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 September 10, 2023.
Zadie Smith conjures Victorian England in her recent historical fiction book, The Fraud (reviewed by Alta books editor David L. Ulin). Set in 1873, the novel revisits the Tichborne Trial, a controversial case in which a substantial estate was claimed by a working-class man. Another new book by a familiar author: Stephen King’s Holly solves Bonnie Dahl’s mysterious disappearance with fan favorite Holly Gibney at the helm of the case.
For a full list of titles and categories, visit the California Independent Booksellers Alliance.
Southern California
HARDCOVER FICTION
- Tom Lake, Ann Patchett, Harper, $30
- Holly, Stephen King, Scribner, $30
- The Fraud, Zadie Smith, Penguin Press, $29
- Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29
- Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
- The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32
- The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, Doubleday, $30
- Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, James Clear, Avery, $27
- Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere, Maria Bamford, Gallery Books, $28.99
- Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments, Joe Posnanski, Dutton, $29
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
- Trust, Hernan Diaz, Riverhead Books, $17
- Babel, R.F. Kuang, Harper Voyager, $20
- The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho, HarperOne, $17.99
- A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara, Anchor, $18
- The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman, Penguin Books, $18
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
- Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann, Vintage, $17
- American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Vintage, $25
- An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, Ed Yong, Random House, $20
- Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17
- The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, Julia Cameron, TarcherPerigee, $19
Northern California
HARDCOVER FICTION
- Tom Lake, Ann Patchett, Harper, $30
- The Fraud, Zadie Smith, Penguin Press, $29
- Holly, Stephen King, Scribner, $30
- Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride, Riverhead Books, $28
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
- The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, Doubleday, $30
- The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32
- Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, James Clear, Avery, $27
- Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments, Joe Posnanski, Dutton, $29
- Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Peter Attia, MD, with Bill Gifford, Harmony, $32
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
- Trust, Hernan Diaz, Riverhead Books, $17
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
- The Midnight Library, Matt Haig, Penguin Books, $18
- Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, Satoshi Yagisawa, Harper Perennial, $16.99
- Babel, R.F. Kuang, Harper Voyager, $20
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
- Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann, Vintage, $17
- American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Vintage, $25
- An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, Ed Yong, Random House, $20
- Solito: A Memoir, Javier Zamora, Hogarth, $18
- Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17
Source: California Independent Booksellers Alliance
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.
