Strong Ties

Anne Lamott’s Somehow tops our hardcover nonfiction list. The Bird by Bird author “brings her signature wit and warmth to these effervescent meditations on matters of the heart,” according to our starred review. “A topic that might feel trite in the hands of a lesser writer takes on fresh meaning in Lamott’s, thanks to her ability to distill complex truths with a deceptive lightness.”

Known Quantity

Fantasy author Leigh Bardugo got her start in YA with 2012’s Shadow and Bone, the first of her popular Grishaverse novels. 2019’s Ninth House marked her foray into adult fiction, launching a planned trilogy that continued with 2023’s Hell Bent. Her new standalone adult title, The Familiar, is the #3 book in the country. It’s a “poignant romantic fantasy,” per our starred review, in which “two people with magical powers and sketchy pasts plot their escape from the Spanish Inquisition.”

TikTok Boom

Wild Love by Elsie Silver is the #8 book in the country. The “sizzling contemporary romance,” per our review, launches her Rose Hill series, the author’s first new line of books since Bloom acquired two previously self-published series in 2023: Chestnut Springs and Gold Rush Ranch. Silver went viral in August with a CapCut-edited video of actor Lola Tung saying, “Oh my goodness, I love this question!” in an interview (Silver’s caption: “when someone asks me what my books are about”). It’s been viewed 6.1 million times.

NEW & NOTABLE

The Wide Wide Sea
Hampton Sides
#3 Hardcover Nonfiction
In what our starred review called an “exquisitely crafted and novelistic portrait,” Sides delivers a “propulsive account the final expedition of Capt. James Cook (1728–1779), which culminated with his murder by native Hawaiians.”

Grown Woman Talk
Sharon Malone
#4 Hardcover Nonfiction
Obstetrician gynecologist Malone offers a “spirited debut guide to how women over 50 can take control of their health,” per our review. “Malone’s social insight elevates her advice, and the emphasis on advocating for oneself tackles an often-overlooked obstacle to receiving adequate treatment.”