Alta Journal’s California Bestsellers List (December 7, 2022)

This week’s bestselling titles include A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny, Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, and It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover.

a world of curiosities, louise penny, klara , the sun by kazuo ishiguro, it starts with us , colleen hoover
Alta

With reporting from the California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Alta Journal brings you a list of the bestselling titles at independent bookstores across Northern and Southern California for the week ending December 4, 2022.

This week brings us lighthearted reads and charming protagonists perfect for upcoming winter days spent curled up with a book. California-born author Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry—a familiar title on the bestsellers list—takes readers back to 1960s California, where chemist Elizabeth Zott questions the status quo. And we learn of a Hollywood icon’s rise to stardom and her many marriages in Los Angeles novelist Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, another regular title on the list.

For a full list of titles and categories, visit the California Independent Booksellers Alliance.

Southern California


HARDCOVER FICTION

demon copperhead, barbara kingsolver, a world of curiosities, louise penny, lessons in chemistry, bonnie garmus, the passenger, desert star, michael connelly
Alta
  1. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
  2. A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny, Minotaur Books, $29.99
  3. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29
  4. The Passenger, Cormac McCarthy, Knopf, $30. Read the Alta review
  5. Desert Star, Michael Connelly, Little, Brown, $29

    HARDCOVER NONFICTION

    the light we carry, michelle obama, a book of days, patti smith, i’m glad my mom died, jennette mccurdy, go to dinners a barefoot contessa cookbook, ina garten, surrender 40 songs, one story, bono
    Alta

    1. The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, Michelle Obama, Crown Publishing Group, $32.50
    2. A Book of Days, Patti Smith, Random House, $28.99
    3. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $27.99
    4. Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter, $35
    5. Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, Bono, Knopf, $34

      TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

      it starts with us, colleen hoover, project hail mary, andy weir, the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, taylor jenkins reid, klara and the sun, cloud cuckoo land, anthony doerr
      Alta
      1. It Starts with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria Books, $17.99
      2. Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir, Ballantine Books, $20
      3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
      4. Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro, Vintage, $16.95
      5. Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr, Scribner, $20

        TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

        all about love, bell hooks, the body keeps the score, bessel van der kolk, these precious days, ann patchett, city of quartz, mike davis, the four agreements, don miguel ruiz
        Alta
        1. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $16.99
        2. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Penguin Books, $19
        3. These Precious Days: Essays, Ann Patchett, Harper Perennial, $18
        4. City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles, Mike Davis, Verso, $21.95
        5. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, Don Miguel Ruiz, Amber-Allen Publishing, $12.95

          Northern California


          HARDCOVER FICTION

          a world of curiosities, louise penny, demon copperhead, barbara kingsolver, lessons in chemistry, bonnie garmus, the passenger, cormac mccarthy, horse, geraldine brooks
          Alta
          1. A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny, Minotaur Books, $29.99
          2. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
          3. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29
          4. The Passenger, Cormac McCarthy, Knopf, $30. Read the Alta review
          5. Horse, Geraldine Brooks, Viking, $28

            HARDCOVER NONFICTION

            the light we carry, michelle obama, a book of days, patti smith, the song of the cell, siddhartha mukherjee, an immense world, ed yong, i’m glad my mom died, jennette mccurdy
            Alta
            1. The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, Michelle Obama, Crown Publishing Group, $32.50
            2. A Book of Days, Patti Smith, Random House, $28.99
            3. The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Scribner, $32.50
            4. An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, Ed Yong, Random House, $30
            5. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $27.99

              TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

              cloud cuckoo land, anthony doerr, the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, taylor jenkins reid, the best american short stories 2022, andrew sean greer, heidi pitlor, the thursday murder club, richard osman, project hail mary, andy weir
              Alta
              1. Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr, Scribner, $20
              2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
              3. The Best American Short Stories 2022, Andrew Sean Greer and Heidi Pitlor (editors), Mariner Books, $17.99
              4. The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman, Penguin Books, $17
              5. Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir, Ballantine Books, $20

                TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

                all about love, bell hooks, braiding sweetgrass for young adults, robin wall kimmerer, the body keeps the score,  bessel van der kolk, fuzz, mary roach, these precious days, ann patchett
                Alta

                1. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $16.99
                2. Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $20
                3. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Penguin Books, $19
                4. Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law, Mary Roach, W.W. Norton & Company, $16.95
                5. These Precious Days: Essays, Ann Patchett, Harper Perennial, $18

                  Source: California Independent Booksellers Alliance

                  Elizabeth Casillas is Alta Journal’s editorial assistant.
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