Boswell bestsellers, for the week ending October 12, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, for the week ending October 12, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. City in Glass, by Nghi Vo (signed copies)
2. Playground, by Richard Powers
3. Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney
4. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski
5. The Empusium, by Olga Tokarczuk
6. True North, by Andrew J Graff
7. All Fours, by Miranda July
8. Somewhere Beyond the Sea V2, by TJ Klune
9. James, by Percival Everett
10.The Mighty Red, by Louise Erdrich (UWM ticketed event October 28)

 
Don't be fooled! The Empusium shows up from our wholesaler as a Fitzcarralrdo edition, but it's for other territories. Our edition comes from Riverhead, annd has an actual cover image instead of being all type. The latest in English from the Nobel winner has eight raves, six positives, a mixed, and a pan. From Hari Kunzro in The New York Times Book Review: "The extreme misogyny of the guesthouse gentlemen runs like a vein of poison through...Olga Tokarczuk’s deft and disturbing new novel. In Antonia Lloyd-Jones’s crisp translation, Tokarczuk tells a folk horror story with a deceptively light and knowing tone."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Coming Golden Age, by David Jeremiah
2. Teaching the Invisible Race, by Tony Delarosa
3. The Message, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
4. Be Ready When Luck Happens, by Ina Garten
5. The Defectors, by Paola Ramos
6. Moments of Happiness, by Mike Leckrone and Doug Moe (Boswell event October 29)
7. John Lewis, by David Greenberg
8. Where Rivers Part, by Kao Kalia Lang (Simulcast event October 17 - in person at capacity)
9. Capital, by Karl Marx
10. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson

I guess there are other John Lewis bios, either out already or forthcoming, so the publisher made sure to differentiate John Lewis: A Life, by David Greenberg, to buyers: "David Greenberg interviewed Lewis three times, twice in his last months as he reflected on his life. He interviewed approximately 275 people who knew Lewis, and he had access to never-before-used FBI files, among many other sources." There are four raves and a positive at LitHub. Tim's a fan - he highlighted passages for several of us to read.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Close Call, by Kim Suhr (signed copies)
2. Austerlitz, by WG Sebald
3. North Woods, by Daniel Mason
4. Demon Copperfield, by Barbara Kingsolver
5. The House of Doors, by Tan Twan Eng
6. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands V2, by Heather Fawcett
7. The Lightest Object in the Universe, by Kimi Eisele
8. The Booklover's Library, by Madeline Martin
9. The Postcard, by Anne Berest
10. Goodnight Tokyo, by Atsuhiro Yoshida

The Lightest Object in the Universe came out in paperback in 2020, and that was not a good time for paperback reprint sales at Boswell as in-person browsing is really important for that category. Kay's making up for it with her staff rec - we've sold more copies this year than we did for the hardcover and the first four years of paperback sale combined. From Publishers Weekly: "A near-future apocalypse forms the backdrop for an intense, moving romance in Eisele’s smart debut." Too bad it's slightly short discount (there's a POD surcharge) at Ingram, making it too-short-for-trade at some bookstores.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. How Civil Wars Start, by Barbara F Walter
2. Assyria, by Eckart Fram
3. The Sisterhood, by Liza Mundy
4. The Book of More Delights, by Ross Gay
5. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
6. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
7. We Had Fun and Nobody Died, by Amy T Waldman and Peter Jest
8. At the Lake, by Jim Landwehr
9. The Rediscovery of America, by Ned Blackhawk
10. Grief Is a Sneaky Bitch, by Lisa Keefauver

Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire has no LitHub feature, but the book was well-reviewed, including this from Kyle Harper in The Wall Street Journal: " Though the imposing civilization of ancient Assyria has receded from the foreground of collective memory, it has never completely succumbed to time. Eckart Frahm’s Assyria is a sweeping, delightfully readable effort to remind us of Assyria’s place in history.

Books for Kids:
1. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
2. The Last Dragon on Mars, by Scott Reintgen
3. Big, by Vashti Harrison
4. The Wild Robot, by Peter Brown
5. Everything We Never Had, by Randy Ribay
6. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan, illustrations by Safiya Zerrougui
7. The Bletchley Riddle, by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (Boswell October 18 event)
8. Pizza for Birds, by Bob Shea
9. Spooky Lakes, by Geo Rutherford (Boswell October 19 event)
10. The Big Cheese, by Jory John, illustrations by Pete Oswald

The Wild Robot is a hit film! The Rotten Tomatoes score is 98%. To put that in perspective, the new Joker movie is at 33% and just had the largest drop in second-week sales of any comic book movie ever. The book got great reviews too - Kirkus called it "thought-provoking and charming." Looks like #4 in the series is scheduled for next summer.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending October 5, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending October 5, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. A Kid from Marlboro Road, by Edward Burns (signed copies)
2. The City in Glass, by Nghi Vo (Boswell October 10 event)
3. Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney
4. Candy and Crow V3, by Kevin Hearne (signed copies)
5. The Mighty Red, by Louise Erdrich (UWM October 28 ticketed event)
6. Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout
7. We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman
8. Playground, by Richard Powers
9. Somewhere Beyond the Sea V2, by TJ Klune
10. The Drowned V6, by John Banville

Whereas John Banville at one time wrote his crime fiction under the name Benjamin Black, the latest Detective Inspector Spofford installment, The Drowned, is under the Banville name. Depending on how you organize the series, it's either #6 or #4. From Kirkus: "As for the mystery at the heart of the book: Banville remains a master of suspense; it's not easy to stop turning the pages until the novel's genuinely surprising end. This is yet another fine thriller from an author at the top of his game. Excellent writing and a clever plot make this one stand out."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Message, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
2. Be Ready When the Luck Happens, by Ina Garten
3. Revenge of the Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
4. Defectors, by Paola Ramos
5. Abortion, by Jessica Valenti
6. Does This Taste Funny, by Stephen Colbert and Evie M Colbert
7. The Barn, by Wright Thompson
8. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
9. Connie, by Connie Chung
10. Upworthy Good People, by Gabriel Reilich

Top debut this week is The Message, the latest from Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose Between the World and Me never went into paperback, and if it ever does, it will likely be the same price as the hardcover. The book has four raves, a positive, a mixed, and a pan on BookMarks.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Ink and Sigil V1, by Kevin Hearne
2. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
3. North Woods, by Daniel Mason
4. Cascade Failure, by LM Sagas
5. The Boyfriend, by Frieda McFadden
6. Hampton Heights, by Dan Kois
7. Paper and Blood V2, by Kevin Hearne
8. Close Call, by Kim Suhr (Boswell October 9 event)
9. Austerlitz, by WG Sebald
10. Mistborn V1, by Brandon Sanderson

What do you know? North Woods is an acclaimed literary novel that is released in paperback 12 months after the hardcover. It feels like it's so uncommon nowadays - everything seems to be either faster or much slower. Or not at all. It was on the ten-best list of both The New York Times and The Washington Post. 

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Brian Friel: Beginnings, by Kelly Matthews
2. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
3. How Not to Be Wrong, by Jordan Ellenberg (UWM October 16 event)
4. Random Acts of Medicine, by Anupam B Jena and Christopher Worsham
5. Unruly, by David Mitchell
6. Master Slave Husband Wife, by Ilyon Woo
7. Trail of the Lost, by Andrea Lankford
8. Time's Echo, by Jeremy Eichler
9. Solito, by Javier Zamora
10. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel

I continue to champion Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health, but sometimes my talks land better than others. Something I said this week hit the nail on the head, but will I remember whatever it was the next time I am speaking? Probably not. It's got blurbs from Steven Leavitt and Cass Sunstein.

Books for Kids:
1. The Last Dragon on Mars, by Scott Reintgen
2. Giving Good, by Aaron Boyd (signed copies)
3. The World Is Awaiting You, by Marianne Richmond, illustrations by Sally Garland
4. Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, by Patrick Ness, illustrations by Tim Miller
5. Everything We Never Had, by Randy Ribay (signed copies)
6. A Magic Fierce and Bright, by Hemant Nayak (signed copies)
7. The Wrath of the Triple Goddess V7, by Rick Riordan
8. The Wild Robot, by Peter Brown
9. Spooky Lakes, by Geo Rutherford (Boswell October 19 event)
10. Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell

We had several authors visiting schools this week. Scott Reintgen, author of The Last Dragon on Mars, is best known for YA, but as much as we're seeing YA writers writing adult fiction, Reintgen is one of three sets of authors we worked with (the others are Patrick Ness and Ruta Sepetys) who moved to middle grade, despite a softening of book sales in that age level. The one thing you can do with the 8-12s - have a successful school visit. 

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 28, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 28, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney
2. Running Close to the Wind, by Alexandra Rowland
3. Aednan, by Linnea Axelsson
4. Somewhere Beyond the Sea V2, by TJ Klune
5. Snake Oil, by Kelsey Rae Dimberg
6. Playground, by Richard Powers
7. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski
8. Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout
9. We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman
10. When I'm Dead V3, by Hannah Morrissey

It isn't even close. Sally Rooney's Intermezzo is said to be a return to form and indeed, it more than doubled first-week sales of Beautiful World, Where Are You? at Boswell. BookMarks counts 13 raves, 7 positives, 6 mixeds, and 2 pans. From Dwight Garner in The New York Times, responding to the Sally Rooney backlash in some quarters: "When I’ve replied that I admire Intermezzo almost without reservation - I fell into it like a goose-down comforter after a 15-mile hike in the sleet - the reaction has largely been disbelief. Some were as apoplectic as parrots. If I had to boil down the responses to my declarations of love to three letters, they’d be LOL. Clearly this book is going to divide people."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. An Intimate City, by Michael Kimmelman
2. Group Living and Other Recipes, by Lola Milholland
3. Frightful Folklore of North America, by Mike Bass
4. The Small and the Mighty, by Sharon McMahon
5. Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay
6. The Barn, by Wright Thompson
7. Nexus, by Yuval Noah Harari
8. On Freedom, by Timothy Snyder
9. Something Lost, Something Gained, by Hillary Rodham Clinton
10. The Serial Killer's Apprentice, by Katherine Ramsland and Tracy Ullman

The author of Pappyland returns with another story close to (his) home, The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi. it's not on BookMarks, despite reviews in Kirkus, Booklist, BookPage, the Los Angeles Times, and the Associated Press. From Aram Goudsouzian in The Washington Post: "For Wright Thompson, the murder still matters in part because so many facts have stayed buried, and because those silences have widened the cracks in our democratic bedrock. His extraordinary new book, The Barn, is not only an intimate history of the tragedy, but also a deep meditation on Mississippi and America. It revolves around an artifact hiding in plain sight: the barn where Till was beaten and killed."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Nightmare of a Trip, by Maureen Kilmer
2. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
3. A Taste of Gold and Iron, by Alexandra Rowland
4. Empress of Salt and Fortune V1, by Nghi Vo (Boswell event October 10)
5. Not Just a Homemaker, by Paulette Brooks
6. Queen of Days, by Greta Kelly
7. Alcestis, by Katharine Beutner
8. The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston
9. Kairos, by Jenny Erpenbeck
10. Long Time Dead, by Samara Breger

We were one of the many stands at last Sundays' Awkward Nerd Book Fair. Illinois writer Maureen Kilmer returned to town for Nightmare of a Trip. Here's her inspriation for the book, as told to Elsie Dumpleton at The Nerd Daily: "A few years ago, my husband and I decided to take our kids on an 18 hour road trip in the name of family bonding. After a few hours in the car together, the only thing that bonded us was our desire to fly next time. There were a lot of laughs, but it wasn’t something we all wanted to experience again. The idea for Nightmare of a Trip came to me during those long hours on the road, imagining how we would handle actual horrors instead of tire problems and endless requests for snacks."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. My American Dream, by Barbara Feigin
2. Still True, by Reagan EJ Jackson
3. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
4. The Mechanic Shop Femme's Guide to Car Ownership, by Chaya Milchtein
5. Slaying the Dragon, by Ben Riggs
6. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
7. Let's Summon Demons Coloring Book, by Steven Rhodes
8. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frederic Gros
9. Sure I'll Join Your Cult, by Maria Bamford
10. Rand McNally Road Atlas 2025

Maria Bamford's Sure I'll Join Your Cult had six raves and two positives on BookMarks in hardcover. It pops onto our list in its second week of paperback publication. From the starred Kirkus: "Bamford creates an effective mix of introduction (or reintroduction) to a fascinating comedian, a guide to the self-help industry, and an encouragingly lighthearted, respectful assessment of mental health, reminding readers that they are not alone."

Books for Kids:
1. Weirdo, by Tony Weaver Jr
2. Grace Welcomes the Lady Next Door, by Vivian L King
3. Popcorn, by Rob Harrell
4. Wrath of the Triple Goddess V7, by Rick Riordan
5. The Impossible Escape, by Steve Sheinkin
6. Giving Good, by Aaron Boyd (Boswell event October 3)
7. Daphne Draws Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
8. Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, by Patrick Ness
9. Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys
10. Peekaboo Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela T Arrhenius 

 Jason Reynolds and Jerry Craft Jr are two of the enthusiastic fans plugging the release of Weirdo, the graphic novel from Tony Weaver Jr. From Booklist: "Drawing from his real-life experience, Weaver creates an easily relatable story of overcoming obstacles and finding peace within yourself...The appealing, anime-inspired artwork perfectly captures the uplifiting tone, making great use of cartoonish expressions for big emotions and thoughtful color palettes during the depths of Tony's depressive episode."

Boswell Bestsellers for the week ending September 21, 2024

Boswell Bestsellers for the week ending September 21, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Somewhere Beyond the Sea V2, by TJ Klune
2. Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner
3. Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout
4. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
5. We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman

6. James, by Percival Everett
7. Death at the Sign of the Rook V6, by Kate Atkinson

8. Famiaris, by David Wroblewski
9. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
10. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach

Richard Osman, author of The Thursday Murder Club and sequels, debuts a new series with We Solve Murders, featuring a father-daughter team. Seven raves and a positive in BookMarks. From Kirkus: "As in Osman's other series, they cross paths with a variety of people - including drug-dealing politicians, customs agents, and social media influencers - who may or may not be inclined to help them, and watching the unlikely threesome charm each other and (almost) everyone they meet is a delight. The mystery isn't all that mysterious, but Osman fans will be glad to hop on that private jet and go along for the ride."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Say It Well, by Terry Szuplat
2. Risk and Returns, by Wilbur Ross
3. Frightful Folklore of North America, by Mike Bass 
4. Bone of the Bone, by Sarah Smarsh
5. On Freedom, by Timothy Snyder

6. Nexus, by Yuval Noah Harari
7. Something Lost, Something Gained, by Hillary Rodham Clinton
8. Want, by Gillian Anderson
9. Does This Taste Funny?, by Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert
10. What If We Get It Right?, by Ayana Johnson

Want: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous, is a collection of confessions from women around the world, perhaps akin to the Post Secret phenomenon, but actually inspired by the 1973 bestseller My Secret Garden, from Nancy Friday. One rave, two positive, and one mixed on BookMarks. From Kimberly Harrington in The Washington Post: "You might have the same question I did: Would a book loosely patterned on an erotic bestseller published 50 years ago feel relevant in an age when every manner of sexual imagery and performance, real-life hookups and kink are available in the palm of our hands (so to speak) with a swipe, tap or text? The answer is a definitive yes."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Hampton Heights, by Dan Kois
2. The Booklover's Library, by Madeline Martin
3. Monarch, by Emily Jon Tobias 

4. A Bit Much, by Lyndsay Rush
5. The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig
6. Trust, by Hernan Diaz
7. Birnam Wood, by Eleanor Catton
8. Weyward, by Emilia Hart
9. Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, by J Ryan Stradal
10. The Red House Mystery, AA Milne

From the Vertigo imprint of Pushkin Press comes a reissue of a AA Milne's The Red House Mystery, named one of the “20 Best Classic Murder Mystery Books of All Time" by Town and Country, or so says the publisher marketing. It was published in 1922 (so yes, public domain). For more background, read the Wikipedia page.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
2. For Times Such as These, by Ariana Katz and Jessica Rosenberg
3. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
4. We Had Fun and Nobody Died, by Amy T Waldman and Peter Jest
5. When Crack Was King, by Donovan X Ramsey
6. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frederic Gros
7. Doppelganger, by Naomi Klein
8. Trail of the Lost, by Andrea Lankford
9. Unmask Alice, by Rick Emerson
10. Eve Bites Back, by Anna Beer

National Book Award longlisted title When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era has already done a lot better in paperback than it did in hardcover, which you can't say for a lot of nonfiction nowadays. Three raves and a positive from Bookmarks. From Ilana Masad on the NPR website: "An excellent work of people-first journalism, When Crack Was King offers not only a vivid and frank history, but points to the way communities tend to save themselves even as they're being actively targeted by state policy and violence."

Books for Kids:
1. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan, illustrations by Safiya Zerrougui
2. Popcorn, by Rob Harrell
3. Wink, by Rob Harrell
4. How to Lead a Life of Crime, by Kristin Miller
5. Shot Clock, by Caron Butler, illustrations by Justin A Reynolds
6. Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson
7. When Pigs Fly V1, by Rob Harrell
8. Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell
9. Behind My Doors, by Hena Khan
10. Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, by Patrick Ness (Boswell event September 24)

While Hena Khan officially visited Milwaukee for We Are Big Time, inspired by the winning female basketball team of Salaam Academy, her picture book
Behind My Doors: The Story of the World's Oldest Library is also a 2024 release. From
Kirkus: "The story of the Al-Qarawiyyin Library in Fez, Morocco, narrated by the building itself...Khan's first-person prose imbues the subject with both intimacy and a sense of majesty; readers will come away awed at the role of libraries as repositories of knowledge. A moving tribute to a cultural treasure."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 14, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 14, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. By Any Other Name, by Jodi Picoult (signed copies)
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
3. James, by Percival Everett
4. Somewhere Beyond the Sea V2, by TJ Klune
5. Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout
6. Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner
7. The Devil Raises His Own, by Scott Phillips (signed copies)
8. Colored Television, by Danzy Senna
9. Spirit Crossing V20, by William Kent Krueger
10. Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty

Wow, this is the first really competitive week for hardcover fiction new releases in a long time, but none of them hit #1, outflanked by our Jodi Picoult event for By Any Other Name, to say nothing Shelby Van Pelt selling out copies as her conversation partner. The top debut is Somewhere Beyond the Sea, the latest from TJ Klune, a writer so popular even his reissued backlist is selling in bestseller numbers. It's got yellow sprayed edges, which means that the standard image we pick up from the publisher is 3D to show it off. From Library Journal: "The follow-up to The House in the Cerulean Sea is another heart-wrenching tale of being perceived as different, finding acceptance, and having a place in the world."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Experiencing the American Dream, by Mark Matson
2. The Rediscovery of America, by Ned Blackhawk
3. Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay
4. Bone of the Bone, by Sarah Smarsh (Boswell September 19 event)
5. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
6. What's Next, by Melissa Fitzgerald
7. Nexus, by Yuval Noah Harari
8. Autocracy Inc, by Anne Applebaum
9. The Dane County Farmers Market Cookbook, by Terese Allen
10. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin

Top debut with traditional sales is Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, one of many titles about AI coming out this fall. I even read one, just not this one. Yuval Noah Harari, author of the Sapiens phenomenon, has gotten mixed reviews per BookMarks. Dennis Duncan writes in The New York Times: "After a lot of time, we have arrived at a loose proof of what we hopefully felt already: Systems that are self-correcting - because they promote conversation and mutuality - are preferable to those that offer only blind, disenfranchised subservience."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Wish You Were Here, by Jodi Picoult
2. 19 Minutes, by Jodi Picoult
3. Mad Honey, by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
4. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
5. The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams, by Karen Hawkins 

6. Whalefall, by Daniel Kraus
7. Some Desperate Glory, by Emily Tesh
8. My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante
9. Weyward, by Emilia Hart
10. Pay the Piper, by George A Romero and Daniel Kraus

I used the British pop chart model of only including the top 3 backlist titles on the list, avoiding flashbacks of the old New York Times list with seven Garfield titles. Had I not, we would feature eight Jodi Picoult titles. But then I wouldn't be able to note that the paperback release of Whalefall coincides with another Kraus new release, as he completes the second unfinished manuscript of classic filmmaker George A Romero. Pay the Piper got a negative Publishers Weekly, contrasted with upbeat reviews from Library Journal and Booklist, to say nothing of enthusiastic blurbs from contemporary horror greats Paul Tremblay, Grady Hendrix, Tananarive Due, and Joe Hill. From Booklist: "The pervasive unease and steady pacing will lead readers eagerly to the book's final third, where it all breaks wide open, violently revealing the epic root of the terror."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson
2. American Whitelash, by Wesley Lowery
3. As Long as Grass Grows, by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
4. River Profiles, by Pete Hill
5. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
6. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
7. Murdle, by GT Karber
8. Frightful Folklore of North America, by Mike Bass (Boswell September 18 event)
9. How to Listen, by Thich Nhat Hanh
10. Awakening the Heart, by Thich Nhat Hanh

Our top debut from individual sales this week is the latest pull-out from the late Thich Nhat Hanh, How to Listen. Years ago we pulled out this series from Parallax Press and had a little chair on a table inspired by the How to Sit entry. Over half a million Mindfulness Essentials books have been sold since 2015, all illustrated by Jason DeAntonis.

Books for Kids:
1. Shot Clock V1, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds
2. Clutch Time V2, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds
3. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
4. Popcorn, by Rob Harrell (Shorewood Library event September 20)
5. Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell
6. Running in Flip Flops from the End of the World, by Justin A Reynolds
7. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan (Milwaukee Public Library event today, 2 pm)
8. Peekaboo Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid, illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius
9. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
10. Everything We Never Had, by Randy Ribay (Wauwatosa Library event October 2)

Impossible Creatures, Katherine Rundell's detour into classic kids fantasy has been a huge success in the UK (it was the Waterstone's Book of the Year for 2023), and now it's published Stateside. Kirkus: "An epic fantasy with timeless themes and unforgettable characters." Publishers Weekly: "A boy with an affinity for animals, a girl who can fly when the wind blows, and a secreted-away world in need of saving propel this realms-roving dazzler, a trilogy opener from Rundell" School Library Journal: "A quintessential fantasy that will delight readers of all ages who can handle intense storylines." And I think, despite the 2D cover, that sprayed edges are involved.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 7, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 7, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Spirit Crossing V20, by William Kent Krueger (signed copies available)
2. Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner
3. Death at the Sign of the Rock V6, by Kate Atkinson
4. The Price You Pay V8, by Nick Petrie
5. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
6. James, by Percival Everett
7. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski
8. Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors
9. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
10. The Life Impossible, by Matt Haig

Best reviewed fiction of the week and #1 Indie Next Pick for September is Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner. From Ron Charles in The Washington Post: "Creation Lake bears all the hallmarks of her inquisitive mind and creative daring... a spy thriller laced with a killer dose of deadpan wit... Kushner inhabits the spy’s perspective with such eerie finesse that you feel how much fun she’s having... the real covert operative here is Kushner, who’s never felt more cunning than in this novel about the clashing ideological claims that have left us bereft at the end of time. Bore through this noir posing and wry satire of radical politics, and you feel something vital and profound prowling around in the darkness beneath."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Where Rivers Part, by Kao Kalia Yang (HAWA October 17 event - almost at capacity)
2. The Interbellum Constitution, by Alison LaCroix
3. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
4. Lovely One, by Ketanji Brown Jackson
5. The Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay
6. When the Clock Broke, by John Ganz
7. Out of the Darkness, by Ian O'Connor
8. Turning to Stone, by Marcia Bjornerud
9. The Eastern Front, by Nick Lloyd
10. The Situation Room, by George Stephanopoulos

Second week on sale is a top 10 showing for Lovely One, from Supreme Court Jusice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Alexandra Jacobs reviewed the book for The New York Times,  noting that she had a stint as a reporter/researcher: "Jackson also considered becoming a Broadway actress, teaching herself to sing for a college revue about Billie Holiday, and her book could probably be optioned for a bio-musical itself. (Imagine the big 'Immunity' number!) Lovely One is about motivation and mentors, swooshing through a résumé without apparent flaw. It’s a great glass elevator of uplift."

It's been a few weeks of sale for Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers. Ian O'Connor's biography of the man whose relationship with the Green Bay Packers was complicated in the later years, and that's perhaps why our sales are softer than one might expect. From the Star Tribune a review from Chris Hewitt: "O’Connor is a terrific writer who spends about three-fourths of the book recounting, absorbingly, the highlights of Rodgers’ career, from severely undersized high school quarterback to community college star to the University of California to Green Bay...O’Connor’s interview with Rodgers doesn’t seem to have produced much new, off-the-field information, but if an insightful look at the magic he has made on the gridiron is what you seek, Out of the Darkness could be for you."

JR Radcliffe in the Journal Sentinel didn't review the book so much as highlight the, well, highlights.

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Drifter, by Nick Petrie
2. For Her Consideration, by Amy Spalding
3. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
4. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
5. Fraud, by Zadie Smiht
6. Black Sheep, by Rachel Harrison
7. Bunny, by Mona Awad
8. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, by Sangu Mandanna
9. The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu
10. Herscht 07769, by László Krasznahorkai

Hey, when a book translated from German (Herscht 07769) hits our top ten from the new release table, I feel compelled to highlight it as our next two Lit Group selections are Kairos and Austerlitz. László Krasznahorkai received the 2019 National Book Award for Translated Literature and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement. His new novel covers neo-Nazis, particle physics, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Pub date is September 24 but not strict on-sale for this one.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
2. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel 

3. Frightful Folklore of North America, by Mike Bass (Boswell September 18 event)
4. Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
5. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
6. Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo
7. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
8. Murdle V1 by GT Karber
9. Storytelling with Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
10. John Gurda's Milwaukee, by John Gurda

Sometimes the most drama isn't in the book but the backstory. Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo was picked up to air on Showtime/Paramount+, only to be shelved later, in the great streaming cancellation-for-tax-writeoff of 2023. A few weeks later, Starz picked it up and it is airing now. Mikey O'Connell reports in The Hollywood Reporter. On being put in a box: "If you write about female desire, you are suddenly the voice for that..So many women creatives are put in boxes. We even do it to Taylor Swift!"

Books for Kids:
1. Shot Clock V1, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds (Racine Library September 11 event)
2. Daphne Draws Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
3. Everything We Never Had, by Randy Ribay (Wauwatosa Library October 2 event)
4. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan
5. Caraval, by Stephanie Garber
6. Peekaboo Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
8. Orris and Trimble: The Beginning, by Kate DiCamillo, illustrations by Carmen Mok
9. Peekaboo House, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
10. A Dictionary Story, by Oliver Jeffers, illustrations by Sam Winston

Current and future events take the top three spots this week - that's what happens when school is back in session. Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds are visiting Racine schools for Shot Clock and Clutch Time, while Randy Ribay will be in the Milwaukee area for Everything We Never Had. And Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic has programs set up in Waukesha County for Daphne Draws Data. If you are an educator getting on our list for school visits, contact jenny@boswellbooks.com.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 31, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 31, 2024:

Hardcover Fiction:
1. A Season of Perfect Happiness, by Maribeth Fischer
2. Eagle Rock V4, by Ian K Smith
3. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
4. The Dark Wives V11, by Ann Cleeves
5. Spirit Crossing V20, by William Kent Krueger (St Marks September 7 event is at capacity)
6. James, by Percival Everett
7. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski
8. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach
9. Sandwich, by Catherine Newman
10. Funny Story, by Emily Henry

To my knowledge, the Vera Stanhope novels from Ann Cleeves no longer work in tandem with the Vera series. But reviews for The Dark Wives are excellent - this installment would probably make a great episode, perhaps a two parter. From Kirkus: "In the north of England, DI Vera Stanhope and her team labor to uncover the connection between a teen missing from a children's care home and a pair of murders...An excellent character-driven entry that highlights major problems in Britain's child welfare system."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Eastern Front, by Nick Lloyd
2. What's Next, by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack
3. Land Rich, Cash Poor, by Brian Reisninger
4. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
5. Hitler's People, by Richard J Evans
6. The Wide, Wide Sea, by Hampton Sides
7. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan
8. The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple, by Jenny Rosenstarch
9. A Gentleman and a Thief, by Dean Jobb
10. A Walk in the Park, by Kevin Fedarko

The Eastern Front: A History of the Great War, 1914-1918 leads this week's list  Nick Lloyd's The Western Front came out in 2021. From William Anthony Hay's rave in The Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Lloyd’s harrowing narrative in The Eastern Front reminds us that the fighting in Eastern Europe shattered empires and normalized violence there, fostering an instability that has lasted for more than a century. Indeed, today’s war in Ukraine follows in some ways from the catastrophe of 1914."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Kairos, by Jenny Erpenbaeck (Boswell book club selections)
2. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
3. Austerlitz, by WG Sebald
4. Trust, by Hernan Diaz
5. The Postcard, by Anne Berest
6. Good Night Irene, by Luis Alberto Urrea
7. The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston
8. A Court of Thorns and Roses V1, by Sarah J Maas
9. The House of Earth and Blood V1, by Sarah J Maas
10. My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante

The New York Times best 100 of the 21st century has three entries this week - My Brilliant Friend at #1, Demon Copperhead at #61 (which was the readers' #1 choice) and Austerlitz at #8, which is our November Lit Group selection. From John Banville in The Guardian: "His masterpiece, and one of the supreme works of art of our time."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
2. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
3. A Promised Land, by Barack Obama
4. Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond
5. King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hochschild
6. The Girls of Atomic City, by Denise Kiernan
7. Cream City Chronicles, by John Gurda
8. Random Acts of Medicine, by Anupam B Jena and Christopher Worsham
9. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
10. Going Infinite, by Michael Lewis

After four years, Crown released A Promised Land in paperback on August 13. Looking back at its 2020 reviews on Bookmarks, I note how many more there were compared to a major 2024 release, in part due to the disappearance of regular reviews at a number of city papers. Ron Elving on NPR: "Whatever one's feelings about this man, they are likely to be brought to the surface by this book. We hear his voice in every sentence, almost as if he were physically present and reading the book aloud."

Books for Kids
1. Shot Clock V1, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds (Racine Public Library September 11 event)
2. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan (Milwaukee Public Library September 15 event)
3. Daphne Draws Data, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic (Boswell September 4 event)
4. How We Play, a board book by Dolisha Mitchell
5. Peekaboo Lion, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
6. Hello Hands, a board book by Aya Khalil
7. Bear's Lost Glasses, by Leo Timmers, translated from Dutch by David Colmer
8. A Dictionary Story, by Oliver Jeffers, illustrations by Sam Winston
9. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
10. Happy Halloween, by Harriet Stone

Bear's Lost Glasses is one of Jenny's picture book picks for fall. Kirkus loves it too: "This comical charmer, originally published in the Netherlands, will engage children as they laughingly correct Bear's misnomers. Set against white backdrops, the caricature-esque illustrations capture the expressive protagonists' close friendship. A humorous, delightful tale about finding wonderful new ways to see the world."

Boswell bestsellers for the week of August 24, 2024

Boswell bestsellers for the week of August 24, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Familiaris, by David Wroblewski
2. Spirit Crossing, by William Kent Krueger
3. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
4. James, by Percival Everett
5. Sandwich, by Catherine Newman
6. The Woman, by Kristin Hannah
7. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
8. All Fours, by Miranda July
9. The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley
10. A Season of Perfect Happiness, by Maribeth Fischer (Boswell August 28 event)

A Season of Perfect Happiness takes place in the Milwaukee area, with Ten Chimneys (the Lunt-Fontaine home) figuring prominently, and other scenes set at the Lakefront, State Fair, and at Kopps. Several couples are torn apart by secrets. As my friends Lisa and Ken said to me, "There's a lot to talk about after reading this book!" It's got some nice blurbs, including one from Liam Callanan, who called it "exquisite."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Land Rich, Cash Poor, by Brian Reisinger
2. Happy Days: The Official Cookbook, by Christina Ward
3. Men Have Called Her Crazy, by Anna Marie Tender
4. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan
5. Celebrate with Babs, by Barbara Costello
6. On the Edge, by Nate Silver
7. The Art of Power, by Nancy Pelosi
8. The Bookshop, by Evan Friss
9. Turning to Stone, by Marcia Bjornerud
10. The Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay

Men Have Called Her Crazy is a bestselling memoir with seven reviews on BookMarks and a lot of nice blurbs, including this from Carmen Maria Marchado: "Men Have Called Her Crazy is so many things I didn't know I needed: a testament to the work of healing, a raw howl of anger, and an indictment of misogyny's insipid, predictable, infuriating reign."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston
2. Ex-Wife, by Ursula Parrottt
3. The Iliad, by Homer, translated by Emily Watson
4. The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman
5. The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides
6. Western Lane, by Chetna Maroo (Boswell upcoming book club selections)
7. It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover
8. The Overstory, by Richard Powers
9. Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy
10. Goodnight Tokyo, by Atsuhiro Yoshida

I don't know what this indicates, but six of this week's top 10 were published more than a year ago, and one of the four new books is a new translation of The Iliad. I should also note that none of them are school or other bulk orders - we just sell a lot of these title. One new title (at least for English-language readers) is Goodnight Tokyo, by Atsuhiro Yoshida, which is also out of stock at all of Ingram's warehouses. The publisher calls it a cross between Agatha Christie, Teju Cole, and Hieronymus Bosch, though one of the blurbs compares it to Murakami. It's not currently on his rec shelf, but it also has a rec from Jason.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Future Tense, by Tracy Dennis-Tiwary
2. We Had Fun and Nobody Died, by Amy T Waldman and Peter Jest
3. King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hochschild
4. The Girls of Atomic City, by Denise Kiernan
5. Unmask Alice, by Rick Emerson
6. What an Owl Knows, by Jennifer Ackerman
7. Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah
8. John Gurda's Milwaukee, by John Gurda
9. A Promised Land, by Barack Obama
10. Let's Make Bread, by Ken Forkish, illustrations by Sarah Becan

Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries, written by Rick Emerson, looks at the life of Beatrice Sparks, a psychologist (maybe) who penned Go Ask Alice and several follow-ups, including Jay's Journal, which was to scare folks about Satanism the way Alice did LSD. From William Tipper in The Wall Street Journal: "Beatrice Sparks 'discovered' and 'edited' a half-dozen more such journals before her death at 95 in 2012... Her biographer makes her into something of a villain whose presence seems almost oppressive in these pages."

Books for Kids:
1. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
2. A Magic Fierce and Bright, by Hemant Nayak (Boswell September 29 event)
3. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan
4. We Are Big Time, by Hena Khan (MPL/MMWC September 15 event)
5. Shot Clock V1, by Caron Butler and Justin A Reynolds (Racine Library September 11 event)
6. Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch, by Codie Crowley
7. Peekaboo House, by Camilla Reid, illustratitons by Ingela P Arrhenius
8. Peekaboo Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid, illustratitons by Ingela P Arrhenius
9. Bluey Beach, from Penguin Young Readers licensees - there is apparently no actual person involved with this book
10. Break to You, by Neal Shusterman, Debra Young, and Michelle Knowlden

Break to You with lead writer Neal Shusterman is the story of, to quote the author "Romeo and Juliet in juvie." We don't usually have coauthors downloaded into the author field of our inventory database. I guess this system was invented before coauthors and illustrators, but we sometimes add them by hand later. I was interested to see there two coauthor for this one. Shusterman and Knowlton worked together previously and brought in Young, a mutual friend. Alas, Young passed away before publication. More in Nerd Daily.