Boswell Bestsellers week ending November 19, 2022

Boswell bestsellers, week ending November 19, 2022

Hardcover Fiction:
1. All This Could Be Different, by Sarah Thankam Mathews (Jim Higgins profiles Mathews in the Journal Sentinel)
2. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
3. Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus
4. Mistborn: The Lost Metal V7, by Brandon Sanderson
5. Liberation Day, by George Saunders
6. Last Summer on State Street, by Toya Wolfe
7. The Fall of Númenor, by JRR Tolkien
8. Great Cities V2: The World We Make, by NK Jemisin
9. The Scholomance V3: The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik
10. The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell

One doesn't necessarily think of epic fantasy as having a preferred season, but it is noticeable that three of our top ten bestsellers are in the midst of series - Brandon Sanderson's The Lost Metal, NK Jemison's The World We Make, and Naomi Novik's The Golden Enclaves, plus there's that new Tolkien collection. Fourth quarter is the time for the high-profile books that will steamroll the competition and take up what limited media air there is when the focus is on best-of-the-year lists and several major awards. But when you're in the middle of a bestselling series, the audience is already there and the books are probably all on holiday lists. You'd think there'd be the same formula for mystery/thriller series, and there is, and Michael Connelly does have a slot, but the big release for us is November 29 when Louise Penny's A World of Curiosities comes out.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Light We Carry, by Michelle Obama
2. What's for Dessert?, by Claire Saffitz (signed copies available)
3. Dessert Person, by Claire Saffitz
4. The Book of Days, by Patti Smith
5. Number One Is Walking, by Steve Martin
6. Smitten Kitchen Keepers, by Deb Perelman
7. Go-To Dinners, by Ina Garten
8. Dinner in One, by Melissa Clark
9. Slaying the Dragon, by Ben Riggs
10. The Philosophy of Modern Song, by Bob Dylan

On the other hand, we know that cookbooks have become a fourth quarter staple, and this week, five of our top ten are in that category, with the footnote that Claire Saffitz appeared at Boswell this week. The top non-event seller for us, in any of the lists, was, no surprise, Michelle Obama's The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. From Judith Newman in The New York Times: "...It is perhaps no surprise that Obama’s road map for uncertain times resonates in ways that other self-help books do not. If I am going to have someone guide me through this terrain, I don’t want to hear from preternaturally poised Martha Stewart or unflappable George Clooney or, for that matter, that tower of cool and confidence Barack Obama. For this crew, self-assurance seems like a birthright. I want to hear from Michelle Obama, who doesn’t always like the way she looks, who felt like an outsider after becoming the ultimate insider; the one who easily becomes lonely; the striver who has spent a lifetime dogged by the question: Am I good enough?"

Paperback Fiction:
1. Once Upon a December, by Amy E Reichert (Register for November 30 event here)
2. The Sentence, by Louise Erdrich
3. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
4. Kiss Her Once for Me, by Alison Cochran
5. The Sleeping Car Porter, by Suzette May (Virtual event just added on January 10 - register here)
6. Bewilderment, by Richard Powers
7. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, by Shehan Karunatilaka
8. Wizard's Dream, by Louise Loveridge Gallas
9. Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr
10. The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune

The cable companies and streamers all agree on something - Christmas means romance movies. The explosion of this genre has gone far afield of these core programmers (Hallmark, Lifetime, Great American Family - programmed by a former Hallmark exec) to Netflix, BET+, and streamers you never heard of - 148 films in all, documented in this Variety article. So it's not surprising that we've got two in our top ten, our upcoming event with Once Upon a December and Alison Cochran's Kiss Her Once for Me, which uses the fake relationship trope (classic) to tell a queer love story (contemporary). Apparently, this could be adapted for Hallmark nowadays, but not Great American Family. Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Sparks fly between these mismatched couples against a backdrop of cozy holiday cheer. Cochrun can go a bit heavy on the exposition, but it's delightful to watch this clever spin on the fake dating trope unfold. This is a winner," but my favorite quote is from Kirkus, calling this the literary equivalent of Wham's "Last Christmas."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Brewtown Tales, by John Gurda (December 6 event sold out)
2. Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts, by Rebecca Hall
3. The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics, by Tim Harford
4. Heart Speak, by Sherrill A Knezel
5. The Story of Jane, by Laura Kaplan
6. Fuzz, by Mary Roach
7. Cuba, by Ada Ferrer
8. All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days, by Rebecca Donner
9. Undocumented Americans, by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
10. Growing Up Little Chute, by John Van Lieshout

Why don't more independent bookstores have awards cases. It's so successful for us. This week's top ten includes the Pulitzer Prize winner for History, Cuba: An American History, by Ada Ferrer. I am fascinated that this book, despite the honor, does not seem to be reviewed in The New York Times or Washington Post, though she got a column in the latter. The Wall Street Journal had a nice review from Felipe Fernádez-Armesto: "As in much of the Americas, the U.S. in Cuba has been a benign example and a malignant master. Ada Ferrer’s Cuba: An American History focuses on the equivocal relationship of the two countries, and presents it convincingly as symbiotic... By being equally severe with Cuban leaders and U.S. leaders, Ms. Ferrer achieves an honorable objective: pleasing nobody by being just."

Books for Kids:
1. The Greatest in the World, by Ben Clanton
2. João by a Thread, by Roger Mello
3. Narwhal, Unicorn of the Sea, by Ben Clanton
4. Farmhouse, by Sophie Blackall
5. Diper Overlode V17, by Jeff Kinney
6. Charcoal Boys, by Roger Mello
7. It's Christmas Everywhere, by Hannah Barnaby
8. This Story Is Not About a Kitten, by Randall De Seve, illustrations by Carson Ellis
9. If You Find a Leaf, by Aimee Sicuro
10. Green Is for Christmas, by Drew Daywalt/Oliver Jeffers (Meet Green Crayon on December 10 - register here)

Jen helped me with a few books for my Woman's Club talk on Thursday. I already knew I was going to feature It's Christmas Everywhere, a board book that opens up to look like a Christmas tree. But she also led me to Farmhouse, Sophie Blackall's picture book which was just named one of best illustrated books of 2022 by The New York Times/New York Public Library. I went into it blindly and started crying at the end. It's that powerful!

Four events this week: Jai Chakrabarti with the Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, Claire Saffitz (SOLD OUT), UWM Creative Writing presents United We Read, and Robert Simonson for two back-to-back events at Bryant's!

Tuesday, November 15, 7:30 pm
Jai Chakrabarti, author of A Play for the End of the World
A virtual event - click here to register. 

Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center present a virtual event featuring Jai Chakrabarti, author of A Play for the End of the World, a dazzling novel set in early 1970s New York and rural India about a turbulent, unlikely romance, a harrowing account of the lasting horrors of the Second World War, and a searing examination of one man's search for forgiveness and acceptance. Cohosted by Boswell Book Company.

Warsaw Ghetto survivor Jaryk Smith and southerner Lucy Gardner are in the first bloom of love when they receive word that Jaryk's oldest friend has died under mysterious circumstances in a rural village in eastern India. Travelling alone to collect his friend's ashes, Jaryk soon finds himself enmeshed in the chaos of local politics and staging a protest play against the government. Torn between the survivor's guilt he has carried for decades and his feelings for Lucy, Jaryk must decide how to honor both the past and the present, and how to accept a happiness he is not sure he deserves.

A remarkable debut, A Play for the End of the World is an unforgettable love story, a provocative exploration of the role of art in times of political upheaval, and a deeply moving reminder of the power of the past to shape the present.

Jai Chakrabarti’s writing has been anthologized in The O Henry Prize Stories and The Best American Short Stories and awarded a Pushcart Prize. Chakrabarti was an Emerging Writer Fellow with A Public Space and received his MFA from Brooklyn College. He was born in Kolkata, India.

Wednesday, November 16, 6:30 pm

Sold Out! Claire Saffitz, author of What’s for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People
in conversation with Kyle Cherek, in-person at Boswell

This event is sold out. You can still order a signed copy. If you haven't heard about this event until now, we suggest you sign up for the Boswell email newsletter. Find the link on the right-hand column of the front page of the Boswell website.

UWM Creative Writing presents United We Read
In-Person at Boswell Friday, November 18, 6:30 pm

Boswell hosts the November edition of the UWM Creative Writing Graduate Program student and faculty reading series, United We Read, on Friday, November 18, 6:30 pm. This is the monthly reading series presented at locations around the city put on by the UWM English Department and features readings of new work by Creative Writing graduate students as well as UWM faculty members.

This evening will feature readings from graduate students Cassandra Bruner, Sass Denny, and Camilla Lee, and Professor Rebecca Dunham.

Saturday, November 19, 3 pm doors, 3:30 pm event

Second Show Added! - Robert Simonson, author of Modern Classic Cocktails: 60+ Stories and Recipes from the New Golden Age in Drinks
in-person at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, 1579 S 9th St - click here to purchase tickets! 

Bryant's Cocktail Lounge and Boswell Book Company are excited to welcome twice James Beard nominated author Robert Simonson, a native Wisconsinite and the New York Times cocktail and spirits writer, to discuss his latest book, Modern Classic Cocktails, featuring recipes culled from today's modern classics with entertaining backstories from the cocktail revival of the past thirty years.

The first seating of this event (5 pm doors, 6 pm event) is now sold out, but a second show has been added! To purchase tickets for the 3 pm doors, 3:30 pm event showing, please click this sentence and visit the ticketing site. Tickets cost $40 plus tax and ticket fee, and each ticket includes a copy of Modern Classic Cocktails, one special cocktail, and gratuity.

Robert Simonson is author of A Proper Drink, The Old-Fashioned, and The Martini Cocktail. His writing has appeared in Saveur, GQ, and Bon Appetit, and has been nominated for two James Beard Awards and has won one IACP Award and two Spirited Awards.

Photo credits
Jai Chakrabarti by Peter Dressel
Claire Saffitz by Alex Lau

Boswell bestsellers, week ending November 12, 2022

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Racing the Light, by Robert Crais (signed copies here)
2. The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy
3. Liberation Day, by George Saunders
4. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
5. Shuna's Journey, by Hayao Miyazaki, translated by Alex Dudok De Wit
6. Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng
7. Nights of Plague, by Orhan Pamuk
8. Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus
9. The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell
10. Foster, by Claire Keegan

The appearance of Shuna's Journey on our bestseller list was a bit of surprise to me, but not our buyer or many of our booksllers. Originally published in Japanese, this first-time-in-English edition has the elements that have inspired Miyazaki's films, including Princess Mononoke, the first animated film to win the Japanese Academy Prize for Picture of the Year (per Wikipedia). Linda Codega in Gizmodo called the book "an eerie and delightful piece of work that highlights Miyazaki’s gorgeous art, long before it became the Ghibli style. Longtime fans will enjoy finding the threads that tie Shuna’s Journey to his later works, from familiar creature designs to costumes to settings."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. What's for Dessert?, by Claire Saffitz (event sold out but signed copies still available)
2. Reading for Our Lives, by Maya Payne Smart
3. The Philosophy of Modern Song, by Bob Dylan
4. How We Live Is How We Die, by Pema Chödrön
5. The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, by Stacy Schiff
6. Go-To Dinners, by Ina Garten
7. Surrender, by Bono
8. Women Holding Things, by Maira Kalman
9. Life on the Mississippi, by Rinker Buck
10. Confidence Man, by Maggie Haberman

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams is the latest biography from Stacy Schiff, profiling a man possible more well-known nowadays for the namesake beer. The book has 5 raves and 3 positive reviews on Book Page so far. The Wall Street Journal is in the rave camp. From Mark G. Spencer: " Sifting historical landfill in The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, Stacy Schiff has produced a delightfully enthralling and insightful account of an elusive Founding Father. Samuel Adams 'did not preen for posterity,' but we now know him much better than we did. Perhaps even better than he’d want us to."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, by Shehan Karunatilaka
2. Legends and Lattes, by Travis Baldree
3. Once Upon a December, by Amy E. Reichert (Register for November 30 event here)
4. She Hulk V1, by Rainbow Rowell
5. It Starts with Us, by Colleen Hoover
6. Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr
7. And Yet, by Kate Baer
8. Still Life, by Sarah Winman
9. The Drifter, by Nick Petrie
10. Our Country Friends, by Gary Shteyngart

 Will the curse of the literary bestseller be broken with The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida be broken? We've had several breakouts from the Booker Prize in recent years, and as this is published as a paperback original, we've got the audience that would buy the book in hardcover combined with the paperback reprint crowd joining in together. Hey, we're doing our best - the book is also our In-Store Lit Group pick for February. Ron Charles writes about the surprise of a major award going to a book you've not heard of in The Washington Post: "For months, I’d been hearing tantalizing, impossibly incongruous details about this novel, which is only now being published in the United States. It’s all true: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a murder mystery and a zany comedy about military atrocities." Yes, American success seems like a long shot - it's going to need a lot of readers crying on TikTok.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. The Fran Lebowitz Reader, by Fran Lebowitz
2. Owning Grief, by Gael Garbarino Cullen
3. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
4. Brewtown Tales, by John Gurda (Register for December 6 event by emailing publicity@wisconsinhistory.org)
5. 111 Places in Milwaukee You Must Not Miss, by Michelle Madden
6. These Precious Days, by Ann Patchett
7. The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay
8. The Shortest History of Europe, by John Hirst
9. The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson
10. Educated, by Tara Westover

The late Australian historian John Hirst's  The Shortest History of Europe: How Conquest, Culture, and Religion Forged a Continent is just out and selling well of our new paperback table. Looks like it was originally a UK publication. I love this stat they shared in the notes for buyers - 20,000 sold it the UK and Commonwealth, 300,000 sold in China. From the publisher: "Lays out a thesis of astonishing simplicity: just three elements - German warfare, Greek and Roman culture, and Christianity - come together to explain every major development in religion and science, war and invasion, politics and class divisions, and power and industry."

Books for Kids:
1. The Greatest in the World, by Ben Clanton
2. Scattered Showers, by Rainbow Rowell (limited stock signed copies)
3. Our World of Dumplings, by Francie Dekker
4. Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea V1, by Ben Clanton
5. The Invisible Spy: Forgotten Five V2, by Lisa McMann
6. Map of Flames: Forgotten Five V1, by Lisa McMann
7. As Brave As You, by Jason Reynolds
8. Whiteout, by Dhonielle Clayton and other writers
9. Look Both Ways, by Jason Reynolds
10. Carry On Collectors Edition, by Rainbow Rowell

We hosted a virtual school event for Ben Clanton, whose The Greatest in the World offers an exciting competition between potatoes. His Narwhal and Jelly series is very popular, which is bourn out in us having 150 classrooms tune in for his event. Kirkus writes: "This tater trio, and worm, will keep readers laughing, singing, and cheering from the first page to the last."

I just want to note that I did not choose these titles based on their covers, but three of the five are yellow, which seems unusual to me.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending November 5, 2022

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending November 5, 2022

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy
2. Racing the Light, by Robert Crais (Register for November 10 in-store event here)
3. The Last Chairlift, by John Irving
4. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
5. The World We Make V2, by NK Jemisin
6. My Government Means to Kill Me, by Rasheed Newsome (Cactus Book Club December selection - more here)
7. Liberation Day, by George Saunders
8. The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell
9. Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng
10. Mad Honey, by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Our top non-event debut this week is M.K. Jemisin's The World We Make, the sequel to 2020s The City We Became, which was nominated for just about every speculative fiction award out there. The Kirkus review is just one rave: "As in the previous book, this is a fantasy inspired by the very real division between those who embrace difference (and are only intolerant of intolerance) and those who seek a creativity-killing homogeneity, seeing it as a return to a supposedly moral past that never existed. The story also explores how perceptions about a place imposed on it by outsiders - who have only the most distorted views about it from popular culture - can have genuinely damaging effects."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Painting Can Save Your Life, by Sara Woster
2. Surrender, by Bono
3. The Philosophy of Modern Song, by Bob Dylan
4. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
5. Cinema Speculation, by Quentin Tarantino
6. Dinners with Ruth, by Nina Totenberg
7. Go-To Dinners, by Ina Garten
8. Happy-Go-Lucky, by David Sedaris
9. Dilla Time, by Dan Charnas
10. The Grandest Stage, by Tyler Kepner

My guess is that had we not had a few signed copies of Bono's Surrender: Forty Songs, One Story (we don't have anymore), it might not have outsold Bob Dylan's The Philosophy of Modern Song. Chris Klimek's review in The Washington Post is awfully positive for a "mixed" Book Marks rating: "Nor will they expect, or find, much Hammer of the Gods-style debauchery in the remembrances of a guy who’s been in a band with the same three dudes for 45 years and married to his high school sweetheart for 40; both relationships he reflects upon with candor and humility. Like the memoirs of his pals Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen, Surrender is more introspective than salacious or score-settling, and proof that the tunesmith who wrote it also speaks fluent prose."

Paperback Fiction:
1. It Starts with Us, by Colleen Hoover
2. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, by  Shehan Karunatilaka
3. The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
4. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
5. The Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas
6. A Line to Kill, by Anthony Horowitz
7. Kiss Her Once for Me, by Alison Cochrun
8. Bewilderment, by Richard Powers
9. Once Upon a December, by Amy E. Reichert (Register for November 30 event here)
10. Still Life, by Sarah Winman (December In-Store Lit Group selection)

Congrats to Jen, whose staff rec for The Shadow of the Wind, outsold all non-Colleen-Hoover, non-Booker-Prize-winning titles last week. She's already beaten calendar year sales of 2021. I vow to read it before the end of the year (Stephen King's been calling it "one gorgeous read" for 18 years), but alas, that will not add to our tally, as I am still sitting on a hardcover from 2004. Interesting detail - unlike the bulk of all Penguin Random House fiction, the hardcover is still available. Should we bring in a copy for the holidays? I await your comments.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Milwaukee Scavenger, by Jenna Kashou
2. Owning Grief, by Gael Garbarino Cullen (Register for November 11 in person event here)
3. Brewtown Tales, by John Gurda (Register for December 6 offsite event at publicity@wisconsinhistory.org)
4. Heart Speak, by Sherrill Knezel (more copies should arrive this week)
5. Fuzz, by Mary Roach
6. Ejaculate Responsibly, by Gabrielle Blair
7. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
8. All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days, by Rebecca Donner
9. The Story of Jane, by Laura Kaplan
10. The Need to Be Whole, by Wendell Berry

Several issue-driven books pop up on this week's top 10. The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Abortion Service, was originally published by Pantheon in 1996, and was just rereleased. From the publisher: "Organized in 1969 and active until the opening of the first legal abortion clinics in 1973, Jane initially counseled women and referred them to underground abortionists, as other groups at the time had sprung up to do. But as Jane continued screening abortionists over the years, the group realized that as long as the women who turned to them were dependent on these practitioners, they would remain virtually helpless. The members of Jane determined to take matters into their own hands, and learned to perform the abortions themselves."

Books for Kids:
1. I Love You as Big as Wisconsin, by Rose Possner, illustrated by Joanne Partiss
2. She Persisted: Sally Ride, by Atia Abawi
3. Our World of Dumplings, by Francie Dekker, illustrated by Sarah Jung
4. The Vermilion Emporium, by Jamie Pacton 
5. Blue Bird, Blue Road, by Sofiya Pasternack (Register for November 8 virtual event here)
6. Diper Overlode V17: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney
7. The Secret World of Plants, by Ben Hoare
8. The Others V16: Bad Guys, by Aaron Blabey
9. The Crayons' Christmas, by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
10. The First to Die at the End, by Adam Silvera

Fourth quarter sees the rise of those oversized kids reference books. The Secret World of Plants: Tales of More Than 100 Remarkable Flowers, Trees, and Seeds isn't quite big enough to fall into the category, but it's still that picture-heavy reference book that is so much fun to sell. Hoare is also author of the bestselling Anthology of Intriguing Animals.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending October 29, 2022

The late and latest Boswell bestseller report - week ending October 29, 2022

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy
2. Signal Fires, by Dani Shapiro
3. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
4. Under a Veiled Moon, by Karen Odden 
5. The Boys from Biloxi, by John Grisham
6. Liberation Day, by George Saunders
7. Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout
8. The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles
9. Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng
10. The Winners, by Fredrik Backman

No real competition this week for our #1 new release - we've been getting requests for The Passenger for months, the first Cormac McCarthy novel since (could it be?) The Road in 2006. And the companion novel, Stella Maris, releases in December. The critics are all over the place on this one. John Jeremiah Sullivan was "positive" in Book Marks, but sort of lays out why some reviewers might be less so: "The Passenger is far from McCarthy’s finest work, but that’s because he has had the nerve to push himself into new places, at the age of all-but-90. He has tried something in these novels that he’d never done before."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Painting Can Save Your Life, by Sara Woster (Register for November 2 in-person event here)
2. Go-To Dinners, by Ina Garten
3. Dinner in One, by Melissa Clark
4. The Stolen Year, by Anya Kam
5. Working Girls, by Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamlodchikova
6. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
7. And There Was Light, by Jon Meacham
8. Inciting Joy, by Ross Gay
9. Song of the Cell, by Siddhartha Mukherjee
10. Slenderman, by Kathleen Hale

There was a siting of Trixie Mattel in the store this week, which set a couple of hearts aflutter. Stock of Working Girls: Trixie and Katya's Guide to Professional Womanhood were signed; books were sold. All the advance trades were over-the-top positive - Publishers Weekly called the book "hysterical", nothing that "this bawdy manual slays."

Paperback Fiction:
1. It Stars with Us, by Colleen Hoover
2. We Were Never Here, by Andrea Bartz
3. The Sentence, by Louise Erdrich
4. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, by Sangu Madanna
5. Once Upon a December, by Amy E. Reichert (Register for November 30 event here)
6. It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover
7. Fire and Blood, by George R.R. Martin
8. The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon
9. People Immortal, by Vasily Grossman
10. Girl One, by Sara Flannery Murphy

Our Books and Beer Book Club is one of our two in-person Boswell-run reading groups, meeting at Cafe Hollander on the third Monday. Their next selection is Girl One, which the publishers position as The Handmaid's Tale (isn't it always?) meets Orphan Black. I was interested to note that when the publisher promoted the hardcover, they used librarian and bookseller reviews, but they only used first name/last initial and not the store, even though we identify both on Indie Bound and Library Reads. Authors got their full name - Kami Garcia wrote "A genre-defying, thought-provoking thriller that is impossible to put down." More on our book clubs here. 

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Heart Speak, by Sherrill A Knezel
2. A History of Milwaukee Drag, by BJ Daniels and Michail Takach
3. Milwaukee Scavenger, by Jenna Kashou (Register for November 3 event here)
4. Brewtown Tales, by John Gurda (Register for December 6 event by emailing publicity@wisconsinhistory.org)
5. 111 Places in Milwaukee You Must Not Miss, by Michelle Madden
6. Inheritance, by Dani Shapiro
7. Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest, by Teresa Marrone
8. Milwaukee River Greenway, by Eddee Daniel
9. Vegan Cooking for Two, by America's Test Kitchen
10. Invisible Child, by Andrea Elliott

One thing that's been missing from the paperback nonfiction list is the dominance of regional books that we used to see more of in past years. I can't remember last time that Milwaukee-area titles took up half the list, but I know it wasn't uncommon in the past. Both Milwaukee Scavenger and Brewtown Tales are off to good starts.

Books for Kids:
1. Moving to Mars, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Erin Taylor
2. Our World of Dumplings, by Fracie Dekker, illustrations by Sarah Jung
3. A Place for Pluto, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Melanie Demmer
4. The Very Last Leaf, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Jennifer Davidson
5. Diper överlöde V17, by Jeff Kinney
6. There's a Ghost in the House, by Oliver Jeffers
7. What Feelings Do When No One's Looking, by Tina Oziewicz, illustrations by Aleksandra Zajac
8. Pigeon Will Ride the Rollercoaster, by Mo Willems
9. Sea in the Way, by Sophie Gilmore
10. She Persisted: Sally Ride, by Atia Abawi, Chelsea Clinton, and Alexandra Boiger

Sea in the Way, the new book written and illustrated by Sophie Gilmore, is both a Jenny Pick (sales rep) and a Jen pick (our buyer). The latter writes: "Badger misses her friend Bear terribly. What do you do when your best friend lives all the way on the other side of the sea? If you’re Badger, you grumble to the sea that it is in the way. And when the sea finally agrees to let Badger cross, it is on three conditions. What starts out as a quest for Badger to see Bear ends up being something much more. The Sea in the Way is a delightful picture book with charming illustrations about friendships and new experiences."

Five events this week: Michail Takach and BJ Daniels at Boswell, Michael Mehta Webster (virtual with Urban Ecology Center), Karen Odden, Dani Shapiro, and Sherrill Knezel in-person at Boswell

Monday, October 24, 6:30 pm

Michail Takach and BJ Daniels, coauthors of A History of Milwaukee Drag: Seven Generations of Glamour

in-person at Boswell Book Company - click here to register until 5:30 pm. 

Coauthors Michail Takach and BJ Daniels appear at Boswell for a conversation about their new book, A History of Milwaukee Drag, which celebrates Milwaukee’s place in the history and impact of drag queen culture.

For over a century, drag has been a force in Milwaukee nightlife. On June 7, 1884, "The Only Leon" brought the fine art of female impersonation to the Grand Opera Hall, launching a proud local legacy that continues today at This Is It, La Cage, Hamburger Mary's, D.I.X. and other venues.

Historians Takach and Daniels recognize that today's LGBTQ liberties were born from the strength, resilience, and resistance of yesterday's gender non-conforming pioneers. This is a long overdue celebration of those stories, including high-rolling hustler of the Fourth Ward "Badlands" Frank Blunt, over-the-top dinner theater drag superstar of the 1950s Adrian Ames, and "It Kid" Jamie Gays, first-ever Miss Gay Milwaukee and Latin community hero.

BJ Daniels has done hair and makeup work on set for film and video, taught the art of hairdressing as a licensed professional, and has covered Fashion Week in New York City. Daniels still works behind the chair, and lens, and performs in drag. Michail Takach is a reporter and communications professional who earned a masters in communications and history at UW-Madison. As the curator of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, Takach produces ongoing articles, documentaries and podcasts about local history.

Tuesday, October 25, 7 pm

Michael Mehta Webster, author of The Rescue Effect: The Key to Saving Life on Earth
in conversation with Meenal Atre for a virtual event - click here to register. 

Boswell Book Company and the Urban Ecology Center cohost a virtual evening featuring ecology and philanthropy expert Michael Mehta Webster for a conversation about his new book, The Rescue Effect, which reveals how we can use this natural resiliency to help reverse the effects of climate change. In conversation with Meenal Atre of the Urban Ecology Center, our event cohost.

As climate change continues to intensify, the outlook for life on Earth often seems bleak. Yet hope for the future can be found in the “rescue effect,” which is nature’s innate ability to help organisms persist during hard times. Like a thermostat starting the air conditioning when a room gets too warm, the rescue effect automatically kicks in when organisms are stressed or declining. Webster argues that there are good reasons to expect a bright future, because everywhere we look, we can see evidence that nature can rescue many species from extinction; and when nature alone is not up to the task, we can help. Combining rigorous research with gripping storytelling, The Rescue Effect provides the cautious optimism we need to help save life on Earth.

Here’s Boswellian Kay Wosewick’s take on The Rescue Effect: "Webster wants to help save species intelligently. He describes six ‘rescue’ processes, some which often happen on their own, some we can nudge, others we can aggressively employ to save species. Refreshingly, Webster understands we can’t save everything, and we also need to acknowledge that nature is, always has been, and will continue, changing, with or without us."

Michael Mehta Webster’s research interests focus on how organisms and ecosystems adapt to environmental change, how this information can be translated into effective conservation strategies, and the practical and ethical dilemmas that arise along the way. As an executive director of a conservation organization, program officer at a leading environmental foundation, and academic scientist, he has led efforts to connect cutting edge science to the management of species and ecosystems in the wild.

Wednesday, October 26, 6:30 pm
Karen Odden, author of Under a Veiled Moon
in conversation with Erica Ruth Neubauer, in-person at Boswell - click here to register. 

Karen Odden joins us at Boswell for a conversation about her brand new Victorian-era mystery, in which a fatal disaster on the Thames and a roiling political conflict set the stage in London for Inspector Corravan’s work. In conversation with Milwaukee author Erica Ruth Neubauer, author of the Jane Wunderly mysteries.

September 1878. Pleasure boat Princess Alice collides with the Bywell Castle, a huge iron-hulled collier, on the Thames, and shears apart, throwing all 600 passengers into the river; only 130 survive. It is the worst maritime disaster London has ever seen, and early clues point to sabotage by the Irish Republican Brotherhood. For Scotland Yard Inspector Corravan, the case presents challenges. Irish by birth, his attentions are pulled by accusations of prejudice and his family member’s involvement in an Irish gang. As London threatens to devolve into terror and chaos, Corravan must uncover the harrowing truth, which will shake his faith in his countrymen, the law, and himself.

Kirkus Reviews calls Odden’s latest a hearty dose of "Victorian skulduggery with a heaping side of Irish troubles." And Edgar-winning author Mariah Fredericks says: "Rich in emotion and historical detail, Under a Veiled Moon is a brilliant tale of the dark, thorny places where the personal and the political intertwine."

Karen Odden taught literature at UWM and has contributed essays to numerous books and journals and edited for the journal Victorian Literature and Culture. A member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, she is author of award-winning historical mysteries. Erica Ruth Neubauer is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Jane Wunderly investigations, including the books Murder at the Mena House, Murder at Wedgefield Manor, and Danger on the Atlantic.

Thursday, October 27, 6:30 pm
Dani Shapiro, author of Signal Fires
in conversation with Lauren Fox, in-person at Boswell Book Company - click here to register. 

Boswell is pleased to host the Milwaukee return of Dani Shapiro, author of books such as Inheritance and Devotion, for her latest work, Signal Fires, a life-affirming novel about a tragedy that connects two families across generations. In conversation with Lauren Fox, the Milwaukee-based author of novels such as Send for Me and Days of Awe. Cohosted by UWM's Sam and Helen Stahl Center for Jewish Studies. Masks required at this event.

Shapiro’s gripping new novel begins on a summer night in 1985 when three teenagers have been drinking. One of them gets behind the wheel of a car, and, in an instant, everything changes. Each of their lives, and that of the young doctor who arrives on the scene, is shattered. For the doctor’s family, the circumstances of that fatal accident will become the deepest kind of secret, one so dangerous it can never be spoken.

Signal Fires is one of 2022’s most anticipated books, as noted by LitHub, BookPage, The Millions, and others. Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being, says: “Signal Fires is an urgent and compassionate meditation on memory, time, and space. Shapiro has created a world that's as wrenching as it is wondrous.” And from Meg Wolitzer: “A haunting, moving, and propulsive exploration of family secrets.”

Dani Shapiro is a best-selling novelist and memoirist and host of the podcast Family Secrets. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Time. She has taught at Columbia and New York University and is the co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference.

Friday, October 28, 6:30 pm
Sherrill Knezel, illustrator of Heart Speak: A Visual Interpretation of Let Your Life Speak
in-person at Boswell - click here to register. 

Wauwatosa illustrator Sherrill Knezel visits for an evening featuring her latest work, an authorized visual representation of Parker J Palmer's classic book Let Your Life Speak. More than seventy heartfelt images accompany excerpts from Palmer, inviting reading to explore and embrace both their own limits and their own potential as they listen to their inner voice and courageously follow its lead. Please note, Palmer will not be present at this event.

Whether the words of Let Your Life Speak are familiar signposts on the roads you have traveled or they are new to you, Knezel’s work offers an opportunity for reflection and discernment in regard to your life, community, and calling. From the introduction Palmer wrote for the book: "I'm very excited about the way Sherrill has used her gifts of art and insight to interpret and express some of the key ideas in Let Your Life Speak."

From Pardeep Singh Kaleka, coauthor of The Gifts of Our Wounds: "Heart Speak is a beautiful participatory journey into the depth of self and the soul of society. Palmer's words combined with Knezel's illustrations carefully explore unconscious behaviors, patterns, relationships, and thoughts of everyday existence. This book provides a real road map for clinicians, help groups, parents, families, and friends to contemplate and engage in conversations that lead to movement, growth, and healing. But experience this book for yourself first. It's a true gift!"

Sherrill Knezel is a graphic recorder, illustrator, and art educator who specializes in visual literacy. She is the founder of Meaningful Marks LLC, a graphic recording/illustration firm that focuses on using the power of visuals to support nonprofits, educators, and corporate sector clients. She is a contributing author to Stories in EDU and Social Action Stories, and won the Excellence in Visual Journalism Award for her work in the Milwaukee Independent.

Photo credits

Erica Ruth Neubauer by Rachel Neubauer
Dani Shapiro by Beowulf Sheehan

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending October 22, 2022

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending October 22, 2022

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Signal Fires, by Dani Shapiro (Register for October 27 event here)
2. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
3. Liberation Day, by George Saunders
4. Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout
5. The Last Chairlift, by John Irving
6. Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng
7. Babel, by RF Kuang
8. Ithaca, by Claire North
9. The Rabbit Hutch, by Tess Gunty
10. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin

In any other parallel universe, I would have expected Demon Copperhead to be our #1 debut for the week, but I should note that George Saunders's Liberation Day was at Barbara Kingsolver's heels. But in this universe, we had a very nice first week pop for one of my favorite books of 2022, Signal Fires, even though Dani Shapiro's event is not until next week. There are some amazing events coming up (John Green, Jamie Lee Curtis are two of the conversation partners)- visit Shapiro's website for details.

Demon Copperhead is a retelling of David Copperfield and I guess that I am taken aback that the consumer reviews are more mixed than the trade - that could account for the debut that was a bit less than my expectations. Molly Young writes in The New York Times: "Of course Barbara Kingsolver would retell Dickens. He has always been her ancestor. Like Dickens, she is unblushingly political and works on a sprawling scale, animating her pages with the presence of seemingly every creeping thing that has ever crept upon the earth." 

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Bad Vibes Only, by Nora McInerny (signed copies available)
2. Sondheim and Me, by Paul Salsini
3. And There Was Light, by Jon Meacham
4. Slenderman, by Kathleen Hale
5. Confidence Man, by Maggie Haberman
6. How We Live Is How We Die, by Pema Chödrön
7. The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, by Paul Newman, edited by David Rosenthal
8. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
9. A Path Lit by Lightning, by David Maraniss
10. Life Is Hard, by Kieran Setiya

Jon Meacham returns with And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle. Why no Book Marks for this one? Does the publisher have to pay for this? So confusing. All four advance reviews are raves  (that is, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, and Booklist) with Kirkus writing: "While there are countless books on Lincoln, one of the most studied and written-about figures in history, Meacham's latest will undoubtedly become one of the most widely read and consulted. An essential, eminently readable volume for anyone interested in Lincoln and his era." 

Paperback Fiction:
1. It Starts with Us, by Colleen Hoover
2. The Book of Extraordinary Tragedies, by Joe Meno (signed paperbacks and hardcovers)
3. Once Upon a December, by Amy E Reichert (Register for November 30 event here)
4. It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover
5. The Sentence, by Louise Erdrich
6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
7. Verity, by Colleen Hoover
8. Crossroads, by Jonathan Franzen
9. A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas
10. The Witch's Heart, by Genevieve Gornichec 

 Colleen Hoover broke records (from Publishers Weekly)  with It Starts with Us, the most pre-ordered book in Simon and Schuster history. Why should you be surprised? She has completely dominated paperback fiction bestseller lists for the past year. Reviews were certainly not needed for this one, but the Kirkus critic wrote: "Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. To Be a Water Protector, by Winona LaDuke
2. Owning Grief, by Gael Garbarino Cullen (Register for November 11 event here)
3. All Our Relations by Winona LaDuke
4. A History of Milwaukee Drag, by BJ Daniels and Michil Takach (Register for October 24 event here)
5. The Milwaukeean (Klassik), by Joey Grihalva
6. Recovering the Sacred, by Winona LaDuke
7. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
8. Empire of Pain, by Patrick Radden Keefe
9. The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay
10. It's Okay to Laugh, by Nora McInerny

Both Winona LaDuke and Nora McInerny were in town on Thursday (McInerny at Boswell, LaDuke at UWM); both authors came to town last in 2019. From the publisher: "To Be a Water Protector explores issues that have been central to her activism for many years - sacred Mother Earth, our despoiling of Earth and the activism at Standing Rock and opposing Line 3." We have a few signed copies.

Books for Kids:
1. The Truth About Mrs. Claus, by Meena Harris
2. Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo
3. Our World of Dumplings, by Francie Dekker, illustrations by Sarah Jung
4. A Rover's Story, by Jasmine Warga
5. Everywhere with You, by Carlie Sorosiak, illustrations by Devon Holzwarth
6. This Is Not About a Kitten, by Randall de Sève, illustrations by Carson Ellis
7. The Three Billy Goats Gruff, by Mac Barnett, illustrations by Jon Klassen
8. Ghosts Are People Too, by Peter Ricq
9. The Official Heartstopper Coloring Book, by Alice Oseman
10. They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera

Everywhere with You is a picture book that came out in May, but it's been gathering steam since - this was its best week for sales since publication. From the starred Booklist: "The narrative flows well and tells a moving story. One magical aspect of the book is that although the dog doesn't understand the girl's language, after she reads or tells him imaginative tales, he has vibrant dreams in which the two friends share adventures. With warm colors, curving lines, and rhythmic repetition of forms, the mixed-media illustrations beautifully portray the setting as well as the main characters and their growing friendship, while the richly detailed dream scenes have a more otherworldly quality. A heartening picture book."

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending October 15, 2022

Here are the Boswell bestsellers for the week of October 15, 2022.

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng
2. Under a Veiled Moon, by Karen Odden (Register for October 26 in-person event here)
3. Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout
4. Babel, by RF Kuang
5. Illuminations, by Alan Moore
6. Shrines of Gaiety, by Kate Atkinson
7. The Whalebone Theatre, by Joanna Quinn
8. The Winners, by Fredrik Backman
9. The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik
10. The Bullet That Missed, by Richard Oman

Our top debut this week is Illuminations, the first-ever story collection from Alan Moore, the acclaimed comic book writer of V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. Needless to say, Bloomsbury keeps the Neil Gaiman quote up front, which includes this turn of phrase: "Both mind-expanding and cosmic while utterly rooted in our urban reality, written in language that coruscates, concatenates and glitters." I had to look up coruscate, but I think I know what concatenate means from using the function on Excel.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Book of Boundaries, by Melissa Urban
2. Bad Vibes Only, by Nora McInerny (we're just about at capacity, but as of now, there are a couple of spots left for October 20 event)
3. Slenderman, by Kathleen Hale
4. The Brain-Friendly Workplace, by Friederike Fabritius
5. Crossing the DMZ, by Dennis Darmek (signed copies available)
6. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
7. Confidence Man, by Maggie Haberman
8. American Midnight, by Adam Hochschild
9. Sondheim and Me, by Paul Salini (Register for October 18 in person event here)
10. Painting Can Save Your Life, by Sara Woster (Register for November 2 in person event here)

It's a very event-driven list this week with three upcoming and three just-occurred events out of ten slots. For the rest, it's the second week of top 10 sales for Adam Hochschild's American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis, which looks at the violence and harassment perpetuated on immigrants, labor organizers, and people of color. . Five raves and a positive on Book Marks - this from Thomas Meaney in The New York Times: "At a time when professional doom-mongering about democracy has become one of the more inflationary sectors of the American economy, it is tonic to be reminded by Adam Hochschild’s masterly new book, American Midnight, that there are other contenders than the period beginning in 2016 for the distinction of Darkest Years of the Republic. By some measures - and certainly in many quarters of the American left - the years 1917-21 have a special place in infamy."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Bronze Drum, by Phong Nguyen (signed copies available)
2. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
3. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
4. Once Upon a December, by Amy E Reichert (Register for November 30 in-person event here)
5. A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas
6. Bunny, by Mona Awad
7. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
8. The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
9. Still Life, by Sarah Winman (Join a Boswell book club - we're discussing Still Life in December).
10. Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro (Tomorrow! - Books & Beer Book Club)

Being that our sales on Mona Awad's Bunny are so strong, and noting that it has a rec card, but is not specifically on someone's rec shelf, I took a look on Edelweiss inventory sharing site. We're doing well, but nine stores have sales in the triple digits for the past 12 months. With momentum like that, and being the kind of book it is (the critics have compared it to Carrie, Mean Girls, Heathers, The Secret History), how is this not in streamer development? But wait, it did score a deal, back in 2019 - more on Deadline. We'll see if it makes its way to a finished product.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. There Is No Backstage, by Linda Stephens (signed copies available)
2. Memorable Milwaukee, by Darlene Wesenberg Rzezotarski
3. A History of Milwaukee Drag, by BJ Daniels and Michail Takach (Register for October 24 in-person event here)
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. Getting Lost, by Annie Ernaux
6. Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest, by Teresa Marrone
7. Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
8. The Complete Mushroom Hunter Revised, by Gary Lincoff
9. 111 Places in Milwaukee That You Must Not Miss, by Michelle Madden
10. The Birdman of Koshkonong, by Martha Bergland

That mushroom table's time is nearing its end as holiday ornaments, boxed cards, and themed books call dibs on display tables. It's had a good run - two books in our top ten again this week - Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest and The Complete Mushroom Hunter. If you live in Milwaukee or Chicago areas and shop for mushrooms, you probably shop at the farmers market stands of River Valley Ranch. I am a regular at the one at South Shore Park. I hope to visit their store in Burlington on the off season. And if you missed the Wall Street Journal article about mushrooms that featured Boswell, here it is. I think you'll see the shout out before the pay wall kicks in.

Books for Kids:
1. Our World of Dumplings, by Francie Dekker/Sarah Jung
2. Moving to Mars, by Stef Wade/Erin Taylor
3. A Place for Pluto, by Stef Wade/Melanie Demmer
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by JK Rowling/Jim Kay
5. The School for Good and Evil, by Soman Chainani
6. Two Roads, by Joseph Bruchac
7. My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Collier
8. Our Shadows Have Claws, by Yamile Saied Mendez
9. The Birthday of the World, by Rachel Naomi Remen/Rachell Sumpter
10. A Rover's Story, by Jasmine Warga

Soman Chainani visited area schools, Boswell, and an area library over more than one visit. Now his book series, The School for Good and Evil, has become a Netflix series. 106 reviews on Google rate it a 4.9 out of 5. I'd post a review but it actually hasn't opened yet (October 19 is the date), which calls those reviews into question, doesn't it? Here's a preview in Bloody Disgusting, which I'm sure you guessed is a horror fan site.

Up next - Boswell weekly event blog