Family Style

Barbara Costello is a home cook, mother of four, and grandmother of eight. She’s also a TikTok sensation: Costello posted her first video, a recipe for Greek chicken and potatoes, in April 2020, and struck a chord with viewers eager for connection at the start of the pandemic. Now, 1.7 million followers watch her Brunch with Babs videos for recipes, household tips, and an affectionate dose of nonna wisdom. Her first cookbook, Celebrate with Babs, offers a full calendar of holiday recipes, from New Year’s Day to Christmas Day, and takes the #4 spot on our hardcover nonfiction list.

Colder War

Debuting at #3 on our hardcover nonfiction list, Freezing Order by Bill Browder is “a riveting follow-up to his bestseller Red Notice,” our review said, “which recounted how his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, was ‘taken hostage by corrupt Russian officials and ultimately killed in jail’ for exposing a $230 million tax fraud scheme.” Freezing Order, which the review called “an eye-opening exposé of the lengths Putin’s cronies will go to hide their crimes and punish their accusers,” debuts with about 14K print copies sold, nearly five times as many as Red Notice sold in its launch week. The latter book has sold 312K print copies since its 2015 publication.

Tears and Joy

Actor and comedian Molly Shannon lands at #9 on our hardcover nonfiction list with Hello, Molly!, written with Sean Wilsey (Oh the Glory of It All). “In this surprisingly raw and personal account,” our starred review said, Shannon “revisits a life colored by grief,” beginning with the deaths of her mother, sister, and cousin in a 1969 car crash that Shannon, then four years old, and her father survived. “What’s most resonant is Shannon’s unflagging story of perseverance,” the review continued. “Supremely inspiring, this will leave fans astonished.”

NEW & NOTABLE

ON PURPOSE
Dav Pilkey
#1 Children’s Fiction, #1 overall
This is the third installment in the Cat Kid Comic Club series, a Dog Man spin-off that uses multiple visual storytelling elements to encourage kids’ creativity. Our starred review deemed the first Cat Kid book “a heartfelt celebration of coming into one’s own as an artist, with all its frustrations and joys.”

THE INVESTIGATOR
John Sandford
#1 Hardcover Fiction, #6 overall
“Introduced in 2003’s Naked Prey, Letty Davenport, U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport’s adopted daughter, takes center stage in this welcome series spin-off from bestseller Sandford,” per our review, which called it “one of his best books in years.”