Alta Journal’s California Bestsellers List (February 1, 2023)

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 January 29, 2023.

On the list this week is Violeta, an epic novel by the acclaimed Chilean American author Isabel Allende. Written in the form of a letter, Allende’s narrative follows the title character through some of the most important events of the 20th century. If magical realism and powerful heroines are what you’re seeking, then join us for next month’s California Book Club gathering. The House of the Spirits, also by Allende, is our March pick, and it features a cast of strong women and interesting connections to the spiritual realm.

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

Southern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

Alta

1. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, Knopf, $28
2. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
3. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29
4. How to Sell a Haunted House, Grady Hendrix, Berkley, $28
5. Horse, Geraldine Brooks, Viking, $28

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

Alta

1. Spare, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, Random House, $36
2. The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32
3. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear, Avery, $27
4. The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise, Pico Iyer, Riverhead Books, $26
5. Cinema Speculation, Quentin Tarantino, Harper, $35

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

Alta

1. It Starts with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria Books, $17.99
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
3. The Maid, Nita Prose, Ballantine Books, $18
4. Circe, Madeline Miller, Back Bay Books, $16.99
5. Daisy Jones & the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine Books, $17

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

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. The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, Michael A. Singer, New Harbinger Publications, $18.95
5. How to Love, Thich Nhat Hanh and Jason DeAntonis (illustrator), Parallax Press, $9.95

Northern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

Alta

1. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, Knopf, $28
2. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
3. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29
4. Horse, Geraldine Brooks, Viking, $28
5. How to Sell a Haunted House, Grady Hendrix, Berkley, $28

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

Alta

1. Spare, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, Random House, $36
2. The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32
3. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $27.99
4. The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, Michelle Obama, Crown Publishing Group, $32.50
5. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy, HarperOne, $22.99

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

Alta

1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
2. The Maid, Nita Prose, Ballantine Books, $18
3. It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria Books, $16.99
4. Violeta, Isabel Allende, Ballantine Books, $18
5. Daisy Jones & the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine Books, $17

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

Alta

1. Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $20
2. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $16.99
3. Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, Anna Lembke, MD, Dutton, $18
4. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Penguin Books, $19
5. The January 6th Report, Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol et al., Celadon Books, $17.99

Source: California Independent Booksellers Alliance

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