Queen of All Media
The #6 book in the country is Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw, a paranormal YA romance based on The Nightmare Before Christmas. Three decades after the release of the Tim Burton movie, why does the story of Halloween Town endure? Karen Raugust, PW’s licensing correspondent, has a few ideas. “Its holiday season is almost half a year, since it’s relevant for both Halloween and Christmas. So it’s never out of the public eye for long, but there’s still a bit of a break,” she said. Plus, “it’s one of the few real all-ages properties, appealing to kids and adults and not at all off-putting to tweens and teens, since it’s kind of offbeat and a little dark, as well as sweet.”
In Clubland
The Reese’s Book Club pick for August, Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister, is an “intriguing time-travel mystery,” our review said, whose “entertaining look at motherhood and memory will resonate with many.” It debuts at #3 on our hardcover fiction list, leading the pack of new book club selections. At #10, Mercury Pictures Presents, the Barnes & Noble Book Club pick, is Anthony Marra’s “meticulously crafted latest,” according to our review, and “follows a host of outsiders as they try to make it through pre-WWII Italy and wartime Los Angeles with some of their morals intact.” The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford, #11, explores “the connections between seven generations of women,” per our review, “beginning with the historical Afong Moy, noted as the first Chinese woman to immigrate to the United States.” It’s the Read with Jenna selection as well as the choice of Amerie’s Book Club; the latter, launched by the eponymous singer in 2019, highlights “diverse & unique perspectives & voices” per its Instagram account.
Material World
Alexis Hall lands at #16 on our trade paperback list with Husband Material, a sequel to his much beloved 2020 queer rom-com Boyfriend Material. Our reviewer wasn’t smitten (“the frothy, episodic plot contains so much filler that it’s difficult to invest in”)but conceded that the banter between Luc and Oliver “is strong as ever, and fans of book one will be glad to see them again.” That seems to be the case, judging by #BookTok’s passionate responses—no spoilers here, but reactions range from “every time I think about the ending, I get angry all over again” (@a.veryqueerartsclub) to this assessment from @mygaybookcase: “It was
hilarious, it was great, it was swoony—but this ending really sold it for me.”
New & Notable
ONE PIECE, VOL. 100
Eiichiro Oda
#6 Trade Paperback
When volume one of Oda’s piratical manga landed on these shores in 2003, our review said, “One Piece should have no trouble finding an audience in America.” Two decades later, single volumes and omnibus editions in the series have sold a combined 2.9 million print copies.
BLEACH, VOL. 1 (20th anniversary ed.)
Tite Kubo
#8 Trade Paperback
Another milestone-hitting manga—this one starring a part-time student, full-time soul reaper named Ichigo—lands on our list this week, featuring cover art from the Aug. 20, 2001, series launch in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.
