, by Stephen Greenblat
5. Why Does the World Exist, by Jim Holt

Until her kids' book comes out, Elinor Lipman will have to be happy hitting only four of our bestseller lists post her successful literary lunch event. Her essays, I Can't Complain, was #2 in hardcover nonfiction while her tweets, Tweet Land of Liberty, were #2 in paperback nonfiction. In addition, one of her backlist novels also broke the top 10 fiction, despite strong competition.

Books for kids:
1. Because of Mr. Terupt, by Rob Buyea
2. Mr. Terupt Falls Again, by Rob Buyea
3. Ghoulish Song, by William Alexander
4. Goblin Secrets, by William Alexander
5. Mary Nohl: A lifetime in Art, by Barbara Manger and Janine Smith

Manger and Smith will be appearing to talk about their kids' Mary Nohl book at the North Shore Library on Thrusday, May 9, 6:30 pm. And for those interested in what's next for Mr. Alexander, his two stories will come together and a third novel that unites the characters of his first two books, or so I'm told. Very exciting!

What's on the shortlist for next week's bestsellers? We turn to the Journal Sentinel, where Mike Fischer reviews Edna O'Brien's memoir, Country Girl. He notes that "the first and best of this book's four parts vividly resurrects the Ireland of her childhood--that vanished country of the past which, she tells us, has provided her with 'the richest material of all.'"

There's also a memorial to Norbert Blei (oops! typo--I call this writing without a net), a Wisconsin writer, who per writer Jan Uebelherr, started a feud with the local newspaper over the blue tubes they installed for their shopping supplement. He also penned a column on shutting the bridge into Door County so nobody could mess with his beloved adopted home. He was working on a biography of Al Johnson, the famous proprietor of the Swedish restaurant in Sister Bay.

And Colette Bancroft riffs on David Sedaris and his new Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls in a review originally published int he Tampa Bay Times. While "laughing her head off", she wonders how he does it. She particularly likes the pieces about his relationship with his father.

From the Miami Herald, Hannah Sampson reviews The Interestings, calling it "a story that feels real and true andmore than fulills the promise of the title. It is interesting, yes, but also moving, compelling, fascinating and rewarding." No wonder it's our biggest Meg Wolitzer bestseller to date. (In fact, our sales at this location have increased in hardcover for each of her last three novels).