Boswell bestsellers for the week ending June 27, 2026

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending June 27, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
2. Daughters of the Sun and Moon, by Lisa See
3. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
4. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
5. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
6. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
7. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman
8. John of John, by Douglas Stuart
9. Villa Coco, by Andrew Sean Greer
10. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

The beginning of June was packed with bestsellers, so I wasn't able to call out Villa Coco, Andrew Sean Greer's latest novel, until now. BookMarks counted six raves, five positives, a mixed, and two pans. If you can't take the charm, get out of the 19th century parlor, I always say. Ron Charles, whose reviews continue to be must-reads for me, notes, on the author following him his Pulitzer winning Less: "Greer has brought the same iconoclastic verve to his new book, Villa Coco, about an indomitable baronessa in Italy. If you think “charming” is a dismissive, diminutive compliment, wait till you see that term restored to its original enchantment. Villa Coco isn’t mere ice cream; it’s stracciatella gelato served in one of the most beautiful places on earth."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. When Memory Fades, by Nathaniel Chin (signed copies)
2. Infinite, by Brian Solis
3. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
4. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
5. The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, by Casey Sherman
6. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee/Ann Christenson
7. America USA, by Eddie Glaude
8. Strangers, by Belle Burden
9. The Veiled Prophet, by Devin Thomas O'Shea (Boswell August 20 event)
10. All We Say, by Ben Rhodes

Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump was one of those add-on titles with very little info for indie bookstores, so we had to play a little catch-up on this one.  BookMarks gives the book four raves and a positive, but with political books, it does depend on who is doing the reviewing. From David Remnick in The New Yorker: "Part of the high-wire act of such books is that the authors and their publishers work at unaccustomed speed to provide the end product with a history-as-it-is-happening varnish. The results are usually as perishable as week-old bananas. Regime Change is exceptional. It transcends its genre."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Island of Sea Women, by Lisa See
3. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
5. Lady Tan's Circle of Women, by Lisa See
6. Tangerinn, by Emanuela Anechoum (upcoming book clubs)
7. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
8. A Death in Door County V1, by Annelise Ryan
9. The Someday Garden, by Ashley Poston
10. What We Can Know, by Ian McEwan

Daughters of the Sun and Moon was a big hit on our hardcover list with Lisa See's recent visit to the Milwaukee Public Library. Attendees were also really interested in her previous novels, of which the most recent one was Lady Tan's Circle of Women, about a female doctor in 15th century China. Like her new novel, See plays off history to highlight the voices of women of different circumstances. from the starred Booklist: " See creates a cultural smorgasbord as she adeptly depicts the strict delineation and separation of the sexes and the minute details of the social hierarchy, especially among the women, from wives to concubines, widows, daughters, and servants. Based on the writings of an historical Ming dynasty female physician, See's accomplished novel immerses readers in a fascinating life lived within a fascinating culture."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Truth and Beauty, by Ann Patchett
2. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey
3. Who Is Government, edited by Michael Lewis
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. A Resistance History of the United States, by Tad Stoermer
6. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
7. These Precious Days, by Ann Patchett
8. The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben
9. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
10. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton

In addition to a nice pop for Ann Patchett's nonfiction and books for children (I guess the crowd had read the novels), we saw good sales on several of her recommendations. Truth and Beauty, her memoir of her friendship with poet Lucy Grealey, also had a few day after sales from folks visiting the store after the event, inching it above The Verts, her 2024 title.

Books for Kids:
1. Baseball for Breakfast, by Judy Campbell-Smith, illustrations by Maggie Carroll
2. Brains On Presents It's Alive, by Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez, and Sanden Totten
3. Brains on Presents Road Trip Earth, by Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez, and Sanden Totten
4. Brains on Presents Meet My Micro Pets, by Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez, and Sanden Totten
5. Verts, by Ann Patchett, illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser
6. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
7. Lambslide, by Ann Patchett, illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser
8. Captain Underpants the First Manga, by Dav Pilkey
9. Peekaboo House, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
10. Peekaboo Lion, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius

I was planning on writing about us selling books for the Brains On folks at Turner Hall Ballroom, and how one of the books took off because it just went out of print*, but now I'm switching it up for the Judy Campbell-Smith's Baseball for Breakfast, as I was charmed by the picture book about the minor league Milwaukee Brewers morning games during World War II. Someone wrote to me and said, I think you got the team name wrong, but no, the major league Brewers were named after the minor league team, which, for a time, was owned by the innovative baseball team owner and promoter, Bill Veeck.

*So yes, we're out of Brains On: It's Alive and we can't order more, but we still have signed copies of Brains On: Road Trip Earth.