Not Just Bestsellers, but a Note that We Close Early Today, at 4 pm.

Boswell closes early at 4 pm today. We've got a short staff meeting, and then we're off to a rep night presentation in Oconomowoc. Once we're done, we'll be 7% more knowledgeable about the books coming out over the next few months.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, by Anna Quindlen
2. The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live--And How You Can Change Them , by Richard J. Davidson
3. Wild, by Cheryl Strayed
4. Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948, by Madeleine Albright
5. In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson

With only two weeks to go until Mother's Day (yesterday's blog error corrected!), the high-profile targeted releases are ready for giving. Anna Quindlen's new memoir celebrates, on her 60th birthday, the journey of womanhood. Madeleine Albright's memoir looks at a more specific period, the turmoil of her childhood, beginning with the Nazi invasion of Czecheslovakia.

Oh, and Richard Davidson is at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Here's an interview with him in the Journal Sentinel.

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Villanelles, edited by Marie-Elizabeth Mali
2. Sacré Bleu, by Christopher Moore
3. The Wind Through the Keyhole, by Stephen King
4. HHHH, by Laurent Binet
5. Beastly Things, by Donna Leon

Stephen returns to the world of the Dark Tower with a new stand-alone novel. It's a timeless treasure for all ages!. And Donna Leon returns with her new Guido Brunetti mystery, this time about the murder of a local vet. Meanwhile, Mike Fischer's review of HHHH (I don't know whether these should be capitalized or not) indeed pops the novel onto our bestseller list. This week's Fischer review of Nell Fredenberger's The Newlyweds is not quite the rave, but no pity for Freudenberger, as she is also the front page of The New York Times Book Review.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. The Bond, by Wayne Pacelle (signed copies available)
2. The Freedom Writer's Diary, by Erin Gruwell
3. The Happiness Hypothesis, by Jonathan Haidt
4. Bearing the Bruise, by Ethan Casey
5. Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time, by Mark Adams

We did pretty well with Mark Adams's comic travel narrative, recreating the historic expedition. Jonathan Yardley in the Washington Post notes that it's harder than it looks.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
2. Steady, my Gaze, by Marie-Elizabeth Mali
3. Fifty Shades Darker, by E.L. James
4. Lesser Apocalypses, by Bayard Godsave
5. Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin

Jason noted that this epidode of Game of Thrones really seemed to drive customers into the store, more than the last few. Aside from that, we're still selling Mr. Godsave's collection of short stories and a lot of erotica. Oh, I get it! The male protagonist is named Grey.

Books for Kids:
1. Amelia Bedelia's First Vote, by Herman Parish
2. Amelia Bedelia, by Peggy Parish
3. Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School, by Herman Parish
4. Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia, by Herman Parish
5. Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm, by Herman Parish

I am still trying to figure out how Amelia thought that changing the towels meant cutting them up into other shapes. That said, I agree with her about dressing the chicken. It looked darling! Beyond all the Parish and Collins, our bestselling kids' book this week is The Art of Miss Chew, by Patricia Polacco. It's the story about an art teacher who recognizes the talent in a special student (yes, Ms. Polacco).