Novels continue to dominate Petaluma readers’ book-buying choices

The top selling titles at Copperfield’s Books, in Petaluma, for the week of Feb. 8-Feb. 14, 2021

For months, the adult readers of Petaluma have had a near insatiable appetite for nonfiction, slaking their thirst for knowledge with a bestselling parade of memoirs, histories, political exposés, true crime pot-boilers and self-help how-to tomes of all kinds. But suddenly, all anybody seems to be reading in town is fiction.

And it doesn’t even have to be new fiction.

Last week, of the top 10 titles featured on Petaluma’s Fiction & Nonfiction bestseller list, the eight of them were novels, beginning with the new No. 1 book, Ann Hood’s “The Book That Mattered Most,” fittingly enough the story of a Providence, Rhode Island book group and a mystery from one member’s not-so-forgotten past. After weeks of seeing Madeline Miller’s “Circe” materializing here and there on the list, its 2012 predecessor “Song of Achilles,” has suddenly conjured its way into the No. 2 spot. And William Maxwell’s 1979 novella, “So Long, See You Tomorrow,” told from the POV of an elderly man whose memories of a childhood friendship and a shocking murder have recently been stirred back to life.

The only two books that are not novels are the No. 9 title, Sanjay Gupta’s “Stay Sharp” – a guide to maintaining memory health into old age – and No. 10, Alice van Omeran and KC Greaney’s “Vintage Postcards of Petaluma.”

On the Kids & Young Adults list, meanwhile, the big winner at No. 1 is Edward Snowden’s Young Readers Edition of “Permanent Record,” an adaptation of his bestselling 2018 memoir of the same name. Snowden, of course, is the former CIA and NSA analyst who leaked top-secret documents supporting his belief that the US is setting up a mass, invasive data collection campaign aimed at every US citizen. The newly released YA version of the book was given a huge welcome last week with a live Zoom conversation from the exiled author in Russia. According to Copperfield’s, over 550 people from all over the world (including Europe, Canada, Australia) tuned into the online event. This version of the book includes an afterward with several how-to suggestions on maintaining smart internet security.

The rest of the list is primarily made up of the latest sequels in popular ongoing series and spin-offs.

Here is the complete Top 10 in both lists.

FICTION & NON-FICTION

1. ‘The Book That Matters Most,’ by Ann Hood – A novel about the newest member of a Providence, Rhode Island book group, her relationship with her troubled daughter in France, and a mystery from her own past she has long sought to bury.

2. ‘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.

3. ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow,’ by William Maxwell – This 1979 novella, originally published in the New Yorker, follows the murky boyhood remembrances of an aging man, whose recollections revolve around a shocking murder in 1922.

4. ‘Deacon King Kong,’ by James McBride – A comic fable by the author of “The Good Lord Bird,” set in Brooklyn of the late ‘60s, filled with outrageous characters, a bizarre crime, and some truly exuberant plot twists.

5. ‘The Water Dancer,’ by Ta-Nehisi Coates – A fantasy novel about a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad in the 1800s, who discover a power to transport people instantly along and across bodies of water.

6. ‘The Viscount Who Loved Me,’ by Julia Quinn – The second book in Quinn’s “Bridgerton” series has roughly has much sex, romance, ballroom dancing and roguish behavior as the first.

7. ‘The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,’ by V.E. Schwab – A rich and mysterious fantasy novel about a 300-year-old woman who is cursed to never be remembered, and what happens when she meets someone who apparently can’t forget her.

8. ‘The Dutch House,’ by Ann Patchett – A family changes and changes again over the course of generations in this mesmerizing novel from the author of “Commonwealth.”

9. ‘Keep Sharp,’ by Sanjay Gupta – Non-fiction look at the brain and how to keep memory functions high.

10. ‘Petaluma in Vintage Postcards,’ by Alice van Omeran and KC Greaney – One of 2020’s most popular local books, this collection of images from classic Petaluma postcards continues to please.

KIDS & YOUNG ADULTS

1. ‘Permanent Record,’ by Edward Snowden – The Young Readers Edition of controversial whistleblower Snowden bestselling memoir.

2. ‘Hilo – Gina: The Girl Who Broke the World,’ by Judd Winick – The latest sequel in the bestselling kids series about a robot-battling boy from another world.

3. ‘Babysitters Club: Claudia and the New Girl,’ by Ann M Martin – More Babysitter’s Club adventures from Ann M. Martin.

4. ‘Jack Gets Zapped!’ by Mac Barnett – The trouble-making rabbit Jack continues his wacky adventures.

5. ‘Wings of Fire: The Dark Secret,’ by Tui Sutherland – Sutherland’s world of dragons gets another chapter, in this graphic novel sequel.

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

7. ‘Folk of the Air: Cruel Prince,’ by Holly Black – This 2018 fantasy was the first entry in Holly Black’s bestselling “Folk of the Air” series.

8. ‘Margaret’s Unicorn,’ by Briony May Smith – A lonely girl befriends a lost baby unicorn in this delightful picture book.

9. ‘Little Book of Kindness,’ by Francesco Pirrone – A gentle picture book about the joys of being kind to others, with lovely illustrations.

10. ‘Clifford the Small Red Puppy,’ by Norman Bridwell – A funny, satisfying origin story for everyone’s favorite big red dog.

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