Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 25, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 25, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Onyx Storm V3, by Rebecca Yarros (two editions)
2. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by Grady Hendrix
3. James, by Percival Everett
4. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
5. Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout
6. The Grey Wolf, by Louise Penny
7. Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor
8. Iron Flame V3, by Rebecca Yarros
9. Somewhere Beyond the Sea, by TJ Klune (Feb 10 event at capacity)
10. The Time of the Child, by Niall Williams

Nnedi Okorafor has won every major prize in speculative fiction, per the publisher. The latest is Death of the Author, about a writer whose move towards genre fiction changes the trajectory of the world itself. From Kirkus: "While Zelu's novel imagines a future without human beings on Earth, the near-future world she lives in feels distinctly and promisingly within reach: It's a place where self-driving electric cars make cities more accessible, people with movement disabilities are supported by robotic engineering, and families with deeply held patriarchal customs are brought closer together rather than torn apart when confronting these dynamics. All-out Okorafor - her best yet."

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. How We Learn to Be Brave, by Mariann Edgar Budde
2. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
3. The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
4. The False White Gospel, by Jim Wallis
5. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
6. Cabin, by Patrick Hutchison
7. Women and the Reformations, by Merry Wiesner-Hanks
8. John Lewis, by David Greenberg
9. Beyond Anxiety, by Martha Beck
10. What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, by Caroline Chambers

Bishop and leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC has gotten attention for her sermon on mercy and that has led to a sales pop for How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith. The book is out of stock at all Ingram warehouses and about 5,000 are on reorder. From Jon Meacham: "With clarity, conviction, and a sure sense of the perils and the possibilities of the human condition, Bishop Mariann Budde has given us a great gift: A book that explores how God's children can stand up for the principles of His kingdom in a frail and fallen world."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
2. The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
3. Big Lake Troubles, by Jeffrey Boldt (signed copies)
4. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
5. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
6. The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray
7. Blue Lake, by Jeffrey Boldt
8. North Woods, by Daniel Mason
9. A Death in Door County, by Annelise Ryan (Boswell Feb 21 event)
10. Shady Hollow, by Juneau Black

If only I could go back in time and tell customers to go see Ariel Lawhon in 2019 because you'd all be crazy for The Frozen River in a few years. I did notice that our buyer Jason brought I Was Anastasia, the novel she was promoting at the time, back in stock. If only all GMA Book Club picks would take off like this.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. River of Books, by Donna Seaman (signed copies)
2. Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
3. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here, by Jonathan Blitzer
4. The Money Kings, by Daniel Schulman
5. Murdle V1, by GT Karber
6. Dopamine Nation, by Ann Lembke
7. Democracy Awakening, by Heather Cox Richardson
8. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
9. Sapiens: A Graphic History V1, by Yuval Noah Harari
10. The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron

In Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis, New Yorker writer Jonathan Blitzer argues that policies from the United States have led to the surge of migrants. BookMarks lists seven raves and a positive review. From Manuel Roig-Franzia in The Washington Post: "Writing with clarity and grace, while avoiding the mawkish tone sometimes associated with tales of the border, Blitzer makes a compelling case that the United States and Central America are knit as one. The poorer nations to the south are dominated and often undermined by the richer nation to the north, which in turn is being shaped in many ways by the migrants who quit those troubled lands and cross into the United States."

Books for Kids:
1. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
2. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, illustrations by Aaron Boyd (MPL Feb 15 event)
3. Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell
4. Dog Man V13: Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey
5. The Children's Book of Wildlife Watching, by Dan Rouse
6. Heavenly Tyrant, by Xiran Jay Zhao
7. Girls on the Rise, by Amanda Gorman, illustrations by Loveis Wise
8. The Squish, by Breanna Carzoo
9. Construction Site: Garbage Crew to the Rescue, by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrations by AG Ford
10. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan

I don't include bulk school orders on our lists if the books are more than a year old, but one that made the cut is May 2024's The Children's Book of Wildlife Watching, by Welsh ornithologiest Dan Rouse. Backstory from the publisher: "adapted from the popular book for adults, How to Attract Wildlife to Your Garden, and follows on from The Children's Book of Birdwatching."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 18, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 18, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Business Trip, by Jessie Garcia (signed copies available)
2. James, by Percival Everett
3. All Fours, by Miranda July
4. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
5. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by Grady Hendrix
6. Water Moon, by Samantha Sotto Yambao
7. Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney
8. The Mighty Red, by Louise Erdrich
9. Playground, by Richard Powers
10. Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan

Water Moon is the fifth novel from Samantha Sotto Yambao, but the first to hit our top 10. It's got a rec from Jen, plus this from the starred Booklist review: "Our two protagonists race through a lush world of pure wonder and romance - kites made of wishes that become stars, origami that holds time in its folds, and a night market in the clouds - in this lovely, cozy fantasy reminiscent of Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea. This book is charming, fresh, and difficult to put down." Here's an interview with the author in Nerd Daily.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Women and the Reformations, by Merry E Wiesner-Hanks (signed copies)
2. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
3. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
4. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
5. The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
6. Soups Salads Sandwiches, by Matty Matheson
7. Aflame, by Pico Ayer
8. Atomic Habits, by James Clear
9. Meditations for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman
10. Entangled Life: Illustrated Edition, by Merlin Sheldrake

I find it odd that The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking about has a subtitle that sounds like a teaser on a YouTube ad. The book blew up after a recommendation from Oprah, but it took a while for us to get stock. It's #1 on the NYT advice list. And from Kirkus: "A truly helpful treatise on seeing others as they are, and letting that be."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
2. Big Lake Troubles, by Jeffrey Boldt (Boswell Jan 24 event)
3. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
4. Jumpnauts, by Hang Jingfang
5. Devotions, by Mary Oliver
6. The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
7. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
8. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
9. Death in the Dark Woods, by Annelise Ryan (Boswell Feb 21 event)
10. Cascade Failure, by LM Sagas

Our February Science Fiction Book Club pick is Jumpnauts, by Hugo winner Hang Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu. From the publisher: "A gripping science fiction thriller in which three unlikely allies attempt a desperate mission of first contact with a mysterious alien race before more militaristic minds can take matters into their own hands." Also noted that the book "directly falls into the Chinese literary subgenre 'Danmei' which specifically features romantic relationships between male characters."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. The Anxiety Audit, by Lynn Lyons
2. Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents, by Lynn Lyons
3. Strong On, by Pat Flynn
4. Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond
5. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
6. King: A Life, by Jonathan Eig
7. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
8. Trail of the Lost, by Andrea Lankford
9. How to Be Better at Almost Everything, by Pat Flynn
10. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, by Dan Egan

Out for Dr Martin Luther King, Jr day is the paperback edition of Jonthan Eig's biography King, which received the Pulitzer Prize. The hardcover got 14 raves, three positives, and a mixed on BookMarks. David Garrow in The Spectator wrote: "The first comprehensive biography of the black civil rights hero to appear in more than thirty years, and it will succeed my own Bearing the Cross, published in 1986, as the standard account. There's also a young reader's edition.

Books for Kids:
1. The Distance Between Us, young reader's edition, by Reyna Grande
2. Make Pretty Sound, by Eleanor Davis
3. Giving Good, by Aaron Boyd
4. Little Shrew, by Akiko Miyakoshi
5. Darkly, by Marisha Pessl
6. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalmb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
7. Mystery Royale, by Kaitlyn Cavalancia
8. This Song Is Not for You, by Laura Nowlin
9. If Only I Had Told Her, by Laura Nowlin
10. Spooky Lakes, by Geo Rutherford

It's the second week of sale for Mystery Royale, the "genre splicing YA fantastical mystery" that is also featured on the Jan/Feb 2025 Indie Next List for young readers. From the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books: "The relationship that buds between Mullory and Lyric is slow and sweet, and romance fans who would appreciate following a stuck-up rich boy's heart melting at a ragamuffin, outcast girl's kindness may drool over the brilliantly executed enemies-to-lovers dynamic. This twisty book is sure to have broad appeal for a variety of readers, even those who may not usually turn to fantasy, mystery, or romance genres."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 11, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 11, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
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.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
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."

Paperback Fiction:
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."

Paperback Nonfiction:
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."

Books for Kids:
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."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 4, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending January 4, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The City and Its Uncertain Walls, by Haruki Murakami
2. All Fours, by Miranda July
3. Sipsworth, by Simon Van Booy
4. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
5. Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney
6. Sandwich, by Catherine Newman
7. The Grey Wolf, by Louise Penny
8. Playground, by Richard Powers
9. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
10. Real Americans, by Rachel Khong

I'm not sure why we saw a post-Christmas bump on Real Americans, being that we've been promoting it all season in our holiday newsletter and display, except I noticed that one of our local book clubs chose it for when it comes out in paperback, and some members might have been getting a head start. I think Sipsworth is also showing up on spring book club lists. No surprises - still selling 2024 favorites. Khong also appears on the Harvard Crimson top 10 of 2024 and the top books we love list on NPR - and I read six of their top ten, which made me happy.

I'm not going to say much about the special Barnes & Noble edition except that it's interesting that publishers think sprayed edges are only economically feasible on specific genre titles (fantasy and romance) but our chain competitor continues to push for them on more literary titles. I noticed this was not raised in the recent New York Times piece.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
2. The Message, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
3. Ottolenghi Comfort, by Yotam Ottolenghi
4. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
5. Women and the Reformations, by Merry E Wiesner Hanks (January 17 2 pm St Marks event)
6. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
7. Basketball 100, by The Athletic
8. The Small and the Mighty, by Sharon McMahon
9. The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
10. Didion and Babitz, by Lili Anolik

The Small and the Mighty, profiles of little known Americans who made a difference, was a bit under the radar for us this holiday, but an appearance on Oprah's Favorite Things let to a post-holiday pop. Sharon McMahon posts the Here's Where It Gets Interesting podcast, and yes, podcasts seem to be the marketing hook that publishers are looking for. You probably can't do better than these blurbs from David Grann, Isabel Wilkerson, and Adam Grant to market a book. Thesis, a Penguin imprint launched in 2023, appears to be part of Portfolio

Paperback Fiction:
1. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
2. Cascade Failure and Gravity Lost, by LM Sagas
3. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
4. The Vegetarian, by Han Kang
5. The Berry Pickers, by Amanda Peters
6. The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray
7. Weyward, by Emilia Hart
8. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
9. The Divine Comedy, by Dante, translated by John Ciardi
10. North Woods, by Daniel Mason

Oli had the idea to package together the two volumes of the Ambit's Run series (Cascade Failure and Gravity Lost) this holiday and it was a big success. We created a special code that it turns out would not show up in our bestseller reporting., so we split the books this week. From Publishers Weekly: "Sagas debuts with a fun romp through a faraway galaxy where three political powers' jittery coexistence is threatened when a mysterious disaster strikes a terraformed planet...Add in a charming found family--and even a space-faring cat--and this spirited space opera is a resounding success."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
2. Strong On, by Pat Flynn (Boswell January 17 event)
3. Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond
4. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen
5. Democracy Awakening, by Heather Cox Richardson
6. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
7. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
8. Dylan Goes Electric, by Elijah Wald
9. Random Acts of Medicine, by Anupam B Jena and Christopher Worsham
10. Wisconsin State Parks, Forests, and Recreation Areas, by James Bucholz

We had a paperback pop for Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, after steady sales for the hardcover. This New York Times bestseller was a finalist for the Bloomberg and Porchlight book awards. From Kirkus: "This fascinating account of the science behind this phenomenon will inspire readers to establish their own concrete plans to incorporate as much art into their lives as possible. Regularly engaging with the arts can make you live longer, and this absorbing book explains how."

Books for Kids: 

1. Dog Man V19: Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey 

2. Fifty True Tales from Our Great National Parks, by Stephanie Pearson 

3. Murdle Jr: Curious Crimes for Curious Minds, by GT Karber 

4. Peekaboo Sun, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius 

5. Iron Widow V2: Heavenly Tyrant, by Xiran Jay Zhao 

6. The Man Who Didn't Like Animals, by Deborah Underwood, illustrations by LeUyen Pham 

7. Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell 

8. Little Shrew, by Akiko Miyakoshi 

9. Darkly, by Marisha Pessl 

10. The First Cat in Space and the Wrath of the Paperclip, by Mac Barnett, illustrations by Shawn Harris

Heavenly Tyrant is the second book in the Iron Widow series. School Library Journal wrote that "Returning fans will find many things to love in this cathartic power fantasy," but noted there's more political discourse than you might get in a YA novel. I am more taken by the 12/24 on-sale date, which is very rare for a high-profile release.