‘Menopause Manifesto’ is Petaluma’s No. 1 book

New book from the author of “The Vagina Bible” is the bestselling title in town this week.|

The top selling titles at Copperfield’s Books, in Petaluma, for the week of May 24-May 30, 2021

There’s a new No. 1 book in town and it says that medicine has been neglecting the needs of women for centuries. In “The Menopause Manifesto,” the brilliant and compassionate (and very funny) gynecologist-podcaster-crusader Dr. Jen Gunter delivers a groundbreaking medical guidebook that offers comfort and clarity, while making the case that if men experienced menopause we’d be spending a lot more time and money on make it better understood and far less unnecessarily unpleasant. Subtitled “Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism,” the newly released book from the author of “The Vagina Bible” demands an answer to the question, if half of the human species are female and all of them eventually experience menopause, why is the medical study of menopause considered a fringe pursuit? Here answer: medical misogyny.

And she makes a good case.

Crammed with historical explorations and common-sense information, the book – which Gunter discussed in a no-holds-barred Zoom talk last week, sponsored by Copperfield’s – goes into depth on such topics as perimenopause, hot flashes, sleep disruption, sex and the libido, depression and mood changes, and a whole lot more.

Last week’s No. 1, the victoriously successful “The Hill We Climb,” Amanda Gorman’s globally popular poem she delivered at President Biden’s inauguration, is at No. 6 this week. This week’s No. 2 is Carl Hiassen’s off-the-wall Florida-based comedy-mystery about a headless snake and the missing woman it might have eaten. And at No. 3 is “Project Hail Mary,” from Andy Weir (the author of “The Martian”) about an interstellar attempt to save the universe from a destructive natural disaster.

And there’s an alien in it.

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

FICTION & NON-FICTION

1. ‘Menopause Manifesto,’ by Dr. Jen Gunter – 50% of all humans go through it, but you wouldn’t believe how little we actually know about it, especially men, who have for decades controlled where medical research money is spent (purple pills!) and where it is not (helping women through a complex, sometimes uncomfortable, and 100% natural time in the their lives). This book from the author of “The Vagina Bible” is a compendium of knowledge useful to all women, and maybe even the men who love them.

2. ‘Squeeze Me,’ by Carl Hiassen – Set in Palm Beach, Florida, this 2020 comedy-mystery includes a loathsome President, a headless snake, a missing woman, a guy incubating an iguana in his eyeless eye socket, and lots of other weird, hilarious and shattering stuff.

3. ‘Project Hail Mary,’ by Andy Weir – The bestselling author of “The Martian” has penned another white-knuckler about astronauts, this one following a junior high school science teacher who is sent into the deep space to try and save the world.

4. ‘100 Things to Do in Sonoma County Before You Die,’ by Yvonne Horn – Santa Rosa travel writer Horn spent the better part of 2020 writing this entertaining look at some of the best places and activities in Sonoma County. Santa Rosa travel writer Horn spent the better part of 2020 writing this entertaining look at some of the best places and activities in Sonoma County.

5. ‘Song of Achilles,’ by Madeline Miller – The 2012 debut novel from the author of “Circe,” this mythological deep-dive explores the iconic love affair between Greek warriors Achilles and Patroclus.

6. ‘The Hill We Climb,’ by Amanda Gorman – With a forward by Oprah Winfrey, this “gift edition” presents the electrifying poem Gorman read during President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

7. ‘Red, White & Royal Blue,’ by Casey McQuiston – The author’s debut 2019 novel about the staged-for-media bromance between the son of an American president and a British prince (who’ve always publically despised each other), as they discover they actually like each other, and by that, we mean, really, really like each other.

8. ‘Where the Crawdads Sing,’ by Delia Owens – The bestselling novel about a young girl name Kya, who lives in a Louisiana swamp, abandoned by everyone in her life until she learns how to survive by watching the insects and swamp animals around her. Oh, and there’s a murder mystery.

9. ‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,’ by Isabel Wilkerson – The 2020 bestseller looks at race and poverty in the United States through the lens of caste, a rigid system of haves and have-nots.

10. ‘What Happened to You?’: Conversations on trauma, Resilience and Healing’ by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Perry – Oprah’s news book explores how traumatic events in childhood can shape the complicated behavioral patterns that, if not understood, and negatively affect us into adulthood.

KIDS & YOUNG ADULTS

1. ‘Dog Man: Mothering Heights,’ by Dav Pilkey – In the 10th book in the series by the creator of Captain Underpants, canine cop Dog Man teams up with Petey the Cat and a stray kitten to stop an onslaught of villains and prove the persistent power of love, kindness and dog-slobbering.

2. ‘Folk of the Air: Cruel Prince,’ by Holly Black – Civil war is brewing in the faerie kingdom. Fantastical plots unfold in an epic battle against evil magic.

3. ‘They Both Die at the End,’ by Adam Silveira – An inventive YA novel about a future in which Deckers (people who have just one day left to live) are informed of their impending deaths by the ominous Death-Cast corporation, after which lonesome Deckers are paired up for their final day through the smart phone app Last Friend.

4. ‘Let's Find Momo!: A Hide-and-Seek Board Book,’ by Andrew Knapp – Where’s Momo?

5. ‘Cat Kid: Cat Kid Comic Club,’ by Dav Pilkey – The Dog Man sidekick launches his own series of goofball shenanigans.

6. ‘Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn,’ by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham – A tale of affirming one’s identity as told through the friendship between two different (but not-so-different) magical creatures.

7. ‘Have You Ever Seen a Flower?’ by Shawn Harris – Gorgeous pencil drawings illuminate this charming picture book in which an urban child explores a country field and opens up to the intoxicating power of nature.

8. ‘Allergic,’ by Megan Whalen Lloyd – Maggie wants a dog. Maggie gets a dog. Maggie loves the dog. Maggie is allergic to dogs. Drama ensues.

9. ‘Oh, the Places You'll Go!’ by Dr. Seuss – It must be graduation time. The classic book about how wonderful life can be returns to the bestseller lists as a gift for graduates. Inspirational and comforting as ever.

10. ‘Bad Guys in Alien vs Bad Guys,’ by Aaron Blabey – The Bad Guys are scary-looking animals with teeth and fins and scales, but they are really trying to change their reputations. In this one, they meet an alien.

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

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