Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 20, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 20, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Apostle's Cove, by William Kent Krueger
2. Among the Burning Flowers, by Samantha Shannon
3. The Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown
4. Jams, by Percival Everett
5. Katabasis, by RF Kuang
6. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
7. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
8. How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood
9. The Phoebe Variations, by Jane Hamilton (Boswell September 30 event)
10. The Academy, by Elin Hilderbrand and Stacy Cunningham

Top debut this week is Among the Burning Flowers, coming in a regular and deluxe edition.Samantha Shannon's prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree received this review in Library Journal: "A testament to humankind's endurance and unending hope for a better future, this brief foray into Shannon's fantasy world adds a few additional layers to events mentioned in her other books."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Why Fascists Fear Teachers, by Randi Weingarten
2. Good Things, by Samin Nosrat
3. Born in Flames, by Bench Ansfield (signed copies)
4. We the People, by Jill Lepore
5. Arctic Passages, by Kieran Mulvaney 
6. Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism, by Stewart Reynolds
7. All the Way to the River, by Elizabeth Gilbert
8. They All Came to Barneys, by Gene Pressman
9. Baldwin: A Love Story, by Nicholas Boggs
10. Art Work, by Sally Mann.

Samin Nosrat returns with Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love, the first big cookbook of fall, at least for us. It's been eight years since Salt Fat Acid Heat. Booklist has a starred review: "Adventurous home cooks will appreciate the firm foundation of knowledge that ultimately offers the freedom and confidence to experiment and create special foods to share."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Women Who Stand Between, by Jeannée Sacken (more signed copies coming soon!)
2. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
4. Martyr!, by Kaveh Akbar
5. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Rizdén
6. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
7. All Fours, by Miranda July
8. The City and Its Uncertain Walls, by Haruki Murakami
9. The Glassmaker, by Tracy Chevalier
10. Go As a River, by Shelley Read

Vintage went with a very different look for The City and Its Uncertain Walls. I don't usually expect a book like that to have a cover change. I would call the BookMarks review profile polarizing - 10 raves, a positive, 4 mixed, and 6 pans. Most of the raves were with the advance trades - some of which, but certainly not all of them, do not publish bad reviews, so why would you index them? That said, some consumer-facing reviewers gave raves too - Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Slate.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Going for Zero, by Carl Elefante
2. Reading for Our Lives, by Maya Payne Smart
3. Common Ground, by Eileen Flanagan (signed copies)
4. Palaces for the People, by Eric Klinenberg
5. Poverty by America, by Matthew Desmond
6. 2020, by Eric Klinenberg
7. A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron (Boswell October 30 event)
8. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
9. We Had Fun and Nobody Died, by Amy Waldman and Peter Jest
10. AI Snake Oil, by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor

There was a bit of a theme to some of this week's events. After selling books for Carl Elefante at the PastForward conference for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, we had two more authors who would slot in the Urban Studies category, Bench Ansfield at Boswell (see above) and Eric Klinenberg at Milwaukee Public Library, which worked hard to bring the author here to speak about 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed and Palaces for the People, which among other things, celebrates libraries. 

Books for Kids:
1. If We Were Dogs, by Sophie Blackall
2. Spooky Lakes Coloring Book, by Geo Rutherford
3. Dream, by Barbara O'Connor
4. Spooky Lakes, by Geo Rutherford
5. Leafy Landmarks, by Michelle Schaub
6. Wish, by Barbara O'Connor
7. Farmhouse, by Sophie Blackall
8. Kat and Mouse: I Like Cheese, by Salina Yoon
9. The Poisoned King V2, by Katherine Rundell (Boswell October 1 event)
10. Tiny T Rex and the First Day Oopsies, by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrations by Jay Fleck

There was no time in the schedule for a public event with Sophie Blackall, but we were grateful to have two school visits for If We Were Dogs. From Kirkus: "Cheerful, lightly hued colors fit the whimsical mood, while expressive body language allows the art to tell the story with a minimum of words. Ending on a surprising note, with a sweet compromise between the two main characters, the tale gives both kids the freedom to embrace their own preferences and styles - while still enjoying their game."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 13, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 13, 202

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Life, and Death, and Giants, by Ron Rindo (signed copies)
2. So Far Gone, by Jess Walter (signed copies)
3. Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown
4. Katabasis, by RF Kuang
5. Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan (OFS Lunch November 5)
6. Clown Town, by Mick Herron
7. Culpability, by Bruce Holsinger
8. How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood
9. James, by Percival Everett
10. The Phoebe Variations, by Jane Hamilton (Boswell September 30 event)

Top non-event debut this week is Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown. There's high quality paper on this printing, which is unusual for a thriller. That said, the list price is higher than the deluxe editions that are sprouting everywhere. BookMarks has two postives, two mixed, and one pan from the Times of London.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. All the Way to the River, by Elizabeth Gilbert
2. What's on Her Mind, by Allison Daminger (signed copies)
3. Art Work, by Sally Mann
4. A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever, by Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer
5. Listening to the Law, by Amy Coney Barrett
6. Dark Renaissance, by Stephen Greenblatt
7. Living in the Present with John Prine, by Tom Piazza
8. Baldwin: A Love Story, by Nicholas Boggs
9. Abundance, by Ezra Kleina and Derek Thompson
10. Arctic Passages, by Kieran Mulvaney (Shorewood Library September 15 event)

Have you noticed how many of the New York Times lists will be packed with new releases in the top ten? That's rare for us - only one or two generally break through onto our bestseller list, but this week, fully six of our top ten have September 9 on sale dates. Top debut is Elizabeth Gilbert's All the Way to the River, which has three raves, two positives, two mixed, and one pan on BookMarks as well as the Oprah Book Club seal. But it also shows that these BookMarks ratings are subject to interpretation - at least one of my coworkers thought that one of the mixed reviews was a pan.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Jackie, by Dawn Tripp
2. Death Stalks Door County, by Patricia Skalka (Boswell October 21 event)
3. The Women Who Stand Between, by Jeannée Sacken (Boswell September 19 event)
4. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén
5. Archipelago, by Natalie Bakopoulos (signed copies)
6. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
7. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
8. Candide, by Voltaire
9. Dear Committee Members, by Julie Schumacher
10. Death at Gill's Rock, by Patricia Skalka

Thanks to a professor having Boswell sell books for his class, I've read fully half the books in this top 10, which is more unusual than it used to be. Thanks, Dear Committee Members! No new releases on this list, but our recent event with Jackie pushed our ranking on paperback sales to #1 on Edelweiss. Congrats to Milwaukee Reads!

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Don't Say Please, by Sahan Jayasuriya
2. When Women Ran Fifth Avenue, by Julie Satow
3. A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron (Boswell October 30 event - a NYT bestseller!)
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. Common Ground, by Eileen Flanagan (Boswell September 15 event)
6. Spice, by Roger Crowley
7. On Our Best Behavior, by Elise Loehnen
8. Anthropocene Reviewed, by John Green
9. Evicted, by Matthew Desmond
10. Pox Romana, by Colin Elliott

Despite our prominent book club recommendation, we are only #19 on Edelweiss in sales for When Women Ran Fifth Avenue, as this book has been huge in the Northeast and it's not doing to shabby in the West either. But while it's not us, nice to see a Midwest store is #1.

Books for Kids:
1. Over in the Garden, by Janna Matthies, illustrations by Tisha Lee
2. Spooky Lakes Coloring Book, by Geo Rutherford
3. Spooky Lakes, by Geo Rutherford (Boswell September 16 event)
4. Farmhouse, by Sophie Blackall
5. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
6. Where's the Leaf Thief board book, by Alice Hemming, illustrations by Nicola Slater
7. What Feelings Do at Night, by Tina Oziewicz, illustrations by Aleksandra Zajac
8. No Bad Parts, by Richard Schwartz and Bethany Hegedus, illustrations by Kate Fedos
9. Incredibly Penelope, by Lauren Myracle (Wauwatosa Library October 2 event)
10. Dream, by Barbara O'Connor

Barbara O'Connor visited area schools for her new book Dream. Expect a higher placement next week. From Booklist: "In this stand-alone book that features several returning characters and a familiar setting (from Wish - 2016), the strongest asset is O'Connor's ability to let Idalee tell her story in her own, distinctive voice, while creating secondary characters who are interesting and equally true to life. An involving chapter book, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains."

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending September 6, 2025

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending September 6, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Katabasis, by RF Kuang
2. James, by Percival Everett
3. The Hallmarked Man, by Robert Galbraith
4. Wild Reverence, by Rebecca Ross
5. The Phoebe Variations, by Jane Hamilton (Boswell September 30 event)
6. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
7. Apostle's Cove, by William Kent Krueger (Boswell September 17 event)
8. Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan (November 5- Ozaukee Family Services Luncheon coming)
9. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
10. Rose in Chains, by Julie Soto

Wild Reverence is a stand-alone prequel to the Letters of Enchantment series. From Gina Collett in Library Journal: "This tale of thriving after abuse and finding renewed hope in love leaves readers with a brutal, yet achingly romantic story." This is one of three books in the top 10, the others being Katabasis and Rose in Chains, that sold in both the regular and deluxe editions last week.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Mission Driven, by Mike Hayes
2. Destroy This House, by Amanda Uhle (signed copies)
3. Mother Mary Comes to Me, by Arundhati Roy
4. Baldwin: A Love Story, by Nicholas Boggs
5. Burning Down the House, by Jonathan Gould
6. What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, by Caroline Chambers
7. It Doesn't Have to Hurt, by Sanjay Gupta
8. Coming Up Short, by Robert Reich
9. What's on Her Mind, by Allison Daminger (Boswell September 10 event)
10. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green

Arundhati Roy has mostly been writing political essays in the years since the Booker-winning The God of Small Things, but Mother Mary Comes to Me is also a memoir. She's got 7 raves, a positive, and a mixed on BookMarks. I love that they decided that the excerpt from May-Lee Chai's review in the Star Tribune should be the single word "coruscating." I had to look it up - "flashing" or "scathing." I suspect the latter. 

Paperback Fiction:
1. It Had to Be Him, by Adib Khorram (signed copies)
2. I Think They Love You, by Julian Winters (signed copies)
3. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
4. First Lie Wins, by Ashley Elston
5. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén
6. Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
7. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
8. The History of Sound, by Ben Shattuck
9. Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
10. 1984, by George Orwell

The national bestseller lists usually see a resurgence of The Glass Castle and Born a Crime, books used in a lot of classes, and we similarly saw some classics pop into our top 10, but they were Slaughterhouse Five and 1984. First Lie Wins, however, was a book club that bought all their books together, which used to be more common in the past.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Don't Say Please, by Sahan Jayasuriya
2. When Women Ran Fifth Avenue, by Julie Satow
3. AI Snake Oil, by Arvind Narayanan and Sayesh Kapoor
4. A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron (Boswell October 30 event)
5. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
6. There's Always This Year, by Hanif Abudrraqib
7. The Year of the Tiger, by Alice Wong
8. All the Beauty of the World, by Patrick Bringley
9. A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders, by John Elledge
10. Mary Nohl Inside and Out, by Barbara Manger and Janine Smith

Nice to see AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can't, and How to Tell the Difference, one of my hardcover picks from last year, have a good first week on sale. It's also selling well at Ingram - they have more on order. I am a big fan of the paperback color change, while keeping the same design - this book went from black to red.

Books for Kids:
1. Wish, by Barbara O'Connor
2. Rules for Fake Girlfriends, by Raegan Revord
3. Sisters in the Wind, by Angeline Boulley
4. A Forgery of Fate, by Elizabeth Lim
5. If We Were Dogs, by Sophie Blackall
6. Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories, by Jeff Kinney
7. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
8. Rite of Passage, by Richard Wright
9. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
10. White Lies, by Ann Bausum

Sisters in the Wind is the current GMA YA book club selection. Publishers Weekly noted: " It's a devastating yet gripping tale of finding family, recontextualizing faith, and reclaiming ancestry that serves as a searing critique of the ways that systems can fail vulnerable youth." it's also recommended by both Tim and McKenna at Boswell.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 30, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 30, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Katabasis (2 editions), by RF Kuang
2. Heart the Lover, by Lily King (Boswell October 24 event)
3. Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
4. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
5. Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Tosdhikazu Kawaguchi
6. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
7. Culpability, by Bruce Holsinger
8. So Far Gone, by Jess Walter (Boswell September 9 event)
9. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
10. The Compound, by Aisling Rawle

Katabasis is by far the biggest release this week. There's a regular and a deluxe edition, and I'm surprised that the deluxe edition list price is only $3 more. The BookMarks score is six raves, a positive, and one pan. From Kiersten White in The New York Times: "Overall, Katabasis shines with devastatingly real characters and absorbing world building. Kuang’s sentences are delicious, her insights well-earned and deeply affecting. She’s also funny."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Smart Brevity, by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz
2. Arctic Passages, by Kieran Mulvaney (Shorewood Library September 15 event)
3. Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow
4. Destroy This House, by Amanda Uhle (Boswell September 5 event)
5. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
6. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
7. On Call, Anthony Fauci
8. The Worlds of Hiyao Miyazaki, by Nicolas Rapold
9. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson
10. Dinner with King Tut, by Sam Kean

Only trade reviews for Destroy This House so far, according to Booklist (PW, Kirkus, BookPage, Library Journal) but I'm hoping the major reviewers get to it, as it's such a good memoir. Here's a teaser video of me talking to Uhle, in advance of her September 5 event. From Annie Bartlett in BookPage: "Stephen and Sandra never entirely gave up on their commitment to each other, and they wrapped their children in their happy fantasies. They never got on solid footing, and they damaged other people along the way. But they produced a brave, compassionate daughter whose memoir both makes you laugh and wrenches your heart."

Paperback Fiction:
1. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén
2. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
3. Colored Television, by Danzy Senna
4. The Tainted Cup, by Robert Bennett Jackson (Hugo Award)
5. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
6. All Fours, by Miranda July
7. Everyone Is Lying to You, by Jo Piazza
8. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
9. The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
10. The History of Sound, by Ben Shattuck

We never got a top 10 slot for The History of Sound in hardcover, but I read it late, after the booksellers at Lake Forest told me that it was their #1 book - yes, other people recommended it, but I respond best to unusually sticky selling. It's connected stories that got four raves and a positive in BookMarks, but aside from the trades, the two consumer raves were from The Boston Globe and WBUR ("Extraordinary," says Carol Iaciofano Aucoin), so my guess is it sold best in New England! Film is coming this fall.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Land Rich, Cash Poor, by Brian Reisinger
2. Poets and Dreamers, by Tamara Saviano
3. The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe V2, edited by Nicholas Carnes and Lilly J Goren
4. There's Always This Year, by Hanif Abdurraqib
5. Don't Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen, by Sahan Jayasuriya
6. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
7. I Heard There Was a Secret Chord, by Daniel J Levitin
8. Autocracy Inc, by Anne Applebaum
9. Murdle V1, by GT Karber
10. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Nice first week pop for I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, the latest from neurologist Daniel J Levitin. Three raves and three positives on BookMarks for this investigation into the healing power of music. From Publishers Weekly: "Enriching lucidly explained neuroscience with ebullient musical appreciation, Levitin makes a persuasive case for music's therapeutic potential that gives due to its medical promise without undercutting its mysteries."

Books for Kids: 

1. Spooky Lakes, by Geo Rutherford (Boswell September 16 event)
2. Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell (Boswell ticketed October 1 event)
3. Little Bunny Fall Is Here, by Deborah Marcero
4. Richard Scarry's Halloween Cars and Trucks
5. White Lies, by Ann Bausum
6. Sophie's Squash, by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf
7. The Lost Women of Science, by Melina Gerosa Bellows and Katie Hafner
8. Lawrence in the Fall, by Matthew Farina, illustrations by Doug Salati
9. Orris and Timble V2: Lost and Found, by Kate DiCamillo, illustrations by Carmen Mok
10. Dog Man V12: The Scarlet Shredder, by Dav Pilkey

You can guess what display is working best in kids. The board book Little Bunny Fall Is Here is from Deborah Marcero. Board book originals (as opposed to ones adapted from hardcover picture books, though the book is an extension of the picture book In a Jar and its sequels) tend to not get reviews, even in the trades, but there appears to be a quote from School Library Journal on the Ingram site: "Soft, expressive illustrations pair perfectly with the gentle, rhythmic text." But it might be for one of the picture books.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 23, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 23, 2025

1. 13 Months Haunted, by Jimmy Juliano (signed copies)
2. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
3. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
4. Hemlock and Silver, by T Kingfisher
5. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab
6. James, by Percival Everett
7. Culpability, by Bruce Holsinger
8. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinnman
9. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
10. The River Is Waiting, by Wally Lamb

Hemlock and Silver is a horror-tinged fairytale from bestselling author T Kingfisher. From Booklist: "This darkly comic tale of mirrors and apples mixed with a budding romance, masterfully recounted by a charmingly forthright main character, will appeal to fans of reimagined fantasy fables." Our catalog notes said the sprayed edges would be silver, but the finished product has more of lime green. No complaints - just an insight into the production journey.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Coming Up Short, by Robert Reich
2. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
3. Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay
4. John Williams: A Composers Life, by Tim Grieving
5. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
6. King of Kings, by Scott Anderson
7. The Mission, by Tim Weiner
8. A Flower Traveled in my Blood, by Haley Cohen Gilliland
9. Semi Well Adjusted Despite Literally Everything, by Alyson Stoner
10. Tonight in Jungleland, by Peter Ames Carlin

Robert Reich, Labor Secretary under Bill Clinton take top honors for Coming Up Short in another quiet week for hardcover nonfiction. Hoping September brings more high-profile releases. From the starred Booklist: "What Reich self-deprecatingly claims he lacks in physical stature, he more than makes up for in moral standing and civic pride...Clear-eyed and critical, Reich's assessment of where America is headed is both sobering and, characteristically, hopeful."

Paperback Fiction:
1. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén, translated by Alice Menzies
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
3. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride
4. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
5. Battle fo the Bookstores, by Ali Brady
6. How to Survive Camping V1, by Bonnie Quinn
7. Summer Sons, by Lee Mandelo
8. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
9. Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir
10. Bridge of Sighs, by Richard Russo

#1 Indie Next Pick When the Cranes Fly South has a nice first week (#2 on Edelweiss) at Boswell. We now have our sixth bookseller reading it. It's also out of stock at the Ingram warehouses. You can also watch American Lisa and I in conversation with Swedish Lisa on YouTube. From Joyce Sparrow in Library Journal: "Readers will laugh and cry. In Bo, Ridzén has created a character who can evoke empathy in anyone."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Don't Say Please, by Sahan Jayasuriya
2. DisElderly Conduct, by Judy Karofsky
3. The Chaos Machine, by Max Fisher
4. Meet the Neighbors, by Brandon Keim
5. Mutual Aid, by Dean Spade
6. Struggle for the City, by Derk G Handley
7. The ADHD Reset, by Claire Michalski
8. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
9. How Far the Light Reaches, by Sabrina Imbler
10. Common Ground, by Eileen Flanagan (Boswell September 15 event)

I don't think I've done a shout out for the paperback edition of The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World and if I did, it's been a long time, since the book came out in paperback in 2023. It's the second showing here in three weeks. Just to show how prices are moving, is now only $6 cheaper than the hardcover. It's selling off of Kay's rec shelf. Three raves and five positives on BookMarks. For the last three months, Boswell has been the #1 store in sales on Edelweiss.

Books for Kids:
1. White Lies, by Ann Bausum (signed copies)
2. Tiny T Rex and the First Day of School, by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrations by Jay Fleck
3. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
4. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
5. Glorious Rivals V2, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
6. The Day the Crayons Made Friends, by Drew Daywalt, illustrations by Oliver Jeffers
7. It's Taco Knight, by Megan Maynor, illustrations by Estrela Lourenço
8. Wild Robot on the Island, by Peter Brown


We don't usually have a first week pop on picture books without a superstar author/illustrator, and even then it can take a bit to warm up but several folks had their tummies tempted by It's Taco Knight, from Megan Maynor and Estrela Lourenço. From Kirkus: "Readers will practically be able to taste those crunchy tacos, savory soups, and cheesy pizza slices, thanks to the amusing text, which serves up clever culinary wordplay as the knights romp across the pages."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 16, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 16, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes, by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (signed copies)
3. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
4. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
5. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab
6. 13 Months Haunted, by Jimmy Juliano (Boswell August 18 event)
7. Culpability, by Bruce Holsinger
8. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
9. The River Is Waiting, by Wally Lamb
10. The Compound, by Aisling Rawle

At Friday's event, Sandra Jackson-Opoku told us she always read mysteries, starting with Agatha Christie as a child, but she never thought to write one until Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes came together. Several attendees had already read her book and were championing it as the best book they'd read this year. The sequel is already being scheduled - Savvy Summers and the Po'Boy Perils. From Booklist: ". Feisty, well-drawn Savvy is a hero for fans of strong Black women protagonists, and the food frame, the lovingly described Chicago setting, and the delicious-sounding recipes will appeal to those who enjoy food-centered cozies." Caveat - Jackson-Opoku warns that it's a little racier than your average cozy.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Mistakes that Made Me a Millionaire, by Kim Perell
2. Impasse, by Roy Scranton (signed copies)
3. Choosing Love, by Dawne Moon and Theresa W Tobin (signed copies)
4. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
5. The Fort Bragg Cartel, by Seth Harp
6. One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad
7. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
8. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
9. The Great American Retro Road Tip, by Rolando Pujol
10. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin

Our top new debut is The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces, by Seth Harp, a contributing editor to Rolling Stone. From Booklist: "The trauma of war often does terrible damage to a soldier's mental and emotional well-being, and the culture within the military often exacerbates the problem. In 2020, two bodies were found near Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Harp's chronicle of a group of soldiers, all of whom were damaged by their experiences in the Middle East, is a tale of drugs and murder and illustrates how such emotional damage can lead to tragic consequences."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
2. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
4. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
5. Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. All Fours, by Miranda July
8. Hiero's Journey, by Sterling E Lanier
9. The Kingdom of Ash V7, by Sarah J Maas
10. Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Hiero's Journey is published by Gollancz, which is distributed by Hachette in the US, but it's been really tough for us to get copies since its February publication here. Jason had to reschedule it for the Science Fiction Book Club, and it's still not in stock at Ingram. Maybe it's because the author, Sterling Edward Lanier, died in Florida in 2007 - nobody's fighting for book distribution! Per Wikipedia, the book was originally published in 1973 by Chilton Book Company (they also published Dune!), and Gary Gygax has called it an influence on the creation of Dungeons and Dragons.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Don't Say Please, by Sahan Jayasuriya (signed copies)
2. Imagination, by Ruha Benjamin
3. A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron (Boswell October 30 event)
4. Historic Wisconsin Roadsides, by Tom Manus
5. Native Nations, by Kathleen Duval
6. Evicted, by Matthew Desmond
7. The History of Milwaukee Drag, by BJ Daniels and Michail Takch
8. The Wager, by David Grann
9. The Devil's Best Trick, by Randall Sullivan
10. Quit Like a Woman, by Holly Whitaker

Dwarfing the competition is Don't Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kruezen, which Sahan Jayasuriya worked on for a decade. Joining him for our event was two members of the band, one locally and another from Amsterdam. From Milwaukee Magazine, Sahan's take away: "If nothing else, I want them to understand the influence and importance that this band from Milwaukee has had. They’re kind of a proto-grunge band and laid the foundation for that music. I want people to give them the credit they deserve. There are tons of people who would love those records who haven’t heard them yet."

Books for Kids:
1. White Lies, by Ann Bausum (Boswell August 19 event)
2. Tiny T Rex and the First Day Oopsies, by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrations by Jay Fleck
3. Peekaboo Zoo, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
4. Gertie the Darling Duck of World War II, by Shari Swanson, illustrations by Renée Graef
5. Officer Buckle and Gloria, by Peggy Rathmann
6. You Can Sit with Me, by Rachel Tawil Kenyon, illustrations by Tatiana Kamshilina
7. Rite of Passage, by Richard Wright
8. How It Works: Fire Truck, by Molly Littleboy, illustrations by David Semple
9. Sometimes All I Need Is Me, by Juliana Perdomo
10. Who Said Hoot?, by Yi-Suan Wu

Jenny has been hard at work picking out books for a local children's center. Sometimes All I Need Is Me, by Juila Perdomo, new in paperback. From the starred Booklist: "In this story, an upbeat, brown-skinned girl shares how she sometimes leans on herself to feel calm, safe, and secure in a world that can be overwhelming or scary...Colombian author-illustrator Perdomo's heartwarming artwork makes this simple story sing with its childlike style and charm."

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending August 9, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 9, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab
2. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
3. James, by Percival Everett
4. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
5. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
6. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus (Boswell September 26 event)
7. Broken Country, by Claire Leslie Hall
8. The Magician of Tiger Castle, by Louis Sachar
9. The Bewitching, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
10. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

The day before its publication, Tim was talking up The Magician of Tiger Castle as a great novel for kids who'd grown too old for Holes and Louis Sachar's other books. Publishers Weekly called it a "melancholy, heartfelt, and utterly immersive Renaissance-esque fantasy." And from Kirkus: "This adult debut from Sachar, the singular children's book author, is a heartfelt fable about courage and love. As Anatole - the titular magician - tells his story, he's speaking from the present day and describing events that happened 500 years ago...A sensitive and sincere tale told with Sachar's inimitable wit."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Ghosts of Hiroshima, by Charles Pellegrino
2. King of Kings, by Scott Anderson
4. The Devil Reached Toward the Sky, by Garrett M Graff
5. A Walk in the Park, by Kevin Fedarko
6. The Book of Alchemy, by Suleika Jaouad
7. Are You Mad at Me, by Meg Josephson
8. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
9. The Fate of the Day, by Rick Atkinson
10. Buckley, by Sam Tanenhaus

First week out for King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation, by New York Times reporter Scott Anderson. The book has nine raves, one positive, and three mixed on BookMarks. From Tunku Varadarajan in The Wall Street Journal: "King of Kings is a sweeping, gripping book, one that makes past times and dead people (often weird, complex and evil) spring to life with its narrative verve and attention to detail." At least two from the mixed camp were from British publications that thought the author focused too much on the Iran-USA relationship.

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali (signed copies available)
2. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride
3. Night Watch, by Jayne Anne Phillips
4. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
5. Accomplice to the Villain V3, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
6. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
7. I Who Have never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
8. The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese
9. The Mercy of Gods, by James SA Corey
10. Together Tea, by Marjan Kamali

TikTok series turned bestseller for #3 in the Assistant to the Villain series. It's the first week out for Accomplice to the Villain and that limited edition with the green sprayed edges won't be here forever. From Publishers Weekly: "Maehrer delivers exactly what her legion of fans will be looking for: plenty of shocking twists and, of course, her signature humor. This keeps the series going strong." I think firmly placing this in romantasy helped - we had a lot of great reads (including me) on the similarly set-up Hench (more superhero than dark lord, but still), but that just didn't blow up the same way. I do see that the sequel, Villain, is scheduled for 2026.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Don't Say Please, by Sahan Jayasuriya (Boswell August 14 event)
2. Building the Milwaukee Bucks, by Jordan Treske
3. There's Always This Year, by Hanif Abdurraqib
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
6. Pox Romana, by Colin Elliott
7. Murdle V1, by GT Karber
8. Poets and Dreamers, by Tamara Saviano (Boswell August 27 event)
9. DisElderly Conduct, by Judy Karofsky (MPL August 21 event)
10. The Chaos Machine, by Max Fisher

A nice pub week sale off the new paperback table for Pox Romana: The Plague That Shook the Roman World, by Colin Elliott. From Publishers Weekly, reviewing the hardcover: "Historian Elliott evaluates in this enlightening account the impact of the Antonine plague of 165 CE on the demise of the Pax Romana, a period of relative stability in the Roman Empire from 27 BCE to 180 CE...Challenged by the meager documentation available, he expertly draws on trace evidence such as census records, real estate contracts, and paleoclimate research to make his case. It's an informative history that serves to encourage better pandemic preparedness today."

Books for Kids:
1. Return to Sender, by Vera Brosgol
2. No Purchase Necessary, by Maria Marianayagam
3. You Can Sit with Me, by Rachel Tawil Kenyon, illustrations by Tatiana Kamshilina
4. A Wolf Called Fire, by Rosanne Parry
5. Good Luck Ice Cream Truck, by Sorche Fairbank, illustration by Terry Runyan
6. You Be Teacher, by Karla Clark, illlustrations by Gabby Zapata
7. When a Tree Falls, by Kirsten Pendreigh, illustrations by Elke Boschinger
8. Isle of Ever, by Jen Calnoita
9. The Cartoonists Club, by Raina Telegmeier and Scott McCloud
10. The Day the Crayons Made Friends, by Drew Daywalt, illustrations by Oliver Jeffers

Some of our kid picks rose to the top of the bestselling heap from a recent presentation. One great back-to-school selection is You Can Sit with Me, which has a rec from Jenny. And from Kirkus: "The new kid on the block weathers ups and downs with guidance from a compassionate classmate...Kamshilina's artwork builds on Kenyon's verse as the new kid slowly grows in confidence; it all culminates with the newcomer (a dinosaur lover) and the narrator throwing a dino-themed party attended by all their classmates."

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending August 2, 2025

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending August 2, 2025 - special waterfront edition

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Culpability, by Bruce Holsinger
2. Maggie, by Katie Yee
3. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab
5. If You Love It, Let It Kill You, by Hannah Pitard
6. An Inside Job, by Daniel Silva
7. Rose in Chains, by Julie Soto (regular and deluxe editions)
8. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
9. Spectacular Things, by Beck Dorey Stein
10. Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes, by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Boswell August 15 event)

I'm not sure why, but Spectacular Things, from former White House memoirist Beck Dorey Stein, had a nice pop in sales this week after a very quiet first four weeks, despite being the Reese's Book Club pick. I don't have much of a sample, but in general, I don't see much difference in the sales pops for equivalent books from Reese or Jenna. From Publishers Weekly: "Dorey-Stein's engrossing latest follows the struggles and triumphs of two sisters from a family of soccer stars...This one fires on all cylinders."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. When We're in Charge, By Amanda Litman
2. Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
3. The Book of Alchemy, by Suleika Jouad
4. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
5. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson
6. Sweet Farm, by Molly Yeh
7. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green
8. Boustany, by Sami Tamimi
9. We Can Do Hard Things, by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle
10. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins

I'm excited to see a pop for A Marriage at Sea, its best week since the July 8 publication. This story of a couple's shipwreck and the aftermath was recommended to me by not one but two sales reps, and it didn't disappoint. And the BookMarks numbers are very strong - 11 raves and 2 positives, and its not just British publications like the Observer and Guardian, but hard-to get regional papers like The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and Star Tribune. From Hamilton Cain in The Wall Street Journal: "A Marriage at Sea is a transfixing, beautiful work, its deeper currents steering us forward, whether we realize it or not."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
3. All the Colors of the Dark, by Chris Whitaker
4. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
5. Last Stop Union Station, by Sarah James
6. The Nightinbale, by Kristin Hannah
7. The Old Man by the Sea, by Domenica Starnone
8. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolve
9. The Briar Club, by Kate Quinn
10. Go As a River, by Shelly Read

It's a pre-pub date pop (many indies don't have firm on sale dates - it's old school!) for The Old Man by the Sea, Domenico Starnone, translated by Oonagh Stransky. From Booklist: "This striking novel translated from Italian follows Nicola, a Neapolitan writer in his eighties, your quintessential old soul writer type, spending his mornings writing while living in a seaside town... A great book for anyone who enjoys a classic seaside parable and the romance of the Italian language."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Don't Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen, by Sahan Jayasuriya (Boswell August 14 event)
2. Building the Milwaukee Bucks, by Jordan Treske (Boswell August 5 event)
3. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
4. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
5. Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond
6. Didion and Babitz, by Lili Anolik
7. A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron (Boswell October 30 event)
8. Punished for Dreaming, by Bettina L Love
9. There's Always This Year, by Hanif Abudrrqib
10. The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson

I was on a roll with the waterfront-themed highlights, but I've got nothing for this category, so why don't I call out Don't Say Please: An Oral History of Die Kreuzen. I've been told Jayasuriya has been working on this book for years. No reviews to quote yet, but a nice blurb from Butch Vig: ""Die Kreuzen are one of those bands that influenced a thousand other bands that went on to have huge success." It's great to have this book about an important Milwaukee band. Milwaukee? Aren't we "a great place on a great lake?" And the water connection continues.

Books for Kids:
1. Tiny T Rex and the First Day Oopsies, by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrations by Jay Fleck
2. Sunrise ont he Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
3. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
4. A Forgery of Fate, by Elizabeth Lim
5. The Raven Boys Graphic Novel, by Maggie Stiefvater
6. Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, by Patrick Ness
7. A Theory of Dreaming deluxe, by Ava Reid
8. Nimona limited edition, by ND Stevenson
9. GLorious Rivals, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
10. Kill Creatures, by Rory Power
11. Nellie's Big Splash, by Cori Doerrfeld

Fine. I fudged to get a clean sweep by featuring #11, Nellie's Big Splash, which is actually featured on our seasonal seaside table. We've already had good sales this summer for this one, but I will be a challenge to duplicate The Rabbit Listened, which sold over 100 copies. From School Library Journal: "This book takes on the warm, inspiring story of Nellie the sea turtle and the hesitancy everyone feels, especially children, before getting the courage to leap...A lovely tale of finding courage when embracing new adventures, just right for the early elementary shelves."