Boswell bestsellers, week ending February 7, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending February 7, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
2. Vigil, by George Saunders
3. Half His Age, by Jennette McCurdy
4. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, by Kiran Desai
5. Every Exit Brings You Home, by Naeem Murr (Boswell February 19 event)
6. Heart the Lover, by Lily King
7. Always Remember, by Charlie Mackesy
8. Isles of the Emberdark, by Brandon Sanderson
9. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
10. Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan

 
Am I correct in labeling Isles of the Emberdark minor Brandon Sanderson? That's the only explanation I have for a #8 placement, but on further inspection, I see this is a reprint of a July 2025 special edition. Per the publisher, "Sanderson expands his thrilling novella Sixth of the Dusk into a mythic novel of legends, lore, and warring galactic superpowers."

I was excited to have read four of this week's top 10, though three of the four are 2025 leftovers. I thought Naeem Murr's Every Exit Brings You Home was the last Ron Charles review in the Washington Post, but it turns out another staff favorite, Eradication, by Jonathan Miles, has the honor.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Milwaukee Flavor, from Visit Milwaukee, written by Ann Christensen
2. Football, by Chuck Klosterman
3. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson (UWM/Boswell March 11 ticketed event)
4. Lessons from Cats Surviving Fascism, by Stewart Reynolds
5. Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius, translated by Aaron Poochigian
6. Breakneck, by Dan Wang
7. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
8. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
9. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
10. Baldwin: A Love Story, by Nicholas Boggs

The new translation of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations picks up momentum to hit our top 10 for the first week since its January 6 release. Kirkus praises Aaron Poochigian's translation: "This new translation makes Marcus' advice hit home in an English of unaffected dignity. A classic work of philosophical advice, rendered into our vivid modern vernacular."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Poltergeist, by Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece (more soon!)
2. Heated Rivalry, by Rachel Reid
3. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë
4. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
5. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
6. Sunburn, by Chloe Howarth
7. The Shred Sisters, by Betsy Lerner (Boswell-run book clubs)
8. 1984,by George Orwell
9. Slaughterhouse Five, by Amity Gaige
10. Heartwood, by Amity Gaige

Between film releases and students coming in for course books, our top ten has a classic tinge. But there's also a pop for Heartwood, a 1/27 paperback release that got strong reviews and a Read with Jenna pick in hardcover. BookMarks has it scoring two raves, three positives, and a mixed. From the Booklist rave: "A crackling adventure story, a meditation on the fraught human connection to nature, and a subtle examination of the rocky relationships between mothers and daughters that shape the lives of its three main characters, the novel tightens its grip as it moves toward uncovering its central mysteries."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. A Place to Be, JK Cheema (signed copies)
2. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
3. Murdoku, by Manuel Garand
4. A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron
5. How to Know a Person, by David Brooks
6. Coyote America, by Dan Flores
7. Experiencing God, by Jon M Sweeney
8. Murdle V1, by GT Karber
9. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
10. On Love, by Joseph Campbell

Second week in the top ten for Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History. This is actually a revised reprint from Dan Flores's 2016 publication, but clearly, it was a good idea. We are more than halfway to the life-of-the-book sales of the first paperback edition. From David Roberts in The Wall Street Journal: "In Coyote America, a masterly synthesis of scientific research and personal observation, Dan Flores tries to plumb the causes of what he calls 'the Hundred Years War on Coyotes in the American West,' as he recounts the fate of 'the most persecuted large mammal in American history.'"

Books for Kids:
1. Valentines Are the Worst, by Alex Willan
2. Yetis Are the Worst, by Alex Willan
3. Unicorns Are the Worst, by Alex Willan
4. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Partypooper, by Jeff Kinney
6. I'll Love You Till the Cows Come Home, by Kathryn Cristaldi
7. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
8. We Fell Apart, by E Lockhart
9. I'm So Happy You're Here, by Mychal Threets, illustrations by Lorraine Nam
10. Dog Man: Big Jim Believes, by Dav Pilkey

Hardcover in 2018, board book in 2020, padded board book in 2023, and sequels in 2024, 2025, and another planned for 2026, I'll Love You Till the Cows Come Home (this is the regular board book edition) has been very popular, but never featured on our kids list before. Kirkus offers a review and some category analysis of the original picture book: "Books that explore a parent's love for their child are a dime a dozen and feature characters that range from cartoon people to cuddly, round-faced forest animals and everything in between. The language is usually either straightforward or poetic and lyrical. This title offers an unusual variation. Rhyming verses tell readers they'll be loved until the scenarios described come to pass, and these grow more and more fantastical as the book progresses."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 31, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 31, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Vigil, by George Saunders
2. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
3. Half His Age, by Jennette McCurdy
4. Monster in the Moonlight V4, by Annelise Ryan (Boswell April 17 event)
5. Wreck Your Heart, by Lori Rader-Day (signed copies)
6. Elsewhere Express, by Samantha Sotto Yambao
7. This Is Where the Serpent Lives, by Daniyal Mueenuddin
8. James, by Percival Everett
9. Mona's Eyes, by Thomas Schlesser
10. The Wayfinder, by Adam Johnson

Random House continues their tradition of releasing George Saunders books in January, after the surprise breakout of Tenth of December over ten years ago. Vigil is long-awaited, but the reviews have been split, with BookMarks rounding up eight raves, seven positives, four mixed, and five pans. From Hamilton Cain's rave in the Boston Globe: "Vibrant, fiendishly clever ... Saunders varies pointillist technique with staccato dialogue, slapstick humor, even touches of horror. It’s all thrilling on the page."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. On Fire for God, by Josiah Hesse (signed copies)
2. Football, by Chuck Klosterman
3. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee, written by Ann Christensen
4. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
5. Lessons from Cats for Fighting Fascism, by Stewart "Brittlestar" Reynolds
6. Where We Keep the Light, by Josh Shapiro
7. Attensity, by Friends of Attention
8. Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
9. One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This, by Omar El-Akkad 

10. To Die For, by Rosie Grant

Second week in the top ten for Attensity!: A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement. The Friends of Attensity is billed as an underground collective, but the three folks driving the book are D Graham Burnett, Alyssa Loh, and Peter Schmidt. This Washington Post profile explains the Attention Liberation Movement as well as anyone: "The problem isn’t that you, personally, are addicted to your phone or that you can’t stay on task. It goes deeper than that: Our understanding of our attention has been shaped by lab research funded by the military and the ad industry — forces that define attention in terms of staring at screens and pressing buttons, with the aim of wringing more work or money out of us."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
3. We the Animals, by Justin Torres
4. Passing, by Nella Larsen
5. Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell
6. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
7. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
8. Tough Guy V3, by Rachel Reid
9. The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
10. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman

Theo of Golden, the self-published sensation that was picked up by Atria, continues to soar. I looked at Edelweiss and 75% of bookstores have sold it. My inside source told me that's about as high as it tends to go. There are just a lot of stores that use the digital catalog service that are very specialized. Needless to say, it's not being tracked on BookMarks, but the reader reviews are through the roof.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Contemplate, by Jacob Riyeff (signed copies)
2. Die with Zero, by Bill Perkins
3. Birdscaping for Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region, by Mariette Nowak
4. A Place to Be, by JK Cheema (Boswell February 6 event)
5. Coyote America, by Dan Flores
6. A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders, by John Elledge
7. Black in Blues, by Imani Perry (ABHM April 6 event)
8. Living When a Loved One Has Died, by Earl Grollman
9. Seven Generations and the Seven Grandfather Teachings, by James Vukelich
10. Milwaukee Streets, by Carl Baehr

Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People is out this week, but Imani Perry is not coming to Milwaukee until April. The event is ticketed at the America's Black Holocaust Museum, but does not include the book, so we're hoping this gives attendees plenty of time to read it in advance. Both Boswell and Niche are selling copies. Seven raves and a positive on BookMarks, including this rave from Alexandra Jacobs in The New York Times: "The book drifts, like the ocean; it turns suddenly cloudy, like the heavens; it trills, like the jaybird (to which another chapter is devoted). It will have you looking afresh even at your corner mailbox."

Books for Kids:
1. The Wild Robot, by Peter Brown
2. Endling V1: The Last, by Katherine Applegate
3. Because of Mr Terupt, by Rob Buyea
4. Rise of the Earth Dragon, by Tracey West
5. Out of my Heart, by Sharon Draper
6. Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide, by Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black
7. The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan
8. The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill
9. Unicorns Are the Worst, by Alex Willan (Brookfield Library event today at 2 pm)
10. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef

Mostly school favorites on the list this week. School visits don't usually pick up until later in the season, but we are hosting Alex Willan tomorrow, and as mentioned above, he'll be at the Brookfield Public Library at 2 pm today, and by today, I mean February 1.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 24, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 24, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Fair-Weather Friend, by Jessie Garcia (signed copies)
2. This Is Where the Serpent Lives, by Daniyal Mueenuddin (signed copies)
3. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
4. Twelve Months V18, by Jim Butcher
5. The Hitch, by Sara Levine (signed copies)
6. Heart the Lover, by Lily King
7. Half His Age, by Jennette McCurdy 
8. Departures, by Julian Barnes
9. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
10. Anatomy of an Alibi  by Ashley Elston

Jim Butcher returns with Twelve Months in his Harry Dresden series, urban fantasy about a professional wizard in Chicago. Both Booklist and Publishers Weekly had reviews, which seemed unusual for me for #18 in a series. From Booklist's starred write up: "Series fans will be intrigued by the new characters and changes in Harry's life as Butcher deftly explores the impacts of loss and grief." But PW warned new readers to not start with this book.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Your Roots Don't Define You, by Chris Appleton
2. Attensity, by Friends of Attention
3. The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, by Walter Isaacson
4. Football, by Chuck Klosterman
5. Original Sins, by Eve L Ewing
6. Backlash Presidents, by Julia R Azari (Boswell Feb 16 event)
7. One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad
8. 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
9. Mother Mary Comes to Me, by Arundhati Roy
10. Dead and Alive, by Zadie Smith

Two great reads on Football from Chris and Jason. Jason said this is the first book he's read about football that reads like a book about baseball. They're different, he notes, and you can ask him to tell you more. BookMarks is two raves, a positive and a mixed. From Publishers Weekly: " Approaching the subject with rigor and drawing on his lifelong fascination with the game, Klosterman sheds light on football's "outsized and underrated" role in shaping contemporary culture. The result is a transcendent appraisal of America's favorite sport."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Heated Rivalry V2, by Rachel Reid
3. We the Animals, by Justin Torres
4. Passing, by Nella Larsen
5. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
6. Tangerinn, by Emanuela Anechoum
7. The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, by Milan Kundera
8. Mockingbird Court V6, by Juneau Black
9. The Shred Sisters, by Betsy Lerner (Boswell-run book clubs)
10. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén

Selling off the new paperback table is Tangerinn, by Emanuela Anechoum, translated from Italian by Lucy Rand, and winner of the Città di Lugnano Debut Novel Prize, the Mastercard Debut Novel Prize, and the Bancarella Select Prize. Mastercard has a literary prize? Three raves and two positives on BookMarks, including this from Joumana Khatib in The New York Times: "Tangerinn is the kind of story I hope to encounter more often. In a novel where almost every character is a migrant, changing countries is practically a fact of life. It sounds like being human."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. How to Tell When We Will Die, by Johanna Hedva
2. How to Know a Person, by David Brooks
3. How the Other Half Eats, by Priya Fielding-Singh
4. Murdoku, by Manuel Garand
5. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
6. The 388 Tattoos of Captain George..., by Amelia Klem Osterud (Boswell Feb 13 event-new date)
7. Don't Say Please, by Sahan Jayasuriya
8. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer 

9. The Name of This Band Is REM, by Peter Ames Carlin
10. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross

How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom is one of several books in our top ten that are current book club picks (and several that begin with "how") - it's the selection of the Cactus Book Club. Winner of the Amber Hollibaugh Award for LGBTQ+ Social Justice Writing, Michelle Tea on Hedva's book of essays: "A tremendous work of thought and feeling, packed with profound insight and illuminated throughout with a radical vulnerability that transmutes before your eyes into phenomenal power. Important and revelatory."

Books for Kids:
1. Peekaboo Love, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
2. We Are Black Americans board book, illustrated by Tequita Andrews
3. I Affirm Me, by Nyasha Williams, illustrated by Sóf'ya Glushkó
4. Where There Is Love, by Shauntay Grant, illustrated by Letícia Moreno
5. Knight Owl, by Christopher Denise
6. Wrong Friend, by Charise Mericle Harper and Rorey Lucey
7. Brown Sugar Baby Sweetest Love, by Kevin Lewis, illustrations by Jestenia Southerland
8. Busy Builders: Dinos at Work, by Stacie Bradly, illustrations by Damien Barlow
9. Dream Big Little One, by Vashti Harrison
10. Follow Your Dreams Little One, by Vashti Harrison

Selling off our new graphic novel and nonfiction display is Wrong Friend by Charise Mericle Harper and Rorey Lucey, from the authors of Bad Sister. From Kasey Swords in School Library Journal: "This graphic novel (editor's note - though it's really a memoir), perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Shannon Hale, explores what happens when a BFF is no longer a forever friend...Featuring a tween girl's experience with friendships and personal discovery through the middle school years, this timeless book is a first purchase for all collections."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 17, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 17, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Wildwood V2, by Amy Pease (signed copies)
2. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
3. The First Time I Saw Him, by Laura Dave
4. Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan
5. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, by Kiran Desai
6. What We Can Know, by Ian McEwan
7. This Is Where the Serpent Lives, by Daniyal Mueenuddin (Boswell January 20 event)
8. The School of Night V4, by Karl Ove Knausgaard
9. Shadow Ticket, by Thomas Pynchon
10. Anatomy of an Alibi, by Ashley Elston

For those reading multi-volume Norwegian novels, there's another option besides On the Calculation of Volume. Karl Ove Knausgaard's Morning Star series, translated by Martin Aitken. The School of Night is a take on Doctor Faustus, and the English reviews on BookMarks are three raves, three positives, a mixed, and three pans.  One of the raves, from Layla Sanai in the Spectator (Australia): "I put down this book only to eat and sleep. Knausgaard has produced another addictive psychological thriller – by turns exciting, entertaining and tragic."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
2. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee, written by Ann Christenson
3. The Other Side of Change, by Maya Shankar
4. 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
5. Bread of Angels, by Patti Smith
6. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
7. Good Things, by Samin Nosrat
8. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thomson
9. How to Be a Rich Old Lady, by Amanda Holden
10. Strangers, by Belle Burden

We've got three January 13 debuts this week, let by The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans, by Maya Shankar, cognitive scientist. From the starred Booklist: "Following the premise of her podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, Shankar, who has had her share of life disappointments, including the end of a promising career as a violinist and the loss of an expected child, extensively interviews a cast of survivors in this heart-breaking yet affirming study." And Publishers Weekly notes: "Though not all of Shankar's insights are groundbreaking, her explanations of the cognitive science involved are lucid and memorable."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Heated Rivalry V1, by Rachel Reid
2. Game Changer V1, by Rachel Reid
3. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
4. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
5. The Long Game V6, by Rachel Reid
6. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén
7. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
8. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
9. Slow Gods, by Claire North
10. The Housemaid V1, by Freida McFadden

Slow Gods, by Claire North, is the February Science Fiction Book Club selection, and since most attendees really liked January's pick, Service Model, it helps that the new book has a blurb from Adrian Tchaikovsky. And this from Kirkus: "The pseudonymous North's latest is a deeply philosophical standalone SF epic that brilliantly and subtly utilizes elements of cosmic horror to complement its metaphysical speculations." And I now learned she also writes under the names Kate Griffin and Catherine Webb. Attendance is way up at our in-store groups, but I think that's a January resolution thing. 

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Experiencing God, by Jon M Sweeney
2. Genesis, by Henry A Kissinger, Craig Mundie, Eric Schmidt
3. Healing After Loss, by Martha Hickman
4. On Our Best Behavior, by Elise Loehnen
5. Stolen Focus, by Johann Hari
6. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
7. How to Tell When We Will Die, by Johanna Hedva
8. The 388 Tattoos of Captain George, by Amelia Klem Osterud (Boswell January 23 event)
9. Milwaukee: A City Built on Water, by John Gurda
10. The Manuscripts Club, by Christopher de Hamel

On Our Best Behavior: The Price Women Pay to Be Good is another podcast success, this analyzing the Seven Deadly Sins and its affect on women's behavior. Elise Loehnen is the host of Pulling the Thread and the former Chief Content Officer of goop. From Kirkus: "An analysis of society's behavioral expectations for women...An engaging work that offers an opportunity for pause and reflection regarding our daily choices.

Books for Kids:
1. The Sausage Race Chase V22, by David A Kelly
2. The Rose Field V3, by Philip Pullman
3. If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone, by Gideon Sterer, illustrations by Emily Hughes
4. Dragonborn, by Struan Murray
5. Beth Is Dead, by Katie Bernet
6. Lady's Knight, by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
7. A Walk Through hte Woods, by Louise Greig
8. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
9. Zip Zap Wickety Wack, by Matthew Dieffee
10. A Sea Monster Conundrum V3, by Lisa Yang, illustrations by Dan Santat

Since I don't own any copyrights, I love celebrating public domain day, when books and other artistic endeavors are free for reinterpretation, which is also, by the way, long after the passing of the creators. Little Women actually entered public domain in 1924, so Beth Is Dead has been a long-time coming, a YA thriller about the March sisters. Publishers Weekly called it "an electrifying thriller," also noting that "One need not be familiar with Louisa May Alcott's work to appreciate debut author Bernet's brilliantly snappy contemporary riff on Little Women, which centers high school senior Jo March and her siblings - 15-year-old Amy and Harvard freshman Meg - as they investigate the violent murder of their 17-year-old sister Beth."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 10, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 10, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
2. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
3. Heart the Lover, by Lily King
4. Shadow Ticket, by Thomas Pynchon
5. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, by Kiran Desai 

6. Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan
7. Katabasis, by RF Kuang
8. Mona's Eyes, by Thomas Schlesser
9. Skylark, by Paula McLain
10. Wildwood V2, by Amy Pease (Shorewood Library January 14 event)

2026 releases are starting to pop, led by the celebrity book club announcements. Paula McLain is the GMA pick for Skylark, a dual-timeline, historical novel featuring Paris's underground tunnels. From Booklist: "With fine-tuned historical detail, McLain's latest is a compelling tale of human will, resilience, and connection"

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Skylark is one of three Atria titles in our top ten this week. The others are My Friends and Wildwood.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
2. Milwaukee Flavor, from Visit Milwaukee/Ann Christenson
3. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
4. Good Things, by Samin Nosrat
5. Bread of Angels, by Patti Smith
6. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
7. The Separation of Church and Hate, by John Fogelsong
8. One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad
9. The Look, by Michelle Obama
10. Capitalism, by Sven Beckert

While The Look did not sell quite as well as Michelle Obama's Previous books - it is after all a $50 fashion book - according to Edelweiss, many stores ran out during the holiday season. We were able to scrounge some copies for post-holiday sales, but there are still an awful lot of books on order at Ingram. I'm guessing that will be adjusted down. Kirkus called it "a canny upbeat volume."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Happiness Falls, by Angie Kim (Shorewood Reads)
2. The Savior, by Eugene Drucker
3. Heated Rivalry V2, by Rachel Reid
4. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
5. The Long Game V6, by Rachel Reid
6. Tough Guy V3, by Rachel Reid
7. Joan Is Okay, by Weike Wang (Boswell-run book clubs)
8. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
9. Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell
10. The Shred Sisters, by Betsy Lerner

I'm continuing my rule following the British music charts of limiting an author to three titles in the top ten, but if I didn't, there'd be another two Rachel Reid (link to her titles on Boswell website here) books present. So yes, Heated Rivalry is still hot. I always wondered if they adapted #2 in the loosely connected series, because it's two hockey players instead of a hockey player and an outsider. I will leave it to others to give their opinions.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Experiencing God, by Jon M Sweeney (signed copies)
2. The Inextinguishable Symphony, by Martin Goldsmith
3. Alex's Wake, by Martin Goldsmith
4. The 388 Tattoos of Captain George and the 389 Tales of How He Got Them, by Amelia Klem Osterud (Boswell January 23 event)
5. Realm of Ice and Sky, by Buddy Levy
6. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
7. Cold Crematorium, by Jozsef Debreczeni, translated by Paul Olchváry
8. Murdoku, by Manuel Garand
9. What Sheep Think About the Weather, by Amelia Thomas
10. Open Views of Latin America, by Eduardo Galeano

I don't think of paperback reprints dropping in November and December, but apparently St Martin's Griffin is all for it - Realm of Ice and Sky, a "narrative of polar exploration via airship," and Cold Crematorium, a Hungarian journalists recovered memoir of life in the Nazi labor camps, were published on November 25 and December 23, respectively. Both popped off our new paperback table.

Books for Kids:
1. Iceberg, by Jennifer A Nielsen
2. The Free State of Jax, by Jennifer A Nielsen
3. Uprising, by Jennifer A Nielsen
4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid V20: Partypooper, by Jeff Kinney 

5. The Amazing Generation, by Jonathan Haidt anc Catherine Price
6. Peekaboo Zoo, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
8. Lucky Red Envelope, by Vikki Zhang
9. A Snow Day for Amos McGee, by Philip Stead and Erin Stead
10. Scarlet Morning, by ND Stevenson

The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World, cowritten by the author of The Anxious Generation, came out December 30. Despite its late pub date, it was still named a School Library Journal best book of the year. From SLJ: "A book of tips, tricks, and the science behind smartphone and device addiction that completely respects its audience. This brilliant volume is filled with hard truths that still ring with positivity, and the design and comic-style illustrations will keep readers' interest while making a case for the importance of unplugging."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 3, 2026

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 3, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
2. Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan
3. Flesh, by David Szalay
4. Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan
5. Alchemised, by SenLinYu
6. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, by Kiran Desai
7. Shadow Ticket, by Thomas Pynchon
8. Heart the Lover, by Lily King
9. The Strength of the Few V2, by Matt Islington
10. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman

Nothing new yet debuting here, but I will note that we have a rare occurrence of a book on both the hardcover and paperback lists with volume one of Dungeon Crawler Carl. As every retailer and website follows the James Daunt-driven book of the year trend, this Dinniman's was the inaugural selection of Books-a-Million. The adaptation rights were bought by Universal Studios and Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door Productions in 2024. It's only gotten bigger.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee and Ann Christenson
2. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
3. Good Things, by Samin Nosrat
4. Something from Nothing, by Alison Roman
5. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
6. A Long Game, by Elizabeth McCracken
7. Buckley, by Sam Tanenhaus
8. Salt Fat Acid Heat, by Samin Nosrat
9. We the People, by Jill Lepore
10. Nobody's Girl, by Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Welcome to the top 10 for Elizabeth McCracken's A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction, which released on the unusual pub date of December 2. From Rob Schmitz's interview with McCracken on NPR Weekend Edition: "It's an entire book about how you shouldn't take anybody's advice, and it's crammed full of advice. I wanted to because, you know, I've taught writing for a long time, and my feeling as a teacher is that I can't teach anybody to write the work that only they can write. And that's what any writer should be writing is the work that only they can write. But I want to help them think the most interesting thoughts that they can."

Paperback Fiction:
1. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. Heated Rivalry V2, by Rachel Reid
4. Frankenstein (multiple editions), by Mary Shelley
5. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
6. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
7. Game Changer V1, by Rachel Reid
8. Role Model V5, by Rachel Reid
9. Sunburn, by Chloe Howarth
10. In Your Dreams, by Sarah Adams

Game Changers is a six-book series (starting with Game Changer) and we've got three in this week's top ten, topped by Heated Rivalry, of course. Not appearing (yet) is The Long Game, which is the direct sequel to Heated Rivalry. I did notice that most of the other books in the series (more like a mystery series than fantasy - with the exception of the direct sequel) are romances between a hockey player and someone who is not a hockey player, and I'm wondering if having two athletes kicks it up a notch for readers. I will aske the fans on staff. And you should take a look at what the covers looked like before they were cartooned for mass consumption.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Experiencing God, by Jon M Sweeney (Boswell January 9 event)
2. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before, by Julie Smith
3. Meditations for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman
4. The Slicks: On Sylvia Plath and Taylor Swift
5. The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron
6. I Heard There Was a Secret Chord, by Daniel J Levitin
7. The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson (UWM ticketed March 11 event)
8. The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk
9. Mega Milk, by Megan Milks
10. On Love, by Joseph Campbell

Unlike the other lists, we've got a number of new titles hitting this week, with a bit of a swing to the personal growth area. Leading the pack is Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? a reprint of 2022 hardcover that didn't have reviews attached to the ipage listing. Usually they aren't there for the paperback reprint, but you can find them if you go to the older edition. But I digress. What I did learn is Dr Julie Smith is a popular TikTok therapist.

Books for Kids:
1. Sunrise on the Reaping collectors edition, by Suzanne Collins
2. Howl's Moving Castle limited edition, by Diana Wynne Jones
3. Rock Paper Incisors V3, by Amy Timberlake
4. Winging It, by Megan Wagner Lloyd with Michelle Mee Nutter
5. Nimona anniversary edition, by ND Stevenson
6. Dinosaurs, by Rachel Ignotofsky
7. My Presentation Today Is About the Anaconda, by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Annemarie Van Haeringen
8. Dog Man V14: Big Jim Believes, by Dav Pilkey
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid V20: Partypooper
10. Refugee graphic edition, by Alan Gratz

Winging It was released in October and was featured on the November-December Indie Next List for kids. It's been selling steadily, but with the drop in bestseller picture book numbers after Christmas, it was able to make the top 10. From Amy Ribakove in Luna Juniper Wright-Evans moves with her father from California to DC to be closer to her grandmother. From School Library Journal: "Featuring authentic friendships and a diverse cast of characters, this is a must-have for upper elementary and middle school readers who enjoy heartfelt, slice-of-life stories."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending December 27, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending December 27, 2025 - Day 6114

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Shadow Ticket, by Thomas Pynchon
2. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, by Kiran Desai
3. Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan
4. What We Can Know, by Ian McEwan
5. The Black Wolf, by Louise Penny
6. The Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown
7. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
8. Heart the Lover, by Lily King
9. The Director, by Daniel Kehlmann
10. Queen Esther, by John Irving

At this point, the sales of Shadow Ticket far eclipse anything I saw as a bookseller going back to 1990's Vineland and 1997's Mason and Dixon. I don't think the four Schwartz stores sold as many copies together of either book as we have of Shadow Ticket, though I'm basing this on memory, not actual numbers. On a similar but more modest level, our sales of What We Can Know are about quadruple Lessons (2022) - these are his best hardcover sales since we've been open in 2009.

Our sales for The Secret of Secrets have topped Origin (2017) by a substantial amount, but I can't discount that our sales have grown since 2017. It would be interesting to know how the book fared on a national level. On the other hand, Queen Esther may soon match the final numbers of John Irving's last two novels, Avenue of Mysteries (2015) and The Last Chairlift (2022), and has topped In One Person (2012).

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Milwaukee Flavor, from Visit Milwaukee, written by Ann Christenson with photos by Kevin J Miyasaki
2. Good Things, by Samin Nosrat
3. Six Seasons of Pasta, by Joshua McFadden (signed copies)
4. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
5. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
6. 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
7. One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad
8. Bread of Angels, by Patti Smith
9. The Anthony Bourdain Reader, edited by Kimberly Witherspoon
10. Puzzle Mania, by New York Times Games, edited by Joel Fagliano

Cookbooks and crashes dominated our top six. But perhaps the most unexpected appearance to me is Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More!, the hardcover collection of the most popular digital games of The New York Times. Our sales are good, but we were definitely not leading the charge on this one (#38 Edelweiss). This is also our first Authors Equity shout out.

I think it's also important to note that the lists are dependent on what we have in stock. And in the last week before Christmas, there are always a lot of books we don't have (including The Correspondent, The Gales of November, and the aforementioned Puzzle Mania)

Paperback Fiction:
1. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
3. Heated Rivalry, by Rachel Reid
4. Sunburn, by Chloe Howarth
5. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
6. Little Alleluias, by Mary Oliver
7. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
8. The Mighty Red, by Louise Erdrich
9. Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell
10. Death Stalks Door County, by Patricia Skalka

I haven't lately commented on the gender parity of our lists, but it is interesting, being that considering the Jacqueline Harpman novel's appearance, that there are no men in our top ten. Andy Weir sits at #11. Here's a Sunburn update. With a nice rec from McKenna, we're punching a little above our weight (#24 Edelweiss). It's nice to see a hit novel from Melville House. And if you're wondering, we've sold eight copies of Leonard and Hungry Paul off my rec shelf since it went to print on demand.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Experiencing God, by Jon M Sweeney (Boswell January 9 event)
2. Birds of the Great Lakes, by Dexter Patterson
3. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. Welcome to Pawnee, by Jim O'Heir
6. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
7. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jeanette McCurdy
8. A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron
9. Didion and Babitz, by Lili Anolik
10. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner

Our ranking on Edelweiss has dropped to #19 on A Philosophy of Walking as more stores have discovered it. The Northeast now dominates the top ten stores. For a book where we're #1, there's  Experiencing God: 36 Ways According to Saint Francis of Assisi  Jon M Sweeney is returning to Milwaukee for an event after moving to Vermont, but it's clear that more than his friends and followers have been drawn to this book. I wonder if it would work on other stores' paperback tables. 

Books for Kids:
1. Hansel and Gretel, by Stephen King and Maurice Sendak
2. Sunrise on the Reaping collectors edition, by Suzanne Collins
3. Dog Man V14: Big Jim Believes, by Dav Pilkey
4. Thieves' Gambit, by Kayvion Lewis
5. The Pigeon Won't Count to Ten, by Mo Willems
6. Peekaboo Dinosaur, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. The Snowy Day board book, by Ezra Jack Keats
8. Hello There Sunshine, by Tabitha Brown, illustrations by Olivia Duchess
9. If You Make a Call on the Banana Phone, by Gideon Sterer, illustrations by Emily Hughes
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid V20: Partypooper, by Jeff Kinney

We had a nice last-minute pop on Hansel and Gretel, the Stephen King picture book based on Maurice Sendak illustrations that were created for an opera. From the publisher: "The opera premiered in 1997 at the Houston Grand Opera and was a coproduction with Juilliard, Canadian Opera Company, and the opera companies of Baltimore, Indianapolis, and San Diego." I can't help thinking that the featured spot in one of last week's emails helped this one a lot. The Sendak proceeds go to the Sendak Foundation. Their Fellowship program has alumni including Yuyi Morales, Terry and Eric Fan, and Doug Salati.

Apologies for the typos.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending December 20, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending December 20, 2025 - Day 6,107

Hardcover Fiction:
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?"

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!