Boswell and Books

Boswell bestsellers, week ending October 17, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 19:14:00 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending October 17, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. A Life Out of Order, by Audrey Niffenegger (signed copies)
2. The Spirits, by Bonnie Jo Campbell (signed copies)
3. The Scarlet Ball, by Nghi Vo (signed copies)
4. Partita, by Barbara Kingsolver
5. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
6. Exit Party, by Emily St John Mandel (UWM/Boswell Nov 7 ticketed event)
7. The Thrice-Bound Fool, by Christopher Buehlman
8. Threshing Day, by Rebecca Yarros
9. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
10. Hollywood Ending, by John Green

Strong first week out for Christopher Buehlman's The Thrice Bound Fool, considering he is battling a lot of authors on tour. From Marlene Harris at Library Journal: " Buehlman writes an adventure full of humor and tragedy. Readers who enjoy the epic fantasy of The Lord of the Rings, Kevin Hearne's Seven Kennings series, and Brian McClellan's Glass Immortals series will be right there with Kinch and Galva, while fans who have been impatiently awaiting the next installment in Kinch's story will be thrilled." I'm told (by Jason) Tor is buying up the rights to at least one more of Christopher Buehlman's older novels, what with the success of Between Two Fires.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. I Am Going to Eat You, by Paul Noth (Boswell October 22 event)
2. Is This It?, by Steven Hyden (signed copies)
3. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee, text by Ann Christianson
4. I'll Believe in Anything, by Jacob Tierney
5. No Prophets, by Jared Huffman (signed copies)
6. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
7. Vibe, by Adam Grant
8. It's All About the Players, by Peter Gammons
9. Beautiful Struggle, by Sharon Chubbuck and Cynthia Ellwood (Boswell November 5 event)
10. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris

What with the Brewers first National League Championship, many people are coming in looking for Brewers books, but there's not really anything available from us that focuses on the current incarnation of this team, or even the current stadium. But we did have a pop on It's All about the Players: What I've Learned from Baseball's Best, from sportswriter Peter Gammons. From Publishers Weekly: "Heartfelt and philosophical, it's an eloquent tribute to the athletes who make the game great."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Fire Born, by Deborah Hufford (signed copies)
2. The Office of Historical Corrections, by Danielle Evans
3. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
4. Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro
5. The Ship fo Death, by Kyle Winkler
6. The Paradox Club, by Charlie Lovett
7. The House of Leaves, by Mark Z Danielewski
8. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
9. May We Feed the King, by Rebecca Perry
10. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry

Not only is May We Feed the King shortlisted for the Booker Prize, but it also spend a week on the New York Times paperback bestseller list. Do you know how difficult that is for a non-genre title nowadays? It's also Keith's book of the year. From Clemmie Read in the Times Literary Supplement: "In the tradition of Julian Barnes’s Flaubert’s Parrot and A. S. Byatt’s Possession, Perry explores scholarly obsession, questioning how far it is possible for us to make contact with the past. But through her curator, this contact becomes stranger, more physical, embodied in the scenes she is staging."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Improbable Mentors and Happy Tangents, by Michael Perry
2. Population 485, by Michael Perry
3. Forty Acres Deep, by Michael Perry
4. Peaceful Resistance, by Michael Perry
5. Visiting Tom, by Michael Perry
6. How the Other Half Eats, by Priya Fielding Singh
7. Class Act, by John Berendt
8. Bread of Angels, by Patti Smith
9. Lambeau Ladies, by Laura Kostelnik Biskupic and Katherine Biskupic
10. In This Economy?, by Kyla Scanlon

Selling off the new paperback table is Kyla Scanlon's In This Economy?: How Money and Markets Really Work, after two+ years in hardcover. Scanlon is an economics commentator and founder of Kyla Labs. Though I'm only a semi-regular listener, I'm guessing she periodically appears on NPR's Marketplace (and sure enough, here's her August story on little treats). Here's a blurb from Kai Rysddal: "Kyla's singular style is approachable, witty, and endlessly informative, helping readers decipher everything from the labor force to housing to what Jay Powell's thinking."

Books for Kids:
1. Monsters Are the Worst, by Alex Willan
2. Unicorns Are the Worst by Alex Willan
3. Mermaids Are the Worst, by Alex Willan
4. The Moonlit Spiral, by Mike Maihack
5. How'd They Make That, by Justin Eisinger, illustrations by Cryssy Cheung
6. Deerheart, by Eoin Colfer, illustrations by PJ Lynch
7. The Midnight Guardians, by Ross Montgomery
8. Each and Every Spark, by Claire Swinarski
6. The Kate In Between, by Claire Swinarski
10. Reaching Across the Sky, by Christy Hale

Well, here's a baseball-themed book - How'd They Make That: Incredible Stadiums looks like it's the first in a possible series, notably by the "book one" seen in some of the annotations. From the Roman Coliseum to the LA Lakers Crypto.com arena. Alas, I do not think American Family Field is included. From Booklist: "This engaging STEAM addition is sure to attract builders, makers, and sports enthusiasts."

It's been a great 17+ years of posting, but with recent and not-so-recent technology changes, including the end of Blogger's subscription service (okay, that happened a while a go, but we lost a lot of regulars), the end of Microsoft Publisher, and the new charges and limitations for linking in Facebook, it's become harder and harder to keep this going, especially since we already do a weekly bestseller list email to industry people. For now, it's a hiatus. Thank you for reading.

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending October 10, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 18:08:17 +0000

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending October 10, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Hollow Bones, by Jodi Picoult (signed tip-in copies)
2. Partita, by Barbara Kingsolver (Indie edition)
3. A Life Out of Order, by Audrey Niffenegger (MPL October 12 event)
4. The Disappearers, by Marlon James
5. Hollywood Ending, by John Green
6. The Pirate Queen, by Ariel Lawhon
7. The Scarlet Ball, by Nghi Vo (Boswell October 13 event)
8. The Fire Born, by Deborah Hufford (Boswell October 14 event - also in paperback)
9. American Hagwon, by Min Jin Lee
10. Small Great Things, by Jodi Picoult (anniversary edition)

Top non-event entry is Barbara Kinsolver's Partita, her long-awaited follow-up to the Demon Copperhead. Her latest has 18 reviews on BookMarks - 13 raves, three positives, a mixed, and a pan (from Vulture). From Ron Charles, one of the raves: "There can be immense satisfaction in watching a well-made play or hearing the exquisitely delayed resolution of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. And Kingsolver is, as ever, a teller of tragedies that can bring down the house. But Partita ultimately offers a quieter, more satisfying strain of resolution. It’s a novel about learning to live happily after one’s most cherished dreams are crushed - and realizing that what remains need not be soft-pedaled as a compromise."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Predictive Enterprise, by Edmund Zagorin
2. Sleeping Beauties, by David Byrne
3. The American Way of Killing, by Malcolm Gladwell
4. Blockers, by Michael Lewis
5. Rock*, by Chuck Klosterman
6. End Tme Fascism, by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
7. The Green and Gold Standard, by Thomas M Nelson (Boswell Nov 28 signing only)
8. The Beautiful Struggle, by Sharon M Chubbuck and Cynthia Ellwood (Boswell Nov 5 event)
9. An Unexpected Life, by Gloria Steinem
10. Is This It, by Steven Hyden (Boswell October 15 event)

Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up, the latest from David Byrne, edges out Michael Lewis's Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State, but both tally smaller first-week totals than I would expect. Sleeping Beauties appears to be aping Rick Rubin's The Creative ACT in packaging, which also came from Penguin Press. I'm told Blockers is part of a trilogy that includes The Fifth Risk and the anthology Who Is Government. On BookMarks, Sleeping Beauties has four raves and a positive while Blockers has four raves.

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Snowbirds, by Christina Clancy
2. The Second Home, by Christina Clancy
3. Shoulder Season, by Christina Clancy
4. By Any Other Name, by Jodi Picult
5. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
6. Mad Honey, by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
7. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
8. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
9. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
10. The Fire Born, by Deborah Hufford (also hardcover)

Christina Clancy was a relatively last-minute addition to our Jodi Picoult event with Books & Company at the Pabst Theater, but she obviously made an impact with attendees, capturing our top three paperback slots topped by her most recent, The Snowbirds. Christi would note that we could have sold a lot more Shoulder Season, which sold through very quickly. Fans were also excited that Picoult's backlist was pre-signed, which we've not always had at previous events. I should also give a shout out to Picoult's three book recommendations - Under Story, Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, and Into the Blue.

Paperback Nonfiction
1. Recipes for the Melting Pot, by Nora L Rubel (signed copies)
2. Free Range Kids, by Lenore Skenazy
3. Enshittification, by Cory Doctorow
4. Murdle Heist, by GT Karber
5. Murdle V1, by GT Karber
6. Stone Age Astronaut, by Liam Callanan
7. Scream with Me, by ELeanor Johnson
8. Crossing the Wine Dark Sea, by Emily Wilson
9. How to Kill a Witch, by Zoe Venditozzi
10. Murdle: The Case of the Seven Skulls, by GT Karber

Selling off the new paperback table, hitting our top 10 in its second week of sale, is Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980). Johnson is a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University. It's got two raves and three positives on BookMarks. From Sophie Gilbert's review in The Atlantic: "In feeling out what really scares us, horror often connects with its cultural moment by accident, she contends; art forms like it help an audience process social anxieties 'long before a culture is fully prepared to grapple with those problems and traumas in mainstream public discourse.' And because it triggers an intensely physical response and denies viewers the catharsis of a happy ending, horror imprints its imagery and ideas on us long after the movie ends."

Books for Kids:
1. What Rhymes with Pterodactyl, by Raj Haldar
2. Nat Again V7, by Maria Scrivan
3. Nat Enough, by Maria Scrivan
4. Wump, by Tony Di Terlizzi
5. No Reading Allowed, by Raj Haldar
6. Wonder, by RJ Palacio
7. Murder Jr: Wild Goose Chase, by GT Karber
8. P Is for Pterodactyl, by Raj Haldar
9. Nat a Chance, by Maria Scrivan
10. Each and Every Spark, by Claire Swinarski

We are in the thick of author school visits, but things slow down after mid-October. One returning favorite is Raj Haldar, whose latest is What Rhymes with Pterodactyl?: The Worst Rhyming Book Ever, with pictures by Emi Ordás. The focus is on slant rhymes - the near-rhyme secret. From Amanda Kmiec in School Library Journal: "Clever, colorful, and delightfully ridiculous, this book pairs inventive illustrations with advanced rhyming concepts that could be used to supplement poetry lessons or just inspire playful, linguistic fun."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending October 3, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 17:34:23 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week endong October 3, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Radiance, by Ayad Akhtar (signed copies)
2. Threshing Day, by Rebecca Yarros
3. Hollywood Ending, by John Green
4. American Hagwon, by Min Jin Lee
5. The Disappearers, by Marlon James
6. The Pirate Queen, by Ariel Lawhon
7. The Phoebe Variations, by Jane Hamilton
8. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
9. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
10. The French Illusion, by John Grisham
11. Hollow Bones, by Jodi Picoult (Pabst Theater October 8 event)
12. Under Story, by Chloe Benjamin
13. Dead Beat, by Leigh Bardugo
14. Mad Mabel, by Sally Hepworth
15. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout

Though backlist sales have cooled for us on Rebecca Yarros, first week sales on Threshing Day blew away the competition. We also had a nice opening week on American Hagwon, the long-awaited third novel from Min Jin Lee. Threshing Day is not being tracked by BookMarks, but American Hagwon has six raves, two positives, and two mixeds. From Maureen Corrigan on NPR: "A simultaneously sweeping-but-intimate novel about the complexities of immigration, the fragile promise of America and the purpose of education, American Hagwon is also a classic page-turner populated by characters who are hard to leave behind at the end of 600-plus pages. It's an overwhelming reading experience, one that appeals to the head as well as the heart."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Dog's Day, by Matthew J Prigge (Oriental Theater November 3 event)
2. Teaching Towards Slow Hope, by Douglas Hayes
3. Plantyou Quickies, by Carleigh Bodrug
4. An Unexpected Life, by Gloria Steinem
5. Fictional Selves, by Kyle MacLachlan
6. The Cauldron, by Simon Sebag Montefiore
7. I Want to Be Famous, by Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber
8. Rock*, by Chuck Klosterman
9. Dogs Boys and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
10. Swan Song, by Charles Spencer

Our buyer Jason said that this week and next week were probably the busiest release dates of the year, so I guess it isn't a surprise that the Crown division of PRH would have three high-profile books out on September 29. But I'm not used to seeing two Crown books in our top 10, Fictional Selves and I Want to Be Famous, let alone three in our top 11 - the bubbling under title is This Cursed Beautiful Land, by Evan Gershkovich. I should also note that we have a celebrity memoir, a journalist-turned-celebrity memoir (after Gershkovich was sentenced to Russian prison, released in a prisoner swap) and a book about contemporary celebrity that is based on a podcast, one way that "who"s become "them"s. From Kirkus: "Armed with wit and astute perception, the authors present their case for the pursuit of fandom and the highs and lows of ascending the Hollywood hierarchy. A clever, erudite assessment of fame."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
3. Fruit Fly, by Josh Silver
4. Homeland Elegies, by Ayad Akhtar
5. The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett
6. Disgraced, by Ayad Akhtar
7. The Bookshop of Secrets, by Kerry Barrett
8. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
9. The Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown
10. The Women, by Kristin Hannah

It is saying something that three of our top 10 paperbacks have broken the $20 price point, something that until recently, was pretty rare. Do I dare remind folks how much the original paperback price was of Lonesome Dove? $4.95, though to be fair, that was a mass market paperback and we're talking 40 years ago. Lonesome Dove has been battling East of Eden for epic American epic. There are Reddits and Facebook pages discussing the relative merits, though East of Eden is likely pulling ahead because of a new acclaimed Netflix series. Guess what? Lonesome Dove is also getting a new treatment. We're discussing the latter in book club on Monday - I'm not quite finished! I don't think the texture is actualliy fuzzy, but we sold out, so I just don't know.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Lambeau Ladies, by Laura Kostelnik Biskupic and Katherine Biskupic
2. Bread of Angels, by Patti Smith
3. Fuzzy Hygge Coloring Book, by Vivi Tinta
4. How to Kill a Witch, by Zoe Venitozzi
5. Home Body, by Rupi Kaur
6. Stone Age Astronaut, by Liam Callanan
7. Everything Must Go, by Dorian Lynskey
8. Cutting Edge, by Daniel Gawthrop
9. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
10. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

So we really probably only sold enough paperback nonfiction to have a top 6, but if I only included five titles, I would have to leave out Stone Age Astronaut. And while I've made it clear that our nonfiction list includes what the NYT would refer to as "advice, how to, and miscellaneous," the truth is that coloring books get coded as book or nonbook depending on the vendor and therefore the buyer. Same for sticker books and the like. But Fuzzy Hygge, a coloring book, is selling off our autumn table,

Books for Kids:

1. Camp Half Blood: The Wild Zone, by Rick Riordan and Annabelle Oh

2. Yarn Is Everything, by Aaron Reynolds, with illustrations by Peter Brown

3. Troubling Tonsils, by Aaron Reynolds

4. Unsettling Salad, by Aaron Reynolds

5. The Lightning Thief V1, by Rick Riordan (three editions)

6. Maggie and the Story Shadows, by Annabelle Oh

7. The Senior Year Adventures: Chalice of the Gods v1, by Rick Riordan

8. Murdle Jr: Wild Good Case, by GT Karber (Wauwatosa Library October 5 event)

9. The Very Eager Evergreen, by Stef Wade and Erin Taylor

10. The Senior Year Adventures: Wrath of the Triple Goddess V2, by Rick Riordan

I have my own fond memories of driving around to do schools with Aaron Reynolds, so I know how much the students enjoyed his recent visits for Yarn Is Everything, the latest in his Jasper Rabbit's Creepy Tales series. From Booklist: "Reynolds and Brown craft another eerie story for their Jasper Rabbit's Creepy Tales! series, guaranteed to hook readers. Winona Mole has a passion for crocheting, but her talent isn't yet at the level seen on her favorite TV show, Yarn Is Everything!...The cautionary ending expertly raises the story's ridiculousness to new heights while still retaining a strand of moral fiber."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 26, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 27 Sep 2026 15:47:42 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 26, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Hollywood, Ending, by John Green
2. The Disappearers, by Marlon James
3. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
4. Exit Party, by Emily St John Mandel
5. Between Two Fires, by Christopher Buehlman
6. Etna, by Paul Yoon
7. Our Noble Selves, by Kate Atkinson
8. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
9. Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel: The New Miss Marple Mystery, by Lucy Foley
10. Dead Beat V3, by Leigh Bardugo

The great migration of YA authors to the adult cases continues with John Green's Hollywood, Ending, who heretofore only published nonfiction in that realm. It's fitting that the top 10 is bookended by Leigh Bardugo. From the publisher: "John Green artfully blends a behind-the-scenes Hollywood love story with an unflinching examination of the insatiable attention economy. Told through dual points of view, the novel brilliantly juxtaposes the on-screen study of Warhol’s life at the dawn of celebrity culture with the intimate struggles of two young people figuring out who they are, both together and alone." Did I ever mention that Andy Warhol was the only celebrity I could ever seem to spot when I lived to New York. Like me, he liked to go to free film screenings, not that we ever talked about this amazing thing we had in common.

Hardcover Nonfiction:

1. Pay Attention, by David Pakman
2. Rock*, by Chuck Klosterman (signed copies)
3. The Catalyst CEO, by Constantine G Alexandrakis
4. Just Kids (2 hardcover editions), by Patti Smith
5. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
6. End Times Fascism, by Naomi Klein and Astra Tayor
7. Happy Snacking, Don't Die!, by Alexis Nikole Nelson
8. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee/Ann Christenson
9. An Unexpected Life, by Gloria Steinem
10. Swan Song: Diana, by Charles Spencer

I have just started watching the new season of Great British Baking Show. Among the contestants is a vegan (at least sometimes) forager, so my attention turned to Happy Snacking, Don't Die!: Foraging and Vegan Recipes with Black Forager, by Alexis Nikole Nelson. Looks like Ingram has already done a big reorder on the book. From Judy Poyer at Library Journal: "Nelson's delightful personality and extensive knowledge give this foraging guide and its recipes appeal for both existing foragers and newcomers to the realm." Here's a story about her in the Cincinnati Enquirer that doesn't seem to be paywalled at the moment, or maybe I can read it because I have a Journal Sentinel subscription and Cincinnati was one of the five other papers I chose to follow. I'm not really sure!

Paperback Fiction:
1. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett
4. Fruit Fly, by Josh Siler
5. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
6. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
7. A Short Stay in Hell, by Steven Peck
8. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman
9. Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro
10. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach

For all the indie-published breakout novels that wind up being short discount and nonreturnable, meaning it's hard for bookstores to join in on the fun (I'm looking at you, Emma M Lion, though we're excited that Penguin will be publishing starting November 24), we are grateful that A Short Stay in Hell is full trade and returnable from Ingram. It's about an LDS geologist who wakes after dying to find out that everything he thought about in life was wrong, and not in a good way. Here's a paywalled Salt Lake City Tribune profile. Well that's not helpful! Here's a review on Medium then.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. The Bread of Angels, by Patti Smith
2. Classroom Mindscapes, by Sarah E Silverman
3. The Book of Days, by Patti Smith
4. Just Kids, by Patti Smith
5. Stone Age Astronaut, by Liam Callanan
6. Lambeau Ladies, by Lauara Kostelnik Biskupic and Katherine Biskupic (event today!)
7. Poems, by William Blake
8. Best of the Wurst, by Jesse Brookstein
9. Between Two Kingdoms, by Sulika Jaouad
10. Healing After Loss, by Martha Hickman

A lot of judgment calls here. I eliminated bulk orders that were more than a year old. As part of our event for Bread of Angels, we sold a lot of other Patti Smith Books. I included only the top sellers in each category (that's called UK chart rules), but I made an exception for Poems of William Blake, as she didn't write it. May I repeat? Attendees bought out our pile of William Blake poetry that Patti Smith selected at the event. And I should note I recently made the decision to move poetry that is not a novel in verse (like the Odyssey) to nonfiction. We need the titles!

I heard nothing but rave reviews of the show. Did I mention that I showed everyone the 1979 promotional single of Frederick that I got while working at our now-gone college radio station? I guess I was holding onto it for 47 years, hoping I would be able to show-and-tell before the event. On to the next.*

Books for Kids:
1. Very Far from Home, by Hope Larson
2. Very Bad at Math, by Hope Larson
3. War, by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano (2 editions)
4. Global, by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano (2 editions)
5. Illegal, by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano (2 editions)
6. Murdle Jr: Wild Goose Chase, by GT Karber (Wauwatosa Library October 5 event)
7. Our Strange Duet, by Erin A Craig
8. Peekaboo Pumpkin, by Camila Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius
9. Anger Is Only a Shadow, by Elizabeth Acevedo
10. There's a Ghost in This House, by Oliver Jeffers

Some new books, some Halloween books, some Battle of the Books, and some event books crowd the top 10. I am intrigued by Our Strange Duet, a YA retelling of Phantom of the Opera from the perspective of Christine Daaé, released on the 40th anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical. Writer Erin A Craig is the author of House of Salt and Sorrows, which just got a coveted deluxe hardcover release. From Booklist: "A captivating choice for fans of gothic fantasy, romantic retellings, and The Phantom of the Opera, as well as readers looking for an elegant blend of history, mystery, and romance.

*Ayad Akhtar is appearing at the Milwaukee Rep for The Radiance. David Brooks called it "a masterpiece" on his podcast interview. Limited tickets available.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 19, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:25:19 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 19, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Pirate Queen, by Ariel Lawhon (signed copies)
2. Hollow Bones, by Jodi Picoult (Pabst October 8 event)
3. Exit Party, by Emily St John Mandel (UWM November 7 event)
4. Dead Beat V3, by Leigh Bardugo
5. The Disappearers, by Marlon James
6. Our Noble Selves, by Kate Atkinson
7. The Rouse, by Chia Mieville
8. Taipei Story, by RF Kuang
9. We Chase Shadows V2, by Richard Osman
10. The Buter's Masquerade V5, by Matt Dinniman

So many new books! I have read a lot of Kate Atkinson over the years, but I'm afraid I haven't yet gotten to Our Noble Selves, which got six raves and two positives on BookMarks. From the starred Booklist: " Atkinson deftly blends the tragicomic spirit of Evelyn Waugh's post-WWII novels with the cringe comedy of The Office in her latest history-mystery...Excellent characterization and telling historical details in a wonderfully invigorating read."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Great Bakes, by Martin Sorge (signed copies)
2. End Times Fascism, by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
3. The Green and Gold Standard, by Thomas M Nelson
4. How to Eat an Elephant, by Sarah Longwell
5. Wisconsin Supper Clubs: One for the Road, by Ron Faiola
6. Redwood, by Ben MacIntyre
7. Protocols, by Andrew D Huberman
8. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
9. One Day Everyone Will Always Hav Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad
10. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green

Top debut on this list is End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World, by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor, which some have called a follow-up to Klein's The Shock Doctrine. The book has three raves and three mixeds on BookMarks, and I should note that that's with clearly conservative review organs do not seem to be covered on BookMarks - correct me if I'm wrong. But I read at least one of the mixeds and I would have categorized it as positive. From the raves, Kirkus called it "An astute, original-minded analysis of the apocalyptic thinking that links tech, politics, and religion." And from Damon Linker's mixed NYT review: "I’m even more skeptical of Klein and Taylor’s decision to accept the premise, affirmed by so many players in our politics, that we are living through a time of unprecedented crisis. I can’t help wondering how much of this widespread conviction follows from a dispassionate, historically informed analysis of the state of the world and how much is a product of the way we get and share information today."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Fruit Fly, by Josh Silver
3. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
4. Your Behavior Will Be Monitored, by Justin Feinstein
5. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
6. May We Feed the King, by Rebecca Perry
7. The Wayfinder, by Adam Johnson
8. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
9. A Resistance of Witches, by Morgan Ryan
10. Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones

If I had combined hardcover sales with paper, Fruit Fly would have edged out Theo of Golden for the top spot. With all the deluxe hardcovers out there, separating out cloth and paperback sales is more complicated, especially because many "hardcovers" are really paper-over-board format. Fruit Fly just came back into stock after surging demand - it's got blurbs from Caro Claire Burke and Ocean Vuong too (and they put them on the book jacket). From Publishers Weekly: "A struggling author co-opts the life of a young gay drug addict for her new manuscript in YA novelist Silver's jaw-dropping adult debut (after Traumaland)...By turns suspenseful, provocative, and touching, this bold thriller burrows under the skin."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Stone Age Astronaut, by Liam Callanan (signed copies)
2. Finding Freedom, by Ruby West Jackson
3. Lambeau Ladies, by Laura Kostelnik Biskupic and Katherine Biskupic (Boswell September 27 event)
4. The Best of the Wurst, by Jesse Brookstein (signed copies)
5. Mother Mary Comes to Me, by Arundhati Roy
6. When Driving Is Not an Option, by Anna Zivarts
7. Crossing the Wine Dark Sea, by Emily Wilson
8. Enshittification, by Cory Doctorow
9. Trees of Wisconsin Field Guide, by Stan Tekiela
10. Wisconsin Idols, by Dean Robbins

I'm guessing this is a first for us - Wisconsin Historical Society Press has our top four books in this list and five in the top ten! It helps that they have such a strong regional list this fall, with two recent and one forthcoming event books. I'm told that Lambeau Ladies is selling particularly well throughout the state - it's a unique take on the subject. From the publisher: "Lambeau Ladies, mother and daughter Laura Kostelnik Biskupic and Katherine Biskupic tell the remarkable, largely untold story of the women who helped to keep the Lombardi-era Packers performing at a championship level. From preparing game-day sandwiches, nursing injuries, and reviewing game film to managing households, hosting social gatherings, and providing emotional strength to their spouses, these women were a driving force behind one of the greatest teams in football history."

Books for Kids:
1. That You Are Here Is No Small Thing, by Traci N Todd and Vashti Harrison
2. War, by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano
3. Peekaboo Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius
4. Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
5. Big, by Vashti Harrison
6. Neverfear V3 Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell
7. One Mad Cat and the Missing Book, by Vicky Fang
8. The Leaf Thief, by Alice Hemming
9. Rite of Passage, by Richard Wright
10. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius

Meteorological fall started September 1 and astronomical fall begins on Tuesday, but bestseller fall has already begun, with three autumnal titles in our top ten and one more (It's fall) at #11. There are many format variations of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's Room on the Broom, but the one we are selling best is the push-pull-slide board book, which translated into Camilla Reid speak, would be Peekaboo Witch's Broom. This #1 bestseller was named one of the best children's books of the century by Book Riot.

This blog is not proofread by anyone but me. Let me know if you spot any typos.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 12, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 14:49:23 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 12, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Under Story, by Chloe Benjamin
2. The Disappearers, by Marlon James
3. Taipei Story, by RF Kuang
4. Pirate Queen, by Ariel Lawhon (Wilson Center September 14 event)
5. Big Little Truths, by Liane Moriarty
6. Switzy, by Emma Cline
7. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
8. Lost Lambs, by Madeline Cash
9. Tempest, by Victoria Aveyard
10. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

Like many books nowadays that flirt with genre, both Taipei Story and Tempest have deluxe limited editions in their initial print runs. Sometimes the initial edition costs more money, but rarely more than $3 (The Correspondent is an outlier) but in these two cases, the limited and regular editions are the same price. In a way, this is similar to they way paper quality might decrease on a future printing of a title, only this is a more publicized. Taipei Story has four raves, three positives, a mixed, and a pan on BookMarks. From Kirkus: (a positive) " As ever, Kuang raises uncomfortable questions about history, ethnicity, and identity and leaves it for readers to determine whether Lily has come to the right conclusions and how much growing up she still has left to do. A visceral exploration of language as a bridge and a barrier."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Lorafied Cookbook, by Lora McLaughlin Peterson
2. Wisconsin Supper Clubs: One for the Road, by Ron Faiola (signed copies)
3. The Art of Fighting, by Priya Parker
4. How to Eat an Elephant, by Sarah Longwell
5. The Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story, by Ron Faiola
6. All the President's Wars, by Peter Bergen
7. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
8. American Scoundrel, by Kai Bird
9. The Castle, by Jon Ronson
10. I Eat the Stars, by Sarah Wilson

Look at all the new books on the list! The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict is from conflict facilitator Priya Parker, whose The Art of Gathering was also a hit. It comes from a long heritage of books about interpersonal disagreements, and who doesn't need some advice in this area? From Publishers Weekly: "Parker's advice is friendly and candid, and her central insight - that fighting done right can help heal and reinvigorate relationships rather than end them - is persuasive. The result is a wise manual for clashing with care."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Breathing Under Water, by Jacqueline Friedland
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
4. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
5. James, by Percival Everett
6. The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett
7. Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke
8. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
9. Bunny, by Mona Awad
10. I See You've Called in Dead, by John Kenney

Publishers have been trying to break out New Yorker contributor John Kenney's fiction for years, and it doesn't help that he only writes a novel every six years. The I See You've Called in Dead paperback from Zibby is now his bestselling book at Boswell, including novels published in hardcover and paperback, and also his poetry, which has done well too. It's about an obituary writer who accidently posts his own death notice. It happens! From the starred Booklist: "Kenney's vivid prose transforms the mundane - chats with neighbors, bad dates, office rivalries - into unexpected hilarity. I See You've Called in Dead is a witty and heartwarming reminder of the bottomless despair, limitless absurdity, and undeniable joy of the human experience."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. As a Jew, by Sarah Hurwitz
2. Stone Age Astronaut, by Liam Callanan (Boswell September 17 event)
3. Crossing the Wine Dark Sea, by Emily Wilson
4. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
5. Replaceable You, by Mary Roach
6. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
7. Poetry Unbound, by Pádraig Ó Tuama
8. Recipes for the Melting Pot, by Nora L Rubel (Boswell October 7 event)
9. The Book of Lives, by Margaret Atwood
10. 111 Places in Milwaukee That You Must Not Miss, by Michelle Madden

Riding the Odyssey wave is the paperback (original, I think) edition the essay collection of Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature from Emily Wilson, which is already out of stock at all of Ingram's warehouses and has six raves on BookMarks and is marked as Instant New York Times bestseller. From Jennifer Szalai in The New York Times (keeper of the bestseller lists): "Wilson elegantly braids together close, line-by-line readings with larger arguments about how much is often at stake. A chapter on ancient Stoicism and its latter-day interpreters shows why it has become so popular in Silicon Valley: Stoic tips on how to find equanimity in a troubled world appeal to powerful, privileged people who have an interest in maintaining the status quo."

Books for Kids:
1. Art Attack: The Sherlock Society V3, by James Ponti
2. That You Are Here Is No Small Thing, by Traci Todd and Vashti Harrison
3. Let's Find Yaya and Boo at the Park!, by Andrew Knapp
4. Who Says Moo, by Axel Scheffler
5. Rite of Passage, by Richard Wright
6. Where's the Leaf Thief, by Alice Hemming and Nicole Slater
7. A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation, by Pablo Cartaya
8. The Sherlock Society V1, by James Ponti
9. Neverfear V3: Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell
10. Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Selling off the autumn display is Where's the Leaf Thief?, in which squirrel and bird try to solve the titular mystery. This board book is adapted from the picture book The Leaf Thief, which as spawned many sequels - The Pumpkin Thief, The Sun Thief, The Snow Thief, and so on. The Egg Thief drops next January. Kirkus called the original "A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 5, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 17:27:41 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending September 5, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Under Story, by Chloe Benjamin (Boswell September 8 event)
2. The Disappearers, by Marlon James
3. The Three Graces of Pearl Street, by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins
4. The Knave and the Moon V2, by Rachel Gilling
5. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
6. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
7. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
8. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
9. Big Little Truths, by Liane Moriarty
10. A Trade of Blood, by Robert Jackson Bennett

Our two biggest debuts this week come from the Penguin division of Pengun Random House with Chloe Benjamin's Under Story coming from Putnam (8 years after The Immortalists) and Marlon James's The Disappearers from Riverhead. Both authors used to live in the Midwest (Benjamin in Madison and James in the Twin Cities) but now are on the coasts, one on each. And I'd be remiss if I didn't shout out the Dwight Garner spectacular review of The Disappearers in The New York Times: "Why not just say it? With this novel about gay experience and murderous homophobia in Jamaica and elsewhere during the 1980s and ’90s, James has written a masterpiece, the novel of the decade and possibly of the century thus far.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Origin of a Leader, by Curtis Manfredo
2. The Green and Gold Standard, by Thomas M Nelson
3. Holding It Together, by Jessica Calarco
4. Everyday Eats, by Alex Snodgrass
5. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
6. Biological War, by Annie Jacobsen
7. American Scoundrel, by Kai Bird
8. Hiroshima 815, by Kiyoshi Tanimoto
9. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
10. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee/Ann Christenson

New this week is American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump, the latest biography from Kai Bird, the coauthor of American Prometheus, the inspiration for the film Oppenheimer. The book got seven raves and two mixed revies, with one of them from the Wall Street Journal, which would makes sense, except their book reviews tend to be pretty independent of the editorial page. Jennifer Szalai in the New York Times is one of the ravers, noting: "Bird calls him (Cohn) 'the ghoul of our nightmares, a man whose personal immorality planted the seeds of America’s descent into the political folly of the 21st century.' A Prometheus steals fire for humanity; a scoundrel takes everyone for a ride."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus (Boswell-run book clubs)
3. James, by Percival Everett
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
5. Dear Committee Members, by Julie Schumacher
6. Lonesome Dove V1, by Larry McMurtry
7. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach
8. The Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy
9. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
10. The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett

Nothing new on this list, so I will shout out the Lit Group that met this past weekend for Audition. Opinions were all over the place, which made for a great discussion. I may have to pick some less popular books to get the attendance down, but I don't think Lonesome Dove (October) or Angel Down (December) will do the trick.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Stone Age Astronaut, by Liam Callanan (Boswell September 17 event)
2. How the States Got Their Shapes, by Mark Stein
3. Kitchen Confidential, annotated edition, by Anthony Bourdain
4. A Flower Traveled in My Blood, by Haley Cohen Gilliland
5. Friends with Words, by Martha Barnette
6. Poetry Unbound, by Pádraig Ó Tuama (poetry is dealer's choice for categorization)
7. Lambeau Ladies, by Laura Kostelnik Biskupic and Katherine Biskupic (Boswell September 27 event)
8. Fall of Civilizations, by Paul Cooper
9. What If We Get It Right, by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
10. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

I miss listening to A Way with Words on WHAD on air. I know I could still access the podcast, but I am still a "I will listen to it if it happens to be on" kind of person. Glad to see we are selling Friends with Words: Adventures in Languageland off our new paperback table. I might be the next customer for it. From Publishers Weekly: "With a conversational tone and an infectious sense of curiosity, Barnette makes a strong case for the mundane magic of words. It's a joyful account that will delight fans of Lynne Truss." Remember that one?

Books for Kids
1. That You Are Here Is No Small Thing, Traci Todd and Vashti Harrison
2. The Neverfear V3, by Katherine Rundell
3. The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan, by Jasmine Warga
4. City Spies V1, by James Ponti
5. A Rover's Story, by Jasmine Warga
6. A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, by Jasmine Warga
7. Penguin Picnic, by Liam Frances Walsh
8. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse and Renée Graef
9. The Amazing Generation, by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price
10. Elf Dog and Owl Head, by MT Anderson

Katherine Rundell's The Neverfear, the latest in The Impossible Creatures series, is our top non-event debut, and has been the case in the last few years, one book is not enough for her. Her nonfiction book for adults, Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise, is also getting a lot of attention. Kirkus called her latest kids book "brilliant," as well as describing the book as "perfectly paced, mythology laced tale of action, adventure, and heart."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 29, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:05:14 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 29, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Calamities V1, by Chuck Wendig (signed copies available)
2. Etna, by Paul Yoon
3. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
4. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
5. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
6. Big Little Truths, by Liane Moriarty
7. Cool Machine V3, by Colson Whitehead
8. This Inevitable Ruin V7, by Matt Dinniman
9. Daggerbound V2, by T Kingfisher
10. Contrapposto, by Dave Eggers

Etna is the #1 Indie Next book for August and has great rec here from Kim. It's also got eight raves, a positive, and a mixed on BookMarks. From Rachel Vorona Cote in The Atlantic: "For all its compactness, Etna has the shape of an epic." Side note: we've already sold more copies of Etna than we have of his five previous books (one novel, four collections).

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Comic Book History of the Cocktail, by David Wondrich
2. The Tribe and I Have Spoken, by Rob Cesternino
3. A Proper Drink, by Robert Simonson
4. The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, by Jill Lepore
5. The Nerd Reich, by Gil Guran
6. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
7. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
8. Biological War, by Annie Jacobson
9. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
10. When Memory Fades, by Nathaniel Chin

Between The Nerd Reich, Regime Change, Biological War, and The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, the nonfiction list is not looking too optimistic of late. From Jill Lepore's publisher: "Building on an essay in The New Yorker in 2024, Lepore's clarion call traces our increasing dependence on and strangulation by data." BookMarks rates it four raves, two positives, and a mixed. Jason is a big fan. He also liked Artificial War.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Candide, by Voltaire
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. James, by Percival Everett
4. Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
5. Dear Committee Members, by Julie Schumacher
6. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
7. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
8. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach
9. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
10. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman

Lots of back-to-school sales from local courses this week, but for the most part, these are individual sales, not bulk orders. Lonesome Dove is a constant social media presence driven further up because we're doing it for Lit Group in October. East of Eden is similarly popping, plus it's got a Netflix series. The only question? Which of the three jackets that we're selling should I feature? I'm going with the tie-in cover, but not because I like it.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Behind the Mirror, by Taran Armstrong
2. Muslims in Milwaukee, by Anna Mansson McGinty, Caroline Seymour-Jorn, Kristin M Sziarto
3. Liberal Fascisms, by Slavoj Zizek
4. Baldwin: A Love Story, by Nicholas Boggs
5. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
6. Devotions, by Mary Oliver
7. Women, Walking, by Zahra Ibrahim
8. The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk
9. Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain
10. The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI, by Cory Doctorow

From indie Coach House Press comes Women, Walking: Notes on Lives in Motion, edited by Zahra Ebrahim and Jane Farrow. This collection features "thirty vignettes, essays, graphic art, poems, and interviews." Booklist called it "a ray of literary light." It's selling off our new paperback table.

Books for Kids:
1. New Kid, by Jerry Craft
2. The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze, by Derrick Barnes
3. Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
4. Freewater, by Amina Luqman-Dawson
5. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
6. Mexikid, by Pedro Martín
7. Who Would Win: Underwater Battles, by Jerry Palotta
8. Richard Scarry's Busiest People Ever 50th anniversary edition, by Richard Scarry
9. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse and Renée Graef
10. Wonderful Halloween, by Emily Winfield Martin

Where does Summerween end and traditional Halloween promotions begin? I'm not sure. In any case, squeaking onto this week's top ten is Wonderful Halloween, the new board book from Emily Winfield Martin, whose The Wonderful Things You Will Be was on the bestseller lists for years (and for all I know, still is). We also sell a good number of her cards. From the publisher on the new book: "With her signature warmth and charm, Emily Winfield Martin captures the spirit of this beloved holiday: from dancing leaves and starlit skies to trick-or-treating with friends."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 22, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:52:27 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 22, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:

1. The Calamities V1, by Chuck Wendig (Boswell August 29 event)
2. The Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
3. Whistler, by Chuck Wendig
4. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
5. God's Country V22, by William Kent Krueger
6. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
7. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
8. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
9. Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan
10. The Breakup, by Kurt Andersen

Kurt Andersen, author of numerous novels and works of nonfiction, as well as publisher of the legendary Spy Magazine, offers The Breakup, a dystopian satire set in post-civil-war 2045 about a divorced couple taking their son on a pre-college road trip. From Kirkus: "The AI part of the story is a little undercooked and the political commentary none too subtle, but overall it's an effective exercise in dystopian fiction with some nicely developed thriller elements in the mix. A politically charged vision of what our civil strife might look like just a bit down the road."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Legacy Redefined, by Richard Watts
2. The Veiled Prophet, by Devin Thomas O'Shea
3. What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast, by Caroline Chambers
4. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
5. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
6. Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
7. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
8. This Is Me, by Hayden Panettiere
9. The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
10. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee and Ann Christenson

It's the second week in the top 10 for What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast, following up Caroline Chambers's 2024 release, which still sells very well at Boswell, but, by implication, does not need to be made fast. I think this is the first time I've used the term "Substack star." Dear Chronicle Books, Why don't you consider repackaging the 2018 release Just Married, Chambers's 2018 cookbook. And maybe zhuzh up the title.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett
3. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
5. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach
6. Lonesome Doves, by Larry McMurtry
7. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab
8. A Resistance of Witches, by Morgan Ryan
9. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
10. Audition, by Katie Kitamura (Boswell-run book clubs)

After two years, the paperback is released of VE Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, and in my continuing analysis of hardcover vs paperback pricing, the difference between the two is about $7. Caveat - there is extra value in a new short story included. Interestingly, I've seen other recent fiction releases where there was an attempt to keep the paperback price at $20 (often $19.99), even when the hardcover was over $30. To summarize, pricing is all over the place. This fall, I saw two high profile novels (in both cases, long-awaited follow ups) from the same corporation that had the same page count, but one was $32 and the other was $36. But enough about that! Six raves and a positive from BookMarks. Publishers Weekly called it "a haunting and worthwhile story about cruelty, grace, love, and what it means to live forever."

Paperback Nonfiction
1. How the Other Half Eats, by Priya Fielding-Singh
2. A Resistance History of the United States, by Tad Stoermer
3. Say Nothing, by Patrick Radden Keefe
4. Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
5. Lambeau Ladies, by Laura Kostelnik Biskupic and Katherine Biskupic

While I'm not reducing our nonfiction paperback list to monthly like The New York Times, I do sometimes have to list fewer titles. As an aside, I think the better solution would have been to undo the separation they made many years ago of pulling advice and how-to books out of nonfiction, which I think is not always a fair split. Back when the nonfiction list was more high profile, it would sometimes appear that the decision on where to place the book sometimes was subject to publisher influence. I also felt there was some prejudice built into the decisions, but I won't go into that here.

This week's higlighted title is Tad Stoermer's A Resistance History of the United States (Steerforth Press, now an imprint of Pushkin Press). From Booklist: "Readers interested in U.S. history, particularly political and social histories, will find Stoermer's work to be an insightful approach in understanding a pattern of organized resistance movements and how they confronted violence and authority, and attempted to reform structural changes for a better future in America."

Books for Kids:
1. The Makers, by Christa Yelich-Koth
2. The Ginghams, by TC Kemper
3. The Big One, by Dashka Slater, illustrations by Myo Yim
4. Jia Has a Dog Problem, Stephenie Ellen Sy, illustrations by Isabella Kung
5. The Story Rug, by Sophie Blackall, illustrations by Phoebe Wahl
6. The Sneaks, by Amy Tern
7. Offside, by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Mari Costa
8. Kindergarten Gests Ready, by Naomi Danis
9. The Invisibles, by Polly Kowitt
10. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse with illustrations by Renée Graef

There's nothing more rewarding than a successful book presentation and that was definitely the case this week when two Boswellians spoke to school librarians. One pick from McKenna is The Big One, from Dashka Slater and Myo Yim. From Jessica Calaway in School Library Journal: "A determined young girl and her grandmother set out together to catch The Big One in this wondrous picture book. Grandmother is the oldest resident of their seaside town while granddaughter Marina is the smallest, but neither age nor size stand in the way of their goal...Together, this whale of a tale and its outstanding illustrations create a rich, sensory journey that celebrates curiosity, resilience, and wonder."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 15, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 16:44:57 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 15, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Murder at an Irish Session V12, by Carlene O'Connor
2. The Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
3. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
4. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
5. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
6. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
7. John of John, by Douglas Stuart
8. A Trade of Blood V3, by Robert Jackson Bennett
9. Country People, by Daniel Mason
10. The Butcher Legacy V3, by Alaina Uruquart

We had a couple of nicely attended Irish Fest preview events this week, including one with Malcolm McDowell Woods (see paperback fiction below) and another with Carlene O'Connor, who last visited in 2023. We only lost six attendees by moving the start time of the program from 2 pm to 11 am (by request), which makes me more confident of our holiday book talk for Knopf/Doubleday/Vintage books, which is on October 28 at 11. And back to O'Connor, we actually sold substantially more of Murder at an Irish Session than we did of her 2023 title. Perhaps it's because it's because the music theme of the latest resonates with Irish Fest fans?

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Courage Can Save Us, by Rye Barcott
2. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
3. Wisconsin Supper Clubs: One for the Road, by Ron Faiola (Boswell September 10 event)
4. What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, by Caroline Chambers
5. The Green and Gold Standard, by Thomas Nelson (Boswell September 2 event)
6. This Vast Enterprise, by Craig Fehrman (Milwaukee Public Library October 20 event)
7. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
8. The World Appears, by Michael Pollan
9. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
10. Everything Is Tuberculosis, by John Green

The Packers books are here. Both Lambeau Ladies in paperback and The Green and Gold Standard: A People's History of the Green Bay Packers have arrived. It's interesting to me that nobody wants to publish books on the Bucks or the Brewers. I don't even remember a Bucks champions book with true bookstore distribution. And why isn't someone writing a Moneyball-type book about how the Brewers compete as a small-market team where the big-market teams can buy their way to championships.? Or at least try to.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Ice Fishing in Donegal, by Malcolm McDowell Woods
3. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
5. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
6. Taiwan Travelogue, by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ (Yang is the last name)
7. Circe, by Madeline Miller
8. The Odyssey, by Home, translated by Emily Wilson
9. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
10. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman

Taiwan Travelogue is a double award winner - the National Book Award for translated fiction and the International Booker Prize, also for translated fiction. The book has two raves and a positive in BookMarks, including this rave from Shahnaz Habib in The New York Times called the book "a delightfully slippery novel about how power shapes relationships, and what travel reveals and conceals."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Lambeau ladies, by Laura Kostelnik Biskupic and Catherine Biskupic (Boswell September 27 event)
2. Inventing the Renaissance, by Ada Palmer
3. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
4. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
5. How to Stand up to a Dictator, by Maria Ressa
6. Dinner with King Tut, by Sam Kean
7. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
8. The Invention of Nature, by Andrea Wulf
9. Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah
10. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote

Selling of the new paperback table is Inventing the Renaissance: The Myth of a Golden Age, by University of Chicago Associate Professor Ada Palmer, who visited us ten years ago for a science fiction novel. The book was named a New Yorker best of the year, though unlike other media, they don't limit to 10, 50, or 100. From Choice: "Palmer's book is as much about the utility of the myths to later generations and the value of writing history as it is about the character of the Renaissance itself. Deeply erudite, engagingly personal, and a passionate call to build on what the Renaissance achieved, this work is a tour de force. "

Books for Kids:
1. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
2. The Pumpkin Thief, by Alice Hemming
3. Mi Escuela Is My School, by Laruenne Sala, illustrations by Zara González-Hoang
4. You Can Sit with Me, by Rachel Tawil Kenyon, illustrations by Tatiana Kamshilina
5. Tiny T Rex and the First Day Oopsies, by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrations by Jay Fleck
6. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. Indestructibles: Happy and You Know It, by Amy Pixton, illustrations by Vanja Kragulj
8. The Heirs, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
9. The Future Book, by Mac Barnett, illustrations by Shawn Harris
10. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Gareth Hinds

When it comes to picture books, thank goodness for holidays, as they really drive sales. This week we feature The Pumpkin Thief from Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater, who previously collaborated on The Leaf Thief and The Sun Thief. The Egg Thief is already scheduled for 2027. For National Deviled Egg Day? No, silly, Easter.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 8, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 12:45:21 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 8, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
2. John of John, by Douglas Stuart
3. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
4. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
5. Tenderness, by Rowan Beaird
6. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
7. Country People, by Daniel Mason
8. A Trade of Blood V3, by Robert Jackson Bennett
9. Cool Machine V3, by Colson Whitehead
10. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout

A Trade of Blood is the third entry in the Ana and Din mysteries, which if you're wondering, are shelved in fantasy, per our buyer. From the starred Booklist: "Series fans will be delighted with the Romeo and Juliet-inspired plotline involving a complex mystery that astounds even the peevish detective. The introduction of a member of Din's family plus new hints about Ana's history will have readers eager for their next adventure."

Hardcover Nonfiction:

1. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
2. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
3. Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
4. Biological War, by Annie Jacobsen
5. London Falling, by Patrick Keefe
6. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
7. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
8. The Veiled Prophet, by David Thomas O'Shea (Boswell August 20 event)
9. Here Where We Live Is Our Country, by Molly Crabapple
10. How Lucky Am I, by Christian Watson

Second week on the bestseller list for Annie Jacobsen's Biological War: A Scenario, one of our buyer's picks. Jacobsen looks at the likelihood of a future global pandemic that could cause, per the publisher, "mass death, total societal breakdown, widespread insurrection, anarchy, and a plague-ravaged wasteland that no longer resembles modern civilization." From Dwight Garner in The New York Times: "The reason Biological War, like Jacobsen’s previous book, is so consuming is that she packs a lot of dense and particulate information into a ticking-clock scenario: into a story. It’s more pulverizing than a Kathryn Bigelow movie."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, by Alison Espach
4. The Adults, by Alison Espach
5. The Odyssey, by Home, translated by Emily Wilson
6. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
7. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
8. Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth
9. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry (Boswell-run book clubs)
10. Carl's Doomsday Scenario v2, by Matt Dinniman

And book #2 in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, Carl's Doomsday Scenario, is released in paperback and hits the list, but I have little more to say than that, because I can't figure out from the copy if I'm writing about the series as a whole or this second installment in particular.

Instead I will mention the Alison Espach appearance for the Elm Grove Public Library for the paperback edition of The Wedding People. Pretty much everyone in attendance had probably read the book, but they were hungry for her two earlier published novels. That's not always the case. I'm not sure if this was the second book in a contract, but it is her second book with Henry Holt, reminding me of the breakout success of Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (which was the second book in a contract). Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance has sold more copies in 2026 for us than it did in 2022 through 2025 combined in both hardcover and paperback editions.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Lambeau Ladies, by Laura Kostelnik Biskuic and Katherine Biskupic (Boswell September 27 event)
2. Devotions, by Mary Oliver
3. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
4. On Tyranny, graphic edition, by Timothy Snyder
5. Baldwin: A Love Story, by Nicholas Boggs
6. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
7. Muslims in Milwaukee, by Anna Mansson McGinty, Anna, Caroline Seymour-Jorn, and Kristin Sziarto (Boswell August 26 event)
8. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey
9. Best Beer Hikes Wisconsin, by Chad Turner
10. The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron

In the never-ending quandary of whether poetry is fiction or nonfiction, I have given up and if the poetry is effectively essay or memoir, at least for now, I'm putting it in nonfiction, because that list is much thinner. Devotions had a pop from screenings of the documentary, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, which debuted in Milwaukee for the Milwaukee Film Festival. It will appear on PBS's American Masters on August 25.

Books for Kids:
1. Tommy T Willy Goes to the Zoo, by Cindy L Williams, illustrations by Alissa Creno
2. The Makers, by Christa Yelich-Koth (Boswell August 19 event)
3. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
4. Bats on the Bus, by Alison Jackson, illustrations by Scott Magoon
5. The Odyssey graphic edition, by Homer, translated by Gareth Hinds
6. Little Ghost-s Summerween, by Maggie Edkins Willis
7. Off the Wall, by Juana Martinez-Neal, will illustrations by Martinez-Neal and Molly Idle
8. Pete the Kitty: 5 Pawsome Tales, by James Dean
9. Stubby, by Sydra Mallery, illustrations by John Hare
10. Buffalo Fluffalo, by Bess Kalb, illustrations by Erin Kraan

The Summerween display certainly has folks buying Halloween books earlier, and why not? Gives you more time to enjoy them. One hit is Bats on the Bus, a July-August kids Indie Next pick. Emily Brush reviewed Alison Jackson's picture book in School Library Journal: "A ghostly, familiar variation of The Wheels on the Bus, but memorable for its command of color and delivering slightly more fright."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 1, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 17:39:21 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending August 1, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Cool Machine V3, by Colson Whitehead
2. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
3. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
4. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
5. Every Exit Brings You Home, by Naeem Murr
6. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
7. Beginning Middle End, by Valeria Luiselli
8. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson
9. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman
10. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

Beginning Middle End is the latest novel from Valeria Luiselli. In its first week on sale, it's already gotten seven raves, as well as two positives and a mixed on BookMarks. From the starred Booklist: "After finishing a difficult book and surviving a painful divorce, the narrator has taken her 12-year-old daughter overseas on a long book tour. Luiselli subtly continues the stories of the mother and daughter in her Carnegie Medal-winning Lost Children Archive, though this exquisite tale stands on its own...With photographs and old postcards enriching this rhapsodic tale of beauty and terror, Luiselli contemplates questions of home, inheritance, time, mythology, metamorphosis, injustice, our impact on nature, and "a big mystery in the very heart of life."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
2. How Lucky Am I, by Christian Watson
3. I Eat the Stars, by Sarah Wilson
4. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
5. Make Believe, by Mac Barnett
6. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
7. Biological War, by Annie Jacobsen
8. Strangers, by Belle Burden
9. The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, by Casey Serhman
10. Milwaukee Flavor, by Ann Christenson and Visit Milwaukee, photos by Kevin J Miyazaki

Top debut is How Lucky Am I, which is from Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House's Crown division, which I guess has been morphing from a cookbook-and-home-centered publisher to one that encompasses all graphica. There is also a guided journal coming out later this year. Mason Bennett reviews this book in Library Journal: "Author/illustrator Watson's social media sensation*, Mr. Skelly, is a simple skeleton living in a world of rich, warm, cozy color. As he journeys through lushly illustrated landscapes depicting joy, loss, grief and love, he shares musings on what makes life important. Every page of Watson's illustrations is a feast for the eyes."
*Over four million Instagram followers

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Scrap Book, by Nick Martino
3. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinnaman
5. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones
6. The Wedding People, by Alison Espach (this week's event is at capacity)
7. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
8. The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett
9. God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
10. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman

Now in paperback, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter was not just awarded Best Horror Novel by Locus, but also Best Novel from the Nebulas, jumping genres from their usual science fiction focus. This is sort of like BTS winning best album instead of being relegated to Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. Yes, I follow award news, even if I don't watch award shows or care who wins. Here's Randy Boyagoda in The New York Times: "What is Jones doing here, with this trifold narrative structure? He has created a novel that invites us to reflect on how the stories we tell about ourselves can be at once confessions and concealments. At the same time, he’s using this framework to set up some scary, big reveals."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI, by Cory Doctorow
2. Secret Milwaukee, by Jim Nelsen
3. John Gurda's Milwuakee, by John Gurda
4. The Wager, by David Grann
5. The Language of Mathematics, by Raúl Rojas
6. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
7. How to Kill a Witch, by Zoe Venditozzi
8. The Gardener's Guide to Prairie Plants, by Neil Diboll
9. The President's Kitchen Cabinet, by Adrian Miller
10. Rand McNally Road Atlas 2027

The Language of Mathematics: The Stories Behind the Symbols is a reprint of a Princeton hardcover selling off our new paperback table. From Siobhan Roberts in The Wall Street Journal: "For decades Mr. Rojas - a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Nevada, Reno, and an emeritus professor in computer science and mathematics at the Free University of Berlin—accumulated his collection of symbolic tidbits while teaching a seminar on the history of mathematics. Mr. Rojas long tried to make his anecdotes, vignettes and factoids cohere into a book, initially writing in English and German, but it wasn’t until he began writing in Spanish, his mother tongue, that a manuscript took shape." I am always looking out for an interesting math book that I might be able to understand!

Books for Kids:
1. The Makers, by Christa Yelich-Koth (Boswell August 19 event)
2. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
3. Heartstopper V6, by Alice Oseman
4. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
5. Swim School: A Bluey Storybook
6. The Gilded Blade V3, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
7. The Heirs, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
8. Don't Trust Fish, by Neil Sharpson
9. The Story Rug, by Sophie Blackall
10. A Potion, A Powder, a Little Bit of Magic, by Philip Stead

I usually think of Sophie Blackall illustrating her own books, but the honors for The Story Rug went to Phoebe Wall. I know writing can take a long time, but I'm guessing illustrating can take even longer if you're not taking shortcuts. For those writer/illustrators with a head full of ideas, a book about collaboration is the perfect book to collaborate on. From Booklist: "This cozy classroom tale traces how a small spark of interest can gather momentum and meaning through shared making. After a braiding craze sweeps his classroom, one boy is captivated; his absorbed work on a steadily lengthening strand draws others back in...A charming interweaving of craft, cooperation, and the celebration of stories tucked into everyday things."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 25, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:08:33 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 25, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:

1. Cool Machine V3, by Colson Whitehead
2. Country People, by Daniel Mason
3. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
4. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
5. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
6. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
7. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
8. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson
9. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
10. Carl's Doomsday Scanario V2, by Matt Dinniman

The only new title in our top ten this week is this week's major release, Cool Machine, the final book in his Harlem Trilogy. BookMarks scores 14 raves and 3 positive reviews, including this from Leigh Haber in The Los Angeles Times: "A dizzyingly brilliant measure of the versatility and depth of the acclaimed author’s literary talent ... The intricacy with which Whitehead details the planning and execution of this caper marks him as a top-tier researcher - he’s drawn on many primary sources to ground this work of fiction in historical fact."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. This Is the Plan, by Ben Wikler
2. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee/Ann Christenson
3. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
4. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
5. All American Patriotism, by Rachel Campos-Duffy
6. The Book of Birds, by Robert MacFarlane and Jacki Morris
7. Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
8. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
9. Talking Classics, by Mary Beard
10. Famesick, by Lena Dunham

One way that university presses get bigger names normally tied to larger houses is by publishing lectures. I still remember the success of Eudora Welty's One Writer's Beginnings, which was published by Harvard. And my friend John noted that Patti Smith (tickets available now) has a lecture published by Yale. That's the case with Mary Beard's Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old, which has six raves and a positive from BookMarks. Maureen Corrigan notes in her NPR review: "If the word 'lectures' makes you want to head for an exit door, you don't know Beard's style."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weird
4. The Iliad, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
5. Circe, by Madeline Miller
6. God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
7. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
8. Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth
9. My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante (Boswell-run book clubs)
10. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman

Nothing new here, so I'll point out the Odyssey fever has swept up Emily Wilson's translation of The Iliad, and likely Madeline Miller's Circe too. Shouldn't we also be seeing a pop in Percy Jackson? Antonio Ferme reports on academic conversations about the film in Variety.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
2. Small Steps, by Kimberly Knowle-Zeller
3. The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay
4. To Life, by Joel Greenberg
5. What If We Get It Right, by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
6. Young Washington, by Peter Stark
7. The Salt Stones, by Helen Whybrow
8. Secret Wisconsin, by Tom Manus and Kristi Flick Manus
9. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey
10. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson

Selling off the new paperback table is The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd Life, which I'm calling out partly because it's a Milkweed book and I'm also reading a Milkweed book, Patient, Female, the new collection of stories from Julie Schumacher. The Stone Stories, about a sheep farm in Vermont, was listed among the best books of the year in The New Yorker: "Whybrow is uniquely positioned to understand what humans have lost in severing their bond with nature, yet her message is more hopeful than bleak..." To be fair, this is an enormous list, way more than we usually see in a best-of roundup.

Books for Kids:
1. The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon
2. Take My Patty, by Alison Hayes
3. The Girl in the Blue Coat, by Monica Hesse
4. The Boy on the Wooden Box, by Leon Leyson
5. Parallel Journeys, by Eleanor Ayer
6. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. The Makers, by Christa Yelich-Koth (Boswell August 19 event)
8. Heartstopper V6, by Alice Oseman
9. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga, by Dav Pilkey
10. Chains V1, by Laurie Halse Anderson

We've got a few American Revolution-themed titles selling this week, and they cover the spectrum. I thought Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains was a school order, but no, they were individual sales. It was a National Book Award finalist back in 2008 as well as winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for historical fiction. If you're wondering which book won the 2026 award, it's A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by María Dolores Águila.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 18, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 16:44:02 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 18, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Parisian Heist, by Jo Piazza
2. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
3. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
4. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
5. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
6. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson
7. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
8. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
9. Love You More, by Emily Giffin
10. Villa Coco, by Andrew Sean Greer
11. Lost Lambs, by Madeline Cash
12. Ransom V26, by Daniel Silva
13. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman
14. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook V3, by Matt Dinniman
15. Country People, by Daniel Mason

New this week is The Parisian Heist, which had a delightful pre-pub event last Sunday. We came very close to selling out, but we have a couple of signed copies. Publishers Weekly and Booklist gave it very nice reviews; Kirkus reviewer thought it worked better as a historical fiction than a contemporary thriller, but I've heard that historicals are having some trouble finding shelf space, which, needless to say, affects sales. If positioning it as a contemporary thriller overcomes that, go for it!

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Stop Making Stupid Investments, by David Letter
2. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
3. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
4. Burn the Haystack, by Jennie Young
5. The Book of Birds, by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris
6. A Vast Horizon, by Anna Thomasson
7. The Table Where We Meet, by Jess Janz
8. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee/Ann Christenson
9. Great Bakes, by Martin Sorge (Boswell September 15 event)
10. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon

No advance reviews on The Table Where We Meet: Lessons Learned from Dinner with 1000 Strangers and I don't recognize the folks who blurbed it. But folks heard about it somewhere and they bought enough to get in our top ten. From the publisher: " What started as a casual idea in a hair salon soon became Dinner With Strangers: a growing movement where guests gather around a table, introduce themselves without ever mentioning work, and share who they are beyond the job title. No scripts, no expectations - just curiosity, courage, and a seat at the table."

Interesting aside: The Toronto Star separates out Canadian bestsellers from general bestsellers and The Table Where We Meet hit that list. But notice a weird discrepancy - Carley Fortune appears on the general list, but Elle Kennedy, who appears above Fortune on the Canadian list, does not appear on the general list.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman

3. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
4. Story and Song V7 Adventure Zone, by Griffin McElroy
5. The Sicilian Inheritance, by Jo Piazza
6. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
7. Apostle's Cove V21, by William Kent Krueger
8. Yellowface, by RF Kuang
9. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
10. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

11. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones
12. The Bookshop of Secrets, by Kerry Barrett
13. The Memory Bookshop, by Song Yu-Jeong
14. A Woman's Guide to True Crime, by Mary Thorson
15. Scrap Book, by Nick Martino (Boswell July 29 event)

Apostle's Cove has a nice paperback pop in its second week of sale. If you're hoping to see William Kent Krueger when he's on tour for his new novel, God's Country, I think the closest he's coming is Dubuque, Iowa for an event hosted by River Lights Bookstore at Steeple Square on October 1. I don't think there is registration, but you might want to check with them. More info here. Worth a road trip!

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. When Lambs Become Wolves, by Rasul T Freelain
2. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
3. Forest Euphoria, by Patricia Kaishian
4. Murdoku V2: Back in Time, by Manuel Garand
5. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey
6. Frank Lloyd Wright's Illinois, by Kristine Hansen
7. Penelope's Bones, by Emily Hauser
8. There Is No Place for Us, by Brian Goldstone
9. Brick Through the Window, by Steven Nodine, Eric Beaumont, Clancy Carroll, David Luhrssen

10. To Life, by Joel Greenberg (Boswell July 19 event - today at 4)

I'm glad to see that Frank Lloyd Wright's Illinois continues to sell after Kristine Hansen's event here. I've toured the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio, Robie House, and The Rookery, but this guide points the way to buildings all through the Chicago suburbs (though many are not public buildings) plus Rockford, Decatur, and Kankakee, the last of which is open for tours. Next up? Arizona.

Books for Kids:
1. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
2. The Deepest Blue, by Shauntay Grant, illustrations by Daniel Minter
3. Heartstopper V6, by Alice Oseman
4. Makers, by Christa Yelich-Koth (Boswell August 19 event)
5. Pete the Kitty: Five Pawsome Tales, by James Dean
6. Peekaboo Love, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
7. The Wise Pickle, by Sarah Howden, illustrations by Sabina Hahn
8. The Last Day Pool Party, by Emma Steinkellner
9. Animals: Touch and Feel First Words Book, by Wendy Kendall
10. The Gilded Blade V3, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Wise Pickle is a July/August Indie Next pick for kids, plus it's got a staff rec from Jason here. It's also out of stock at all Ingram warehouses! From Booklist: "Prospective Samuel Beckett fans--or any readers open to receiving inscrutable life lessons from a pickle--will find much to chew over in this droll slice of deadpan dilly-dally." It just goes to show that pickles really are the everything bagel of 2026.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 11, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 17:00:44 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 11, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Love You More, by Emily Giffin (signed copies)
2. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson (signed copies)
3. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
4. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
5. Country People, by Daniel Mason
6. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
7. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
8. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
9. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
10. John of John, by Douglas Stewart
11. Villa Coco, by Andrew Sean Grer
12. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
13. Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, by Ben Reeves
14. Contrapposto, by Dave Eggers
15. The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy V2, by Brigitte Knightley

Country People is our top non-event debut this week and it's the GMA Book Club pick for the month. It's a change of pace from North Woods, though one good argue his previous novel also had country people. 11 reviews on Bookmarks, including five raves. One of the raves is from Sarah Crown in The Guardian: "The surface structures in Country People may be sugar-spun, but the novel's foundations are solid, and its roots - the tangled and interconnected web of stories that gave rise to its new stories - are deliciously deep."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Antisemitism, an American Tradition, by Pamela S Nadell
2. Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
3. The Lost Cities of El Norte, by Peter Stark (signed copies)
4. Courage Can Save Us, by Rye Barcott
5. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
6. Beautiful Struggle, by Sharon Chubbuck and Cynthia Ellwood
7. The Wreck of the Mentor, by Eirc Jay Dolin
8. Make Believe, by Mac Barnett
9. All We Say, by Ben Rhodes
10. The Feather Wars, by James H McCommons

All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches is the third book from Ben Rhodes, a speechwriter himself. It came out in May, but is one of the many titles that tie into the current 250th celebrations. From Kirkus: "The book consistently enlivens its source material, complementing the text of speeches with memorable anecdotes and difficult truths about what men, as different as Obama and Reagan, termed America's 'experiment in democracy.'"

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Supper Club Saints, by Claire Swinarski
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie Country, by Claire Swinarski
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
5. Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth
6. God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
7. The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
8. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
9. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
10. Audition, by Katie Kitamura (Boswell-run book clubs)

Selling off either our movie/TV/screening tie-in table or the separate all things Odyssey table is Emily Wilson's Odyssey translation. The film opens July 17. Here's the Hollywood Reporter piece from Lexi Carson with Christopher Nolan's response to some of the criticisms about the film, like why the dialogue isn't in ancient Greek. That was a joke.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. For the Good of the Game, by Bud Selig
2. Frank Lloyd Wright's Illinois, by Kristine Hansen (signed copies)
3. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
4. Elledge's Nontrivial Trivia, by John Elledge
5. Frank Lloyd Wright's Wisconsin, by Kristine Hansen
6. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
7. A Marriage at Sea, by Sophie Elmhirst
8. A Flower Traveled in my Blood, by Haley Cohen Gilliland
9. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
10. Milwaukee: A City Built on Water, by John Gurda

Selling off the new paperback table is A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children. The book had ten raves on BookMarks, and was a Pultizer Prize finalist. This from David Grann: "There is so much to read but don't miss this supremely well-researched and powerful new book. Very grateful to have finally read it."

Books for Kids:
1. Heartstopper V6, by Alice Oseman
2. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
3. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
4. The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
5. What Happened to Rachel Reilly?, by Claire Swinarski
6. Oh the Places You'll Go, by Dr Seuss
7. Summer Pops Up, by Aurore Petit
8. The Odyssey Graphic Novel, by Home/Gareth Hinds
9. A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic, by Philip Stead
10. Garlic and the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen

Alice Olsen's sixth volume of Heartstopper came out Tuesday. It's the final installment, or so we've been told. Here's what she told The New York Times in the By the Book column: "Honestly, I don’t have any plans for spinoffs at the moment. I’ve adored spending time with these characters, but it’s been a pretty long time since I’ve been able to create some new characters and new stories, and I miss it!"

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 4, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:01:32 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending July 4, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Whistler, by Ann Patchett
2. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
3. Blood River Witch, by TJ Martinson
4. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
5. The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson (Boswell/WCW July 10 event - see below)
6. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
7. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
8. John of John, by Douglas Stewart
9. Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep, by Paul Tremblay
10. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook V3, by Matt Dinniman

Despite Emily C Hughes in The New York Times writing Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep will likely be a divisive novel, even among the Tremblay die-hard," there seems to be no divisiveness from critics, as Paul Tremblay's latest novel, with the title referencing Philip K Dick, got six raves on BookMarks.

I want to give a shout out to The Shampoo Effect, but which I am excited to now be reading for the second time, so I can do the best conversation I can with Lauren Fox when we speak to Jenny Jackson at the Woman's Club of Wisconsin on Friday. Tickets are still available but I they will be closing out shortly.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Obstinate Daughters, by Denise Kiernan
2. Regime Change, by Maggie Hoberman and Jonathan Swan
3. The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
4. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
5. What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, by Caroline Chambers
6. The Lost Cities of El Norte, by Peter Stark (Boswell July 7 event)
7. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
8. America USA, by Eddie S Glaude Jr
9. Spain My Way, by Jose Andres
10. The Book of Birds, by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris

More American history than we usually see on a bestseller list, from Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution to America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries to The Lost Cities of El Norte: Coronado's Quest, the Unconquered West, and the Birth of American Indian Resistance. Peter Stark's Young Washington was source material for the current film of the same name, showing at area Marcus Theaters and the AMC at Mayfair.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
5. Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth
6. The Mysterious Affair of Judith Patts V5, by Robert Thorogood
7. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
8. A Death in Door County V1, by Annelise Ryan
9. The Someday Garden, by Ashley Poston
10. The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant V1, by Liza Tully

We did a preorder campaign for Robert Thorogood's The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts (some goodies still available - ask a bookseller), the fifth installment of The Marlow Murder Club, now on PBS. This from Kirkus: "The fatal shooting of footballer Gary Wise, late of the Wycombe Wanderers, in the woods near the Hurley Manor House serves as a starting gun for crossword puzzle designer Judith Potts, dog walker Suzie Harris, and vicar's wife Becks Starling... Fiendishly clever in all the most decorous ways."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. The Wager, by David Grann
2. Is a River Alive, by Robert MacFarlane
3. Forest Euphoria, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian
4. All the Beauty in the World, by Patrick Bringley
5. The Möbius Book, by Catherine Lacey
6. The Reverse Center's Guide to Life After AI, by Cory Doctorow
7. The Tonality of Thought, by Byung-Chul Han
8. Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow
9. Frank Lloyd Wright's Illinois, by Kristine Hansen (Boswell July 8 event)
10. Beer Hiking Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula, by Kristin Radaich

Several fresh releases showed interest on the new paperback table including Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature. From Publishers Weekly: "Kaishian, a mycology curator at the New York State Museum, debuts with reverent celebration of the natural world's diversity. Highlighting 'queer' animals, fungi, and plants that complicate 'our ideas of what is normal versus what is deviant.'...This will leave readers in awe of nature's many splendors"

Books for Kids:
1. Pete the Kitty: Five Pawsome Tales, by James Dean
2. Peekaboo Dog, by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P Arrhenius
3. Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhhà Lai
4. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
5. The Heirs, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
6. Wombat Waiting, by Katherine Applegate
7. Breakout, by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
8. Baseball for Breakfast, by Judy Campbell-Smith, illustrations by Maggie Carroll
9. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations, by Renée Graef
10 The Warriors Graphic Novel: New Prophecy V1, by Erin Hunter, adapted by Gibson Twist, illustrated by Sammy Savos

Wombat Waiting, Katherine Applegate's latest is a stand-alone middle grade novel in verse about a stray dog in the California wildfires, based on a true story. From Booklist: " The stirring story is told via urgent, elegant verse, alternating between animal and human viewpoints as the Santa Ana winds and wildfires sweep across a Californian community. The mounting tension and moments of grief are countered by familial affection, burgeoning community, and flashes of levity (Wombat's increasing annoyance with the disembodied voice is particularly amusing), while occasional sketches are adorable. Animal lovers and Applegate appreciators alike will adore the gripping, gorgeous story."

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending June 27, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:33:52 +0000

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.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 20, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 16:41:01 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 20, 2026

Hardcover Fiction
1. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
2. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
3. Whistler, by Ann Patchett (tomorrow)
4. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
5. Contrapposto, by Dave Eggers
6. The Keeper, by Tana French
7. The Midnight Train, by Matt Haig
8. Villa Coco, by Andrew Sean Greer
9. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
10. Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It, by Brooke Averick
11. Daughters of the Sun and Moon, by Lisa See (MPL June 23 event)
12. Heather, by Caitlin Mullen
13. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
14. Kin, by Tayari Jones
15. A Parade of Horribles V8, by Matt Dinniman

I had to dig into 11-15 to find a new book to talk about. Heather, by Caitlin Mullen, is one of those over-exposed tree covers that we're seeing a lot of. Kirkus writes: "A young woman returns as police chief of her hometown in New Jersey's Pine Barrens only to find herself challenged by a local drug ring and a haunting cold case...A slow-burn mystery held together by an admirable cast of strong, flawed women." Mullen won the Edgar for Best First Mystery with Please See Us.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
2. The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, by Casey Sherman
3. The Wreck of the Mentor, by Eric Jay Dolin
4. All We Say, by Ben Rhodes
5. The Book of Birds, by Robert McFarlane and Jackie Morris
6. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
7. America USA, by Eddie S Glaude
8. Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
9. The Feather Wars, by James H McCommons
10. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee, Ann Christenson, photos by Kevin J Miyazaki

Unlike fiction, we've got several new releases in our top 10. Top honors goes to The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise, by Casey Sherman, which chronicles the famous Taliesin fire of 1914, which was the subject of Nancy Horan's bestselling Loving Frank almost 20 years ago. From Publishers Weekly: "Journalist Sherman recounts the murder of Frank Lloyd Wright's lover in this fascinating work of true crime..Sherman exhibits both a novelist's sense of pace and a reporter's eye for detail in this arresting true crime narrative of great passion and great tragedy. It's a heartbreaker."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Bakers Dozen, by Dasha Kelly
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. Someday Garden, by Ashley Poston
4. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
5. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
6. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
7. A Death in Door County, by Annelise Ryan
8. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
9. A River is Waiting, by Wally Lamb
10. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt

New to the top 10 is The Someday Garden, by Ashley Poston, from the author of Sounds Like Love. A horticulturist takes a job in Maine and falls in love with a man trapped in a magical portal in the garden. From Beth Gabriel of Library Journal and also East Library (!): "Poston continues her trend of lightly magical stories, perfect for readers seeking the magic of Sarah Addison Allen blended with the humor and romance tropes of Emily Henry."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey
2. Beer Hiking Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula, by Kristen Radaich
3. Say Nothing, by Patrick Radden Keefe
4. Invisible Women, by Caroline Criado Perez
5. Murdoku V2: Back in Time, by Manuel Garand
6. The Friendship Bench, by Dixon Chibanda
7. Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You, by Daniel Cooperrider
8. Dinner with King Tut, by Sam Kean
9. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
10. Come As You Are, by Emily Nagosaki

Selling off of Shannon's rec shelf is Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, from Caroline Criado Perez, which argues that male bias is built into, well, everything. From Susan McKay in The Irish Times (there was no New York Times review though the Washington Post did print a guest essay from the author): "Criado Perez’s thesis is stark: 'Most of recorded human history is one big data gap ... the lives of men have been taken to represent those of humans overall. When it comes to the lives of the other half of humanity, there is often nothing but silence.'"

Books for Kids:
1. Big Jim Believes, by Dav Pilkey
2. Baseball for Breakfast, by Judy Campbell Smith (Wauwatosa Library June 27 event)
3. Make Tracks Vacation, by Johnny Dyrander
4. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
5. Dad, by Christian Robinson
6. Oh the Places You'll Go, by Dr Seuss
7. Fire Pups to the Rescue, by Lisa Desimini
8. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Renée Graef
9. The Tea Dragon Society, by K O'Neill
10. Elephants Cannot Dance V9, by Mo Willems

Happy Father's Day! Christian Robinson's Dad is selling off our holiday table with his beautifully illustrated, nuanced celebration of fatherhood. From Publishers Weekly: "Dedicated to " When concluding pages pivot to human relationships, the depth-filled and textured paint and collage artwork captures fatherhood with tenderness and honesty: one dad wipes away a child's tears, and another 'sheds a few of his own.' Even amid the examples' push-and-pull, an underlying message of steadying care reassures, 'Dad is with you,/ even when he's not.'"

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending June 13, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:17:49 +0000

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending June 13, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Whistler, by Ann Patchett (not sold out yet)
2. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
3. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
4. Contrapposto, by Dave Eggers
5. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
6. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
7. Daughters of the Sun and Moon, by Lisa See (MPL event June 23)
8. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans (Woman's Prize winner)
9. Carl's Doomsday Scenario V2, by Matt Dinniman
10. Cat Love, by Tomas Q Morin

Top debut this week is Contrapposto, the first adult novel from Dave Eggers in five years, though his kids book, The Eyes and the Impossible, made a big splash too. It's about the friendship between an artist and his collaboarator/friend over many years. His BookMarks score is four raves, three positives, and two mixed. From Alexandra Jacobs in The New York Times: "What a relief to be able to recommend the new Dave Eggers novel (almost!) without reservation. Eggers has in the past been testy about criticism. His Y2K injunction in The Harvard Advocate — 'Do not dismiss a book until you have written one' — continues to ring reprovingly around the blogosphere. His own early reviewing, he said then, 'came from a smelly andPas ignorant place in me.'"

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris
2. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
3. When Memory Fades, by Nathaniel Chin (Boswell June 24 event)
4. Dogs Boys and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
5. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee, Ann Christenson, with photos by Kevin J Miyazaki
6. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
7. Strangers, by Belle Burden
8. 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin
9. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
10. The Secret War Against Hate, by Steven J Ross

Considering that The New York Times hardcover nonfiction list can sometimes be mostly debuts, it's notable that on our list, nothing is brand new. But I don't think we've yet highlighted The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy. USC Professor Stephen J Ross looks at the rise in antisemitism and racism in the United States in the years after World War II. From Kirkus: "This book should be read by every American who wants to know how courageous men and women can resist hatred." I'm not sure why BookMarks isn't tracking this title. It's also of note that the book hit our bestseller list from individual sales without up-front store placement.

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Last Time We Drowned, by Saratoga Schaefer
2. Moving Targets V3, by Harry Pinkus
3. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
5. Trad Wife, by Saratoga Schaefer
6. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
7. Horse, by Geraldine Brooks
8. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
9. The Republic of Memory, by Mahmud El Sayed (Boswell upcoming book clubs)
10. Tangerinn, by Emanuela Anechoum (same)

The Boswell Science Fiction Book Club met this week and that helped pop their next pick, The Republic of Memory, which is in the subgenre Arabfuturist fiction. This is the first volume in the The Song of the Safina series, into our top 10. From Erin Neiderbeger in Library Journal: "With its centering of Arab culture, the novel is a fresh take on generation-ship stories but still delivers the beats sci-fi fans love. The novel culminates with a major shift to the Safina's status quo, and readers will be eager to see what comes next."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1 Irreplaceable, by Maya Blalik
2. Purified, by Peter Annin
3. Puerto Rico, by Jorell Meléndez-Badillo
4. The Great Lakes Water Wars, by Peter Annin
5. The Oregon Trail, by Rinker Buck
6. Who Is Government, edited by Michael Lewis
7. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
8. Experiencing God, by Jon M Sweeney
9. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
10. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey (Boswell June 15 event)

Anthologies can sometimes break through - see Alice Hoffman's recent The Best Dog in the World or Michael Lewis's Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service, which had a nice run in hardcover. Among the contributors were Geraldine Brooks and Dave Eggers, represented elsewhere on the list. From Garrett M Graff's review in The Washington Post: " The book, an outgrowth of a project led by The Washington Post’s now-departed Opinions editor David Shipley*, examines some of the remarkable people who make up the federal workforce — career civil servants who have accomplished the extraordinary in quiet ways, people whose jobs are normally buried layers below any partisan rancor. Perhaps never before has there been a book better timed or more urgent." *And now there's no book reviews either.

Books for Kids:
1. Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate
2. Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
3. The Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay
4. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, illustrations by Aaron Boyd
5. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
6. Will's Race for Home, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
7. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
8. The Heirs, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídév
9. Rainbow Cookies, by Lesléa Newman, illustrations by ZB Asterplume
10. Dragonborn, by Struan Murray

Rainbow Cookies is selling off this month's LGBTQ display. When The Cookie Cubby features a rainbow cookie for pride month and faces backlash, young Cookie organizes community support. From Kirkus: "With an emphasis on friendship and love rather than fear or negativity, this book will gently guide conversations with young children that leave them feeling empowered...A sweet story about the effectiveness and impact of community and kindness."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 6, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 12:58:19 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending June 6, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Whistler, by Ann Patchett (not sold out yet)
2. Land, by Maggie O'Farrell
3. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
4. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
6. John of John, by Douglas Stuart
7. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
8. A Parade of Horribles V8, by Matt Dinniman
9. Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It, by Brooke Averick
10. The Keeper, by Tana French

Top debut this week is Whistler, which had a large first week of sales, helped along by signed first editions, despite folks all the folks waiting for the June 22 Pabst Theater event to get their books. I loved the new novel and hope you will too.

Up next is Land, the latest from Maggie O'Farrell, which got a great advance read from McKenna at Boswell. She is not annotated on BookMarks, but critics did offer 14 raves, a positive, three mixed, and a pan. One rave is from The Atlantic, and I was finally able to get through the paywall with our print subscription so I can quote Hillary Kelly's review, which is a rave - the headline used the word "genius": "O’Farrell’s new novel, Land, provokes that same unlikely combination in ways that annihilate critiques of her work as 'grief porn.' If the raison d’être of the tearjerker is to lure the reader into disorienting sorrow, O’Farrell’s fiction has a more complicated calling - her characters are endowed with a dignity that gives their despair power and meaning. She knows that anguish cannot properly infiltrate a reader who isn’t experiencing the full spectrum of emotions: disappointment, amazement, contentment, frustration, pride, and even unbridled bliss."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris (signed copies)
2. The Wreck of the Mentor, by Eric Jay Dolin (signed copies)
3. Don't Call It Art, by Austin Kleon
4. When Memory Fades, by Nathaniel Chin (Boswell June 24 event)
5. Judy Blume, by Mark Oppenheimer
6. The Fix, by Barbara McQuade
7. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
8. One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad
9. Little Frog's Guide to Life, by Maybell Eequay
10. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon

We hosted Austin Kleon several times, and in addition to a traditional in-store event with slides, we also worked with an business/entrepreneur group to put together a morning presentation. I just want to give the old Workman publicity department a shout out - you could count on their events to be creative and fun, with a team that actually chased media and partnerships. The world has changed. Kleon's latest is Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again. From Kirkus: " Full of fun, wryly witty wisdom (and quotes from such artists as John Cleese, Ray Bradbury, and Doris Lessing), this serves as a charming - if not wholly novel* - reminder to let go in order to tap into one's freest creative self." *To be fair, his most popular book is Steal Like an Artist.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. The Last Time We Drowned, by Saratoga Schaefer (Boswell June 9 event)
3. The Girls Who Grew Big, by Leila Mottley
4. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
5. Tangerinn, by Emanuela Anechoum (Boswell book clubs)
6. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
7. Moving Targets, by Harry Pinkus (Boswell June 12 event)
8. Disappoint Me, by Nicola Dinan
9. All That Refuses to Die, by Michael Imossan (signed copies)
10. For the Bride, by Becca Grischow

Having just finished Ann Patchett's The Patron Saint of Liars**, about a home run by nuns for expectant mothers in Kentucky, I am newly intrigued by The Girls Who Grew Big, a novel about teen moms from Leila Mottley, with a re-imagined paperback jacket and five raves, three positives, and a pan from BookMarks. From Nina LaCour in The New York Times: "Mottley, who is known for her acclaimed debut, Nightcrawling, writes with unabashed reverence for these young mothers, never sanitizing or romanticizing their lives but instead valuing them on the page in all the ways they are not valued in their lives."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Best Hiking Minnesota Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, by Kristen Radaich (signed copies)
2. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meagan Garvey (Boswell June 15 event)
3. There Is No Place for Us, by Brian Goldstone
4. Invisible Women, by Caroline Criado Perez
5. The Resistance History of the United States, by Tad Stoermer
6. Liberal Fascisms, by Slavoj Zizek
7. The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
8. Johann Sebastian Bach, by Christopher Wolff
9. Mapmatics, by Paulina Rowinska
10. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton

A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and now in paperback, Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician sells not out of the award case (it's from the previous round of Pulitzers, not the current one) or the new paperback table, but just because some people wanted it, with the understanding that nonfiction paperback is not a particularly competitive list. I love that the paperback edition is updated - you wouldn't believe what Bach has been up to since the hardcover was published!

Up a little higher is There Is No Place for Us, by Brian Goldstone, which received the Pulitzer Prize (different category) and because it's from the recent round of honors, it is in the awards case.

Books for Kids:
1. Each and Every Spark, by Claire Swinarski
2. The Selfish Sister, by David Sedaris, illustrated by Bob Staake (signed copies)
3. Kaleidoscope of Hope, by Miranda Paul (signed copies)
4. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga, by Dav Pilkey
5. Summer Pops Up, by Aurore Petit
6. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Renée Graef
7. Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell
8. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
9. Shadow Reaper, by Lynette Noni
10. Gertie the Darling Duck of World War II, by Shari Swanson, illustrated by Renée Graef

David Sedaris's recent picture book, The Selfish Sister, got some second looks at his event, especially when I went up and down the line hawking it. Copies are signed. From the starred Kirkus: "Wit snaps and crackles in humorist Sedaris' tale of narcissism run amok...Blessedly bad behavior gets its day in the sun, and we are HERE for it!"

**I have now read all Patchett adult fiction and nonfiction. I am not sure I read all the picture books.

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 30, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 31 May 2026 12:27:45 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 30, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
2. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
3. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
4. Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It, by Brooke Averick
5. John of Johns, by Douglas Stuart
6. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
7. The Midnight Train, by Matt Haig
8. Heart the Lover, by Lily King
9. A Parade of Horribles V8, by Matt Dinniman
10. Our Perfect Storm, by Carley Fortune

Top debut this week is from debut author Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It from Brooke Averick, helped, no doubt, by staff recs from Rachel, Ingrid, and McKenna. From Booklist: "Anxious, funny, and unexpectedly tender, this debut follows Phoebe Berman as she approaches her thirtieth birthday, still a virgin and increasingly convinced something is wrong with her...With sharp humor, surprising turns, and a deeply empathetic heroine, Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It updates the spirit of classic rom-coms while centering vulnerability, mental health, and friendship."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Crisis of the Common Good, by Chris Murphy
2. The Land and Its People, by David Sedaris (free signing after sold-out event June 3)
3. Israel: What Went Wrong, by Omer Bartov
4. America USA, by Eddie S Glaude Jr
5. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee and Ann Christenson, photos by Kevin J Miyazaki
6. Make Believe, by Mac Barnett
7. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
8. All We Say, by Ben Rhodes
9. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
10. The Feather Wars, by James H McCommons

A range of books about the United States 250th anniversary are landing for this summmer. Princeton professor Eddie S Glaude Jr's America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries looks back on past anniversaries to comment on the present. There are blurbs from Annette Gordon-Reed, Jill Lepore, and Ken Burns, who wrote: "No one understands the excruciating interiors of our 'original sin' better than Eddie Glaude. His scholarship extends into the darkest corners of our past. His insight offers fragments of a map leading to higher ground."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
2. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
3. Martyr, by Kaveh Akbar
4. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
5. Dolly All the Time, by Annabel Monaghan
6. The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett
7. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
8. Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell
9. Betwitching, by Silvia Moreno Garcia
10. Devotions, by Mary Oliver

First week out for Good Morning America book club selection Dolly All the Time, a paperback original with a simultaneous hardcover release, which I don't see as often at the Penguin Random House imprints, compared to, say, HarperCollins. From Kirkus: "A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown...A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth."

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. World of Wonders, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
2. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey (Boswell June 15 event)
3. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
4. Coyote America, by Dan Flores
5. The Loves of my Life, by Edmund White
6. Playing Possum, by Susana Monsó
7. Beer Hiking Minnesota Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, by Kristen Radaich (Black Husky June 15 event)
8. The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron
9. A Walk in the Park, by Kevin Fedarko
10. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton

Edmund White has written other memoirs, but The Loves of My Life is subtitled a sex memoir, which is I guess what you need to know. The hardcover had eight raves, a positive, and a mixed on BookMarks. From Alexandra Jacobs's rave review in The New York Times, referencing one interlude: "This is a PG-rated passage from a book for which we should claw back the now-cursed letter X — as in explicit, yes, but also excavatory and excellent."

Books for Kids:
1. Louder than Hunger, by John Schu
2. Will's Race for Home, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
3. Indivisible, by Daniel Aleman
4. Kaleidoscope of Hope, by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Hari and Deepti (Boswell event today at 3 pm)
5. A Potion a Powder a Little Bit of Magic, by Philip Stead
6. Good Night Escargot, by Dashka Slater
7. This Must Be the Place, by Kelly Quindlen
8. We Are Mighty, by Kelly Quindlen
9. Dad, by Christian Robinson
10. Seahorse is Furious, by Morag Hood

Great reviews on Miranda Paul's latest, Kaleidoscope of Hope, which we originally wanted to host at an outside venue until we were told that we were not allowed to cohost an event there. It happens! Our event today at 3 has a storytime and butterfly craft. Registration requested but not required. From School Library Journal: "Butterflies and the butterfly life cycle are the big idea of this stunningly illustrated picture book. Paul uses the kaleidoscope to help readers understand the depth and breadth of the variety of butterflies as well as their importance to life on earth...For would-be scientists, environmentalists, and artists, this is a must for most collections."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 23, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 24 May 2026 11:58:01 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 23, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke (signed copies)
2. Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light, by Joy Harjo
3. Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
4. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
5. The Ballad of Falling Dragons V2, by Sarah A Parker
6. A Parade of Horribles V8, by Matt Dinniman
7. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
8. John of Johns, by Douglas Stuart
9. Our Perfect Storm, by Carley Fortune
10. Palaces of the Crow, by Ray Nayler

The Ballad of Falling Dragons, the sequel to When the Moon Hatched, is available in a regular and deluxe edition. Jason brought in the deluxe edition and I suspect he will convert to the regular (it's only $2 more for deluxe) when the deluxe is no longer available. There's a Booklist review - ""A spellbinding slow-burn, romance-laced fantasy featuring two fascinating protagonists" - but for some reason, neither edition lists it in full on ipage. And weirder than that, it's not showing up on the Booklist website. What a mystery! Where is Richard Osman when you need him?

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Girl Warrior, by Joy Harjo
2. The Five-Year Century, by Mihir Shukla and Nancy Hauge
3. The Lao Kitchen, by Saeng Douangdara (signed copies)
4. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
5. How to Rule the World. by Theo Baker
6. American Patriarch, by HW Brands
7. The Gales of November, by John U Bacon
8. The Story of Birds, by Steve Brusatte
9. Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young, by Zayd Ayers Dohrn
10. Famesick, by Lena Dunn

Four weeks out and first time in our top ten (or on our bestseller list at all) for The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present, which is already on and off the New York Times bestseller list. Lots more books get their week in the sun than I remember from earlier days. Once again, no reviews on ipage - Kirkus, PW, Booklist. Are books just not being submitted? I did notice that a good number of reviews in Kirkus magazine are later than I would have expected. In any case, Jennifer Ackerman blurbed the book as "sensational."

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. American Sunrise, by Joy Harjo
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
4. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
5. Dirty 20, by Bill Schweigart (signed copies)
6. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller
7. Trad Wife, by Saratoga Schaefer (Boswell June 9 event)
8. The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
9. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
10. The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

Angel Down breaks the current curse of the even-yeared Pulitzers not breaking out. Both 2022's The Netanyahus and 2024's Night Watch did not, to my recollection, spend much time on the national bestseller lists, but Kraus's latest jumps onto the New York Times and has a nice pop at Boswell. I should note that it is the favorite novel of 2025 from not one but two Boswellians.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Cultura and Cash, by Giovanna Gonzalez
2. Bear Tracks, by Sherman Funmaker
3. Crazy Brave, by Joy Harjo
4. Puerto Rico, by Jorell Melendez Badillo
5. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey (Boswell June 15 event)
6. Dinner with King Tut, by Sam Kean
7. Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo
8. Beer Hiking Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, by Kristen Radaich (Boswell June 5 event)
9. Penelope's Bones, by Emily Hauser
10. Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel

Selling off the new paperback table (it's actually before pub date, but that's okay with most university presses) is Penelope's Bones: A New History of Homer's World Through the Women Written Out of It. From a review of the hardcover in Choice: "In this eloquent book, Hauser aims to put the experiences of Homeric women and goddesses center stage, countering the silence imposed on them by the epics. This is needed, she states, to address the 'fundamental incompatibility between the claim the epics make that women don't matter, and the fact that in every case they are essential to the story and the myth.'"

Books for Kids:
1. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
2. After the ABCs, by D Marie Grainkeeper
3. Life on Mars, by Jon Agee
4. For a Girl Becoming, by Joy Harjo, illustrated by Adriana Garcia
5. Remember, by Joy Harjo, illustrated by Michaela Goade
6. The Story of All Stories, by Emily Stimpson Chapman
7. Spy School Secret Service graphic novel V5, by Stuart Gibbs
8. Peekaboo Dinosaurs, by Camilla Reid, illustrations Ingela P Arrhenius
9. Valian Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, illustrations by Aaron Boyd
10. We Are Mighty, by Sharon McMahon

Note that I normally limit titles from one author to three, especially when they sold because of an event. But Joy Harjo gets six on today's write up because she's the first author I can remember to get books on all five of our bestseller lists. I include just the top seller on each of the four adult categories, and you can just fill in that we sold lots of different Joy Harjo books in quantity.

Harjo's two picture books that sold were Remember (2023) and From a Girl Becoming (2025). Remember was named an American Indian Library Association Honor Book, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book and was a best of the year for most of the trades (Kirkus etc). From a Girl Becoming got starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Kirkus, who called it "a boon to any bookshelf."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 16, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 17 May 2026 20:10:28 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 16, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett
2. The Foursome, by Christina Baker Kline
3. A Parade of Horribles V8, by Matt Dinniman
4. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke
5. The Correspondent (2 editions), by Virginia Evans
6. The Last Mandarin, by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung
7. The Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
8. John of Johns, by Douglas Stuart
9. The Keeper V3, by Tana French
10. American Fantasy, by Emma Straub

I think the first week out for The Last Mandarin falls short of Louise Penny's usual first-week numbers or her collaboration with Hillary Clinton. It didn't help that the Indies Exclusive edition had a printing error. But reviews are good - from Booklist: "Penny joins forces with award-winning Canadian journalist Fung for a thriller in which an estranged mother and daughter must put aside their differences to prevent a terrorist attack that could disrupt the fragile peace among the world's superpowers...a solid political thriller."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Mission Generation, by Arun Gupta and Thomas Fewer
2. The New Craft of the Cocktail, by Dale Degroff
3. Make Believe, by Mac Barnett
4. Morning Baker, by Roxana Jullapat
5. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee and Ann Christenson, photos by Kevin J Miyazaki
6. American Bacon, by Mark A Johnson
7. A Proper Drink, by Robert Simonson
8. A Fishable Feast, by Kirk Deeter
9. The Feather Wars, by James H McCommons
10. Famesick, by Lena Dunham

You don't think of spring being cookbook season but several events in succession gave us a top ten that was more than half eating and drinking. Robert Simonson is hosting A Proper Drink series at Bryant's, as part of the book's tenth anniversary, as well as Simonson moving back to the area. Having talked to Dale Degroff last week, he'll be in conversation with David Wondrich on July 6 - more info here.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
4. Strange Pictures, by Uketsu
5. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
6. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
7. The Starving Saints, by Caitlin Starling
8. On the Calculation of Volume V1, by Solvej Balle
9. Moving Targets V3, by Harry Pinkus (Boswell June 12 event)
10. Horse, by Geraldine Brooks

It's the second week out in paperback for The Starving Saints, which is described as medieval horror with a touch of fantasy. From Library Journal: "A brilliantly constructed and thoroughly unnerving fever dream that Starling's fans will gulp down. It will also appeal to readers nestled in the space where Brom's Slewfoot, Agustina Bazterrica's The Unworthy, and Nick Cutter's The Queen overlap." It's also a staff rec from Alex.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. How to Sell a Genocide, by Adam H Johnson
2. Cultura and Cash, by Giovanna Gonzalez
3. Frank Lloyd Wright and the Path to Beauty, by Kenneth Dahlin
4. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
5. Midwestern Death Trip, by Meaghan Garvey (Boswell June 15 event)
6. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
7. A Walk in the Park, by Kevin Fedarko
8. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
9. Who Is Govenment, edited by MIchael Lewis
10. Puerto Rico, by Jorrell Badillo

Just published is Midwestern Death Trip by Chicago writer Garvey, which is already out at Ingram's wholesale warehouses, though I should note they started modestly. From the publisher: "Part memoir, part gonzo reportage, in which the great American road trip meets an unsparing coming-of-age story."

Books for Kids:
1. Uh-Oh, Hugo, by Jonathan Stuzman, illustrations by Jay Fleck
2. Tiny T Rex and the Impossible Hug, by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrations by Jay Fleck
3. Bad Kitty Gets a Job, by Nick Bruel
4. A Potion, a Poswer, a Little Bit of Magic, by Philip Stead
5. When the Sun Goes Down, by Greg Pizzoli
6. Lulu and Rocky in Milwauckee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
7. Bad Kitty Party Animal, by Nick Bruel
8. Ohy the Places You'll Go, by Dr Seuss
9. Alphabet of Alphabets and Number of Numbers, by AJ Wood
10. World's Best Dad, by Isabel Otter, illustrations by Lynn Giunta

When the Sun Goes Down is a nature-themed bedtime story that's been out for about a month. From Publishers Weekly: "Employing cozy textures and pared-down visual geometries, Pizzoli creates a beguilingly simple wind-down story that's equal parts lullaby and primer...With a build reminiscent of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, it's an inviting picture book that gently wishes sweet dreams for all."

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 9, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 10 May 2026 14:46:00 +0000

Boswell bestsellers, week ending May 9, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Yesteryear, by Claire Caro Burke (our event is close to capacity)
2. The Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout
3. The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett (Bernie's Book Bank event May 20 - this is the last day to buy tickets)
4. Monster in the Moonlight, by Annelise Ryan
5. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
6. John of Johns, by Douglas Stewart
7. Our Perfect Storm, by Carley Fortune
8. Platform Decay V8, by Martha Wells
9. The Keeper V3, by Tana French
10. Lost Lambs, by Madeline Cash

Wow, this looks like a national bestseller list with all these brand new titles (well, five) crowding our top 10. Top honors goes to Elizabeth Strout's The Things We Never Say, which is getting buzz for not being connected to her other series. BookMarks rates the reviews as nine raves, three positives, and three mixeds. Here's one raves from Adam Begley in The Atlantic: "How does she do it? Not just the neat trick of beguiling highbrow critics while at the same time pleasing millions of readers who don’t care about literary bona fides. The real feat is harpooning the reader artlessly (or so it seems), with language as plain as a Congregational church, a paucity of dramatic incident, and a cast of characters no more exotic than your neighbors."

Very strong first week sales here, with more of a sense of urgency because lots of titles now have signed tip-in editions. We usually are allowed a limited amount, so it's best not to wait. But we don't usually promote them in advance because publishers have warned us that things can go wrong and they won't always show up.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Make Believe, by Mac Barnett
2. Unruly, by Shelah Marie
3. The US Constitution, by Melissa Murray
4. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
5. Famesick, by Lena Dunham
6. Strangers, by Belle Burden
7. Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee
8. Milwaukee Flavor, by Visit Milwaukee, text from Ann Christenson, photos by Kevin J Miyazaki
9. The Chicago Way, by Michael Gebert (Boswell May 15 event)
10. This Vast Enterprise, by Craig Fehrman

We had a good first week for Melissa Murray's The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader, which would be a good selection for a America 250 table. The author is a Law Professor at NYU and a podcast host of Strict Scrutiny, with Leah Litman and Kate Shaw. The top seller is Mac Barnett's #1 Indie Next pick for May, Make Believe. It's also the first week on for the April 21 release, This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis and Clark.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. The Supper Club Saints, by Claire Swinarski (signed paperbacks plus one hardcover)
3. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
4. Perfection, by Vincenzo Latronico (June 1 book club pick -list here)
5. A Death in Door County, by Annelise Ryan
6. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Hearon
7. Dungeon Crawler Carl V1, by Matt Dinniman
8. Slow Horses V1, by Mick Herron
9. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
10. The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett

It's time for the Lit Group sales pop, where some of the folks who came to talk about Hisham Matar's My Friends purchase upcoming selections. Alas, our reorder of Tangerinn did not arrive in time, so we couldn't sell that well enough to hit the list. But the June (Perfection) and early August (Slow Horses) selections did well.

We had a nice evening at the Shorewood Public Library where librarian Noah Weckwerth and I did a book talk. Noah did reader's advisory while I just pushed books on people to buy. Oh the nobleness of a library! In any case, Noah did well with The Road to Tender Hearts, which we featured two weeks ago.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. When Democrats Won the Heartland, by Cory Haala (signed copies)
2. The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
3. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
4. Get a Financial Life, by Beth Kobliner
5. Book and Dagger, by Elyse Graham
6. Random Acts of Medicine, by Anupam B Jena and Christopher Worsham
7. Beer Hiking Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula, by Kristen Radaich (Black Husky event June 5)
8. Thirty Two Worlds for Field, by Manchan Magan
9. Birds of the Great Lakes, by Dexter Patterson
10. No Straight Road Takes You There, by Rebecca Solnit

The Osher Book Club is reading Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II, and it's also a staff rec for Rachel. Elyse Graham's history got two raves, four positives, and a mixed on BookMarks. This seems like the kind of book that would do well in Great Britain, but there are no reviews listed, so maybe it wasn't published there? I am too distracted to check. From the starred Booklist: " Readers fascinated by espionage will be eager to checkout Graham's fresh telling of the surprising story of the OSS."

Books for Kids:
1. Change of Plans, by Sarah Dessen (signed copies)
2. Kat and Mouse: I Like Cheese, by Salina Yoon
3. Kat and Mouse: Let's Have a Sleepover, by Salina Yoon
4. Double Crossed, by Rebecca EF Barone
5. Penguin and Pinecone, by Salina Yoon
6. Mountain of Fire, by Rebecca EF Barone
7. Unbreakable, by Rebecca EF Barone
8. Oh My Affogato, by Daphne Ang and Donna Ghorbanpoor
9. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by Renée Graef
10. Uh-Oh, Hugo!, by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrations by Jay Fleck (Boswell event today at 3 pm!)

Did you guess that we hosted some school visits with Rebecca EF Barone? Her new book is Double Crossed: The WWII Spies Who Saved D-Day. From Betty Carter in Horn Book: "As she did in Unbreakable and Mountain of Fire, Barone presents the story of a pivotal historical event through the actions of some major players. This time, she's covering D-Day and the myriad ways British intelligence duped German forces about the invasion, including creating fake armies and a nonexistent naval convoy...This fine book concludes with a bibliography and substantial documentation." Hey, this is not that different from the plot of Bookshop of Secrets!

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending May 2, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel Goldin) — Sun, 03 May 2026 12:44:00 +0000

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending May 2, 2026

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke (moved to a new venue - will probably hit capacity again soon - registration required)
2. Sanctuary, by James Cleary (Jim DeVita)
3. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
4. Heart the Lover, by Lily King
5. The Keeper, by Tana French
6. Into the Blue, by Emma Brodie
7. Kin, by Tayari Jones
8. Faither of Beasts V2, by James SA Corey
9. American Fantasy, by Emma Straub
10. We Burned So Bright, by TJ Klune

Because I am not the buyer, I often miss the answer to what happened and when. All I know is that I looked at our galley shelf and saw a copy of Into the Blue with a July pub date, and was confused because the book was clearly published already. I am assuming the good people at Reese's Book Club picked it as their April selection and pub date was moved up - which is interesting because the book is published by Jenna Bush Hager (through Ballantine), another book club staple. A blurb from Taylor Jenkins Reid: "An achingly romantic, compulsively readable love story - with chemistry that burns up every page."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. It's Time to Talk, by Sheila Schroeder
2. Rewired, by Eric Lamarre
3. Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried Foul About, by Isabel Klee
4. Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism, by Stewart Reynolds
5. London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
6. Strangers, by Belle Burden
7. How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay, by Jenny Lawson
8. The Beginning Comes After the End, by Rebecca Solnit
9. The Noma Guide to Building Flavour, by René Redzepi
10. We the Women, by Norah O'Donnell

Because I don't follow social media, influencer books kind of appear like Mary Poppins (which I just rewatched, long story). The marketing pitch on Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About: A Memoir (per Edelweiss) imagines Dolly Alderton writing Marley and Me. Kirkus was meh, but Publishers Weekly is a fan: "Social media influencer Klee's sweet debut sets her coming-of-age against the backdrop of her experiences fostering dogs...Throughout, Klee proves an endearing, unfussy guide to growing up. Readers will be charmed." I like the jacket.

Paperback Fiction:
1. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
2. Monsters We Have Made, by Lindsay Starck
3. All That It Seems, by Jim Landwehr
4. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
5. Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
6. I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
7. The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
8. Little Alleluias, by Mary Oliver
9. James, by Percival Everett
10. Audition, by Katie Kitamura

I should let this bestseller thing go and instead read this month's Lit Group selection, My Friends, which I haven't finished yet. Worse still, I have to do a book club talk at Shorewood Library on Wednesday (register here) and have my last appearance on Larry Meiller's show (he's retiring - here's the link) on Thursday. Which is why I'm always glad to pick 200 page books like Audition (September selection - August 31), which pops off our new paperback table this week. It's BookMarks score is 17 raves, a pan, and everything else in between - 32 review citations altogether.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Coyote America, by Dan Flores
2. Be Ready When Luck Happen, by Ina Garten
3. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton
4. Thirty Two Words for Field, by Manchan Magan
5. A Philosophy of Walking, by Frédéric Gros
6. Dog Days, by Emily Labarge
7. Irreplaceable, by Maya Bialik
8. Birdscaping for Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Regions, by Mariette Nowak
9. The Pastor as Gardener, by Matthew Erickson
10. Don't Say Please, by Sahan Jayasuriya

I was almost going to write up Coyote America when I realized it was featured last February. You really can make magic things happen with a little repackaging, particularly with nonfiction, which really doesn't get enough love from publishers. How about trying this with Karachi Vice or Squirrel Hill or that memoir about mini golf I liked so long ago that I don't remember the title? Meanwhile, Ina Garten gets a rare paperback reprint because Be Ready When Luck Happens is a memoir, not a cookbook. Because I didn't know the Garten lore, I only learned recently that she was not coined The Barefoot Contessa, but had bought an existing business.

Books for Kids:
1. Kat and Mouse: I Like Cheese, by Salina Yoon
2. Found Sound, by Meg Wolitzer and Charlie Panek
3. A Sack Full of Feathers, by Debby Waldman
4. A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic, by Philip Stead
5. Penguin and Pinecone, by Salina Yoon
6. Kat and Mouse: Let's Have a Sleepover, by Salina Yoon
7. Summer Pops Up, by Aurore Petit
8. Mille Fleur Saves the Night, by Christy Mandin
9. Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee, by Barbara Joosse, illustrations by René Graef
10. Valiant Vel, by Jerrianne Hayslett, illustrations by Aaron Boyd

Not a school visit, not an event, not some organization purchasing a bunch of books, and the result of a big marketing push, Summer Pops Up is a true impulse buy, an eye-catching board book selling off our here-comes-summer table. Please note that Summer Pops Up is winner of the 2025 Best Baby Book Prize from the French Ministry of Culture. I am a little confused because the very distinctive palate of the book is yellow and salmon on some images and more of a mustard and salmon on others. No worries - I can come up with a matching outfit for either option. But I draw the line at flip flops.