Sunday, August 4, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 3, 2024

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 3, 2024

Hardcover Fiction:
1. God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
2. A Collection of Lies V5, by Connie Berry
3. The Best Lies, by David Ellis
4. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
5. James, by Percival Everett
6. Slow Dance, by Rainbow Rowell
7. All Fours, by Miranda July
8. Housemates, by Emma Eisenberg
9. Real Americans, by Rachel Khong
10. North Woods, by Daniel Mason

Slow Dance is Rainbow Rowell's first novel for adults since Landline. Her latest is about teenage best friends who drifted apart and it's a Reese's Book Club pick and an August Indie Next Pick. From the starred Booklist: "Their dance is sweet and sexy, and Rowell draws out the whole, simmering affair as she ping-pongs through her characters' past and present, step, together, step, together...this romantic one is sure to be a crowd-pleaser."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan
2. The Lucky Ones, by Zara Chowdhary (Boswell August 15 event)
3. Autocracy Inc, by Anne Applebaum
4. The Demon of Unrest, Erik Larson
5. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
6. Conflict, by David Petraeuus
7. What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, by Caroline Chambers
8. More Is More, by Molly Baz
9. The Great River, by Boyce Upholt
10. Guilty Creatures, by Mikita Brottman

It isn't taking much to get in our top ten hardcovers this summer. I'm hoping things pick up in the fall. But with a second week on, I can give a shout out to Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida, a tale of two couples where the swampiness just seeps out of the pages. From Kirkus: "An atmospheric tale that unwraps the wholesome, God-fearing exterior of two lovers to show the rot underneath."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Happy Place, by Emily Henry
2. Summers End V5, by Juneau Black
3. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski (Boswell August 22 event)
4. The Weaver and the Witch Queen, by Genevieve Gornichec
5. Cuckoo, by Gretchen Felker-Martin
6. The Searcher, by Tana French
7. All This Could Be Different, by Sarah Thankam Mathews
8. A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara
9. Shady Hollow V1, by Juneau Black
10. Dune, by Frank Herbert

The Weaver and the Witch Queen is a historical fantasy by the author of The Witch's Heart and is an Oli staff rec. From Kristi Chadwick in Library Journal: "Gornichec's latest gives quasi-historical figure Gunnhild, Mother of Kings, a magical life and love story...Gornichec showcases her knowledge of Icelandic folklore and history, while her storytelling reveals the complex and engrossing lives and emotions of her characters"

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Grief Is a Sneaky Bitch, by Lisa Feefauver
2. We Had Fun and Nobody Died, by Amy T Waldman and Peter Jest
3. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
4. You Could Make This Place Beautiful, by Maggie Smith
5. Loving Corrections, by adrienne maree brown
6. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
7. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
8. Milwaukee Ghosts and Legends, by Anna Lardinois
9. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
10. Holding the Note: Profiles in Popular Music, by David Remnick

When is a pub date a pub date and when is it an on-sale date? I often don't know. Loving Corrections from adrienne marie brown has an August 20 pub date, but I looked it up on Edelweiss and there are plenty of sales already, with at least two stores selling in double digits. From the Foreword review: "Probing, fierce, and honest, the essays of Loving Corrections advocate for more compassionate, inclusive understandings of family, community, and oneself...The provocative, tender, inspiring essays in Loving Corrections approach contemporary topics with a gentle spirit and fresh perspective."

Books for Kids:
1. The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani
2. The Night Before First Grade, by Natasha Wing, illustrations by Deborah Zemke
3. Linked, by Gordon Korman
4. The Great Lakes, by Barb Rosenstock, illustrations by Jamey Christoph
5. Peekaboo House, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
6. Such Charming Liars, by Karen M McManus
7. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
8. The Grandest Game, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
9. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illsutrations by Erin Kraan
10. The Good Girl's Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson

From Karen McManus, the author of the popular One of Us Is Lying series (for which she appeared at a group event put together with Boswell) comes Such Charming Liars, the story of two long separated stepsiblings, one with a jewel thief mother and the other with a con artist dad. Can they make it through one last heist? From Kate Patterson in School Library Journal: "Told through Kat and Liam's dual perspectives, this novel's twists take readers on a wild ride until the very last page. While the mystery is thrilling, McManus also deftly explores themes of family, loyalty, love, and class...This might be McManus's best yet."

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