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 23, 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, dive into nonfiction titles by California authors. In No Prophets, writer Jared Huffman maps the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States, arguing that it is the most dangerous political development the country is currently facing. A former Christian and current member of Congress, Huffman takes readers behind-the-scenes on how the ideology gained momentum and is reshaping government agencies. In The Nerd Reich, author Gil Durán pulls back the curtain on the rise of tech authoritarianism, recounting its roots in San Francisco politics and recent progression into the White House.

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

Southern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

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Alta

  1. Whistler, Ann Patchett, Harper, $30
  2. The Calamity Club, Kathryn Stockett, Spiegel & Grau, $35
  3. Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke, Alfred A. Knopf, $30
  4. The Things We Never Say, Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $29
  5. Cool Machine, Colson Whitehead, Doubleday, $30

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

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Alta

  1. Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, Belle Burden, the Dial Press, $30
  2. The Success Lie: Reframing Your Reality to Thrive Personally and Professionally, Chantell Preston, Resolve Editions, $28
  3. The Land and Its People: Essays, David Sedaris, Little, Brown and Company, $30
  4. Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Simon & Schuster, $34
  5. London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth, Patrick Radden Keefe, Doubleday, $35

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

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Alta

  1. Theo of Golden, Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20
  2. Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20
  3. East of Eden, John Steinbeck, Penguin, $25
  4. Project Hail Mary (movie tie-in), Andy Weir, Ballantine Books, $22
  5. The Odyssey, Homer and Emily Wilson (translator), W.W. Norton & Company, $18.95

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

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Alta

  1. Golden State: The Making of California, Michael Hiltzik, Mariner Books, $22
  2. A Marriage at Sea, Sophie Elmhirst, Riverhead Books, $20
  3. Raising Hare: A Memoir, Chloe Dalton, Vintage, $21
  4. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, Anthony Bourdain, Ecco, $19
  5. All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks, William Morrow, $18

Northern California

HARDCOVER FICTION

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Alta

  1. Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke, Alfred A. Knopf, $30
  2. Whistler, Ann Patchett, Harper, $30
  3. The Calamity Club, Kathryn Stockett, Spiegel & Grau, $35
  4. The Correspondent, Virginia Evans, Crown, $28
  5. Land, Maggie O’Farrell, Alfred A. Knopf, $32

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

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Alta

  1. Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Simon & Schuster, $34
  2. The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy, Gil Durán, Avid Reader Press, $30
  3. The Land and Its People: Essays, David Sedaris, Little, Brown and Company, $30
  4. No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism, Jared Huffman, W. W. Norton & Company, $29
  5. Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, Belle Burden, the Dial Press, $30

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

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Alta

  1. Theo of Golden, Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20
  2. Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20
  3. The Odyssey, Homer and Emily Wilson (translator), W.W. Norton & Company, $18.95
  4. The God of the Woods, Liz Moore, Riverhead Books, $19
  5. The Wedding People, Alison Espach, Holt Paperbacks, $18.99

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

books, northern california bestsellers, trade paperback nonfiction, a marriage at sea, golden state, the wisdom of the odyssey, raising hare, empire of ai
Alta

  1. A Marriage at Sea, Sophie Elmhirst, Riverhead Books, $20
  2. Golden State: The Making of California, Michael Hiltzik, Mariner Books, $22
  3. The Wisdom of the Odyssey: Twenty-Four Life Lessons from Homer’s Epic, Phil Cousineau, New World Library, $20
  4. Raising Hare: A Memoir, Chloe Dalton, Vintage, $21
  5. Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, Karen Hao, Penguin Books, $20

Source: California Independent Booksellers Alliance

Headshot of Elizabeth Casillas
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.