Boswell bestsellers, week ending February 23, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending February 23, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Beast of the North Woods V3, by Annelise Ryan (signed copies)
2. James, by Percival Everett
3. 33 Place Brugmann, by Alice Austen (Boswell March 11 event)
4. The Bones Beneath My Skin, by TJ Klune
5. The Snowbirds, by Christina Clancy
6. All Fours, by Miranda Puchner
7. Dream State, by Eric Puchner
8. Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales V3, by Heath Fawcett
9. Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney
10. Every Tom, Dick and Harry, by Elinor Lipman (just announced - Boswell April 3 event)

Lisa Baudoin from Books and Company and I worked with the publisher to set up a virtual program for Dream State, not knowing until we recorded that the book was the latest selection of Oprah's Book Club. Pucher visited Boswell for his first novel, Model Home, back in 2010, but only during the recording was I reminded that he had family roots in Wisconsin and that his mom had attended the previous event. Watch the video here.

BookMarks tallies six raves and a positive for the novel, including from Ron Charles at The Washington Post: "I’m reminded of Daniel Mason’s remarkable novel North Woods, which focuses on an ancient farmhouse in western Massachusetts. But while Mason starts 400 years ago and moves into the present day, Dream State begins in the early 21st century and moves slyly into the future.

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Plundered, by Bernadette Atuahene
2. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
3. How We Learn to Be Brave, by Mariann Edgar Budde
4. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
5. Lorne, by Susan Morrison
6. Well Plated Every Day, by Erin Clarke
7. When Women Ran Fifth Avenue, by Julie Satow
8. Memorial Days, by Geraldine Brooks
9. I've Got Questions, by Erin Hicks Moon
10. The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity, by Carlo M Cipolla

With Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary being celebrated with multiple specials, a film, and countless social media posts, it was an excellent time to release Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night, from Susan Morrison. This BookMarks tally is also six raves, plus three positve reviews. From Edward Kosner in The Wall Street Journal: "As it happens, Susan Morrison, an editor at the New Yorker magazine, has written an encyclopedic doorstop subtitled The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live. It’s crammed with on- and off-camera anecdotes and chit-chat - a compendium richer than even Mr. Michaels’s most fervent admirers could ask for.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Fourth Wing V1, by Rebecca Yarros
2. Faebound, by Saara El-Arifi
3. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
4. The Kiss Countdown, by Etta Easton
5. Whenever You're Ready, by Rachel Runya Katz
6. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
7. The Parable of the Sower V1, by Octavia Butler
8. A Death in Door County, by Annelise Ryan
9. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
10. North Woods, by Daniel Mason

Boswell continues to work with more than one outside group on a Blind Date with a Book promotion. My rule of thumb is to include in our published list titles from the last 12 months. If a book is older than that, it also has to include individual sales, like Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower, which is the featured title for several book clubs in the area. The book was published in 1993 and became a New York Times bestseller in 2020.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Kid Confidence, by Eileen Kennedy Moore
2. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
3. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
4. All the Beauty in the World, by Patrick Bringley
5. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
6. The Jack Smith Report, by Jack Smith
7. A Field Guide to Birds of Wisconsin, by Charles Hagner
8. Of Time and Turtles, by Sy Montgomery
9. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here, by Jonathan Blitzer
10. Differ We Must, by Steve Inskeep

Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell came out in paperback last fall, but for some reason (I'm guessing it's a book club who hasn't checked in with us), our sales only picked up in the new year. Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus, was reviewed widely (all the publishing trades, plus Washington Post, Scientific American, Minneapolis Star Tribune), but didn't get a BookMarks tally. From Steve Dixon in Library Journal: "Fans of Montgomery's previous works will love this, and so will nature enthusiasts and environmentalists."

Books for Kids:
1. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, illustrations by Aaron Boyd
2. Daphne Draws Data, by Cole Knaflic
3. The Language of Dragons, by SF Williamson
4. Where Sleeping Girls Lie, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
5. Black Girl Power, edited by Leah Johnson
6. Venom and Vow, by Anna Marie and Elliott McLemore
7. So Let Them Burn, by Kamilah Cole
8. Dog Man V13: Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey
9. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
10. Growing Friendships, by Eileen Kennedy Moore

The Language of Dragons is a New York Times bestseller. From the publisher: "In an alternate London in 1923, one girl accidentally breaks the tenuous truce between dragons and humans, in this sweeping debut and epic retelling of Bletchley Park steeped in language, class, and forbidden romance. Perfect for teen fans of Fourth Wing and Babel." From Kirkus: "Alt-history fans will devour this high-concept reimagining of the interwar period - with dragons."

Boswell bestsellers - week ending February 15, 2025

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending February 15, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Bones Beneath My Skin, by TJ Klune (signed copies)
2. The House in the Cerulean Sea special edition, by TJ Klune
3. Somewhere Beyond the Sea, by TJ Klune
4. James, by Percival Everett
5. The Snowbirds, by Christina Clancy
6. Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, by Heather Fawcett
7. All Fours, by Miranda July
8. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
9. 33 Place Brugmann, by Alice Austen (Boswell March 11 event)
10. Beast of the North Woods, by Annelise Ryan (Boswell February 21 event)

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales has reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus and Booklist, which doesn't always happen so far into a series, but I'm guessing the reviewers were clamoring to get copies. From Booklist's starred write up: "The already well-developed world continues to grow in fascinating ways, and the ending suggests an unlimited number of possible adventures to come."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Joy Through the Journey, by Amberly Lago
2. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
3. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
4. How We Learn to Be Brave, by Mariann Edgar Budde
5. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan
6. Plundered, by Bernadette Atuahene (Boswell Feb 20 event)
7. Source Code, by Bill Gates
8. The Harder I Fight the More I Love You, by Neko Case
9. Original Sins, by Eve L Ewing
10. Pure Innocent Fun, by Ira Madison III

Original Sins: The (Mis)Education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, the new book by Eve L Ewing, has advance reviews from Library Journal, Booklist (starred), Publishers Weekly (also starred), and Booklist, but I can't find a post-pub consumer review yet for this February 11 on sale. Perhaps they are to come. Ewing is also a keynote speaker at the upcoming ABA Winter Institute.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Annihilation 10th anniversary edition, by Jeff VanderMeer
2. Song of the Huntress, by Lucy Holland
3. Bummer Camp, by Ann Garvin
4. The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
5. Under the Whispering Door, by TJ Klune
6. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
7. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
8. The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray
9. The Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E Butler
10. Womb City, by Tlotlo Tamaase

Womb City is the March Science Fiction book club pick. From Gabino Iglesias in The New York Times: "The author seamlessly blends a body-hopping ghost story about revenge with a narrative about the importance of memory. It’s such an original first novel, and I’ll be reading whatever comes next." Browse the upcoming book club selections.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Struggle for the City, by Derek G Handley
2. The Rediscovery of America, by Ned Blackhawk
3. The Good Life, by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schultz
4. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
5. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
6. All About Love, by bell hooks
7. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
8. Sapiens 10th anniversary edition, by Yuval Noah Harari
9. The Mechanic Shop Femme's Guide to Car Ownership, by Chaya M Milchtein
10. Myths of Geography, by Paul Richardson

The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness is from Robert Waldinger and Marc Schultz, part of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. From Kirkus: "The book is perfect for readers of Arthur Brooks, Daniel Pink, Angela Duckworth, and other writers who delve into how to fashion prosperous, fulfilling lives. An engrossing look at why relationships matter, featuring an unprecedented abundance of data to back it up." And for another take, join us for the rescheduled event with Shigehiro Oishi, author of Life in Three Dimensions, on February 27. Register here.

Books for Kids:
1. The Deadliest Big Cat, by Eleanor Spice Rice
2. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, with illustrations by Aaron Boyd
3. The Deadliest Spider, by Eleanor Spicer Rice
4. The Door of No Return, by Kwame Alexander
5. We Are Black History board book, from Mudpuppy, illustrations by Tequitia Andrews
6. The Story of Civil Rights Hero John Lewis, by Jim Haskins, illustrations by Aaron Boyd
7. Impossible Creatures, by Kathereine Rundell
8. My First Words Out and About board book, by Fiona Watts
9. A Dinosaur a Day, by Miranda Smith
10. Giving Good, by Aaron Boyd

Who is The Deadliest Big Cat? Booklist weighs in with their review: "The entertaining presentation of material utilizes concise writing with enough dialogue, humor, and descriptive text to inform readers while letting the artwork drive much of the action, and the volumes close with a 'Draw Your Own Ultimate Deadly' activity. A ferociously fun series." While we lost most of our potential sales when we converted Carter Wilson's in-person event to virtual (watch it here), most of our school visit sales were preserved, as they are placed in advance. Eleanor Spicer Rice was in town, but the schools were cancelled - she signed everything, and will do a virtual visit with Jenny soon.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending February 8, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending February 8, 2025

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Snowbirds, by Christina Clancy
2. The Bones Beneath my Skin, by TJ Klune (UWM Feb 10 event)
3. A Forty-Year Kiss, by Nickolas Butler
4. James, by Percival Everett
5. Onyx Storm V3, by Rebecca Yarros
6. Beast of the North Woods, by Annelise Ryan (Boswell Feb 21 event)
7. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by Grady Hendrix
8. Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout
9. The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
10. We'll Prescribe You a Cat, by Syou Ishida

We had two former Milwaukeeans, Christina Clancy and Ira Madison III, launch their books at Boswell this week, plus another author, Nickolas Butler, visit Milwaukee after a couple of events in Chippewa Falls, with lots more Wisconsin events to come. The Snowbirds was particularly special as Christi had told me years ago she hoped to have a big event at Boswell when her first novel was done, but wound up doing events for her first two books virtually. People Magazine called it "a riveting exploration of midlife yearning." Signed copies available.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Pure Innocent Fun, by Ira Madison III
2. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
3. Life in Three Dimensions, by Shigehiro Oishi (Boswell Feb 13 event)
4. The Sirens' Call, by Chris Hayes
5. The Harder I Fight the More I Love You, Neko Case
6. Memorial Days, by Geraldine Brooks
7. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
8. The Comfort of Crows, by Margaret Renkl
9. The Message, Ta-Nehisi Coates
10. The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt

Goodness, February 4 sure is the first big release date of 2025, at least for the breadth of high-profile titles. Geraldine Brooks's Memorial Days probably won the BookMarks Stakes, with nine raves and two positives. They don't tabulate my staff recs, but I've got one too. From John Warner in the Chicago Tribune: "The marriage of Brooks and Horwitz is both amazing and ordinary, as perhaps most marriages are. It is terrible that it was cut so short, but Memorial Days gives due justice to what it means to live and love and experience loss."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Deep End, by Ali Hazelwood
2. The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray
3. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
4. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
5. The Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler
6. The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
7. Give Me Butterflies, by Jillian Meadows
8. Dancing with Butterflies, by Reyna Grande
9. The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah (from the winter table)
10. The Second Home, by Christina Clancy

College swimming is the new hockey! Just ask Ali Hazelwood, whose latest is The Deep End. Publishers Weekly notes that "The chemistry between Scarlett and Lukas is volcanic thanks to Hazelwood's crisp prose and molten-hot sex scenes." Another romance to pop into our top ten this week is Give Me Butterflies, out January 21, formerly self-published. Hey, someone's got to fill the STEM-com void if Hazelwood is going to move into sports.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here, by Jonathan Blitzer
2. The Distance Between Us, by Reyna Grande
3. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
4. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
5. While You Were Out, by Meg Kissinger
6. Typhoid Mary, by Anthony Bourdain
7. Wisconsin State Parks, Forests, and Recreation Areas, by James Buchholz
8. Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari
9. Becoming Ella Fitzgerald, by Judith Tick
10. Dopamine Nation, by Anna Lembke

Reyna Grande had a productive week in Milwaukee, appearing at UWM, visiting schools, and keynoting at the WSRA conference, which our friends at Books and Company covered. She's written a lot of books, but per Ingram demand, her most popular is still The Distance Between Us. Back in 2009, she appeared at Boswell for the paperback edition of Dancing with Butterflies, which appeared this week on our paperback fiction list.

Books for Kids:
1. You Are a Star, Martin Luther King, Jr, by Dean Robbins
2. You Are a Star, Jane Goodall, by Dean Robbins
3. You Are a Star, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, by Dean Robbins
4. Fowl Play, by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
5. A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, by Jasmine Warga
6. Life After Whale, by Lynn Brunelle
7. The Witching Wind, by Natalie Lloyd
8. Brownie the War Dog, by Kelly Nelson, illustrations by Aaron Boyd
9. The Night Librarian, by Christopher Lincoln
10. Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry

We had a bit of a delayed sale to a presenation several of us gave at an area school district. One book I particularly liked was A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, about two kids who try to solve the mystery of a missing painting. Fortuanately they get help - the ghost of the person in the painting has remained behind in the museum. From Shelf Awareness: "A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall is charmingly reminiscent of early- and mid-20th century novels like Half Magic by Edward Eager (Editor's note: squeal!) and Five Children and It by E. Nesbit, as well as those by more contemporary authors like Kate DiCamillo and Erin Entrada Kelly." I would hasten to add that Blue Balliett is a likely influence on this book.

Boswell bestesellers, week ending February 1, 2025

Boswell bestsellers, week ending February 1, 2025

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Onyx Storm V3, by Rebecca Yarros (both editions)
2. James, by Percival Everett
3. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
4. Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney
5. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by Grady Hendrix
6. Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan
7. Iron Flame V2, by Rebecca Yarros
8. Beast of the North Woods V3, by Annelise Ryan (Boswell Feb 21 event)
9. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
10. All Fours, by Miranda July

As is usual this time of year. most of our bestsellers are leftover from 2024. I remember when more publishers had high-profile January releases, but I don't see as much of that nowadays. One January 14 release that's been a regular here since then is Grady Hendrix's latest, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. Set in 1970s Florida, it's the story of a group of teenage girls who are sent to a home for unwed mothers and get a copy of How to Be a Groovy Witch. From Booklist: "Another stellar novel from Hendrix, a perfectly constructed story that has a strong emotional core, compelling plot, unforgettable characters, and 360 degrees of terror."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Free Birds Revolution, by Miles Emerson
2. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
3. The Harder I Fight The More I Love You, by Neko Case
4. Plundered, by Bernadette Atuahene (Boswell Feb 20 event)
5. The Sirens' Call, by Chris Hayes
6. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
7. How We Learn to Be Brave, by Mariann Edgar Budde
8. The Little Frog's Guide to Self Care, by Maybell Eequay
9. Why I Cook, by Tom Colicchio
10. Open Socrates, by Agnes Callard

We have a strong first week for alt country singer Neko Case's The Harder I Fight the More I Love You. From Kirkus: "The alt-rock and country singer recalls childhood abuse, misogyny, and a wayward path to success. Case's memoir is informed by injustice, betrayal, and the serial mistreatment of women...Case chronicles her various career achievements as a singer-songwriter (including three Grammy nominations), but those feel almost secondary to her study of her emotional growth, which she discusses with a rare candor."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Girls of the Glimmer Factory, by Jennifer Coburn
2. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
3. The Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler
4. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
5. Fourth Wing V1, by Rebecca Yarros
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune (UWM Feb 10 event - new slots available)
8. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
9. The Vegetarian, by Han Kang
10. Cradles of the Reich, by Jennifer Coburn

Milwaukee Reads put together a successful launch for Jennifer Coburn's The Girls of the Glimmer Factory. We're not used to being the pub date launch for an author who is neither local nor widely known, but the promotion for this event also increased advance sales for her previous novel, Cradles of the Reich. From Pam Jenoff, a previous Milwaukee Reads featured author: "Jennifer Coburn illuminates a tale of once-friends caught on opposite sides of the war against the backdrop of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Vividly researched and memorably written, this book offers an original and unflinching look at loyalty, choices, consequences and redemption."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
2. Struggle for the City, by Derek G Handley (MPL Feb 11 event)
3. The Rediscovery of America, by Ned Blackhawk
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. The Hundred Years War on Palestine, by Rashid Khalidi
6. Democracy Awakening, by Heather Cox Richardson
7. The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel
8. King: A Life, by Jonathan Eig
9. Doppelganger, by Naomi Klein
10. Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond

Nothing new this week. Further down the list is another Robin Wall Kimmerer book I haven't previously noted, though it's been a steady seller for us and probably most bookstores. Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses is out of stock at three of the four Ingram warehouses, and there are about 500 copies on order. Also, there's a Spanish language edition coming from HarperCollins later this spring.

Books for Kids:
1. Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo
2. Jayden's Impossible Garden, by Malina Mangal
3. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, with illustrations by Aaron Boyd (MPL Feb 15 event)
4. Girls on the Rise, by Amanda Gorman, illustrations by Loveis Wise
5. Dog Man: Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey
6. Peekaboo Farm, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. The Wild Robot Escapes, by Peter Brown
8. The Man Who Didn't Like Animals, by Deborah Underwood, illustrations by Leuyen Pham
9. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
10. Old School, by Gordon Korman

Gordon Korman returns! Old School is about a boy who is homeschooled in his grandmother's retirement community until he's sent to public school - the classic fish-out-of-water scenario that works so well in middle grade books. From Booklist: "The narrative is written in first person from the points of view of individual characters, from Dexter to his fellow students to his guidance counselor, whose different reactions to situations help readers decide whom to trust. This quick-paced, absorbing narrative encourages readers to consider different varied perspectives on people and events."