Star Turns
Here’s what our starred reviews had to say about three of the week’s top-selling new releases.
Wellness
Nathan Hill
#8 Hardcover Fiction
“Hill blends a family chronicle with cultural critique in his expansive and surprisingly tender latest,” which arrives seven years after his first novel, The Nix.
Black AF History
Michael Harriot
#12 Hardcover Nonfiction
“Harriot, a columnist at TheGrio, offers a razor-sharp reassessment of American history,” using “a textbook format (including end-of-chapter quizzes and sidebars) meant to counter the ‘whitewashed’ version of U.S. history often taught in schools.”
Bright Young Women
Jessica Knoll
#15 Hardcover Fiction
“In this stunning serial killer thriller, bestseller Knoll uses echoes of Ted Bundy’s real-life crimes to underline potent themes of misogyny and survivor’s guilt.”
A Quick Study
Ava Reid makes her YA debut with A Study in Drowning, #6 on our children’s fiction list. The atmospheric historical fantasy explores “grief, gender, and the value of folklore,” our starred review said. Bonus: “The rivals-to-lovers romance is swoonworthy.” Reid is also the author of two fairy tale retellings for adults: 2021’s The Wolf and the Woodsman and 2022’s Juniper & Thorn. First-week print unit sales for her third book are stronger than those for her first two books combined.
We Could Be Antiheroes
Starter Villain by John Scalzi lands at #14 on our hardcover fiction list. “In this clever, fast-paced thriller,” according to our review, “Hugo Award winner Scalzi subverts classic supervillain tropes with equal measures of tongue-in-cheek humor and common sense.” Bad guys are having a moment: Scalzi’s book joins Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Assistant to the Villain, #10 on our trade paperback list in its fourth week on sale. The story, a TikTok fave, depicts a romance between an evil mastermind and his assistant.
NEW & NOTABLE
THE DEMOCRAT PARTY HATES AMERICA
Mark R. Levin
#1 Hardcover Nonfiction, #1 overall
The latest from Fox News host and broadcaster Levin lays out its thesis in chapter headings that begin with “The Democrat Party and Authoritarianism” and end with “Stalin Would Be Proud.” The book sold 3.5 times as many units as the next-bestselling title, Walter Isaacson’s Elon Musk.
SKINNYTASTE SIMPLE
Gina Homolka and Heather K. Jones
#3 Hardcover Nonfiction, #5 overall
Blogger Homolka, writing with registered dietician Jones, her usual coauthor, offers 120 “easy, healthy recipes” with seven or fewer ingredients. Their six previous cookbooks have sold more than two million print copies combined.
