Newcomers to the international bestseller lists locked down the top spots in several markets in October. Haruki Murakami’s much anticipated novel Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, the author’s first since 1Q84, hit #1 on Spain’s fiction list (Knopf will publish a translation in the U.S. in fall 2014). Anna Gavalda led the French list with her new novel Billie, which tells the story of a man and a woman who try to hit the restart button on their relationship.
New releases occupied the top three spots on Sweden’s fiction list last month. Leif G.W. Persson’s The True Story of Pinocchio’s Nose, billed as a “wicked fairy tale for grown-up children,” grabbed #1. The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson landed in the #2 spot (HarperCollins will publish a translation in the U.S. in April 2014).
On the nonfiction side, María de Villota’s Life is a Gift landed on the Spanish list at #1. De Villota, a Formula One test driver, died in October at the age of 33, just prior to the book’s publication. I Can Promise and Promise, Fernando Ónega’s biography of Adolfo Suárez, Spain’s first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, debuted in the #2 spot. Hanging on to the #1 spot on France’s nonfiction chart was Lorànt Deutsch’s Hexagon: On the Road of French History, a collection of biographies of 26 famous French men and women throughout history. Cécilia Attias’s A Desire for Truth landed on the country’s nonfiction list at #2. And another newbie, From Light to Oblivion, journalist and TV host Michel Drucker’s account of his life in show business, hit the #3 spot.
International Bestsellers
Spain
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los años de peregrinación del chico sin color Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage Haruki Murakami Tusquets | La vida es un regalo Life is a Gift María de Villota Plataforma |
| 2 | Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto Shoot, I’m Already Dead Julia Navarro Plaza & Janés | Puedo prometer y prometo I Can Promise and Promise Fernando Ónega Plaza & Janés |
| 3 | La verdad sobre el caso Harry Quebert The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair Joël Dicker Alfaguara | El sueño de Alicia Alice’s Dream Eduardo Punset Destino |
France
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billie Billie Anna Gavalda Dilettante | Hexagone. sur les routes de l’histoire de France Hexagon: On the Road of French History Lorànt Deutsch Michel Lafon |
| 2 | Cinq jours Five Days Douglas Kennedy Belfond | Une envie de vérité A Desire for Truth Cécilia Attias Flammarion |
| 3 | Un jour je m’en irai sans en avoir tout dit One Day I Will Go Without Being Told Everything Jean d’Ormesson | Robert Laffont De la lumière à l’oubli From Light to Oblivion Michel Drucker Robert Laffont |
Sweden
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Den sanna historien om Pinocchios näsa The True Story of Pinocchio’s Nose Leif G.W. Persson Albert Bonniers förlag | Vår kokbok Our Cookbook Coop provkök Norstedts |
| 2 | Analfabeten som kunde räkna The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden Jonas Jonasson Piratförlaget | Ulrika Davidssons kokbok om 5:2 Ulrika Davidsson’s 5:2 Cookbook Ulrika Davidsson Tukan |
| 3 | Lyckliga gatan Happy Nation Liza Marklund Piratförlaget | 438 dagar 438 Days Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson Offside/Filter |
