Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 1, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 1, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Cool Machine V3, by Colson Whitehead
2. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
3. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
4. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
5. Every Exit Brings You Home, by Naeem Murr
6. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
7. Beginning Middle End, by Valeria Luiselli
8. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson
9. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman
10. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

Beginning Middle End is the latest novel from Valeria Luiselli. In its first week on sale, it's already gotten seven raves, as well as two positives and a mixed on BookMarks. From the starred Booklist: "After finishing a difficult book and surviving a painful divorce, the narrator has taken her 12-year-old daughter overseas on a long book tour. Luiselli subtly continues the stories of the mother and daughter in her Carnegie Medal-winning Lost Children Archive, though this exquisite tale stands on its own...With photographs and old postcards enriching this rhapsodic tale of beauty and terror, Luiselli contemplates questions of home, inheritance, time, mythology, metamorphosis, injustice, our impact on nature, and "a big mystery in the very heart of life."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
2. How Lucky Am I, by Christian Watson
3. I Eat the Stars, by Sarah Wilson
4. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
5. Make Believe, by Mac Barnett
6. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
7. Biological War, by Annie Jacobsen
8. Strangers, by Belle Burden
9. The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, by Casey Serhman
10. Milwaukee Flavor, by Ann Christenson and Visit Milwaukee, photos by Kevin J Miyazaki

Top debut is How Lucky Am I, which is from Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House's Crown division, which I guess has been morphing from a cookbook-and-home-centered publisher to one that encompasses all graphica. There is also a guided journal coming out later this year. Mason Bennett reviews this book in Library Journal: "Author/illustrator Watson's social media sensation*, Mr. Skelly, is a simple skeleton living in a world of rich, warm, cozy color. As he journeys through lushly illustrated landscapes depicting joy, loss, grief and love, he shares musings on what makes life important. Every page of Watson's illustrations is a feast for the eyes."
*Over four million Instagram followers

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Scrap Book, by Nick Martino
3. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinnaman
5. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones
6. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach (this week's event is at capacity)
7. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
8. The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett
9. God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
10. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman

Now in paperback, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter was not just awarded Best Horror Novel by Locus, but also Best Novel from the Nebulas, jumping genres from their usual science fiction focus. This is sort of like BTS winning best album instead of being relegated to Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. Yes, I follow award news, even if I don't watch award shows or care who wins. Here's Randy Boyagoda in The New York Times: "What is Jones doing here, with this trifold narrative structure? He has created a novel that invites us to reflect on how the stories we tell about ourselves can be at once confessions and concealments. At the same time, he’s using this framework to set up some scary, big reveals."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI, by Cory Doctorow
2. Secret Milwaukee, by Jim Nelsen
3. John Gurda's Milwuakee, by John Gurda
4. The Wager, by David Grann
5. The Language of Mathematics, by Raúl Rojas
6. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
7. How to Kill a Witch, by Zoe Venditozzi
8. The Gardener's Guide to Prairie Plants, by Neil Diboll
9. The President's Kitchen Cabinet, by Adrian Miller
10. Rand McNally Road Atlas 2027

The Language of Mathematics: The Stories Behind the Symbols is a reprint of a Princeton hardcover selling off our new paperback table. From Siobhan Roberts in The Wall Street Journal: "For decades Mr. Rojas - a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Nevada, Reno, and an emeritus professor in computer science and mathematics at the Free University of Berlin—accumulated his collection of symbolic tidbits while teaching a seminar on the history of mathematics. Mr. Rojas long tried to make his anecdotes, vignettes and factoids cohere into a book, initially writing in English and German, but it wasn’t until he began writing in Spanish, his mother tongue, that a manuscript took shape." I am always looking out for an interesting math book that I might be able to understand!

Books for Kids:
1. The Makers, by Christa Yelich-Koth (Boswell August 19 event)
2. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
3. Heartstopper V6, by Alice Oseman
4. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
5. Swim School: A Bluey Storybook
6. The Gilded Blade V3, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
7. The Heirs, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
8. Don't Trust Fish, by Neil Sharpson
9. The Story Rug, by Sophie Blackall
10. A Potion, A Powder, a Little Bit of Magic, by Philip Stead

I usually think of Sophie Blackall illustrating her own books, but the honors for The Story Rug went to Phoebe Wall. I know writing can take a long time, but I'm guessing illustrating can take even longer if you're not taking shortcuts. For those writer/illustrators with a head full of ideas, a book about collaboration is the perfect book to collaborate on. From Booklist: "This cozy classroom tale traces how a small spark of interest can gather momentum and meaning through shared making. After a braiding craze sweeps his classroom, one boy is captivated; his absorbed work on a steadily lengthening strand draws others back in...A charming interweaving of craft, cooperation, and the celebration of stories tucked into everyday things."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 25, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 25, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:

1. Cool Machine V3, by Colson Whitehead
2. Country People, by Daniel Mason
3. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
4. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
5. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
6. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
7. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
8. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson
9. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
10. Carl's Doomsday Scanario V2, by Matt Dinniman

The only new title in our top ten this week is this week's major release, Cool Machine, the final book in his Harlem Trilogy. BookMarks scores 14 raves and 3 positive reviews, including this from Leigh Haber in The Los Angeles Times: "A dizzyingly brilliant measure of the versatility and depth of the acclaimed author’s literary talent ... The intricacy with which Whitehead details the planning and execution of this caper marks him as a top-tier researcher - he’s drawn on many primary sources to ground this work of fiction in historical fact."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
2. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee/Ann Christenson
3. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
4. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
5. All American Patriotism, by Rachel Campos-Duffy
6. The Book of Birds, by Robert MacFarlane and Jacki Morris
7. Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
8. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
9. Talking Classics, by Mary Beard
10. Famesick, by Lena Dunham

One way that university presses get bigger names normally tied to larger houses is by publishing lectures. I still remember the success of Eudora Welty's One Writer's Beginnings, which was published by Harvard. And my friend John noted that Patti Smith (tickets available now) has a lecture published by Yale. That's the case with Mary Beard's Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old, which has six raves and a positive from BookMarks. Maureen Corrigan notes in her NPR review: "If the word 'lectures' makes you want to head for an exit door, you don't know Beard's style."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weird
4. The Iliad, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
5. Circe, by Madeline Miller
6. God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
7. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
8. Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth
9. My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante (Boswell-run book clubs)
10. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman

Nothing new here, so I'll point out the Odyssey fever has swept up Emily Wilson's translation of The Iliad, and likely Madeline Miller's Circe too. Shouldn't we also be seeing a pop in Percy Jackson? Antonio Ferme reports on academic conversations about the film in Variety.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
2. Small Steps, by Kimberly Knowle-Zeller
3. The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay
4. To Life, by Joel Greenberg
5. What If We Get It Right, by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
6. Young Washington, by Peter Stark
7. The Salt Stones, by Helen Whybrow
8. Secret Wisconsin, by Tom Manus and Kristi Flick Manus
9. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey
10. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson

Selling off the new paperback table is The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd Life, which I'm calling out partly because it's a Milkweed book and I'm also reading a Milkweed book, Patient, Female, the new collection of stories from Julie Schumacher. The Stone Stories, about a sheep farm in Vermont, was listed among the best books of the year in The New Yorker: "Whybrow is uniquely positioned to understand what humans have lost in severing their bond with nature, yet her message is more hopeful than bleak..." To be fair, this is an enormous list, way more than we usually see in a best-of roundup.

Books for Kids:
1. The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon
2. Take My Patty, by Alison Hayes
3. The Girl in the Blue Coat, by Monica Hesse
4. The Boy on the Wooden Box, by Leon Leyson
5. Parallel Journeys, by Eleanor Ayer
6. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. The Makers, by Christa Yelich-Koth (Boswell August 19 event)
8. Heartstopper V6, by Alice Oseman
9. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga, by Dav Pilkey
10. Chains V1, by Laurie Halse Anderson

We've got a few American Revolution-themed titles selling this week, and they cover the spectrum. I thought Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains was a school order, but no, they were individual sales. It was a National Book Award finalist back in 2008 as well as winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for historical fiction. If you're wondering which book won the 2026 award, it's A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by María Dolores Águila.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 18, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 18, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Parisian Heist, by Jo Piazza
2. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
3. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
4. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
5. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
6. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson
7. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
8. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
9. Love You More, by Emily Giffin
10. Villa Coco, by Andrew Sean Greer
11. Lost Lambs, by Madeline Cash
12. Ransom V26, by Daniel Silva
13. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman
14. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook V3, by Matt Dinniman
15. Country People, by Daniel Mason

New this week is The Parisian Heist, which had a delightful pre-pub event last Sunday. We came very close to selling out, but we have a couple of signed copies. Publishers Weekly and Booklist gave it very nice reviews; Kirkus reviewer thought it worked better as a historical fiction than a contemporary thriller, but I've heard that historicals are having some trouble finding shelf space, which, needless to say, affects sales. If positioning it as a contemporary thriller overcomes that, go for it!

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Stop Making Stupid Investments, by David Letter
2. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
3. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
4. Burn the Haystack, by Jennie Young
5. The Book of Birds, by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris
6. A Vast Horizon, by Anna Thomasson
7. The Table Where We Meet, by Jess Janz
8. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee/Ann Christenson
9. Great Bakes, by Martin Sorge (Boswell September 15 event)
10. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon

No advance reviews on The Table Where We Meet: Lessons Learned from Dinner with 1000 Strangers and I don't recognize the folks who blurbed it. But folks heard about it somewhere and they bought enough to get in our top ten. From the publisher: " What started as a casual idea in a hair salon soon became Dinner With Strangers: a growing movement where guests gather around a table, introduce themselves without ever mentioning work, and share who they are beyond the job title. No scripts, no expectations - just curiosity, courage, and a seat at the table."

Interesting aside: The Toronto Star separates out Canadian bestsellers from general bestsellers and The Table Where We Meet hit that list. But notice a weird discrepancy - Carley Fortune appears on the general list, but Elle Kennedy, who appears above Fortune on the Canadian list, does not appear on the general list. 

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman 

3. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
4. Story and Song V7 Adventure Zone, by Griffin McElroy
5. The Sicilian Inheritance, by Jo Piazza
6. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
7. Apostle's Cove V21, by William Kent Krueger
8. Yellowface, by RF Kuang
9. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
10. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver 

11. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones
12. The Bookshop of Secrets, by Kerry Barrett
13. The Memory Bookshop, by Song Yu-Jeong
14. A Woman's Guide to True Crime, by Mary Thorson
15. Scrap Book, by Nick Martino (Boswell July 29 event)

Apostle's Cove has a nice paperback pop in its second week of sale. If you're hoping to see William Kent Krueger when he's on tour for his new novel, God's Country, I think the closest he's coming is Dubuque, Iowa for an event hosted by River Lights Bookstore at Steeple Square on October 1. I don't think there is registration, but you might want to check with them. More info here. Worth a road trip!

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. When Lambs Become Wolves, by Rasul T Freelain
2. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
3. Forest Euphoria, by Patricia Kaishian
4. Murdoku V2: Back in Time, by Manuel Garand
5. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey
6. Frank Lloyd Wright's Illinois, by Kristine Hansen
7. Penelope's Bones, by Emily Hauser
8. There Is No Place for Us, by Brian Goldstone
9. Brick Through the Window, by Steven Nodine, Eric Beaumont, Clancy Carroll, David Luhrssen 

10. To Life, by Joel Greenberg (Boswell July 19 event - today at 4)

I'm glad to see that Frank Lloyd Wright's Illinois continues to sell after Kristine Hansen's event here. I've toured the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio, Robie House, and The Rookery, but this guide points the way to buildings all through the Chicago suburbs (though many are not public buildings) plus Rockford, Decatur, and Kankakee, the last of which is open for tours. Next up? Arizona.

Books for Kids:
1. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
2. The Deepest Blue, by Shauntay Grant, illustrations by Daniel Minter
3. Heartstopper V6, by Alice Oseman
4. Makers, by Christa Yelich-Koth (Boswell August 19 event)
5. Pete the Kitty: Five Pawsome Tales, by James Dean
6. Peekaboo Love, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. The Wise Pickle, by Sarah Howden, illustrations by Sabina Hahn
8. The Last Day Pool Party, by Emma Steinkellner
9. Animals: Touch and Feel First Words Book, by Wendy Kendall
10. The Gilded Blade V3, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Wise Pickle is a July/August Indie Next pick for kids, plus it's got a staff rec from Jason here. It's also out of stock at all Ingram warehouses!   From Booklist: "Prospective Samuel Beckett fans--or any readers open to receiving inscrutable life lessons from a pickle--will find much to chew over in this droll slice of deadpan dilly-dally." It just goes to show that pickles really are the everything bagel of 2026.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 11, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 11, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Love You More, by Emily Giffin (signed copies)
2. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson (signed copies)
3. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
4. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
5. Country People, by Daniel Mason
6. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
7. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
8. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
9. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
10. John of John, by Douglas Stewart
11. Villa Coco, by Andrew Sean Grer
12. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
13. Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, by Ben Reeves
14. Contrapposto, by Dave Eggers
15. The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy V2, by Brigitte Knightley

Country People is our top non-event debut this week and it's the GMA Book Club pick for the month. It's a change of pace from North Woods, though one good argue his previous novel also had country people. 11 reviews on Bookmarks, including five raves. One of the raves is from Sarah Crown in The Guardian: "The surface structures in Country People may be sugar-spun, but the novel's foundations are solid, and its roots - the tangled and interconnected web of stories that gave rise to its new stories - are deliciously deep."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Antisemitism, an American Tradition, by Pamela S Nadell
2. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
3. The Lost Cities of El Norte, by Peter Stark (signed copies)
4. Courage Can Save Us, by Rye Barcott
5. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
6. Beautiful Struggle, by Sharon Chubbuck and Cynthia Ellwood
7. The Wreck of the Mentor, by Eirc Jay Dolin
8. Make Believe, by Mac Barnett
9. All We Say, by Ben Rhodes
10. The Feather Wars, by James H McCommons

All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches is the third book from Ben Rhodes, a speechwriter himself. It came out in May, but is one of the many titles that tie into the current 250th celebrations. From Kirkus: "The book consistently enlivens its source material, complementing the text of speeches with memorable anecdotes and difficult truths about what men, as different as Obama and Reagan, termed America's 'experiment in democracy.'"

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Supper Club Saints, by Claire Swinarski
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie Country, by Claire Swinarski
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
5. Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth
6. God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
7. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
8. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
9. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
10. Audition, by Katie Kitamura (Boswell-run book clubs)

Selling off either our movie/TV/screening tie-in table or the separate all things Odyssey table is Emily Wilson's Odyssey translation. The film opens July 17. Here's the Hollywood Reporter piece from Lexi Carson with Christopher Nolan's response to some of the criticisms about the film, like why the dialogue isn't in ancient Greek. That was a joke.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. For the Good of the Game, by Bud Selig
2. Frank Lloyd Wright's Illinois, by Kristine Hansen (signed copies)
3. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
4. Elledge's Nontrivial Trivia, by John Elledge
5. Frank Lloyd Wright's Wisconsin, by Kristine Hansen
6. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
7. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
8. A Flower Traveled in my Blood, by Haley Cohen Gilliland
9. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
10. Milwaukee: A City Built on Water, by John Gurda

Selling off the new paperback table is A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children. The book had ten raves on BookMarks, and was a Pultizer Prize finalist. This from David Grann: "There is so much to read but don't miss this supremely well-researched and powerful new book. Very grateful to have finally read it."

Books for Kids:
1. Heartstopper V6, by Alice Oseman
2. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
3. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
4. The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
5. What Happened to Rachel Reilly?, by Claire Swinarski
6. Oh the Places You'll Go, by Dr Seuss
7. Summer Pops Up, by Aurore Petit
8. The Odyssey Graphic Novel, by Home/Gareth Hinds
9. A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic, by Philip Stead
10. Garlic and the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen

Alice Olsen's sixth volume of Heartstopper came out Tuesday. It's the final installment, or so we've been told. Here's what she told The New York Times in the By the Book column: "Honestly, I don’t have any plans for spinoffs at the moment. I’ve adored spending time with these characters, but it’s been a pretty long time since I’ve been able to create some new characters and new stories, and I miss it!"

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 4, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 4, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
2. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
3. Blood River Witch, by TJ Martinson
4. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
5. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson (Boswell/WCW July 10 event - see below)
6. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
7. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
8. John of John, by Douglas Stewart
9. Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep, by Paul Tremblay
10. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook V3, by Matt Dinniman

 
Despite Emily C Hughes in The New York Times writing Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep will likely be a divisive novel, even among the Tremblay die-hard," there seems to be no divisiveness from critics, as Paul Tremblay's latest novel, with the title referencing Philip K Dick, got six raves on BookMarks.

I want to give a shout out to The Shampoo Effect, but which I am excited to now be reading for the second time, so I can do the best conversation I can with Lauren Fox when we speak to Jenny Jackson at the Woman's Club of Wisconsin on Friday. Tickets are still available but I they will be closing out shortly.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Obstinate Daughters, by Denise Kiernan 
2. Regime Change, by Maggie Hoberman and Jonathan Swan
3. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
4. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
5. What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, by Caroline Chambers
6. The Lost Cities of El Norte, by Peter Stark (Boswell July 7 event)
7. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
8. America USA, by Eddie S Glaude Jr
9. Spain My Way, by Jose Andres
10. The Book of Birds, by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris

More American history than we usually see on a bestseller list, from Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution to America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries to The Lost Cities of El Norte: Coronado's Quest, the Unconquered West, and the Birth of American Indian Resistance. Peter Stark's Young Washington was source material for the current film of the same name, showing at area Marcus Theaters and the AMC at Mayfair. 

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
5. Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth
6. The Mysterious Affair of Judith Patts V5, by Robert Thorogood
7. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
8. A Death in Door County V1, by Annelise Ryan
9. The Someday Garden, by Ashley Poston
10. The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant V1, by Liza Tully

We did a preorder campaign for Robert Thorogood's The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts (some goodies still available - ask a bookseller), the fifth installment of The Marlow Murder Club, now on PBS. This from Kirkus: "The fatal shooting of footballer Gary Wise, late of the Wycombe Wanderers, in the woods near the Hurley Manor House serves as a starting gun for crossword puzzle designer Judith Potts, dog walker Suzie Harris, and vicar's wife Becks Starling... Fiendishly clever in all the most decorous ways."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. The Wager, by David Grann
2. Is a River Alive, by Robert MacFarlane
3. Forest Euphoria, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian
4. All the Beauty in the World, by Patrick Bringley
5. The Möbius Book, by Catherine Lacey
6. The Reverse Center's Guide to Life After AI, by Cory Doctorow
7. The Tonality of Thought, by Byung-Chul Han
8. Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow
9. Frank Lloyd Wright's Illinois, by Kristine Hansen (Boswell July 8 event)
10. Beer Hiking Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula, by Kristin Radaich

Several fresh releases showed interest on the new paperback table including Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature. From Publishers Weekly: "Kaishian, a mycology curator at the New York State Museum, debuts with reverent celebration of the natural world's diversity. Highlighting 'queer' animals, fungi, and plants that complicate 'our ideas of what is normal versus what is deviant.'...This will leave readers in awe of nature's many splendors"

Books for Kids:
1. Pete the Kitty: Five Pawsome Tales, by James Dean
2. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
3. Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhhà Lai
4. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
5. The Heirs, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
6. Wombat Waiting, by Katherine Applegate
7. Breakout, by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
8. Baseball for Breakfast, by Judy Campbell-Smith, illustrations by Maggie Carroll
9. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations, by Renée Graef
10 The Warriors Graphic Novel: New Prophecy V1, by Erin Hunter, adapted by Gibson Twist, illustrated by Sammy Savos

Wombat Waiting, Katherine Applegate's latest is a stand-alone middle grade novel in verse about a stray dog in the California wildfires, based on a true story. From Booklist: " The stirring story is told via urgent, elegant verse, alternating between animal and human viewpoints as the Santa Ana winds and wildfires sweep across a Californian community. The mounting tension and moments of grief are countered by familial affection, burgeoning community, and flashes of levity (Wombat's increasing annoyance with the disembodied voice is particularly amusing), while occasional sketches are adorable. Animal lovers and Applegate appreciators alike will adore the gripping, gorgeous story."

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending June 27, 2026

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending June 27, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
2. Daughters of the Sun and Moon, by Lisa See
3. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
4. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
5. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
6. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
7. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman
8. John of John, by Douglas Stuart
9. Villa Coco, by Andrew Sean Greer
10. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

The beginning of June was packed with bestsellers, so I wasn't able to call out Villa Coco, Andrew Sean Greer's latest novel, until now. BookMarks counted six raves, five positives, a mixed, and two pans. If you can't take the charm, get out of the 19th century parlor, I always say. Ron Charles, whose reviews continue to be must-reads for me, notes, on the author following him his Pulitzer winning Less: "Greer has brought the same iconoclastic verve to his new book, Villa Coco, about an indomitable baronessa in Italy. If you think “charming” is a dismissive, diminutive compliment, wait till you see that term restored to its original enchantment. Villa Coco isn’t mere ice cream; it’s stracciatella gelato served in one of the most beautiful places on earth."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. When Memory Fades, by Nathaniel Chin (signed copies)
2. Infinite, by Brian Solis
3. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
4. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
5. The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, by Casey Sherman
6. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee/Ann Christenson
7. America USA, by Eddie Glaude
8. Strangers, by Belle Burden
9. The Veiled Prophet, by Devin Thomas O'Shea (Boswell August 20 event)
10. All We Say, by Ben Rhodes

Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump was one of those add-on titles with very little info for indie bookstores, so we had to play a little catch-up on this one.  BookMarks gives the book four raves and a positive, but with political books, it does depend on who is doing the reviewing. From David Remnick in The New Yorker: "Part of the high-wire act of such books is that the authors and their publishers work at unaccustomed speed to provide the end product with a history-as-it-is-happening varnish. The results are usually as perishable as week-old bananas. Regime Change is exceptional. It transcends its genre."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Island of Sea Women, by Lisa See
3. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
5. Lady Tan's Circle of Women, by Lisa See
6. Tangerinn, by Emanuela Anechoum (upcoming book clubs)
7. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
8. A Death in Door County V1, by Annelise Ryan
9. The Someday Garden, by Ashley Poston
10. What We Can Know, by Ian McEwan

Daughters of the Sun and Moon was a big hit on our hardcover list with Lisa See's recent visit to the Milwaukee Public Library. Attendees were also really interested in her previous novels, of which the most recent one was Lady Tan's Circle of Women, about a female doctor in 15th century China. Like her new novel, See plays off history to highlight the voices of women of different circumstances. from the starred Booklist: " See creates a cultural smorgasbord as she adeptly depicts the strict delineation and separation of the sexes and the minute details of the social hierarchy, especially among the women, from wives to concubines, widows, daughters, and servants. Based on the writings of an historical Ming dynasty female physician, See's accomplished novel immerses readers in a fascinating life lived within a fascinating culture."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Truth and Beauty, by Ann Patchett
2. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey
3. Who Is Government, edited by Michael Lewis
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. A Resistance History of the United States, by Tad Stoermer
6. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
7. These Precious Days, by Ann Patchett
8. The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben
9. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
10. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton

In addition to a nice pop for Ann Patchett's nonfiction and books for children (I guess the crowd had read the novels), we saw good sales on several of her recommendations. Truth and Beauty, her memoir of her friendship with poet Lucy Grealey, also had a few day after sales from folks visiting the store after the event, inching it above The Verts, her 2024 title.

Books for Kids:
1. Baseball for Breakfast, by Judy Campbell-Smith, illustrations by Maggie Carroll
2. Brains On Presents It's Alive, by Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez, and Sanden Totten
3. Brains on Presents Road Trip Earth, by Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez, and Sanden Totten
4. Brains on Presents Meet My Micro Pets, by Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez, and Sanden Totten
5. Verts, by Ann Patchett, illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser
6. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
7. Lambslide, by Ann Patchett, illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser
8. Captain Underpants the First Manga, by Dav Pilkey
9. Peekaboo House, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
10. Peekaboo Lion, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius

I was planning on writing about us selling books for the Brains On folks at Turner Hall Ballroom, and how one of the books took off because it just went out of print*, but now I'm switching it up for the Judy Campbell-Smith's Baseball for Breakfast, as I was charmed by the picture book about the minor league Milwaukee Brewers morning games during World War II. Someone wrote to me and said, I think you got the team name wrong, but no, the major league Brewers were named after the minor league team, which, for a time, was owned by the innovative baseball team owner and promoter, Bill Veeck.

*So yes, we're out of Brains On: It's Alive and we can't order more, but we still have signed copies of Brains On: Road Trip Earth.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 20, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 20, 2026

Hardcover Fiction
1. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
2. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
3. Whistler, by Ann Patchett (tomorrow)
4. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
5. Contrapposto, by Dave Eggers
6. The Keeper, by Tana French
7. The Midnight Train, by Matt Haig
8. Villa Coco, by Andrew Sean Greer
9. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
10. Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It, by Brooke Averick
11. Daughters of the Sun and Moon, by Lisa See (MPL June 23 event)
12. Heather, by Caitlin Mullen
13. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
14. Kin, by Tayari Jones
15. A Parade of Horribles V8, by Matt Dinniman

I had to dig into 11-15 to find a new book to talk about. Heather, by Caitlin Mullen, is one of those over-exposed tree covers that we're seeing a lot of. Kirkus writes: "A young woman returns as police chief of her hometown in New Jersey's Pine Barrens only to find herself challenged by a local drug ring and a haunting cold case...A slow-burn mystery held together by an admirable cast of strong, flawed women." Mullen won the Edgar for Best First Mystery with Please See Us.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
2. The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, by Casey Sherman
3. The Wreck of the Mentor, by Eric Jay Dolin
4. All We Say, by Ben Rhodes
5. The Book of Birds, by Robert McFarlane and Jackie Morris
6. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
7. America USA, by Eddie S Glaude
8. Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
9. The Feather Wars, by James H McCommons
10. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee, Ann Christenson, photos by Kevin J Miyazaki

Unlike fiction, we've got several new releases in our top 10. Top honors goes to The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise, by Casey Sherman, which chronicles the famous Taliesin fire of 1914, which was the subject of Nancy Horan's bestselling Loving Frank almost 20 years ago. From Publishers Weekly: "Journalist Sherman recounts the murder of Frank Lloyd Wright's lover in this fascinating work of true crime..Sherman exhibits both a novelist's sense of pace and a reporter's eye for detail in this arresting true crime narrative of great passion and great tragedy. It's a heartbreaker."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Bakers Dozen, by Dasha Kelly 
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. Someday Garden, by Ashley Poston
4. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
5. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
6. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
7. A Death in Door County, by Annelise Ryan
8. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
9. A River is Waiting, by Wally Lamb
10. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt

New to the top 10 is The Someday Garden, by Ashley Poston, from the author of Sounds Like Love. A horticulturist takes a job in Maine and falls in love with a man trapped in a magical portal in the garden. From Beth Gabriel of Library Journal and also East Library (!): "Poston continues her trend of lightly magical stories, perfect for readers seeking the magic of Sarah Addison Allen blended with the humor and romance tropes of Emily Henry."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey 
2. Beer Hiking Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula, by Kristen Radaich
3. Say Nothing, by Patrick Radden Keefe
4. Invisible Women, by Caroline Criado Perez
5. Murdoku V2: Back in Time, by Manuel Garand
6. The Friendship Bench, by Dixon Chibanda
7. Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You, by Daniel Cooperrider
8. Dinner with King Tut, by Sam Kean
9. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
10. Come As You Are, by Emily Nagosaki

Selling off of Shannon's rec shelf is Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, from Caroline Criado Perez, which argues that male bias is built into, well, everything. From Susan McKay in The Irish Times (there was no New York Times review though the Washington Post did print a guest essay from the author): "Criado Perez’s thesis is stark: 'Most of recorded human history is one big data gap ... the lives of men have been taken to represent those of humans overall. When it comes to the lives of the other half of humanity, there is often nothing but silence.'"

Books for Kids:
1. Big Jim Believes, by Dav Pilkey
2. Baseball for Breakfast, by Judy Campbell Smith (Wauwatosa Library June 27 event)
3. Make Tracks Vacation, by Johnny Dyrander
4. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
5. Dad, by Christian Robinson
6. Oh the Places You'll Go, by Dr Seuss
7. Fire Pups to the Rescue, by Lisa Desimini
8. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Renée Graef
9. The Tea Dragon Society, by K O'Neill
10. Elephants Cannot Dance V9, by Mo Willems

Happy Father's Day! Christian Robinson's Dad is selling off our holiday table with his beautifully illustrated, nuanced celebration of fatherhood. From Publishers Weekly: "Dedicated to " When concluding pages pivot to human relationships, the depth-filled and textured paint and collage artwork captures fatherhood with tenderness and honesty: one dad wipes away a child's tears, and another 'sheds a few of his own.' Even amid the examples' push-and-pull, an underlying message of steadying care reassures, 'Dad is with you,/ even when he's not.'"

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending June 13, 2026

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending June 13, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Whistler, by Ann Patchett (not sold out yet)
2. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
3. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
4. Contrapposto, by Dave Eggers
5. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
6. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
7. Daughters of the Sun and Moon, by Lisa See (MPL event June 23)
8. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans (Woman's Prize winner)
9. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman
10. Cat Love, by Tomas Q Morin

Top debut this week is Contrapposto, the first adult novel from Dave Eggers in five years, though his kids book, The Eyes and the Impossible, made a big splash too. It's about the friendship between an artist and his collaboarator/friend over many years. His BookMarks score is four raves, three positives, and two mixed. From Alexandra Jacobs in The New York Times: "What a relief to be able to recommend the new Dave Eggers novel (almost!) without reservation. Eggers has in the past been testy about criticism. His Y2K injunction in The Harvard Advocate — 'Do not dismiss a book until you have written one' — continues to ring reprovingly around the blogosphere. His own early reviewing, he said then, 'came from a smelly andPas ignorant place in me.'"

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
2. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
3. When Memory Fades, by Nathaniel Chin (Boswell June 24 event)
4. Dogs Boys and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
5. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee, Ann Christenson, with photos by Kevin J Miyazaki
6. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
7. Strangers, by Belle Burden
8. 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
9. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
10. The Secret War Against Hate, by Steven J Ross

Considering that The New York Times hardcover nonfiction list can sometimes be mostly debuts, it's notable that on our list, nothing is brand new. But I don't think we've yet highlighted The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy. USC Professor Stephen J Ross looks at the rise in antisemitism and racism in the United States in the years after World War II. From Kirkus: "This book should be read by every American who wants to know how courageous men and women can resist hatred." I'm not sure why BookMarks isn't tracking this title. It's also of note that the book hit our bestseller list from individual sales without up-front store placement.

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Last Time We Drowned, by Saratoga Schaefer
2. Moving Targets V3, by Harry Pinkus
3. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
5. Trad Wife, by Saratoga Schaefer
6. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
7. Horse, by Geraldine Brooks
8. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
9. The Republic of Memory, by Mahmud El Sayed (Boswell upcoming book clubs)
10. Tangerinn, by Emanuela Anechoum (same)

The Boswell Science Fiction Book Club met this week and that helped pop their next pick, The Republic of Memory, which is in the subgenre Arabfuturist fiction. This is the first volume in the The Song of the Safina series, into our top 10. From Erin Neiderbeger in Library Journal: "With its centering of Arab culture, the novel is a fresh take on generation-ship stories but still delivers the beats sci-fi fans love. The novel culminates with a major shift to the Safina's status quo, and readers will be eager to see what comes next."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1 Irreplaceable, by Maya Blalik
2. Purified, by Peter Annin
3. Puerto Rico, by Jorell Meléndez-Badillo
4. The Great Lakes Water Wars, by Peter Annin
5. The Oregon Trail, by Rinker Buck
6. Who Is Government, edited by Michael Lewis
7. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
8. Experiencing God, by Jon M Sweeney
9. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
10. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey (Boswell June 15 event)

Anthologies can sometimes break through - see Alice Hoffman's recent The Best Dog in the World or Michael Lewis's Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service, which had a nice run in hardcover. Among the contributors were Geraldine Brooks and Dave Eggers, represented elsewhere on the list. From Garrett M Graff's review in The Washington Post: " The book, an outgrowth of a project led by The Washington Post’s now-departed Opinions editor David Shipley*, examines some of the remarkable people who make up the federal workforce — career civil servants who have accomplished the extraordinary in quiet ways, people whose jobs are normally buried layers below any partisan rancor. Perhaps never before has there been a book better timed or more urgent." *And now there's no book reviews either.

Books for Kids:
1. Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate
2. Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
3. The Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay
4. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, illustrations by Aaron Boyd
5. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
6. Will's Race for Home, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
7. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
8. The Heirs, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídév
9. Rainbow Cookies, by Lesléa Newman, illustrations by ZB Asterplume
10. Dragonborn, by Struan Murray

Rainbow Cookies is selling off this month's LGBTQ display. When The Cookie Cubby features a rainbow cookie for pride month and faces backlash, young Cookie organizes community support. From Kirkus: "With an emphasis on friendship and love rather than fear or negativity, this book will gently guide conversations with young children that leave them feeling empowered...A sweet story about the effectiveness and impact of community and kindness."