Boswell bestsellers for the week ending November 8, 2025
1. Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan (signed copies)
2. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
3. Black Wolf V20, by Louise Penny
4. Shadow Ticket, by Thomas Pynchon
5. Heart the Lover, by Lily King
6. James, by Percival Everett
7. Queen Esther, by John Irving 8. Wreck, by Catherine Newman
9. The Secret of Secrets V6, by Dan Brown
10. What We Can Know, by Ian McEwan
Top debut is Queen Esther from John Irving, which is a companion to The Cider House Rules. Reviews have been mixed, but Booklist gave it a star: " Countless literary references, lyrical flourishes, and allusions add depth to the Dickensian motif as Irving brilliantly blends moral ambiguity and emotional truth in this essential addition to his oeuvre."
With sales for The Correspondent increasing every week since its April publication (I am quoting the NYT here), it's expected that the novel will return (it already had one week in the top 15) to the national bestseller list, probably next week. I finally read it so I could include it in book talks. The other big hits were The Gales of November and When the Cranes Fly South. But when it comes to that book, I think we don't have as much competition for hand-selling.
1. The Jailhouse Lawyer, by Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull
2. A CEO for All Seasons, by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra, Kurt Strovnik
3. Milwaukee Flavor, Visit Milwaukee, Ann Christenson, Kevin Miyazaki (Boswell November 17 event)
4. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
5. The Bread of Angels, by Patti Smith
6. The Separation of Church and Hate, by John Fugelsang
7. 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
8. Dead and Alive, by Zadie Smith
9. Injustice, by Carol Leonig and Aaron C Davies
10. Finding My Way, by Malala Yousafzai
Lots of new releases on what is probably the last big release date of the year, but The Jailhouse Lawyer was quiet for us when it was published in July. Calvin Duncan appeared at Marquette Law School this week and after sales picking up a few weeks ago, the event hit capacity and we sold out of books. From the starred Booklist: "Readers will come away changed - angry, heartened, and galvanized."
1. Nearly Beloved, by Kendra Broekhuis (signed copies)
2. When and If, by DeWitt Clinton
3. When the Cranes Fly South, by Lisa Ridzén
4. The Safekeep, by Yael Der Wouden (Boswell-run book clubs)
5. How About Now, by Kate Baer
6. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
7. The Mighty Red, by Louise Erdrich
8. Playground, by RIchard Powers
9. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
10. Discontent, by Beatrice Serrano
Kate Baer's fourth poetry collection is our top non-event debut. Library Journal writes that Baer: "Explores motherhood, marriage, life in one's 40s, and finding joy...Baer still maintains her signature humor throughout the book. There is lightheartedness and an honesty in Baer's poetry that has earned her a large audience, and this latest work offers both virtues."
1. Struggle for the City, by Derek G Handley
2. Birds of the Great Lakes, by Dexter Patterson (Schlitz Audubon November 20 event)
3. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
4. In the Room at the Top fo the World, by Ben McCormick
5. Wrecked, Thomas Nelson and Jerald Podair (Boswell December 4 event)
6. How to Drea, by Thich Nhat Hanh
7. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
8. Reincarnation, by Thich Nhat Hanh
9. What if Fungi Win, by Arturo Casadeval
10. The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk
Though Thich Nhat Hanh passed away in 2022, his books continue to be published. Both Reincarnation (written with Phap Luu) and How to Dream were released in the last few months. How to Dream, which I think is taking writings and repackaging them by subject, is the final volume in the Mindfulness Essential series.
1. Tater Tales: The Sneakiest in the World V3, by Ben Clanton
2. Tater Tales: The Greatest in the World V1, by Ben Clanton
3. Tater Tales: King of the World V2, by Ben Clanton
4. The Free State of Jax, by Jennifer A Nielsen
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Partypooper V20
6. How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney, by Mac Barnett, illustrations by Jon Klassen
7. The Book of Dust: Rose Field V3, by Philip Pullman
8. Skunk and Badger: Rock Paper Incisors V3, by Amy Timberlake, illustrations by Jon Klassen
9. If We Were Dogs, by Sophie Blackall
10. Buffalo Fluffalo and Puffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan
Halloween is over, and that means Christmas books are here, though there is some sampling of Thanksgiving-flavored reading too. The first book to pop is a now perennial, the 2023 How Does Santa Go Down a Chimney, by Mac Barnett with illustrations by Jon Klassen. Several lf the images have been adapted into greeting cards. From Kirkus: "For all that it leans heavily on absurdity, this book exhibits some serious heart."
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