Local book-buyers are biting on the new edition of ‘Tidelog’

The top selling titles at Copperfield’s Books, in Petaluma, for the week of Dec. 5-Dec. 11, 2022

It would appear than a large number of surf-loving locals can expect to find a certain pocket-sized guidebook in their stockings this year. According to data from Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, the annually best-selling “Tidelog Northern California” (the 2023 version) has debuted in the No. 1 spot on Petaluma’s Top 10 Books list. This should come as no surprise. For years, the fact-packed, spiral-bound portable guide has proven to be popular in the run-up to Christmas. Last year, it consistently appeared in the top five every week of December, but always fell just short of taking the top position.

Until this year.

So, what exactly is Tidelog Northern California?

Taking facts and figures from reports issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the book is filled with estimates about the timing and strength of the currents and tides of San Francisco at and around the Golden Gate Bridge and Benicia Bridge, plus San Mateo, Richmond and Oakland. At the back of the book can be found additional tide tables for other nearby coastal areas including Arena Cove, Port Chicago and Humboldt Bay.

Now produced and distributed by Pacific Publishers, which (ironically enough) has its headquarters on Tybee Island off the coast of Georgia (on the Atlantic Ocean), the very first Tidelogs were created in the Bay Area, in the late 1980,s by Mark Alan Born, a frequent explorer of the mud flats of San Francisco Bay. After expanding the enterprise to offer tidelogs for Southern California, Monterey Bay, Suisun Bay and the Delta, the Pacific Northwest, Puget Sound, Northern New England and others, Born sold Tidelog to Pacific Publishers in 2011. They’ve been producing it ever since, along with a number of other tide-adjacent products like captains logs, fishing logs, and tide-recording journals.

Locally, it is of use to more than just boat captains and people who fish. Surfers and tide-poolers are among its most devoted fans, the exact demographic that all those recent bookstore purchases are likely intended for as gift-giving season prepares for its seasonal high tide.

Here are the Top 10 Books on Copperfield’s Fiction and Nonfiction list, along with the full Kids and Young Adults list.

FICTION & NON-FICTION

1. ‘Tidelog Northern California 2023,’ by Pacific Publishers – Tide times and predictions for most Bay Area coastal beaches and tide-related bodies of water for 2023. A perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who goes into the ocean on a regular basis.

2. ‘The Whole Duck,’ by Jennifer Reichardt – Subtitled “Inspired Recipes from Chefs, Butchers, and the Family Liberty Ducks,” this new cookbook is all about ducks, from the butchering and preparing to the cooking and serving.

3. ‘The Light We Carry,’ by Michelle Obama – The former First Lady circles back with another uplifting collection of memories, observations and snippets of advice.

4. ‘Galapagos,’ by Kurt Vonnegut – This 1985 oddity from the great literary fantasist begins with a group of strangers escaping the worst of humanity and then jumps ahead to their not-quite-human (but a lot less dangerous) descendants a million years in the future. It’s funny, but not, but of course yes, it’s funny.

5. ‘Go To Dinners,’ by Ina Garten – The celebrated chef’s latest collection of Barefoot Contessa recipes.

6. ‘Horse,’ by Geraldine Brooks – The Pulitzer-winning author of “People of the Book” brings a new novel about the portrait of a 19th century thoroughbred horse and its connection to the same horse’s skeleton, and a mystery about the Civil War.

7. ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid - An acclaimed 2017 Hollywood novel about a sex symbol’s glamourous but gritty life, told alternately by her and the unknown journalist randomly selected (or was it so random?) to write the actress’s biography.

8. ‘All About Me,’ by Mel Brooks – Now in paperback, this 2021 by the legendary director of such comedy classics as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Spaceballs” is filled with a lifetime of well-practiced anecdotes about Hollywood, movie stars, and his own experiences making some of the funniest (and most retroactively offensive) movies of all time.

9. ‘And There Was Light,’ by Jon Meacham – The Pulitzer-winning historian examines Abraham Lincoln’s struggles to abolish slavery in America.

10. ‘Lessons in Chemistry,’ by Bonnie Garmus – A delightful novel about a brilliant chemist-turned-star of a 1960s television cooking show, and her efforts to outwit the sexist entertainment machine within which she has found herself.

KIDS & YOUNG ADULTS

1. ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Overlode,’ by Jeff Kinney – In the 17th book in the popular series, Greg tags along with his brother’s rock band Löded Diper when it goes on tour.

2. ‘Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations,’ by Dav Pilkey – The fourth graphic novel in the series, this one once again employs an array of visual styles and graphic art approaches to telling club members’ unique stories.

3. ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff’ by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen – The troll-battling goats are back in a lush new illustrated picture book with laughs and luscious, darkly detailed imagery.

4. ‘Odder,’ by Katherine Applegate – An amazing book about one amazing otter.

5. ‘The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza,’ by Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris – Rats are eating the moon. There is only one solution, and it involves sending a cat into space, with hilariously unpredictable results.

6. ‘The Guinness World Records 2023,’ by Guinness World Records – The biggest and best and fastest and most, all new for a brand new year.

7. ‘The Mermaid Moon,’ by Briony May Smith – A visually gorgeous and truly magical picture book about a friendship between a girl and a mermaid on the one might mermaids can leave the water.

8. ‘Sugaring Off,’ by Gillian French – A gripping YA mystery about a traumatized deaf girl named Owl, the maple sugar farm she finds refuge in, and the past that won’t leave her alone.

9. ‘School for Good and Evil,’ by Soman Chainani – In a secret place no one can find, select children are trained to become fairytale heroes and villains.

10. ‘A Rover’s Story,’ by Jasmine Warga – Middle grade novel about a Mars rover named Res (short for Resilience) facing a series of adventures and dangers on the Red Planet.

Data compiled by Amber-Rose Reed, Manager of Copperfield’s Book.