With reporting from the California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Alta Journal highlights the bestselling books at independent bookstores across Northern and Southern California for the week ending April 5, 2026. This list includes bestselling fiction, nonfiction, and new releases, offering a snapshot of current book trends, popular authors, and must-read titles across California’s literary scene.
This week, check out two books that center the natural world. In The Glorians, author Terry Tempest Williams blends memoir and environmental research, helping readers balance the wonders of the great outdoors with climate-related anxiety. In A Walk in the Park, Kevin Fedarko recounts his harrowing 750-mile journey with his friend through the Grand Canyon.
For a full list of titles and categories, visit the California Independent Booksellers Alliance.•
Southern California
HARDCOVER FICTION
- The Keeper, Tana French, Viking, $32
- The Correspondent, Virginia Evans, Crown, $28
- Heart the Lover, Lily King, Grove Press, $28
- Kin, Tayari Jones, Alfred A. Knopf, $32
- Vigil, George Saunders, Random House, $28
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
- A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness, Michael Pollan, Penguin Press, $32
- Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, Belle Burden, the Dial Press, $30
- Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism, Stewart “Brittlestar” Reynolds, Grand Central Publishing, $13
- How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself, Jenny Lawson, Penguin Life, $29
- Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences, Neal Allen and Anne Lamott, Avery, $27
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
- Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir, Ballantine, $22
- Theo of Golden, Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20
- I Who Have Never Known Men, Jacqueline Harpman and Ros Schwartz (translator), Transit Books, $16.95
- Heated Rivalry, Rachel Reid, Carina Press, $18.99
- Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
- Raising Hare: A Memoir, Chloe Dalton, Vintage, $21
- The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, Erik Larson, Crown, $22
- Your Retirement Sketchbook: 125 Retirement Planning Lessons from Financial Experts, Jamie Hopkins and Bonnie Treichel, Harriman House, $19.99
- The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, Michael Finkel, Vintage, $18
- I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon and Schuster, $19.99
Northern California
HARDCOVER FICTION
- The Correspondent, Virginia Evans, Crown, $28
- The Keeper, Tana French, Viking, $32
- Kin, Tayari Jones, Alfred A. Knopf, $32
- Heart the Lover, Lily King, Grove Press, $28
- The Night We Met (indie exclusive edition), Abby Jimenez, Hachette Book Group, $30
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
- A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness, Michael Pollan, Penguin Press, $32
- Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, Belle Burden, the Dial Press, $30
- How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself, Jenny Lawson, Penguin Life, $29
- The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary, Terry Tempest Williams, Grove Press, $28. Read the Alta review.
- The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love, Alice Hoffman (editor), Scribner, $22
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
- Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir, Ballantine, $22
- Theo of Golden, Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20
- Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20
- The God of the Woods, Liz Moore, Riverhead Books, $19
- Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $19.99
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
- Raising Hare: A Memoir, Chloe Dalton, Vintage, $21
- The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, Erik Larson, Crown, $22
- The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change, Rebecca Solnit, Haymarket Books, $16.95. Watch the California Book Club event with the author.
- The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Amy Tan, Alfred A. Knopf, $36. Read a recap of the California Book Club event.
- A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon, Kevin Fedarko, Scribner, $22
Source: California Independent Booksellers Alliance
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.
