Alta Journal’s California Bestsellers List (April 26, 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 April 23, 2023.

This Saturday (April 29) is Independent Bookstore Day, and more than 1,000 local shops across the nation will be hosting author talks, musical performances, and contests of all kinds. Celebrate by visiting your neighborhood bookseller and perhaps picking up some enduring bestsellers from this week’s rankings. The Candy House, by San Francisco author Jennifer Egan, has been on the list a handful of times—and for good reason. This compelling read explores human connection and the exploitation of desire. And Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy, a modern take on the usual Hollywood rom-com tropes, has appeared on our list each week since its release earlier this month. The novel flips stereotypical gender roles and questions the social expectations within romance.

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. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29
3. Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano, Dial Press, $28
4. Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld, Random House, $28
5. Pineapple Street, Jenny Jackson, Pamela Dorman Books, $28

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

Alta

1. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, Doubleday, $30
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. You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir, Maggie Smith, Atria/One Signal Publishers, $28
5. I Swear: Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan, Katie Porter, Crown, $28

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

Alta

1. Daisy Jones & the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine Books, $17
2. The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave, Marysue Rucci Books, $17.99
3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
4. The Candy House, Jennifer Egan, Scribner, $17.99
5. Circe, Madeline Miller, Back Bay Books, $16.99

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

Alta

1. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17
2. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $16.99
3. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures, Merlin Sheldrake, Random House Trade, $18
4. Everyone Wants to Work Here: Attract the Best Talent, Energize Your Team, and Be the Leader in Your Market, Maura Nevel Thomas, Simple Truths, $12.99
5. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann, Vintage, $17

Northern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

Alta

1. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29
2. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, Knopf, $28
3. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
4. Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano, Dial Press, $28
5. Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld, Random House, $28

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

Alta

1. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, Doubleday, $30
2. The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32
3. Poverty, by America, Matthew Desmond, Crown, $28
4. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear, Avery, $27
5. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $27.99

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

Alta

1. The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave, Marysue Rucci Books, $17.99
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
3. Daisy Jones & the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine Books, $17
4. Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel, Vintage, $17
5. The Candy House, Jennifer Egan, Scribner, $17.99

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

Alta

1. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17
2. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $16.99
3. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, David Graeber and David Wengrow, Picador, $25
4. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Penguin Books, $19
5. Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $20

Source: California Independent Booksellers Alliance

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