Sunday Bestseller Post from Boswell, Week Ending October 5. What Did We Sell Last Week?

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Layton's Legacy: A Historic American Art Collection, 1888-2013, by John Eastberg and Eric Vogel
2. Body Memories, by Susan Falkman
3. Barracuda in the Attic, by Kipp Friedman
4. The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism, by Naoiki Higashida, translated by David Mitchell
5. David and GoliathL Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell

What memories this list brings! We had a great time with this week's top three, and apparently John Stewart had a great time with David Mitchell, popping sales for The Reason I Jump enough that it's likely to place well on the national bestseller lists this week. Watch part one here.



Hardcover Fiction:
1. Doctor Sleep, by Stephen King
2. The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
3. Someone, by Alice McDermott
4. Burial Rites, by Hannah Kent
5. Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri

This is the first appearance of Brandon Sanderson, who is all over this week's list, with hardcover and paperback fiction, as well as a couple of books on the kids' list. It's nice to see both Alice McDermott and Hannah Kent continue to pop a week after their appearances at Boswell. We're hoping to see strong sales for Someone and Burial Rites all the way through the holidays. Signed copies available for both. Just request in the notes field.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, Volume 2
2. Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, Volume 1
3. 1775, by Kevin Phillips
4. Orange is the New Black, by Piper Kerman
5. North Point Historic Districts, by Shirley McArthur

This is what the list looks like when you have a lot of events in the week. Eddie Trunk came to us from New Jersey and Kevin Phillips from Connecticut, which is also where Kerman's prison was.

Shirley McArthur was a Milwaukeean through and through, and her book, North Point Historic Districts, continues to be a popular titles for the neighborhood just east of us. I just realized there's a listing on our website for the book, using a dummy ISBN. By next week, I hope to have a way to order the book using its real ISBN.

The Kevin Phillips event for 1775 was held at the American Geographical Society Library on the third floor of the Golda Meir library. I learned how the Society's collection was moved in its entirety from New York. And the Library created an interesting Revolutionary War mini-exhibit to celebrate the event.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Kind, by Gretchen Primack
2. The Round House, by Louise Erdrich
3. Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter
4. Emperor's Soul, by Brandon Sanderson
5. NW, by Zadie Smith

While Louise Erdrich's recently released The Round House won last week's National Book Award. It's likely that within a couple of weeks, a different shortlisted title should top our sellers. Yes, Junot Díaz's event is just around the corner, on Monday October 14, 7 pm. We just went over the 200 mark for tickets. Don't expect to be able to just walk up and attend--we could be sold out in the next week. A ticket gets you a copy of This is How You Lose Her, in addition to admission to the event.
 

Books for Kids
1. Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson
2. Mr. Wuffles, by David Wiesner (our event is Friday, October 11, 4 pm)
3. The Rithmatist, by Brandon Sanderson
4. Mighty Lalouche, by Matthew Olshan and Sophie Blackall
5. Flora and Ulysses, by Kate DiCamillo

All my Brandon Sanderson photos were blurry. I must have had a setting wrong. Let me just assure you that a fun time was had by all.  And yes, we have signed copies of Steelheart and The Rithmatist.

Chris Foran in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that Milwaukee is a footnote in Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin, even though the assassination took place in town. Per Foran, Gerald Helferich has written an entertaining history that is a bit short on juicy details.

Also in the Journal Sentinel, Mike Fischer finds Dave Eggers' new novel, The Circle, a bit lacking. "What this book doesn't do is give us a single rounded character; instead it's vaguely reminiscent of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" — another passionate manifesto pretending to be a novel and championing individual freedom, albeit from the libertarian right rather than Eggers' position on a socially engaged left.

And finally, speaking of Junot Díaz, and we were above, he is interviewed in the Journal Sentinel today by Georgia Pabst. Here's where he touches our heart the most: ""I can't imagine a world without books. Where are we with no libraries or bookstores. They are civic spaces. The most important thing to do is create readers, support bookstores and libraries with all the privileges and resources you have."

Sigh. Can I remind you to buy your ticket here?