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FICTION NONFICTION
Indie BestsellersHardcover Week of 12.16.20
= Debut
A Certain Hunger: A Novel, by Chelsea G. Summers (The Unnamed
Press, $26) “A surprising novel that will lure you in with its
delicious writing and leave you hungry (in more ways than one).
Food critic Dorothy Daniels wants good food and good sex, and she
will go to whatever lengths she needs in order to get them. At once
a critique of the food industry and a criminal’s account, A Certain
Hunger is a stunning feminist page-turner. With its devious
protagonist and delectable prose, you will devour this novel.”
—Marika McCoola, Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA
Other Indie FavoritesThe Thirty Names of Night: A Novel, by Zeyn
Joukhadar (Atria Books, $27) “An affecting, multigenerational
coming-of-age story about a young Syrian American artist’s
discovery of self and the truth behind his mother’s mysterious
passing. Featuring alternating perspectives that weave the past
into the present, this novel embodies the epistolary not just in
form and address, but in the way it reads like a love letter to New
York City, especially the immigrant, working-class, and LGBTQ
underground of New York. A book with a heartbeat, despite all its
ghosts.” —Serena Morales, Books Are Magic, Brooklyn, NY
1. The Vanishing HalfBrit Bennett, Riverhead Books, $27
2. Ready Player TwoErnest Cline, Ballantine, $28.99
3. HamnetMaggie O’Farrell, Knopf, $26.95
4. The SearcherTana French, Viking, $27
5. Anxious PeopleFredrik Backman, Atria, $28
6. The Midnight LibraryMatt Haig, Viking, $26
7. A Time for MercyJohn Grisham, Doubleday, $29.95
8. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRueV.E. Schwab, Tor, $26.99
9. Perestroika in ParisJane Smiley, Knopf, $26.95
10. Mexican GothicSilvia Moreno-Garcia, Del Rey, $27
11. Transcendent KingdomYaa Gyasi, Knopf, $27.95
12. The Cold MillionsJess Walter, Harper, $28.99
13. Where the Crawdads SingDelia Owens, Putnam, $26
14. Deacon King KongJames McBride, Riverhead Books, $28
15. The Evening and the MorningKen Follett, Viking, $36
1. A Promised LandBarack Obama, Crown, $45
2. CasteIsabel Wilkerson, Random House, $32
3. UntamedGlennon Doyle, The Dial Press, $28
4. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy, HarperOne, $22.99
5. The Splendid and the VileErik Larson, Crown, $32
6. Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular
Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House
Rachel Maddow, Michael Yarvitz, Crown, $28
7. Modern Comfort FoodIna Garten, Clarkson Potter, $35
8. The Best of MeDavid Sedaris, Little, Brown, $30
9. GreenlightsMatthew McConaughey, Crown, $30
10. Is This Anything?Jerry Seinfeld, S&S, $35
11. WinteringKatherine May, Riverhead Books, $24
12. What It’s Like to Be a BirdDavid Allen Sibley, Knopf,
$35
13. Dolly Parton, SongtellerDolly Parton, Robert K. Oermann,
Chronicle Books, $50
14. BecomingMichelle Obama, Crown, $32.50
15. The 99% Invisible CityRoman Mars, Kurt Kohlstedt, Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt, $30
Based on reporting from hundreds of independent bookstores
across America. Copyright American Booksellers Association. All
rights reserved.
★
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.org
Based on reporting from hundreds of independent bookstores
across America. Copyright American Booksellers Association. All
rights reserved.
FICTION NONFICTION
Indie BestsellersPaperback Week of 12.16.20
MASS MARKETAnother Indie FavoriteHow to Fail at Flirting: A
Novel, by Denise Williams (Berkley, $16) “A sweet romance about a
professor who decides to take a chance when she finds herself out
at a bar by herself seated next to an attractive man in town on
business. Naya never would have imagined that their one-night stand
would turn into a week-long fling with the potential for even more.
And because of her toxic past relationships, she is hesitant to
trust Jake. I loved reading about a professor as a romance leading
lady!” —Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC
1. Dune Frank Herbert, Ace, $10.99 2. 1984 George Orwell,
Signet, $9.99 3. The Way of Kings Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $9.99 4.
The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss, DAW, $9.99 5. Good Omens
Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Morrow, $9.99 6. Dune Messiah Frank
Herbert, Ace, $9.99 7. The Autobiography of Malcolm X Malcom X,
Ballantine, $7.99 8. Animal Farm George Orwell, Signet, $9.99 9.
Still Life Louise Penny, St. Martin's, $7.9910. The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams, Del Rey, $7.99
= Debut
★
1. Shuggie BainDouglas Stuart, Grove Press, $17
2. The OverstoryRichard Powers, Norton, $18.95
3. Home BodyRupi Kaur, Andrews McMeel, $16.99
4. CirceMadeline Miller, Back Bay, $16.99
5. DevotionsMary Oliver, Penguin, $20
6. Interior ChinatownCharles Yu, Vintage, $16
7. The Water DancerTa-Nehisi Coates, One World, $18
8. The Queen’s GambitWalter Tevis, Vintage, $16.95
9. This Tender LandWilliam Kent Krueger, Atria, $17
10. The Best American Short Stories 2020
Curtis Sittenfeld, Heidi Pitlor (Eds.), Mariner, $16.99
11. A Gentleman in MoscowAmor Towles, Penguin, $17
12. HomegoingYaa Gyasi, Vintage, $16.95
13. The Song of AchillesMadeline Miller, Ecco, $16.99
14. The Nickel BoysColson Whitehead, Anchor, $15.95
15. Normal PeopleSally Rooney, Hogarth, $17
1. Braiding SweetgrassRobin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions,
$18
2. My Own WordsRuth Bader Ginsburg, S&S, $18
3. The Truths We HoldKamala Harris, Penguin, $18
4. What Unites UsDan Rather, Elliot Kirschner, Algonquin Books,
$16.95
5. Born a CrimeTrevor Noah, One World, $18
6. The Warmth of Other SunsIsabel Wilkerson, Vintage, $17.95
7. SapiensYuval Noah Harari, Harper Perennial, $24.99
8. The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2021Old Farmer’s Almanac, $8.95
9. The Color of LawRichard Rothstein, Liveright, $17.95
10. Just MercyBryan Stevenson, One World, $17
11. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2021
Sarah Janssen (Ed.), World Almanac, $15.99
12. Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind (Vol.
1)
Yuval Noah Harari, Harper Perennial, $25.99
13. Wow, No Thank You.Samantha Irby, Vintage, $15.95
14. White FragilityRobin DiAngelo, Beacon Press, $16
15. Conversations with RBGJeffrey Rosen, Picador, $18
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1. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and YouJason Reynolds, Ibram X.
Kendi, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.99
2. The CousinsKaren M. McManus, Delacorte Press, $19.99
3. One of Us Is LyingKaren M. McManus, Delacorte Press,
$17.99
4. The Hate U GiveAngie Thomas, Balzer + Bray, $18.99
5. The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person
Frederick Joseph, Candlewick, $17.99
6. LegendbornTracy Deonn, Margaret K. McElderry Books,
$18.99
7. We Were LiarsE. Lockhart, Ember, $10.99
8. The Book ThiefMarkus Zusak, Knopf Books for Young Readers,
$14.99
9. The Poet XElizabeth Acevedo, Quill Tree Books, $12.99
10. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London
Garth Nix, Katherine Tegen Books, $19.99
11. Clap When You LandElizabeth Acevedo, Quill Tree Books,
$18.99
12. Dear JustyceNic Stone, Crown Books for Young Readers,
$18.99
13. Punching the AirIbi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam, Balzer + Bray,
$19.99
14. The GiverLois Lowry, HMH Books for Young Readers, $9.99
15. Dragon HoopsGene Luen Yang, First Second, $24.99
Children’s Indie Bestsellers
Week of 12.16.20
Based on reporting from hundreds of independent bookstores
across America. Copyright American Booksellers Association. All
rights reserved.
EARLY & MIDDLE GRADE READERS YOUNG ADULT
IndiesIntroduce
For Teen Readers The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre, by Robin
Talley (HarperTeen, $17.99) “Any theater nerd, especially those who
enjoyed the epic highs and lows of high school theater, will gobble
up this book and enjoy every second. Everything rang so true and
felt incredibly real! I adored every character—and found myself
listening to the Les Mis soundtrack while reading!” —Abby Bennsky,
Old Town Books, Alexandria, VA
For Ages 9 to 12 Fantastic Tales of Nothing, by Alejandra Green,
Fanny Rodriguez (Katherine Tegen Books, hardcover, $22.99;
paperback, $12.99) “Despite its name, Nothing is a land filled with
magic, ancient legends, shapeshifters, and one not-so-ordinary
human named Nathan who is about to embark on a quest to save
everything (err…Nothing). Alejandra Green and Fanny Rodriguez bring
their respective animation and video game design experience to this
middle-grade fantasy filled with humor, mystery, adventure, and
plenty of action! This dynamic start to a new graphic novel series
will appeal to fans of the Amulet and Estranged book series.”
—Kinsey Forman, High Five Books, Florence, MA
1. Cat Kid Comic ClubDav Pilkey, Graphix, $12.99
2. The Ickabog J K. Rowling, Scholastic, $26.99 3. Skunk and
Badger Amy Timberlake, Jon Klassen (Illus.), Algonquin Young
Readers, $18.95
4. Class Act Jerry Craft, Quill Tree Books, $12.99 5. New Kid
Jerry Craft, Harper, $12.99 6. The Silver Arrow Lev Grossman,
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $16.99
7. The One and Only Bob Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao
(Illus.), Harper, $18.99
8. When Stars Are ScatteredVictoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed, Dial
Books, $12.99
9. Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure
Jeff Kinney, Amulet, $14.99
10. The One and Only IvanKatherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao
(Illus.), Harper, $8.99
11. TwinsVarian Johnson, Shannon Wright (Illus.), Graphix,
$12.99
12. This Is Your TimeRuby Bridges, Delacorte Books for Young
Readers, $15.99
13. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs
America’s Test Kitchen Kids, Sourcebooks Explore, $19.99
14. Lightfall: The Girl & the GaldurianTim Probert,
HarperAlley, $12.99
15. GutsRaina Telgemeier, Graphix, $12.99
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Children’s Indie Bestsellers
Week of 12.16.20
Based on reporting from hundreds of independent bookstores
across America. Copyright American Booksellers Association. All
rights reserved.
CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN’S SERIES
All Fiction Series titles are hardcover and paperback unless
noted.
For Ages 4 to 8 Dear Earth...From Your Friends in Room 5, by
Erin Dealey, Luisa Uribe (Illus.) (HarperCollins, $17.99) “The
students in Room 5 write to their pen pal—the Earth—detailing their
yearlong efforts to help improve the environment and decrease their
carbon footprint. This is a fun addition for Earth Day and sure to
be a hit with teachers!” —Jill Burket Ragase, Blue Manatee Literacy
Project Bookstore, Cincinnati, OH
1. Cozy Jan Brett, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers,
$18.99
2. The Snowy Day Ezra Jack Keats, Viking Books for Young
Readers, $19.99
3. How the Grinch Stole ChristmasDr. Seuss, Random House Books
for Young Readers, $16.99
4. The Polar Express Chris Van Allsburg, HMH Books for Young
Readers, $19.99
5. Antiracist Baby Ibram X. Kendi, Ashley Lukashevsky (Illus.),
Kokila, $8.99
6. Little Blue Truck’s ChristmasAlice Schertle, Jill McElmurry
(Illus.), HMH Books for Young Readers, $15.99
7. What We’ll Build: Plans For Our Together Future
Oliver Jeffers, Philomel Books, $19.99
8. 5 More Sleeps ’til Christmas Jimmy Fallon, Rich Deas
(Illus.), Feiwel & Friends, $18.99
9. If You Come to EarthSophie Blackall, Chronicle Books,
$18.99
10. Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.),
Harper, $8.99
11. The Night Before Christmas Clement C. Moore, Loren Long
(Illus.), Harper, $18.99
12. Unicorns Are the Worst! Alex Willan, Simon & Schuster
Books for Young Readers, $17.99
13. The Crayons’ ChristmasDrew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers (Illus.),
Penguin Workshop, $19.99
14. Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever
Matt Tavares, Candlewick, $17.99
15. The Mitten Jan Brett, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young
Readers, $8.99
1. Dog Man (hardcover)Dav Pilkey, Graphix
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (hardcover)Jeff Kinney, Amulet
3. Harry PotterJ.K. Rowling, Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine
Books
4. Wings of FireTui T. Sutherland, Scholastic
5. Elephant & Piggie (hardcover)Mo Willems, Hyperion
6. The Bad GuysAaron Blabey, Scholastic
7. Magic Tree HouseMary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illus.),
Random House Books for Young Readers
8. The Princess in BlackShannon Hale, Dean Hale, LeUyen Pham
(Illus.), Candlewick
9. Narwhal and JellyBen Clanton, Tundra Books
10. I Survived (paperback)Lauren Tarshis, Scholastic
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Based on reporting from hundreds of independent bookstores
across America. Copyright American Booksellers Association. All
rights reserved.
HARDCOVER PAPERBACK
Indie BestsellersFiction Week of 12.16.20
1. The Vanishing HalfBrit Bennett, Riverhead Books, $27
2. Ready Player TwoErnest Cline, Ballantine, $28.99
3. HamnetMaggie O’Farrell, Knopf, $26.95
4. The SearcherTana French, Viking, $27
5. Anxious PeopleFredrik Backman, Atria, $28
6. The Midnight LibraryMatt Haig, Viking, $26
7. A Time for MercyJohn Grisham, Doubleday, $29.95
8. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRueV.E. Schwab, Tor, $26.99
9. Perestroika in ParisJane Smiley, Knopf, $26.95
10. Mexican GothicSilvia Moreno-Garcia, Del Rey, $27
11. Transcendent KingdomYaa Gyasi, Knopf, $27.95
12. The Cold MillionsJess Walter, Harper, $28.99
13. Where the Crawdads SingDelia Owens, Putnam, $26
14. Deacon King KongJames McBride, Riverhead Books, $28
15. The Evening and the MorningKen Follett, Viking, $36
1. Shuggie BainDouglas Stuart, Grove Press, $17
2. The OverstoryRichard Powers, Norton, $18.95
3. Home BodyRupi Kaur, Andrews McMeel, $16.99
4. CirceMadeline Miller, Back Bay, $16.99
5. DevotionsMary Oliver, Penguin, $20
6. Interior ChinatownCharles Yu, Vintage, $16
7. The Water DancerTa-Nehisi Coates, One World, $18
8. The Queen’s GambitWalter Tevis, Vintage, $16.95
9. This Tender LandWilliam Kent Krueger, Atria, $17
10. The Best American Short Stories 2020
Curtis Sittenfeld, Heidi Pitlor (Eds.), Mariner, $16.99
11. A Gentleman in MoscowAmor Towles, Penguin, $17
12. HomegoingYaa Gyasi, Vintage, $16.95
13. The Song of AchillesMadeline Miller, Ecco, $16.99
14. The Nickel BoysColson Whitehead, Anchor, $15.95
15. Normal PeopleSally Rooney, Hogarth, $17
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Based on reporting from hundreds of independent bookstores
across America. Copyright American Booksellers Association. All
rights reserved.
HARDCOVER PAPERBACK
Indie BestsellersNonfiction Week of 12.16.20
= Debut
1. A Promised LandBarack Obama, Crown, $45
2. CasteIsabel Wilkerson, Random House, $32
3. UntamedGlennon Doyle, The Dial Press, $28
4. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy, HarperOne, $22.99
5. The Splendid and the VileErik Larson, Crown, $32
6. Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular
Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House
Rachel Maddow, Michael Yarvitz, Crown, $28
7. Modern Comfort FoodIna Garten, Clarkson Potter, $35
8. The Best of MeDavid Sedaris, Little, Brown, $30
9. GreenlightsMatthew McConaughey, Crown, $30
10. Is This Anything?Jerry Seinfeld, S&S, $35
11. WinteringKatherine May, Riverhead Books, $24
12. What It’s Like to Be a BirdDavid Allen Sibley, Knopf,
$35
13. Dolly Parton, SongtellerDolly Parton, Robert K. Oermann,
Chronicle Books, $50
14. BecomingMichelle Obama, Crown, $32.50
15. The 99% Invisible CityRoman Mars, Kurt Kohlstedt, Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt, $30
★
★
1. Braiding SweetgrassRobin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions,
$18
2. My Own WordsRuth Bader Ginsburg, S&S, $18
3. The Truths We HoldKamala Harris, Penguin, $18
4. What Unites UsDan Rather, Elliot Kirschner, Algonquin Books,
$16.95
5. Born a CrimeTrevor Noah, One World, $18
6. The Warmth of Other SunsIsabel Wilkerson, Vintage, $17.95
7. SapiensYuval Noah Harari, Harper Perennial, $24.99
8. The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2021Old Farmer’s Almanac, $8.95
9. The Color of LawRichard Rothstein, Liveright, $17.95
10. Just MercyBryan Stevenson, One World, $17
11. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2021
Sarah Janssen (Ed.), World Almanac, $15.99
12. Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind (Vol.
1)
Yuval Noah Harari, Harper Perennial, $25.99
13. Wow, No Thank You.Samantha Irby, Vintage, $15.95
14. White FragilityRobin DiAngelo, Beacon Press, $16
15. Conversations with RBGJeffrey Rosen, Picador, $18