No Post Yesterday but Boswell Bestsellers Today.

Though I hate missing posts, I did allow myself to miss one per month. It usually doesn't  happen, but I couldn't think of much interesting to say yesterday about gift stuff. I reordered some cards, and came up with a plan to move around tables on Monday. I think partly due to the film festival (and despite a Brewers playoff game), our last two Saturday days were pretty busy, and in addition, we hosted Sebastian Barry at 3. So I did some signage work and called it a day.  And now it's time for bestsellers.

Hardcover fiction:
1. American Boy, by Larry Watson
2. On Canaan's Side, by Sebastian Barry
3. The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach
4. The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain
5. Reamde, by Neal Stephenson

What's the name of Neal Stephenson's book? "Readme."  How is it spelled? "Reamde." After an Abbott-and-Costello style conversation about this with Jason, we finally decided to keep a mistaken entry of the book in the former spelling (the British edition, added by a bookseller), referencing any other bookseller who looked it up incorrectly to the proper spelling and isbn.

Hardcover nonfiction:
1. Going Home, by Jon Katz
2. Rin Tin Tin, by Susan Orlean
3. Arguably, by Christopher Hitchens
4. Tavern League, by Carl Corey
5. Destiny of the Republic, by Candice Millard

Jim Higgins profiled Katz and Orlean together regarding the newest dog book releases. And Millard, having had great success with River of Doubt several years ago, has returned with a new presidential story, this time on Garfield's assassination. She appeared on Kathleen Dunn on September 29.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Montana 1948, by Larry Watson
2. A Long, Long Way, by Sebastian Barry
3. Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen
4. Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese
5. Best American Nonrequired Reading 2011, by Dave Eggers

I listened to the reairing of Franzen's interview and Maureen Corrigan's review of Freedom this week on Fresh Air, timed for the release of the paperback. I suppose other folks did too. And don't forget, several more events with Larry Watson, starting with the Shorewood Public Library on October 5 at 3 and 7 pm

Paperback nonfiction:
1. When Pride Still Mattered, by David Maraniss
2. A Spirited History of Milwaukee Brews and Booze, by Martin Hintz
3. Cleopatra, by Stacy Schiff
4. Paris Without End, by Gioia Diliberto
5. The Hare with Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal

Maraniss was in town to talk to a group about his book, tieing into the production at the Milwaukee Rep of "Lombardi", which opens October 11. Buy tickets here. Oddly enough, we received the old jacket--I'm a little confused and should do some investigating. And boy did we have a strong post-event pop for Paris without End.  We had run out of copies when Sebastian Barry asked about it on Saturday.  He's also a fan of The Emperor of Lies, by Steve Sem-Sandberg.  Mr. Sem-Sandberg will be speaking at the JCC on November 22.

Children's Books
1. Floors, by Patrick Carman
2. 3:15 Season One, by Patrick Carman
and then a bunch of other Patrick Carman books, and then
3. Bumble Ardy, by Maurice Sendak
4. The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann
5. Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick

We had a great time with Patrick Carman. And who knew Bumble Ardy was originally an animated segment on Sesame Street? I'm sure you did.