Elizabeth Casillas
Elizabeth Casillas is an assistant editor at Alta Journal. A graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, she has previously written for the Poly Post and Enspire Magazine.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (September 4, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar, Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch, and Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum.

14 New Books for September
Here are works by authors on and of the West—including Wrecking Ball, What a Time to Be Alive, and The Wilderness—that we’re excited to see published this month.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (August 28, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, Tonight in Jungleland by Peter Ames Carlin, and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (August 21, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Coming Up Short by Robert B. Reich, James by Percival Everett, and The Wedding People by Alison Espach.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (August 14, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, An Inside Job by Daniel Silva, and Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton.

Alta Journal’s California Bestsellers List (August 7, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (July 31, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Culpability by Bruce Holsinger, A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst, and The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.

15 New Books for August
This month, we’ve got our eyes on Feasts on the Farm, Regaining Unconsciousness, Automatic Noodle, and 12 other titles by writers on the West.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (July 24, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker, An Inside Job by Daniel Silva, and The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (July 17, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Sociopath by Patric Gagne, The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, and The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (July 10, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart “Brittlestar” Reynolds, Mark Twain by Ron Chernow, and The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (July 3, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, and The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong.

New Releases for July
Here are 12 books by authors on and of the West, including The Silver State, Little Red Barns, and Salt Bones, that we’re excited to see publish this month.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (June 26, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, and The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (June 20, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast, One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, and Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (June 12, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger, Notes to John by Joan Didion, and I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (June 5, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Never Flinch by Stephen King, Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood, and Sandwich by Catherine Newman.

15 New Books for June
This month, we’ve got our eyes on The Catch, Out There in the Dark, So Far Gone, and 12 other titles of the West.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (May 29, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong, Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane, and The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (May 22, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Mark Twain by Ron Chernow, All Fours by Miranda July, and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (May 15, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include My Friends by Fredrik Backman, Prequel by Rachel Maddow, and We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (May 8, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, and The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (May 1, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley, Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, and Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.

New Releases for May
Here are 14 books by authors on and of the West, including So Many Stars, The Words of Dr. L, and The Last Great Dream.

Connecting California’s Literary Dots
AI allows readers to zoom in, click around, and see how our favorite California books are linked.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (April 24, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Table for Two by Amor Towles, All About Love by bell hooks, and The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (April 17, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami, and Audition by Katie Kitamura.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (April 10, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez, Who Is Government? by Michael Lewis, and I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (April 3, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, and Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (March 27, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Eve by Cat Bohannon, Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green, and Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson.

Alta Picks: Go Chase Waterfalls
From Yosemite to hidden Oregon gems, these West Coast waterfalls are at their peak now. Don’t miss your chance to chase these seasonal stunners.

Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (March 20, 2025)
This week’s bestselling titles include Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, The Antidote by Karen Russell, and The Tell by Amy Griffin.