Alta Journal’s California Bestsellers List (August 23, 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 August 20, 2023.

The end of the summer is a good time for reflection on our own journey—and the inspiring lives of others. This week, the bestsellers list revisits some of our favorite memoirs. Michelle Zauner’s Crying in H Mart, written in the wake of her mother’s untimely death, chronicles the author’s journey through loss and exploration of her Korean heritage. In Pageboy, Elliot Page recounts his experience in and out of Hollywood during one of the most difficult times in his career.

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

Southern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. Tom Lake, Ann Patchett, Harper, $30
2. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
3. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, Knopf, $28
4. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride, Riverhead Books, $28
5. The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese, Grove Press, $32

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32
2. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, Doubleday, $30
3. Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, James Clear, Avery, $27
4. Pageboy: A Memoir, Elliot Page, Flatiron Books, $29.99
5. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $27.99

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Trust, Hernan Diaz, Riverhead Books, $17
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Publishing, $19
3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
4. Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston, St. Martin’s Griffin, $16.99
5. The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman, Penguin Books, $18

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Vintage, $25
2. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17
3. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann, Vintage, $17
4. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $16.99
5. Solito: A Memoir, Javier Zamora, Hogarth, $18

Northern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. Tom Lake, Ann Patchett, Harper, $30
2. The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese, Grove Press, $32
3. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
4. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride, Riverhead Books, $28
5. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, Knopf, $28

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32
2. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, Doubleday, $30
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. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $27.99

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Trust, Hernan Diaz, Riverhead Books, $17
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
3. Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston, St. Martin’s Griffin, $16.99
4. The Midnight Library, Matt Haig, Penguin Books, $18
5. A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Publishing, $19

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Vintage, $25
2. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann, Vintage, $17
3. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $16.99
4. Solito: A Memoir, Javier Zamora, Hogarth, $18
5. Bay Curious: Exploring the Hidden True Stories of the San Francisco Bay Area, Olivia Allen-Price, Chronicle Books, $15.95

Source: California Independent Booksellers Alliance

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.