1. James, by Percival Everett
2. Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout
3. Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney
4. How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood
5. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
6. The Grey Wolf, by Louise Penny
7. Playground, by Richard Powers
8. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
9. Wind and Truth, by Brandon Sanderson
10. The Mighty Red, by Louise Erdrich
11. Iron Flame, by Rebecca Yarros
12. Like Mother, Like Mother, by Susan Rieger
13. Playworld, by Adam Ross
14. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
15. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach
Still no new titles breaking into our top 10 this week, and I have nothing interesting to say about the repeat players. So I'll dig further to #13. Adam Ross (a familiar name to me, but not because I've read him) returns with Playworld, which Publishers Weekly called "Family dysfunction and the challenges of adolescence lie at the heart of this compulsively readable outing from Ross." And Booklist writes that "Ross offers surprising narrative flights, stunning passages, and a nostalgia-soaked setting in so-real-you're-there, bygone New York City." Altogether, he has two raves, three positives, and two mixeds from BookMarks.
1. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
2. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
3. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan (sometimes paperback!)
4. Ira Gershwin, by Michael Owen
5. Cher, by Cher
6. Justine Cooks, by Justine Doiron
7. The Wide, Wide Sea, by Hampton Sides
8. Revenge of the Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
9. The Small and the Mighty, by Sharon McMahon
10. On Freedom, by Timothy Snyder
No 2025 release, but I will highlight Justine Cooks: A Cookbook: Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen because we had strong sales over the holiday. There were weeks of sales in December that would put this book at #2 for this week, but it just goes to show that you can't determine success by ranking when you're looking at December vs January. From T Susan Chang at NPR: "These are wide-awake concoctions, adorned with crispy sage, apple cider vinegar, brown butter and anything blistered, frizzled, sizzled or smashed. A simple plate of Rosemary-Vinegared Oyster Mushrooms was one of the best things I ate this year, proving that less really is more if your ingredients aren't afraid to shout."
1. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
2. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, by VE Schwab
3. The Hunter, by Tana Frenchy
4. Big Lake Troubles, by Jeffrey Boldt (Boswell Jan 24 event)
5. The Berry Pickers, by Amanda Peters
6. A Death in Door County, by Annelise Ryan (Boswell Feb 21 event)
7. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
8. The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray
9. Under the Whispering Door, by TJ Klune (UWM Feb 10 event)
10. None of This Is True, by Lisa Jewell
January 7 was the release date (finally, something new I can highlight!) of Lisa Jewell's latest paperback release, None of This Is True. At least one of her books had multiple #1 weeks on the New York Times list. I forget which one! This one was listed on a curated list called "unapologetic psychopaths" that I saw linked on Ipage. I love the idea that somewhere there's a list called "sorry I'm a psychopath." From Library Journal: " Jewell's many fans will be clamoring for her latest thriller. The twists and turns in this one will not disappoint," but Publisher Weekly's recommendation comes with a caveat: "Readers with a lower tolerance for nastiness should turn elsewhere."
1. Walking Milwaukee, by Royal Brevvaxling and Molly Snyder
2. The Rediscovery of America, by Ned Blackhawk
3. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
4. All the Beauty in the World, by Patrick Bringley
5. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
6. Ultra Processed People, by Chris Van Tullekin
7. Extra Extra Eat All About It, by Randi Julia Ramsden and Jan Conway
8. Struggle for the City, by Derek Handley (MPL Feb 11 event)
9. Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond
10. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, by George Saunders
Another January 7 reprint is spotlighted on this list - Ultra-Processed People: Why We Can't Stop Eating Food That Isn't Food. This one has two raves and seven positives on BookMarks. From Adam Gopnik in The New Yorker: "Van Tulleken slowly sickens from his food, and the reader sickens with him. It’s true that his warnings about insidious mind control are dubiously reminiscent of earlier warnings about the smartphone, the boob tube, the horror comic, and the dime novel. Still, his account of what happens to our food during its trip to our gut, and the connection that bad food has to the epidemics of obesity and diabetes - 'underlying comorbidities' of the type that turned COVID from a cold to a killer - is persuasive and scary."
1. Giving Good, by Aaron Boyd (MPL event Feb 15)
2. Dog Man: Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey
3. Construction Site: Garbage Crew to the Rescue, by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrations by AG Ford
4. Spooky Lakes, by Geo Rutherford
5. The Bard and the Book, by Ann Bausum, with illustrations by Marta Sevilla
6. Girls on the Rise, by Amanda Gorman, illustrations by Loveis Wise
7. Little Shrew, by Akiko Miyakoshi
8. I Worked Hard on That, by Robyn Wall, illustrations by AN Kang
9. I Would Love You Still, by Adrea Theodore, illustrations by Ken Wilson-Max
10. The Bletchley Riddle, by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
And one more January 7 release - Girls on the Rise is the lastest picture book by Amanda Gorman, with illustrations this time by Loveis Wise. From Booklist: " In word and art, each page celebrates both the uniqueness and the unity of girlhood experiences across cultures, appearances, and personal journeys. An excellent read-aloud, this commanding offering speaks to a future marked by strength and endless possibilities."
