Here is a list of the most popular books sold last month at Books Inc. in the Marina:
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. James, by Percival Everett
2. Wind and Truth, by Brandon Sanderson
3. Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney
HARDCOVER NON-FICTION
1. Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, by Yuval Noah Harari
2. Cher: The Memoir, Part One, by Cher
3. The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, by Hampton Sides
PAPERBACK FICTION
1. Cinema Speculation, by Quentin Tarantino
2. The Courage to be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness, by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
3. The Well-Lived Life: A 103-Year-Old Doctor’s Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age, by Gladys McGarey
PAPERBACK NON-FICTION
1. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
2. The Golden Gate, by Amy Chua
3. Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros
YOUNG READERS
Young Adult: Heir of Fire, by Sarah J. Maas
Middle Readers: The Wild Robot, by Peter Brown
Picture Book: Claude; The True Story of a White Alligator, by Emma Bland Smith & Jennifer M. Potter
Kid Graphic Novel: Dog Man #13: Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey
NEW AND NOTABLE RELEASES
Tartufo, by Kira Jane Buxton
“Tartufo” is Italian for “truffle.” In this new novel by the author of the delightful Hollow Kingdom (2019) and Feral Creatures (2021), one very special truffle could be the key to a new life for a tiny Tuscan village — or could bring down a curse of epic proportions. Truthfully, the psychic wasn’t really very clear about the truffle. This wonderful book has many charms: a disgraced postman described as a “wet weekend of a man,” a village mayor who almost lost her election to a donkey, and a village and its inhabitants rendered so richly, so vividly, that we really want to go and see the place for ourselves. Buxton, whose debut was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, has a style that is unique and captivating, and she tells stories that are cheerfully weird and plausible yet surreal. To readers who enjoyed her earlier novels, or indeed to anyone who enjoys a really fine piece of humorous writing, this one is highly recommendable.
We Do Not Part, by Han Kang
Kang (The Vegetarian) delivers an indelible exploration of Korea’s historical traumas through the story of a writer who discovers how her friend’s family was impacted by the 1948-1949 Jeju Massacre, in which U.S.-backed Korean forces killed over 30,000 Jeju Island residents suspected of aiding insurgents. Kyungha spends her days alone in her apartment outside Seoul, where she suffers from migraines and nausea and is plagued by nightmares of a snowy hill where upright tree trunks resembling bodies are submerged by an advancing tide. One morning, she’s unexpectedly contacted by her friend Inseon, who has been hospitalized in Seoul and begs Kyungha to fly to her home on Jeju to care for her bird, Ama, who will not survive long without food. Kyungha travels to Jeju during a fierce snowstorm, and upon her arrival is met by Inseon’s apparition, who tells her about the torture of Inseon’s father after his home was burned by the Korean military, and how Inseon’s mother came home from a cousin’s house to find her entire village executed — except for her brother, whose uncertain fate haunted her for years. In dreamy yet devastating prose, Kang details Inseon’s evolving relationship with her late mother, whom Inseon cared for during her final years as she struggled with dementia and memories of the massacre. The result is a meticulously rendered portrait of friendship, mother-daughter love, and hope in the face of profound loss. Kang is at the top of her game.
Onyx Storm, by Rebecca Yarros
This is the hotly anticipated third volume of Yarros’s immensely popular romantic fantasy series. After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust. Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves — her dragons, her family, her home, and him. Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find — the truth. But a storm is coming … and not everyone can survive its wrath.
Chris Hsiang can help you find your next book at Books Inc., 2251 Chestnut St., 415-931-3633, booksinc.net.
