Literary thrillers, fantasy, diet, and self-help books were popular reads across Europe in early spring. The fiction bestseller list in France in late March had Delphine de Vigan in the #1 position with The Gratitudes, a story of intrigue about a young woman and her speech therapist; de Vigan has been published in English by Bloomsbury. Frédéric Saldmann, once dubbed the “oracle of eternal youth” by Vanity Fair, topped the nonfiction list with Vital!, his new health guide; Saldmann has been published in English by Collins.

Fantasy writer Walter Moers returned to the top spot on the German fiction list at the end of March with The Book Dragon; Overlook Press has been his American publisher. Bas Kast’s The Diet Compass led the nonfiction list, followed by megaselling thriller writer Sebastian Fitzek’s The Fish That Climb Trees, a compendium of life advice.

France

Fiction
Rank Title Author Imprint
1 Les gratitudes (The Gratitudes) Delphine de Vigan Jean-Claude Lattès
2 Une evidence (A Foregone Conclusion) Agnès Martin-Lugand Michel Lafon Publishing
3 M: le bord de l’abîme (M, the Edge of the Abyss) Bernard Minier XO
Nonfiction
1 Vital! (Vital!) Frédéric Saldmann Albin Michel
2 Sodoma: enquête au coeur du Vatican (In the Closet of the Vatican) Frédéric Martel Robert Laffont
3 J’ai tiré sur le fil du mensonge et tout est venu (I Pulled the String, and All the Lies Came Out) Philippe de Villiers Fayard

For the week ended Mar. 31; used by arrangement with GFK/Livres Hebdo

Germany

Rank Title Author Imprint
Fiction
1 Der Bücherdrache (The Book Dragon) Walter Moers Penguin
2 Kaffee und Zigaretten (Coffee and Cigarettes) Ferdinand Schirach Luchterhand
3 Die ewigen Toten (The Scent of Death) Simon Beckett Wunderlich
Nonfiction
1 Der Ernährungskompass (The Diet Compass) Bas Kast C. Bertelsmann
2 Fische, die auf Bäume klettern (The Fish That Climb Trees) Sebastian Fitzek Droemer
3 Becoming (Becoming) Michelle Obama Goldmann

For the week ended Mar. 31; used by arrangement with Buchreport

Spain

Fiction
Rank Title Author Imprint
1 Días sin ti (Days Without You) Elvira Sastre Seix Barral
2 Yo, Julia (I, Julia) Santiago Posteguillo Gómez Planeta
3 El último barco (The Last Ferry) Domingo Villar Siruela
Nonfiction
1 Cómo hacer que te pasen cosas buenas (What to Do to Have Good Things Happen to You) Marian Rojas Estapé Espasa Calpe
2 Sapiens. De animales a dioses (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind) Yuval Noah Harari Debate
3 Manual de Resistencia (Manual of Resistance) Pedro Sánchez Península

For the week ended Apr. 1; used by arrangement with El Cultural