Sunday, January 7, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 6, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 6, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride
2. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
3. The Door-to-Door Bookstore, by Carsten Henn
4. North Woods, by Daniel Mason
5. The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese
6. Wellness, by Nathan Hill
7. The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
8. First Lie Wins, by Ashley Elston
9. Death in the Dark Woods, by Annelise Ryan
10. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt

It's the beginning of the month, and that means the national book clubs have announced their January picks. Had The Waters, by Bonnie Jo Campbell been released this week, it would have gone to #1, what with pre-orders from our upcoming January 12 event, but no, the top debut is Reese's pick, First Lie Wins. 

Here's the set-up, per the publisher: "Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn't exist." So many psychological suspense novelists (at least the ones who have visited Boswell) have given this one blurbs, from Megan Miranda to Mary Kubica to Ashley Winstead.

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
2. Prequel, by Rachel Maddow
3. Wisconsin Field to Fork, by Lori Fredrich
4. Wisconsin Supper Clubs 2e, by Ron Faiola
5. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
6. The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, by Tim Alberta
7. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
8. Start Here, by Sohla El-Waylly
9. Big Heart, Little Stove, by Erin French
10. The Art of the Grimoire, by Owen Davies

December releases can be so tricky, with books getting lost in holiday round-ups and best-of features. But based on the reorders at Ingram, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism seems to have found its audience. Three raves from Bookmarks, including The New York Times and The Guardian. And it's also on the Obama year-end favorites list. 

Paperback Fiction:
1. Trust, by Hernan Diaz
2. Shady Hollow, by Juneau Black
3. What Moves the Dead, by T Kingfisher
4. Time to Shine, by Rachel Reid
5. Days a the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
6. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, by VE Schwab
7. Essex Dogs V1, by Dan Jones
8. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, by Sangu Mandanna
9. The Enigma of Room 622, by Joël Dicker
10. The Cartographers, by Peng Shepherd

A combination of sales off the paperback table and a coveted spot on Oli's rec shelf (one of the protagonists is a mycologist) gets What Moves the Dead, the first entry in the Sworn Soldier series, placement in our top 10. It's the third week of strong sales, but post holiday, a book that holds stead in sales moves up greatly in ranking. I hear it's a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. Library Journal adds: "Retold Gothic classics and fungus-themed horror are both having a moment." Fungus-themed horror!

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. John Gurda's Milwaukee, by John Gurda
2. The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown
3. Where the Deer and the Antelope Play, by Nick Offerman
4. Wordslut, by Amanda Montell
5. The Storyteller, by Dave Grohl

Despite meh critical reviews, The Boys in the Boat is doing above expectations at the box office (56% score on Rotten Tomatoes), what with Amazon following the lead of other streamers and doing a longer theatrical release than they sometimes do (but with their acquisition of MGM, that might have affected the strategy). It has grossed just under $30 million on a $40 million budget.

Books for Kids:
1. Who Got Game: Basketball, by Derrick Barnes, illustrations by Jez Tuya
2. Sharice's Big Voice by Sharice Davids with Nancy K Mays
3. Dogtown, by  Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko (virtual school visit January 23)
4. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb
5. Heartstopper V5, by Alice Oseman
6. Cat Kid Comic Club V5: Influencers, by Dav Pilkey
7. The Tale of the Desperaux, by Kate Di Camillo
8. The Chalice of the Gods V6, by Rick Riordan
9. Star Splitter by Matthew J Kirby
10. Peekaboo Love, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius

Derrick Barnes is visiting schools this week for Who Got Game: Basketball and this is our moment to say thank you to everyone who helped raise money to buy copies of the book for students at an MPS School. From Kirkus: "Even non-fans will enjoy the breathless tales of miracle comebacks Barnes dishes out on his way to a closing pep talk."

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