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

One week after the theatrical release of Oppenheimer, the Pulitzer Prize–winning book that served as its inspiration appears on the California indie bestseller list. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, traces the famous physicist’s rise and fall, from his schoolboy days to his key role in developing the atomic bomb to the revocation of his security clearance. For further reading, check out our latest issue’s cover story, “The Cautionary Tale of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” plus a watchlist, a primer, and a list of places to visit to learn more about the Manhattan Project.

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

Southern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. Crook Manifesto, Colson Whitehead, Doubleday, $29
2. The Collector, Daniel Silva, Harper, $32
3. The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese, Grove Press, $32
4. Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros, Red Tower Books, $29.99
5. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32
2. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, Michael Finkel, Knopf, $28
3. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, Doubleday, $30
4. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Peter Attia, MD, with Bill Gifford, Harmony, $32
5. Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, James Clear, Avery, $27

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Trust, Hernan Diaz, Riverhead Books, $17
2. Beach Read, Emily Henry, Berkley, $16
3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
4. The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman, Penguin Books, $18
5. The Marriage Portrait, Maggie O’Farrell, Vintage, $17

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann, Vintage, $17
2. Happy-Go-Lucky, David Sedaris, Back Bay Books, $18.99
3. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17
4. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Vintage, $25
5. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $16.99

Northern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese, Grove Press, $32
2. Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros, Red Tower Books, $29.99
3. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29
4. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
5. Crook Manifesto, Colson Whitehead, Doubleday, $29

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

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. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Peter Attia, MD, with Bill Gifford, Harmony, $32
4. Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, James Clear, Avery, $27
5. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, Michael Finkel, Knopf, $28

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Trust, Hernan Diaz, Riverhead Books, $17
2. The Midnight Library, Matt Haig, Penguin Books, $18
3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
4. A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Publishing, $19
5. The Marriage Portrait, Maggie O’Farrell, Vintage, $17

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. Solito: A Memoir, Javier Zamora, Hogarth, $18
2. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Vintage, $25
3. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17
4. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann, Vintage, $17
5. Happy-Go-Lucky, David Sedaris, Back Bay Books, $18.99

Source: California Independent Booksellers Alliance

Elizabeth Casillas

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