Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (May 22, 2025)

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 May 18, 2025.

Use the long weekend to dive into some bestselling titles. Ocean Vuong’s new novel, The Emperor of Gladness, opens in Connecticut, where Grazina, an elderly widow, talks Hai, a stranger to her, down from a suicide attempt. As the two form a deep bond, Hai begins to reframe his relationships with his family and friends. Meanwhile, Fever Beach, by Carl Hiaasen, takes us to Florida, where a cast of deeply unlikable characters collide in a chaotic satire. There’s Figgo, a former Proud Boy; Claude and Electra Mink, billionaire philanthropists with a secret right-wing agenda; Clure Boyette, a politician with a taste for young girls; and more.

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

Southern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. The Emperor of Gladness, Ocean Vuong, Penguin Press, $30
2. James, Percival Everett, Doubleday, $28. Read an excerpt in Alta.
3. Fever Beach, Carl Hiaasen, Knopf, $30
4. My Friends, Fredrik Backman, Atria Books, $29.99
5. My Name Is Emilia del Valle, Isabel Allende, Ballantine Books, $30. Watch the California Book Club event with the author.

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About, Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins, Hay House, $29.99
2. Abundance, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, Avid Reader Press, $30
3. We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions, Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle, the Dial Press, $34
4. Mark Twain, Ron Chernow, Penguin Press, $45
5. The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life, Suleika Jaouad, Random House, $30

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $19.99
2. Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar, Vintage, $18. Watch the author speak at a California Book Club event.
3. All Fours, Miranda July, Riverhead Books, $19. Read the Alta review.
4. Tom Lake, Ann Patchett, Harper Perennial, $19
5. The Paris Novel, Ruth Reichl, Random House Trade Paperbacks, $19

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder, Crown, $12
2. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, Vintage, $21
3. Rich Relationships: Create a Million-Dollar Network for Your Business, Selena Soo, $19.99
4. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow Paperbacks, $16.99
5. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Amy Tan, Knopf, $36. Register for the California Book Club event.

Northern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. The Emperor of Gladness, Ocean Vuong, Penguin Press, $30
2. James, Percival Everett, Doubleday, $28. Read an excerpt in Alta.
3. Great Big Beautiful Life, Emily Henry, Berkley, $29
4. Fever Beach, Carl Hiaasen, Knopf, $30
5. My Name Is Emilia del Valle, Isabel Allende, Ballantine Books, $30. Watch the California Book Club event with the author.

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. Abundance, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, Avid Reader Press, $30
2. The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About, Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins, Hay House, $29.99
3. We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions, Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle, the Dial Press, $34
4. The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life, Suleika Jaouad, Random House, $30
5. Mark Twain, Ron Chernow, Penguin Press, $45

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $19.99
2. All Fours, Miranda July, Riverhead Books, $19. Read the Alta review.
3. Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar, Vintage, $18. Watch the author speak at a California Book Club event.
4. The Paris Novel, Ruth Reichl, Random House Trade Paperbacks, $19
5. The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley, Avid Reader Press, $18.99

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder, Crown, $12
2. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, Vintage, $21
3. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Amy Tan, Knopf, $36. Register for the California Book Club event.
4. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, Michael Finkel, Vintage, $18
5. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow Paperbacks, $16.99

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.