Laughing All the Way to the Bank
Emily Henry’s latest contemporary rom-com, Funny Story, is the #1 book in the country. The author “takes on fake dating in this equally poignant and charming tale of love after loss,” according to our review, making for “a heartwarming take on summer love.” The fake-dating trope is resonating with romance readers—look for our deep dive in PW’s May 13 issue—as is Henry herself, whose latest book cracked the six-figure print unit sales mark in its first week.
A New Feather in Her Cap
The Backyard Bird Chronicles—“the lovely latest,” per our review, from Amy Tan—comprises illustrated journal entries from birding observations the novelist made in her northern California backyard between 2017 and 2022. “Tan’s drawings, a highlight of the volume, trace the development of her artistry,” the review said, “with respectable if amateurish early colored pencil sketches giving way to impressively detailed and realistic depictions of the oak titmouse, chestnut backed chickadee, and great horned owl.” The book alights at #5 on our hardcover fiction list, with 30% of sales in the Bay Area.
Arc of the Covenant
In 2023, Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water was an Oprah’s Book Club pick, a critical favorite, and enjoyed strong sales through the end of the year. After the holidays, the novel had a slow start in 2024, until the author’s April 21 appearance on CBS Sunday Morning changed its trajectory. This week, it’s the #7 book in the country.
NEW & NOTABLE
Extinction
Douglas Preston
#7 Hardcover Fiction
“Preston spins a creepy and creative variation on Jurassic Park,” per our starred review. The author “tweaks the ‘resurrected species go haywire’ trope with a series of ingenious plot twists, and his well-rounded characters make this more than a knowing genre exercise.”
Shakespeare
Judi Dench, with Brendan O’Hea
#9 Hardcover Nonfiction
“For this exuberant collection,” per our review, “O’Hea, an actor at Shakespeare’s Globe theater, brings together his interviews with Dench about the many Shakespearean roles and productions in her seven-decade career.”
