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 August 2, 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.
Dive into books related to the recently released film The Odyssey this week. Featured on the list is Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s The Odyssey—the first complete English translation of the poem. Wilson’s version also boasts original maps of Odysseus’s route and a pronunciation glossary. In The Wisdom of the Odyssey, Phil Cousineau looks at The Odyssey’s 24 books, drawing life lessons from characters’ storylines.
For a full list of titles and categories, visit the California Independent Booksellers Alliance.•
Southern California
HARDCOVER FICTION
- Whistler, Ann Patchett, Harper, $30
- Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke, Alfred A. Knopf, $30
- The Calamity Club, Kathryn Stockett, Spiegel & Grau, $35
- Cool Machine, Colson Whitehead, Doubleday, $30
- Land, Maggie O’Farrell, Alfred A. Knopf, $32
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
- Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, Belle Burden, the Dial Press, $30
- Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Simon & Schuster, $34
- The Land and Its People: Essays, David Sedaris, Little, Brown and Company, $30
- Famesick: A Memoir, Lena Dunham, Random House, $32
- London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth, Patrick Radden Keefe, Doubleday, $35
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
- Theo of Golden, Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20
- The Odyssey, Homer and Emily Wilson (translator), Norton, $18.95
- The Emperor of Gladness, Ocean Vuong, Penguin Books, $20
- I Who Have Never Known Men, Jacqueline Harpman and Ros Schwartz (translator), Transit Books, $16.95
- Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
- The Wisdom of the Odyssey: Twenty-Four Life Lessons from Homer’s Epic, Phil Cousineau, New World Library, $19.95
- Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, Karen Hao, Penguin Books, $20
- All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $17.99
- The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, Michael Finkel, Vintage, $18
- A Marriage at Sea, Sophie Elmhirst, Riverhead Books, $20
Northern California
HARDCOVER FICTION
- Whistler, Ann Patchett, Harper, $30
- Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke, Alfred A. Knopf, $30
- The Correspondent, Virginia Evans, Crown, $28
- Cool Machine, Colson Whitehead, Doubleday, $30
- The Calamity Club, Kathryn Stockett, Spiegel & Grau, $35
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
- Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Simon & Schuster, $34
- The Land and Its People: Essays, David Sedaris, Little, Brown and Company, $30
- London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth, Patrick Radden Keefe, Doubleday, $35
- Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, Belle Burden, the Dial Press, $30
- This Is The Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy, Ben Wikler, W. W. Norton & Company, $29.99
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
- Theo of Golden, Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20
- The Odyssey, Homer and Emily Wilson (translator), Norton, $18.95
- Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20
- Project Hail Mary (movie tie-in), Andy Weir, Ballantine Books, $22
- The Wedding People, Alison Espach, Holt Paperbacks, $18.99
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
- The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI: How to Think About Artificial Intelligence—Before It’s Too Late, Cory Doctorow, MCD, $18. Watch the Alta event with the author.
- Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, Karen Hao, Penguin Books, $20
- A Marriage at Sea, Sophie Elmhirst, Riverhead Books, $20
- Raising Hare: A Memoir, Chloe Dalton, Vintage, $21
- The Wisdom of the Odyssey: Twenty-Four Life Lessons from Homer’s Epic, Phil Cousineau, New World Library, $19.95
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.
