1. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
2. Shadow Ticket, by Thomas Pynchon
3. Heart the Lover, by Lily King
4. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, by Kiran Desai
5. Dog Show, by Billy Collins
6. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
7. The Antidote, by Karen Russell
8. Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan
9. The Director, by Daniel Kehlmann
10. What We Can Know, by Ian McEwan
Every year we have a display of the ten best books of the year from The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. It's very successful, with some caveats. The NYT works better than the other two, and in general, fiction works better than nonfiction, which can lean a little academic. So 11 copies of The Director (NYT), but only one of The Slip (WSP), which had a very enthusiastic endorsement from Patrick Ryan when he visited. It sounds good!
The Director, translated from the German by Ross Benjamin, has 12 raves and 3 positives on BookMarks. From Susan Newman in The New York Review of Books: "If you’re seeking an understanding of the ease with which anyone can be brought, step by small step, to sell her soul to fascism, you must read this book ... The Director is far timelier now than when it was first published in 20223." The link lets you read the first five (admittedly long) paragraphs.
The Director seems a fitting cap to a good year for the revived Summit Books imprint. I read three books from them - The Paris Express, Maggie, and Destroy This House. and liked them all. Chris is a big fan of The Rest of Our Lives, by Ben Markovits, which comes out on December 30.
The PBS Newshour book segment with Ann Patchett and Maureen Corrigan that aired last week continued to help the titles featured. Maureen Corrigan's book of the year was The Antidote, by Karen Russell. Jason is also a fan.
One last note - if you're wondering if a local setting help, here's an interesting data point. Shadow Ticket is the third Thomas Pynchon published since we've been open. We've sold more than six times as many books as 2009's Inherent Vice and 2013's Bleeding Edge.
Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Milwaukee Flavor, from Visit Milwaukee, by Ann Christenson, with photos by Kevin J Miyasaki
2. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
3. 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
4. Good Things, by Samin Nosrat
5. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
6. Mother Mary Comes to Me, by Arundhati Roy
7. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
8. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
9. Turtle Island, by Sean Sherman
10. Enshittification, by Cory Doctorow
Three cookbooks in the top ten this week, and while the category does okay for us all year despite online creep, it really picks up in fourth quarter. One top seller is Sean Sherman's Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America, the follow up to the surprise 2017 bestseller and James Beard winner, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, which was published in 2017 and still sells well. From Robin Wall Kimmerer: "I've been completely seduced by Sean Sherman's new book--the only thing that could get me to put it down is the invitation to go harvest dandelion capers from the field. This is so much more than enticing recipes and gorgeous photos. Each imagined bite is a story, of the people and places that nourish us, of a history of resilience and ingenuity. These pages are an expression of Indigenous identity and a pathway for reconnection to the land. Gbekte ne?"
One last note - if you're wondering if a local setting help, here's an interesting data point. Shadow Ticket is the third Thomas Pynchon published since we've been open. We've sold more than six times as many books as 2009's Inherent Vice and 2013's Bleeding Edge.
1. Milwaukee Flavor, from Visit Milwaukee, by Ann Christenson, with photos by Kevin J Miyasaki
2. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
3. 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
4. Good Things, by Samin Nosrat
5. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
6. Mother Mary Comes to Me, by Arundhati Roy
7. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
8. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
9. Turtle Island, by Sean Sherman
10. Enshittification, by Cory Doctorow
Three cookbooks in the top ten this week, and while the category does okay for us all year despite online creep, it really picks up in fourth quarter. One top seller is Sean Sherman's Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America, the follow up to the surprise 2017 bestseller and James Beard winner, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, which was published in 2017 and still sells well. From Robin Wall Kimmerer: "I've been completely seduced by Sean Sherman's new book--the only thing that could get me to put it down is the invitation to go harvest dandelion capers from the field. This is so much more than enticing recipes and gorgeous photos. Each imagined bite is a story, of the people and places that nourish us, of a history of resilience and ingenuity. These pages are an expression of Indigenous identity and a pathway for reconnection to the land. Gbekte ne?"
Enshittification is one of Jason's picks in the recent Journal Sentinel profile.
Paperback Fiction:
1. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
2. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén, illustrated by Alice Menzies
3. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
4. Black Butterflies, by Priscilla Morris
5. Sunburn, by Chloe Howarth
6. The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
7. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
8. Heated Rivalry, by Rachel Reid
9. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
10. The Housemaid, by Freida McFaddan
Wel what do you know - a fiction list with a substantial number of media tie-ins, and that doesn't include Hamnet, which fall off after a strong week. Topping the list is Project Hail Mary, which is scheduled for March 2026. We're selling the original and Ryan Gosling editions. Also on the big screen is The Housemaid, which went into wide release this weekend, probably not the last Freida McFadden adaptation we will see. And then there's Heated Rivalry, the Netflix series that has had a number of heated staff reads from Boswellians. And I did just see they are making When the Cranes Fly South into a film. As for The Lion Women of Tehran, the HBO deal fell through, according to my internet search.
Weird stat - I have read exactly three books in the top ten of the four adult lists.
Paperback Nonfiction:
1. A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron
2. Birds of the Great Lakes, by Dexter Patterson
3. Contemplate, by Jacob Riyeff (Boswell January 30 event)
4. Turning to Stone, by Marcia Bojornerud
5. Meditations for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman
6. AI Snake Oil, Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor
7. Welcome to Pawnee, by Jim O'Heir
8. Wrecked, by Thomas Nelson and Jerald Podair
9. John Lewis, by David Greenberg
10. There's Always This Year, by Hanif Abudurraqib
We sold books for Marcia Bjornerud for her last book Timefulness, but alas, no visit this time for Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks, which is selling well off the new paperback table. She's one of two Larence profs in the top ten, the other being Jerald Podair, who did visit for Wrecked.
For some reason, we're the only indie in the country that is really trying to sell A Sheepdog Named Oscar who reports to the Edelweiss inventory sharing system. I just don't get it. Dog + Ireland = sale for a lot of readers. And we have a rec from McKenna, so we can vouch for its charms.
And finally, last week Jon M Sweeney was in our top ten as an author for Experincing God (event Jan 9), but this week, he's represented as the Associate Publisher of Monkfish for Jacob Riyeff's Contemplate.
Books for Kids:
1. Dog Man V14: Big Jim Believes, by Dav Pilkey
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid V20: Partypooper
3. Buffalo Fluffalo and Puffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
4. How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney, by Mac Barnett, illustrations by Jon Klassen
5. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
6.The Snowy Day board book, by Ezra Jack Keats
7. If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone, by Gideon Sterer, illustrations by Emily Hughes
8. If Were Were Dogs, by Sophie Blackall
9. Skunk and Badger V3: Rock Paper Incisors, by Amy Timberlake, illustrations by Jon Klassen
10. The Adventures of Cipollino, by Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova, translated by Antony Shugaar
Who would guess that an Italian children's book first published in 1951 would be one of our holiday hits? I guess this new edition of The Adventures of Cipollino saw the light of day when it was mentioned as one of Hayao Miyazaki’s (Spirited Away and so forth) 50 favorite children's books. From the publisher: "In this colorful, episodic adventure story, in which nearly everyone is animal, vegetable, or fruit, Cipollino leaves home and sets off into the world to free his wrongfully imprisoned father. In the process, he faces off against scoundrels of all kinds with wit and humor, while winning both allies and friends." From Kirkus: "Sly, silly fun with political and class-war overtones."
Apologies in advance for the typos!
1. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
2. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén, illustrated by Alice Menzies
3. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
4. Black Butterflies, by Priscilla Morris
5. Sunburn, by Chloe Howarth
6. The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
7. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
8. Heated Rivalry, by Rachel Reid
9. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
10. The Housemaid, by Freida McFaddan
Wel what do you know - a fiction list with a substantial number of media tie-ins, and that doesn't include Hamnet, which fall off after a strong week. Topping the list is Project Hail Mary, which is scheduled for March 2026. We're selling the original and Ryan Gosling editions. Also on the big screen is The Housemaid, which went into wide release this weekend, probably not the last Freida McFadden adaptation we will see. And then there's Heated Rivalry, the Netflix series that has had a number of heated staff reads from Boswellians. And I did just see they are making When the Cranes Fly South into a film. As for The Lion Women of Tehran, the HBO deal fell through, according to my internet search.
Weird stat - I have read exactly three books in the top ten of the four adult lists.
1. A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron
2. Birds of the Great Lakes, by Dexter Patterson
3. Contemplate, by Jacob Riyeff (Boswell January 30 event)
4. Turning to Stone, by Marcia Bojornerud
5. Meditations for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman
6. AI Snake Oil, Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor
7. Welcome to Pawnee, by Jim O'Heir
8. Wrecked, by Thomas Nelson and Jerald Podair
9. John Lewis, by David Greenberg
10. There's Always This Year, by Hanif Abudurraqib
We sold books for Marcia Bjornerud for her last book Timefulness, but alas, no visit this time for Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks, which is selling well off the new paperback table. She's one of two Larence profs in the top ten, the other being Jerald Podair, who did visit for Wrecked.
For some reason, we're the only indie in the country that is really trying to sell A Sheepdog Named Oscar who reports to the Edelweiss inventory sharing system. I just don't get it. Dog + Ireland = sale for a lot of readers. And we have a rec from McKenna, so we can vouch for its charms.
And finally, last week Jon M Sweeney was in our top ten as an author for Experincing God (event Jan 9), but this week, he's represented as the Associate Publisher of Monkfish for Jacob Riyeff's Contemplate.
1. Dog Man V14: Big Jim Believes, by Dav Pilkey
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid V20: Partypooper
3. Buffalo Fluffalo and Puffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
4. How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney, by Mac Barnett, illustrations by Jon Klassen
5. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
6.The Snowy Day board book, by Ezra Jack Keats
7. If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone, by Gideon Sterer, illustrations by Emily Hughes
8. If Were Were Dogs, by Sophie Blackall
9. Skunk and Badger V3: Rock Paper Incisors, by Amy Timberlake, illustrations by Jon Klassen
10. The Adventures of Cipollino, by Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova, translated by Antony Shugaar
Who would guess that an Italian children's book first published in 1951 would be one of our holiday hits? I guess this new edition of The Adventures of Cipollino saw the light of day when it was mentioned as one of Hayao Miyazaki’s (Spirited Away and so forth) 50 favorite children's books. From the publisher: "In this colorful, episodic adventure story, in which nearly everyone is animal, vegetable, or fruit, Cipollino leaves home and sets off into the world to free his wrongfully imprisoned father. In the process, he faces off against scoundrels of all kinds with wit and humor, while winning both allies and friends." From Kirkus: "Sly, silly fun with political and class-war overtones."
Apologies in advance for the typos!
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