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‘New York Times’ Reveals Its Best Books of 2021

BY Michael Schaub • Nov. 29, 2021

The New York Times Book Review unveiled its list of the 10 best books of the year , with titles by Honorée Fannone Jeffers, Patricia Lockwood, and Clint Smith among those making the cut.

Jeffers was honored for her debut novel, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois , which was a finalist for this year’s Kirkus Prize and longlisted for the National Book Award.

Lockwood made the list for her Booker Prize-finalist No One Is Talking About This , while Imbolo Mbue was honored for her novel How Beautiful We Were . The other two works of fiction selected by the Times were Intimacies by Katie Kitamura and the genre-defying When We Cease To Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut, translated by Adrian Nathan West. Kitamura’s novel made the National Book Award fiction longlist, while Labatut’s book was on the prize’s translated literature shortlist.

Smith’s How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America , also longlisted for the National Book Award,was one of the nonfiction books to make the Times list, along with Annette Gordon-Reed’s On Juneteenth .

Other nonfiction books on the list included Andrea Elliott’s Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival and Hope in an American City and Tove Ditlevsen’s memoir cycle,  The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood; Youth; Dependency , translated by Tiina Nunnally and Michael Favala Goldman.

Rounding out the list was Heather Clark’s Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath . The biography, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award, was published in 2020; when asked on Twitter why it was named one of the Times’ notable books of 2021, Times Book Review editor Pamela Paul explained , “We used to make the cut after the Holiday issue and carry the titles over [to the] following year. Moving forward, it’s the full calendar year.”

Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.

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The Best Books of the Year According to The New York Times

Always books. Never boring.

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The staff of the New York Times Book Review released their 100 Notable Books of 2022 list a week ago featuring fiction, nonfiction, and poetry titles. They’ve since whittled this list down to 10 for their Best Books of 2022 list that was released today.

The list is made of five fiction and five nonfiction titles and is as follows:

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

The Furrows by Namwali Serpell

Trust by Hernan Diaz

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong

Stay True: A Memoir by Hua Hsu

Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us by Rachel Aviv

Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation by Linda Villarosa

We Don’t Know Ourselves by Fintan O’Toole

Unsurprisingly, the list has books in common with other best-of lists, like Barnes & Noble’s ( An Immense World ), Amazon’s ( Demon Copperhead ), and The Washington Post’s ( Demon Copperhead , Trust , and Stay True ).

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Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in  Breaking in Books .

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The Complete List of New York Times Fiction Best Sellers

Go beyond just the current list of New York Times Fiction Best Sellers to discover every bestselling book listed on the NYT Bestseller List in 2024.

Since 1931, The New York Times has been publishing a weekly list of bestselling books. Since then, becoming a New York Times bestseller has become a dream for virtually every writer.

When I first started reading adult fiction, one of the first places I went for book recommendations was the New York Times Fiction Best Sellers. I wanted to know what books were the most widely read, and start with those.

However, scrolling through the list week by week on The New York Times website is rather annoying. I just wanted all the bestselling fiction books gathered together in one place.

When I couldn’t find it, I decided to create it.

Here are all the New York Times fiction bestsellers from this year. I’ve got the current #1 and this week’s bestselling list, both of which you can find all over the place.

This list also compiles every book that appears on the New York Times Fiction Best Sellers list in 2024 for Hardcover Fiction. Every week I update it so you can get the most accurate view of the year in one place.

Since this is a bit of a sprawling post, feel free to jump to the section that most interests you or take your time scrolling through the complete list of New York Times fiction best sellers.

Quick Links

• Current #1 NYT Bestseller
• Current New York Times Fiction Best Seller List
• Previous #1 Fiction Best Sellers
• Heavyweights (10+ Weeks)
• Fan Favorites (5+ Weeks)
• Honorable Mention (2+ Weeks)
• One Hit Wonders

Don’t Miss a Thing

Current #1 New York Times Best Seller

Kristin Hannah

( 27 Weeks ) The Women   is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism,  The Women   is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Publication Date: 6 February 2024 Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Current List of New York Times Best Sellers

In 1965, a nursing student follows her brother to serve during the Vietnam War and returns to a divided America.

At Hollow’s Grove University, a school for magic that suffered a bloody massacre decades ago, 13 gifted students confront ghosts from the school’s past.

The 23rd book in the Scot Harvath series. A mess of trouble involving double agents, international intrigue and a potential global firestorm forces Harvath to choose between his country and his conscience.

Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders.

The second book in the Jane Smith series. A double triple homicide complicates matters for Smith.

A woman who is down on her luck forms an unexpected bond with the bride at a wedding in Rhode Island.

The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training might require her to betray the man she loves.

When a 13-year-old girl disappears from an Adirondack summer camp in 1975, secrets kept by the Van Laar family emerge.

Dafyd Alkhor is taken from the Anjiin society to serve on the Carryx homeworld, where a complex game must be played in order to survive.

Questions arise when a boy saves the daughter of a wealthy family amid a string of disappearances in a Missouri town in 1975.

Nantucket residents are alarmed when a home, recently sold at an exorbitant price, goes up in flames and someone goes missing.

The Big Island of Hawaii comes under threat by a volcano at the same time a secret held by the military comes to light.

When the Great Library of Alyssium is set aflame, Kiela and Caz take the spellbooks and bring magic to Kiela’s childhood home.

A dozen short stories that explore darkness in literal and metaphorical forms.

A widow working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium is aided in solving a mystery by a giant Pacific octopus living there.

See what Upcoming Releases are coming out soon!

Previous #1 New York Times Fiction Best Sellers

Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie garmus.

(99 Weeks) Elizabeth Zott has always defied stereotyping, especially as the only woman chemist at the Hastings Research Institute in the 1960s. After falling in love with another chemist who sees her for who she is, life throws her a curveball. Now as a single mom, she unexpectedly finds herself the host of a tv cooking show. When Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking charms her audience, the women who watch her begin to question the status quo in their own lives, making Elizabeth a target of those who find the change unwelcome.

Publication Date: 5 April 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Fourth Wing

Rebecca yarros.

( 66 Weeks ) Violet Sorrengail is all set to live a quiet life among her books until her mother orders her to become a candidate for the highly competitive dragon riders. But dragons usually prefer to kill rather than bond with weak humans like Violet. With half the competition willing to kill her to improve their odds and the other half hating her because of her mother, Violet must use all her wits to survive the war college. 

Publication Date: 2 May 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

( 40 Weeks ) In the highly anticipated sequel to Fourth Wing, Violet Sorrengail returns for her second year at Basgiath War College. No one expected her to survive this long, much less bond with one of the strongest dragons in existence and a second dragon as well. Now that she knows the secret the nation has been hiding, it will take all her wits to survive her second year, especially with the new vice commandant determined to make her betray the man she loves. 

Publication Date: 7 November 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Ann Patchett

( 24 Weeks ) In 2020, three grown daughters return to their family orchard in Michigan to isolate with their mother. They beg her to tell them about a story from her youth when she fell in love with famous actor Peter Duke while they performed together at the Tom Lake Theater Company. As Lara ponders her life, her daughters begin to wonder about their own choices.

Publication Date: 1 August 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Stephen King

(18 Weeks) Holly is meant to be on leave due to the myriad of personal struggles she is facing, but something about the plea to find a missing daughter is impossible to turn down. Mere blocks from where the girl disappeared live a respectable couple who harbor a chilling secret in their basement, and Holly must outwit and outmaneuver them in this frightening new novel from Stephen King.

Publication Date: 16 May 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Exchange

John grisham.

(16 Weeks) In a sequel to his debut thriller, The Firm , John Grisham returns to tell you what happened to Mitch and Abby McDeere after they exposed the crimes of his corrupt Memphis law firm. Fifteen years later, Mitch and Abby are living in Manhattan where Mitch is a partner in the world’s largest law firm. When Mitch gets caught up in another sinister plot with worldwide implications, he must do all he can to stay one step ahead of his enemies.

Publication Date: 17 October 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Funny Story

Emily henry.

( 14 Weeks ) Daphne and her fiancé Peter have the perfect cute story of how they met, up until Peter leaves her for his childhood best friend Petra. Stranded in Peter’s lakeside Michigan hometown with a job as a children’s librarian she loves, Daphne needs a roommate to help pay the bills. Who better than Petra’s ex, Miles, who is completely Daphne’s opposite? And no big deal if they happen to post misleading photos to make their exes jealous, because there’s no way they would ever actually fall in love.

Publication Date: 23 April 2024 Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

House of Flame and Shadow

Sarah j. maas.

( 13 Weeks ) In the third Crescent City book, Bryce Quinlan struggles to find her way back to Midgard. Stranded in a new world, she must decide who she can trust. Meanwhile, Hunt Athalar is in the Asteri’s dungeons, again, with no clue what happened to Bryce. If he wants to find her, he must first escape the Asteri’s leash.

Publication Date: 30 January 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

You Like It Darker

( 12 Weeks ) Stephen King’s readers always ask for something a little darker and King is glad to oblige. A collection of twelve short stories, You Like It Darker delves into the darker side of life. A psychic vision runs lives. A widower receives an inheritance with strings attached. A vet answers a job ad that leads him to places no one should go. Whether discussing fate, luck, mortality, or parts of the universe best left unexplored, King is a master storyteller who isn’t afraid to delve into the darker side of things.

Publication Date: 21 May 2024 Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph |  More Info Buy Now: Amazon  

Camino Ghosts

( 10 Weeks ) In the third Camino Island book, bookstore owner Bruce Cable reunites with Mercer Mann for another island mystery. A large real estate developer has his eye on a deserted island between Florida and Georgia. All that stands in his way is the last living resident, Lovely Jackson, and a complicated history that makes the locals believe the island is cursed.

Publication Date: 28 May 2024 Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Michael Crichton and James Patterson

( 10 Weeks ) At the time of his death, bestselling author Michael Crichton ( Jurassic Park , The Andromeda Strain ) was working on a passion project that he never got to finish. Waiting for the right co-author, his wife eventually gave the unfinished manuscript to legendary mystery author James Patterson to finish. In what might be one of the summer’s biggest thrillers, a deadly volcanic eruption is about to burst on the Big Island of Hawaii forcing a terrifying military secret to come to light.

Publication Date: 3 June 2024 Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Elin Hilderbrand

( 9 Weeks ) After over thirty years as the Chief of Police in Nantucket, Ed Kapanesh is only days away from retirement. The Richardsons have made a splash since their arrival, doing anything they can to gain admittance to Nantucket’s exclusive club. While throwing a party on their yacht, they find their mansion has burned down and their personal assistant, the best friend of Ed’s daughter, is missing. Postponing his retirement, Ed uses the local real estate agent and the town gossip to help solve the mystery in his close-knit community.

Publication Date: 11 June 2024 Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

A Death in Cornwall

Daniel silva.

( 3 Weeks ) In the 24th book of the series, art restorer Gabriel Allon is asked to help investigate the murder of a art history professor. With a connection to the same seaside town Allon lived in under an assumed identity, Charlotte Blake was thought to have been the victim of a serial killer plaguing the Cornish countryside. Yet, Allon suspects her death is really tied to a looted Picasso. Armed with a handful of his own forgeries, Allon works with an unlikely team of operatives to take down a dangeorus new adversary.

Publication Date: 9 July 2024 Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Red Sky Mourning

( 2 Weeks ) In the seventh book of the Terminal List series, Navy SEAL sniper James Reece must return to action to once again. With a rogue Chinese submarine headed toward the West Coast and a traitor poised to take the Oval Office, Reece must work with Alice, the artificial intelligence of a dark quantum computer to save America.

Publication Date: 18 June 2024 Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Save for Later

Heavyweights (10+ Weeks on the NYT Bestseller List)

Demon Copperhead

Barbara kingsolver.

(70 Weeks) In a modern-day version of David Copperfield set in the Appalachian Mountains, Demon Copperhead speaks of how institutional poverty and the opioid epidemic damaged an entire generation of children. A child of a single mother living in a single-wide trailer, young Demon must survive foster care, child labor, poor schools, addiction, success, and failure in this epic tale perfect for book clubs who love thought-provoking topics.

Publication Date: 18 October 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Shelby van pelt.

( 54 Weeks ) After her husband died, Tova Sullivan began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Thirty years ago, Tova’s son Erik disappeared on a boat in the Puget Sound, and cleaning the aquarium helps her cope. When she befriends Marcellus, the aquarium’s giant octopus, Marcellus discovers what happened to Erik and must find a way to show Tova the truth before it’s too late.

Publication Date: 3 May 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Gabrielle zevin.

( 51 Weeks ) On a bitterly cold day, Sam Masur runs into Sadie Green on a train platform and they renew their childhood friendship bonding over video games. Together, they create Ichigo, a blockbuster game that changes their lives. Over the next three decades, their friendship is tested as their success leads them to money, fame, love, and betrayal. More a heartrending story about friendship than video games, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is an unputdownable read with complex character development.

Publication Date: 12 July 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Covenant of Water

Abraham verghese.

(39 Weeks ) At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl grieving her father is sent by boat to meet her 40-year-old husband. Eventually she becomes to be known as Big Ammachi, the matriarch of a family particularly cursed to have one member of each generation die by drowning. From 1900-1977, Big Ammachi sees unimaginable changes to her Christian community on South India’s Malabar coast.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

James mcbride.

(37 Weeks) Secrets held by the residents of a dilapidated neighborhood come to life when a skeleton is found at the bottom of a well.  When the truth is finally revealed the real lesson learned is that even in dark times, it is love and community-heaven and earth-that sustain us.

Publication Date: 8 August 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

First Lie Wins

Ashley elston.

( 16 Weeks ) Every time an assignment comes in from the mysterious Mr. Smith, Evie takes a new identity and learns everything she can about the town and its people. Her newest mark: Ryan Sumner. But Evie connects with Ryan in a way she hasn’t in a long time. When a woman shows up using Evie’s real name, Evie must do everything she can to stay one step ahead of her boss and complete her mission. Especially after what happened last time.

Publication Date: 2 January 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Little Liar

Mitch albom.

(12 Weeks) Eleven-year-old Nico Krispis has never told a lie. His best friend Fannie loves him for it but his brother Sebastian resents it. When his coastal Greek city is occupied by Nazis, the Germans use Nico’s reputation for honesty as a tool. Realizing what he’s done, Nico vows to never tell the truth again, constantly changing names and identities desperate to find forgiveness.

Publication Date: 14 November 2023 Amazon | Goodreads

Percival Everett

( 10 Weeks ) In a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Percival Everett rewrites the story from Jim’s perspective. When he founds out he will be sold away from his family, Jim hides out on Jackson Island. There he meets Huckleberry Finn who has faked his death to avoid his violent father. Together, Jim and Huck take a raft down the Mississippi River where their adventures are shown in a new light.

Publication Date: 19 March 2024 Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Fan Favorites (5+ Weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List)

Gothikana by RuNyx

Amazon | Goodreads (8 Weeks) A century-old mystery brings Corvina Clemm and Vad Deverell together at a university based in a castle at the top of a mountain with a dark history.

A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

Amazon | Goodreads | More Info (8 Weeks) After the secret of her magic to repel attacks is revealed, Freya encounters dangerous tests by the gods.

A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci

Amazon | Goodreads |  More Info (8 Weeks) Lawyers from different backgrounds represent a Black man charged with killing a wealthy white couple in Virginia in 1968.  

Table for Two by Amor Towles

Amazon | Goodreads |  More Info (7 Weeks) A collection of six short stories based in New York City around the year 2000 and a novella set during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

Amazon | Goodreads |  More Info (7 Weeks) After meeting a woman who shares the same birthday, Alix Summer becomes the subject of her own true crime podcast.  

The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child

Amazon | Goodreads (7 Weeks) The 28th book in the Jack Reacher series. It’s 1992 and Reacher looks into the cause of a string of mysterious deaths.  

The Edge by David Baldacci

Amazon | Goodreads (7 Weeks) The second book in the 6:20 Man series. Travis Devine investigates the murder of the C.I.A. operative Jenny Silkwell in rural Maine.  

Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson

Amazon | Goodreads (7 Weeks) The 32nd book in the Alex Cross series. When a jet is gunned down, Cross goes back into action.  

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Amazon | Goodreads | More Info (7 Weeks) Questions arise when a boy saves the daughter of a wealthy family amid a string of disappearances in a Missouri town in 1975.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Amazon | Goodreads | More Info (6 Weeks) When a 13-year-old girl disappears from an Adirondack summer camp in 1975, secrets kept by the Van Laar family emerge.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

Amazon | Goodreads | More Info (6 Weeks) Violence erupts when a former movie star brings a group of her friends to her private Greek island for Easter.

Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson & Brian Sitts

Amazon | Goodreads (5 Weeks) Three private investigators working in New York City draw the attention of an N.Y.P.D. detective.

The #1 Lawyer by James Patterson and Nancy Allen

Amazon | Goodreads (5 Weeks) A criminal defense attorney in Biloxi becomes the prime suspect in his wife’s murder.

The 24th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Amazon | Goodreads (5 Weeks) The 24th book in the Women’s Murder Club series. A high-society killer could spell trouble for members of the club.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Amazon | Goodreads (5 Weeks) During a summer vacation in Cape Cod, Rocky faces changes with her family, body and life.

Honorable Mention (2-4 Weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List)

For 20 years, Daphne received slips of paper accurately predicting the length of her relationships. That changes when she meets Jake.

The 24th book in the Women’s Murder Club series. A high-society killer could spell trouble for members of the club.

One Hit Wonders (1 Week on the New York Times Best Seller List)

Do You Agree with The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers?

What books do you think are the best of the year? Do you think The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers deserve the hype? As always, let me know in the comments!

More New Book Releases:

• The New York Times Nonfiction Bestseller List
• The Most-Anticipated Upcoming Releases of 2024
• The 2023 New York Times Fiction Bestsellers
• The Current Celebrity Book Club Picks
• The Top 50 Books of the Last Decade

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The NY Times' 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

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Our critics pick their favorite new books for your summer reading list

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/our-critics-pick-their-favorite-new-books-for-your-summer-reading-list

Whether you’re on vacation at the beach or find yourself with a little more time for reading, summer is always a good time to pick up a new book. Jeffrey Brown has recommendations from two News Hour regulars for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Read the Full Transcript

Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Geoff Bennett:

Whether you're on vacation at the beach or find yourself with a little more time for reading, summer is always a good time to pick up a new book.

Jeffrey Brown gets recommendations now from two "NewsHour" regulars for our arts and culture series, Canvas.

Jeffrey Brown:

And to talk about summer books and reading, I'm joined by Ann Patchett, author and owner of Parnassus Bookstore in Nashville, Tennessee. And Gilbert Cruz, he's the editor of The New York Times Book Review.

Thanks, both, for joining us.

Ann, you want to start with fiction?

Ann Patchett, Owner, Parnassus Books:

Sure thing.

I am very excited about "Sandwich" by Catherine Newman. If you want a book that has you from hello, this is the one. Family goes to the cape every summer for two weeks. They have kids in their 20s. They have elderly parents and they eat sandwiches. They are very near Sandwich, and they are the sandwich generation.

That's a real summer book, isn't it?

Ann Patchett:

Ah, it is the ultimate summer book.

And, also, if you're feeling a little stressed, get a copy of "Sipsworth" by Simon Van Booy. This one has been flying off the shelf. This is an elderly woman who's very isolated. She meets a mouse, and the mouse brings all of these wonderful people into her life. It sounds hokey. It's not. It is a really terrific book.

And for something a little darker, "Bear" by Julia Phillips, which has the whole fairy tale vibe. Two young sisters working so hard in a very tough existence on an island off the coast of Washington,it all changes when a bear comes to their neighborhood, and it drives the sisters apart.

Also want to give a quick shout-out to something that just came out in paperback, "Crook Manifesto," Colson Whitehead. Love this book so much. If you want some mystery, some cops and robbers, some corruption, some great writing.

Gilbert Cruz, what do you have for us in fiction?

Gilbert Cruz, Books Editor, The New York Times:

The first one is "Swan Song." Elin Hilderbrand, she is a writer who puts a book out every summer. They're all about Nantucket. They all have drama. They all have romance. And somehow I have found myself reading one book of hers a summer for the past decade.

I'm sort of — I have only been to Nantucket for two hours on, like, the coldest day that I can recall. So I have no idea what it's like to be there in the summer, but I sort of do because I have read a dozen Elin Hilderbrand books.

So I'm a big horror person. There's a book called "Horror Movie" by Paul Tremblay. And there's some people who save their scary stuff until October, until the fall. I'm not that person. I like it all year round. And I think there are many people like me.

This is about essentially an independent horror movie that was made years and years ago. A bunch of tragedies happened. It's become a cult film. And the only person left from the production has started to encounter some weird things. So that's "Horror Movie" by Paul Tremblay.

And then, finally, another genre book, a fantasy, "The Bright Sword" by Lev Grossman. If you have heard of Lev Grossman, it's because of his "Magicians" trilogy, which were a set of books that essentially imagined, what if Harry Potter, but with older people and cursing and all the stuff that older teenagers get into.

This new book imagines the days and the months after the death of King Arthur. So there have been many retellings of the King Arthur legend, books, movies, musicals. This one is sort of a sequel.

You went with all genre books for the summer.

OK, Ann, how about nonfiction?

Hanif Abdurraqib, "There's Always This Year," which is — "On Basketball and Ascension." This is a collection of essays about family and love and grief and fathers. But, most importantly, it's all woven together through the lens of basketball.

Hanif Abdurraqib is one of my favorite writers and just someone I learned from every time I read one of his books. Brilliant.

"My Black Country" by Alice Randall, which is a journey through country music's Black past, present, and future. Alice is a fiction writer and a scholar. This is the story of all the people who have been erased in country music's past, and she is restoring them into the landscape. It's a terrific book.

And "Consent" by Jill Ciment, a very slim little memoir. Jill Ciment was 16 years old when she first kissed her art teacher, who was 46. They got married and they stayed together until he died at 86. And it is her looking back on her life and thinking, it was a happy marriage, but, knowing what I know now, maybe there was something a little wrong about that.

And a great book that just came out in paperback that could be read as a companion piece, my favorite, "Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma" by Claire Dederer. You have got a book club, read these two together. Terrific.

Gilbert Cruz, what are your choices for nonfiction?

Gilbert Cruz:

Well, if I sort of went genre with my fiction choices, I'm also going to go a little pop culture with my nonfiction choices.

So the first book I'm going to talk about is "The Future Was Now" by Chris Nashawaty. This is — I love movies, and I think for a lot of people my age who love movies, the summer of 1982, if you care about science fiction and fantasy, stuff like that, was one of the biggest summers of all time. So it had "E.T.," "Poltergeist," "Blade Runner," "Tron," a "Mad Max" sequel, a "Star Trek" sequel.

And this is essentially a history of that summer, a history of those movies. So I'm looking forward to reading that one.

Another pop culture nonfiction book that's coming out later in June is called "Cue the Sun!" the invention of reality TV. This is by Emily Nussbaum. She's been a TV critic for many wonderful publications. And this is a history of modern reality TV. I don't watch reality TV. I never really have. And that means that I am out of the mainstream.

And so from "Cops," to "Survivor," to "The Bachelor," to "The Apprentice, to "Big Brother," to "Love Is Blind," these are some of the most popular shows of the past several decades. And Emily Nussbaum does an amazing job of sort of sketching that whole history in what they're billing as sort of the first comprehensive history of this very important genre.

Ann, have a bookstore. You have a lot of young readers and I know you wanted to give some choices for them.

Yes, I never want to miss a chance to plug some great kids books.

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, two of their classics have just come out in board books. So these are good for babies, for little kids. You can chew on them, "The Old Truck," "The Old Boat," beautiful, simple, terrific illustrations, great, clear story.

If you have a slightly older kid, absolutely, you want to buy a copy of "Ahoy!" by Sophie Blackall. This is a book about imaginative play and how you can have a summer adventure no matter where you are or what you have got to work with. I adore this book and everything Sophie does.

And America's favorite author for young people, Kate DiCamillo has a new novel out called "Ferris." It's about raccoons, chandeliers, S&H Green Stamps, grandmothers, love and happiness. It's a story about a happy family. Call me crazy, my favorite.

Ann Patchett and Gilbert Cruz, thanks very much.

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The week’s bestselling books, Aug. 11

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Hardcover fiction

1. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

2. All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books: $29) A woman upends her domestic life in this irreverent and tender novel.

3. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books: $30) Two worlds collide when a teenager vanishes from her Adirondacks summer camp.

4. Liars by Sarah Manguso (Hogarth: $28) An exploration of a marriage that’s falling apart.

5. Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Random House: $30) A social satire on the wild legacy of trauma and inheritance.

6. The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $30) An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

7. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (Random House: $29) A tale of self-discovery with plenty of food, fashion and art.

8. The Book of Elsewhere by China Mieville and Keanu Reeves (Del Rey: $30) An immortal warrior journeys through an alternative world to understand his immortality.

9. All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Crown: $30) Two youths — a one-eyed boy and a beekeeper girl — find friendship and a lifelong bond.

10. Sandwich by Catherine Newman (Harper: $27) A hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch and learning to let go.

Hardcover nonfiction

1. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Penguin Press: $32) The music producer’s guidance on how to be a creative person.

2. Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum (Doubleday: $27) A succinct vision of what an autocratic state looks like, not run by one bad man but nefarious, powerful networks.

3. The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne (Penguin Press: $30) The actor-director’s memoir of growing up in Hollywood and Manhattan.

4. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (Penguin Press: $30) An investigation into the collapse of youth mental health.

5. The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (Crown: $35) An exploration of the pivotal five months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the start of the Civil War.

6. Atomic Habits by James Clear (Avery: $27) An inspiring and pragmatic roadmap to success.

7. All in the Family by Fred C. Trump III (Gallery Books: $30) A memoir from former President Trump’s nephew.

8. An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster: $35) The historian crafts a work of biography, memoir and history.

9. JFK Jr. by RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil (Gallery Books: $31) The inner-workings of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his legacy.

10. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (Random House: $27) A neurosurgeon’s memoir after his terminal cancer diagnosis at age 36.

Paperback fiction

1. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage: $19)

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury: $19)

3. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (Europa Editions: $17)

4. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (Forever: $18)

5. This Summer Will Be Different by Carlene Fortune (Berkley: $19)

6. Trust by Hernan Diaz (Riverhead Books: $17)

7. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (Harper Perennial Modern Classics: $18)

8. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury Publishing: $19)

9. The Idiot by Elif Batuman (Penguin: $18)

10. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Vintage: $17)

Paperback nonfiction

1. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Knopf: $35)

2. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18)

3. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17)

4. The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi (Metropolitan Books: $20)

5. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance (Harper: $19)

6. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $13)

7. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (Harper Perennial: $19)

8. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (Vintage: $17)

9. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (New World Library: $17)

10. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk (Penguin: $19)

More to Read

The week’s bestselling books, Aug. 18

Aug. 14, 2024

The week’s bestselling books, Aug. 4

July 31, 2024

The week’s bestselling books, July 28

July 24, 2024

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The Los Angeles Times bestsellers list comes courtesy of the California Independent Booksellers Alliance (CALIBA). Established in 1981, CALIBA is a mutual benefit 501c(6) nonprofit corporation dedicated to supporting, nurturing and promoting independent retail bookselling in California.

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The New York Times Best Sellers - May 16, 2021

Authoritatively ranked lists of books sold in the united states, sorted by format and genre..

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• Combined Print & E-Book Fiction

New this week

by John Grisham

Samuel Sooleymon receives a basketball scholarship to North Carolina Central and determines to bring his family over from a civil war-ravaged South Sudan.

• Apple Books
• Barnes and Noble
• Books-A-Million
• Bookshop.org

FINDING ASHLEY

by Danielle Steel

Two estranged sisters, one a former best-selling author, the other a nun, reconnect as one searches for the child the other gave up.

2 weeks on the list

A GAMBLING MAN

by David Baldacci

Aloysius Archer, a World War II veteran, seeks to apprentice with Willie Dash, a private eye, in a corrupt California town.

FUGITIVE TELEMETRY

by Martha Wells

The sixth book in the Murderbot Diaries series. When a dead body turns up on Preservation Station, Murderbot must speak to humans.

5 weeks on the list

THE HILL WE CLIMB

by Amanda Gorman

The poem read on President Joe Biden's Inauguration Day, by the youngest poet to write and perform an inaugural poem.

• Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?

by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey

An approach to dealing with trauma that shifts an essential question used to investigate it.

THE BOMBER MAFIA

by Malcolm Gladwell

A look at the key players and outcomes of precision bombing during World War II.

YOU ARE YOUR BEST THING

edited by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown

An anthology of writing on the Black experience and shame resilience.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

by Leslie Jordan

A collection of essays by the Emmy-winning actor who became a viral sensation without knowing what that phrase meant at the time.

36 weeks on the list

THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE

by Bessel van der Kolk

How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.

• Hardcover Fiction

13 weeks on the list

THE FOUR WINDS

by Kristin Hannah

As dust storms roll during the Great Depression, Elsa must choose between saving the family and farm or heading West.

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• Hardcover Nonfiction

OUT OF MANY, ONE

by George W. Bush

Forty-three portraits by the former president, of men and women who have immigrated to the United States.

• Paperback Trade Fiction

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

by Delia Owens

In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.

28 weeks on the list

THE SONG OF ACHILLES

by Madeline Miller

A reimagining of Homer’s “Iliad” that is narrated by Achilles' companion Patroclus.

9 weeks on the list

by Stephen King

An N.Y.P.D. detective asks the son of a struggling single mother to use his unnatural ability to track a killer.

8 weeks on the list

THE ROSE CODE

by Kate Quinn

As a post-World War II royal wedding approaches, an encrypted letter resurrects an alliance between three female code breakers.

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

A movie icon recounts stories of her loves and career to a struggling magazine writer.

• Paperback Nonfiction

132 weeks on the list

11 weeks on the list

by Jessica Bruder

A look at an expanding low-cost labor pool, which largely consists of transient older adults, and what this might portend.

55 weeks on the list

BRAIDING SWEETGRASS

by Robin Wall Kimmerer

A botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation espouses having an understanding and appreciation of plants and animals.

16 weeks on the list

MY GRANDMOTHER'S HANDS

by Resmaa Menakem

A therapist who specializes in trauma, body-centered psychotherapy and violence prevention explains racism's effect on the body.

by Michelle Obama

The former first lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, and how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

• Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous

WORLD TRAVEL

by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever

74 weeks on the list

THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE

by Charlie Mackesy

THE WOMEN OF THE BIBLE SPEAK

by Shannon Bream

75 weeks on the list

ATOMIC HABITS

by James Clear

COOK THIS BOOK

by Molly Baz

• Children’s Middle Grade Hardcover

294 weeks on the list

by R.J. Palacio

A boy with a facial deformity starts school.

52 weeks on the list

THE ONE AND ONLY BOB

by Katherine Applegate. Illustrated by Patricia Castelao

In this sequel to "The One and Only Ivan," Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister.

25 weeks on the list

THE ICKABOG

by J.K. Rowling

A fearsome monster threatens the kingdom of Cornucopia.

128 weeks on the list

by Alan Gratz

Three children in three different conflicts look for safe haven.

7 weeks on the list

WHEN YOU TRAP A TIGER

by Tae Keller

Lily makes a deal with a magical tiger to heal her ailing grandmother.

• Children’s Picture Books

WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS

by Carole Lindstrom. Illustrated by Michaela Goade

Standing up for environmental justice.

45 weeks on the list

GRUMPY MONKEY

by Suzanne Lang. Illustrated by Max Lang

Jim Panzee is having a bad day.

62 weeks on the list

I WISH YOU MORE

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

A bounty of good wishes.

260 weeks on the list

THE WONDERFUL THINGS YOU WILL BE

by Emily Winfield Martin

A celebration of future possibilities.

6 weeks on the list

BECAUSE I HAD A TEACHER

by Kobi Yamada. Illustrated by Natalie Russell

An ode to teachers.

• Children’s & Young Adult Series

SHADOW AND BONE TRILOGY

by Leigh Bardugo

The basis of the Netflix series; previously titled "The Grisha Trilogy."

633 weeks on the list

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID

written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney

The travails and challenges of adolescence.

AWESOME FRIENDLY KID

Rowley Jefferson chronicles his life story and adventures.

632 weeks on the list

HARRY POTTER

A wizard hones his conjuring skills in the service of fighting evil.

112 weeks on the list

WINGS OF FIRE

by Tui T. Sutherland

Only the five dragonets of destiny can unite the seven warring dragon tribes.

• Young Adult Hardcover

RULE OF WOLVES

The second book in the King of Scars duology.

FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER

by Angeline Boulley

Daunis investigates a deadly new drug being distributed in her tribal community.

58 weeks on the list

by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

An exploration of racism and antiracism in America.

170 weeks on the list

ONE OF US IS LYING

by Karen M. McManus

For five students, a detour into detention ends in murder.

214 weeks on the list

THE HATE U GIVE

by Angie Thomas

A 16-year-old girl sees a police officer kill her friend.

Weekly Best Sellers Lists

Monthly best sellers lists.