Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 28, 2025
Hardcover Fiction:
1. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
3. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab
4. My Friends, by Fredrik Backman
5. The River Is Waiting, by Wally Lamb
6. Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy
7. James, by Percival Everett
8. The Poppy Fields, by Nikki Erlick
9. Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry
10. Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall
Three weeks on sale for Wally Lamb's The River Is Waiting and second week in our top ten for this Oprah Book Club pick. And it's his third Oprah pick, following She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True. Reviewers were pretty tough on the new book, per BookMarks (they had issues with the protagonist), but we have at least two fans on staff, with Kim and Jenny both giving it a thumbs up. You can read both recs through the title link.
Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Meathead Method, by Meathead
2. Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
3. Making the Best of What's Left, by Judith Viorst
4. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. Meathead, by Meathead Goldwyn
6. The Insect Epiphany, by Barrett Klein
7. Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson
8. The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
9. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
10. Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow
Goodness, that was one good dinner at Maxie's for The Meathead Method. Ask Claire about the cilantro sauce. Meathead's fans include J Kenji Lopez-Alt and Harold McGee. And Library Journal writes: "Writing with passion, panache, and plenty of dry wit, Meathead breaks down the art and science of grilling and barbequing, making his an indispensable guide even for collections that have other excellent grilling books." Signed copies available.
Paperback Fiction:
1. Go As a River, by Shelley Read
2. Strange Pictures, by Uketsu
3. The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese
4. I Contain Multitudes, by Christopher Hawkins
5. All Fours, by Miranda July
6. The Frozen Rivers, by Ariel Lawhon
7. The Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros
8. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
9. The Witches of Moonshyne Manor, by Bianca Marais
10. One Golden Summer, by Carley Fortune
Apparently even print-on-demand can't stop The Witches of Moonshyne Manor, one of Tim's favorite books to hand-sell. Her latest book, A Most Puzzling Murder, is also now available. Now we just need Leonard and Hungry Paul to become available as POD, which I'm told they are working on. And while we're at it, how about Crossing California? Or maybe NYRB or McNally Editions could pick it up!
Paperback Nonfiction
1. Wisconsin Idols, by Dean Robbins
2. John Gurda's Milwaukee, by John Gurda
3. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
4. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
5. Hiking Zen, by Phap Xa
3. Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
4. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
5. Hiking Zen, by Phap Xa
6. The Light Eaters, by Zoe Schlanger
7. All the Beauty in the World, by Patrick Bringley
8. Healing After Loss, by Martha Hickman
9. Puerto Rico, by Jorell Meléndez-Badillo
10. No Straight Road Takes You There, by Rebecca Solnit
We hosted a hardcover event for Jorell Meléndez-Badillo's Puerto Rico: A National History, and it's nice to see the book is now selling well off the new and noteworthy paperback tables. The book got nice attention, but I'm wondering if the book is selling better because the author worked with Bad Bunny on his last album. Here's more from the UW-Madison Newsroom.
Books for Kids:
1. The Bletchley Riddle, by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
2. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse and Renee Graef
3. Peekaboo Zoo, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
4. I'm a Dinosaur, by Ruth Symons
5. Beach Hair, by Ashley Woodfolk, illustrations by Nina Mata
6. Peekaboo Love, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
8. The Day the Crayons Made Friends, by Drew Daywalt
9. Hot Dog, by Doug Salati
10. Next to Me, by Daniel Salmieri and Sophia Haas
The Peekaboo board book series is still a hit at Boswell! The latest is Peekaboo Zoo, the 14th in the series, which has sold over 2 million copies. I am a a bit concerned, however, that some of the sliding panels in the new collection make it look like the animals' heads were chopped off.
7. All the Beauty in the World, by Patrick Bringley
8. Healing After Loss, by Martha Hickman
9. Puerto Rico, by Jorell Meléndez-Badillo
10. No Straight Road Takes You There, by Rebecca Solnit
We hosted a hardcover event for Jorell Meléndez-Badillo's Puerto Rico: A National History, and it's nice to see the book is now selling well off the new and noteworthy paperback tables. The book got nice attention, but I'm wondering if the book is selling better because the author worked with Bad Bunny on his last album. Here's more from the UW-Madison Newsroom.
Books for Kids:
1. The Bletchley Riddle, by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
2. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse and Renee Graef
3. Peekaboo Zoo, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
4. I'm a Dinosaur, by Ruth Symons
5. Beach Hair, by Ashley Woodfolk, illustrations by Nina Mata
6. Peekaboo Love, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
8. The Day the Crayons Made Friends, by Drew Daywalt
9. Hot Dog, by Doug Salati
10. Next to Me, by Daniel Salmieri and Sophia Haas
The Peekaboo board book series is still a hit at Boswell! The latest is Peekaboo Zoo, the 14th in the series, which has sold over 2 million copies. I am a a bit concerned, however, that some of the sliding panels in the new collection make it look like the animals' heads were chopped off.