Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (May 21, 2026)

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 May 17, 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’s bestsellers list revisits two memoirs from authors who left their mark on California. In The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion chronicles the grief and disorientation she experienced following her husband’s sudden death. In Sonny Boy, Al Pacino uncovers memories from early childhood and the height of his acting career, reflecting on past relationships and painful regrets.

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

Southern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke, Alfred A. Knopf, $30
2. The Things We Never Say, Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $29
3. The Correspondent, Virginia Evans, Crown, $28
4. John of John, Douglas Stuart, Grove Press, $28
5. A Parade of Horribles, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $32.00

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, Belle Burden, the Dial Press, $30
2. London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth, Patrick Radden Keefe, Doubleday, $35
3. Famesick: A Memoir, Lena Dunham, Random House, $32
4. Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children, Mac Barnett, Little, Brown and Company, $20
5. Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Simon Six, $26

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Project Hail Mary (movie tie-in), Andy Weir, Ballantine Books, $22
2. Theo of Golden, Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20
3. Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $19.99
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20
5. Angel Down, Daniel Kraus, Atria Books, $18

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, Michael Finkel, Vintage, $18
2. Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, Sophie Gilbert, Penguin Books, $20
3. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Amy Tan, Alfred A. Knopf, $36. Read a recap of the California Book Club event.
4. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion, Vintage, $17. Check out Alta’s Didion Issue.
5. Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing, Lili Taylor, Crown, $20

Northern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke, Alfred A. Knopf, $30
2. The Correspondent, Virginia Evans, Crown, $28
3. The Things We Never Say, Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $29
4. John of John, Douglas Stuart, Grove Press, $28
5. A Parade of Horribles, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $32.00

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, Belle Burden, the Dial Press, $30
2. Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children, Mac Barnett, Little, Brown and Company, $20
3. London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth, Patrick Radden Keefe, Doubleday, $35
4. Famesick: A Memoir, Lena Dunham, Random House, $32
5. A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness, Michael Pollan, Penguin Press, $32

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Theo of Golden, Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20
2. Project Hail Mary (movie tie-in), Andy Weir, Ballantine Books, $22
3. Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $19.99
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20
5. James, Percival Everett, Vintage, $20. Read Alta’s feature on the book and the author.

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. Raising Hare: A Memoir, Chloe Dalton, Vintage, $21
2. The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Amy Tan, Alfred A. Knopf, $36. Read a recap of the California Book Club event.
3. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon and Schuster, $19.99
4. 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.
5. Sonny Boy: A Memoir, Al Pacino, Penguin Books, $22

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.