Petaluma Bestsellers: In New Year, local readers’ tastes remain eclectic

The top 10 bestselling books in Petaluma this week include a beloved memoir by a literary giant we lost in 2021.|

The top selling titles at Copperfield’s Books, in Petaluma, for the week of Jan. 10-Jan. 16, 2021

A quick reading of the current bibliophagical signs suggests that in the second full week of 2022 Petaluma readers divided themselves somewhat equally in numbers across three of the major categories of literary interest: fiction, nonfiction and memoir. On Copperfield’s list of the top 10 best-selling books sold between Jan. 10 and Jan. 17, four of them were novels, three were memoirs and three were nonfiction.

At the top of the list, in the No. 1 spot, is Margot Livesey’s novel “The Boy in the Field,” a labyrinthian blend of mystery and family melodrama about three teen siblings whose lives change when they rescue the victim of a brutal attack. In the No. 2 spot is Gabriella Garcia’s “Of Women and Salt,” a sprawling novel about a Cuban family in Miami. Just behind it on the list, in the No. 3 spot, is “Tidelog Northern California 2022,” every surfer/beachcomber’s must-have guide to what the ocean is doing and when it will be doing it.

Among the notable memoirs being snapped up by Petaluma readers is the No. 4 book, Gary Paulsen’s “Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod,” a 1995 recounting of the popular children’s author’s arduous participation in the world’s most dangerous and difficult race. We can’t entirely guess why this 27-year-old page-turner is back on Petalumans’ minds, other than to suggest it might be the featured title in one of Petaluma’s many independent book groups. You’d be surprised how often a group’s monthly pick ends up a temporary bestseller.

We certainly don’t have to guess why Joan Didion’s 2005 memoir “The Year of Magical Thinking” is on the list (appearing at No. 10). The acclaimed author passed away on Dec. 23, spurring a bit of posthumous interest in the writer who was given the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2013, and whose life is explored in a 2017 Netflix documentary “The Center Will Not Hold,” which has been trending on Netflix since Didion’s death.

“The Year of Magical Thinking” is the author’s exploration of her own grief following the death of her husband John Gregory Dunne in 2003. The book won the Pulitzer Prize, and continues to prove a valuable look at the complexities we human beings experience when saying goodbye to the people we love the most. To those who will miss Didion’s clear, honest prose and her dedicated pursuit of the truth, a read (or a re-read) through “Magical Thinking” may be exactly the right way to say goodbye to one of America’s best writers.

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. ‘The Boy in the Field,’ by Margot Livesey – Three teenaged siblings in Oxford rescue the victim of a crime they stumble upon by happenstance, setting off separate journeys of self-discovery for all four of them.

2. ‘Of Women and Salt,’ by Gabriella Garcia – A Cuban immigrant family in Miami struggles to find happiness, as the family’s past continues to haunt its future.

3. ‘Tidelog Northern California 2022,’ by Pacific Publishers - Tide times and predictions for most Bay Area coastal beaches and tide-related bodies of water for 2022. A perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who goes into the ocean on a regular basis.

4. ‘Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod,’ by Gary Paulsen – Memoir of acclaimed children’s author’s arduous 17-day adventure competing in the world’s most difficult and dangerous race.

5. ‘1619 Project,’ by Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times – A powerful expansion, by New York Times Magazine journalist Hannah-Jones, of the magazine’s exhaustive 2019 exploration of institutional American racism, from the arrival of the first Black enslaved person to the present.

6. ‘Lincoln Highway,’ by Amor Towles – The new novel from the author of “A Gentleman in Moscow” is the story of four train-hopping, car-stealing boys crossing the country on a quest for a new beginning, with secrets revealed along the way, of course.

7. ‘Cloud Cuckoo Land,’ by Anthony Doerr – An ancient Greek manuscript inspires and incites over the course of thousands of years, from ancient cities to future space ships.

8. ‘Atlas of the Heart,’ by Brené Brown – Subtitled “Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Experience,” Brown’s nonfiction book looks at 80 human emotions and the god/bad/otherwise places they often take us, with intelligent suggestions of how to find our way back.

9. ‘The Tender Bar,’ by J.R. Moehringer – The memoir on which the new Ben Affleck-starring film is based, this story tells of a young boy’s complex upbringing and the bartender uncle who shaped his love of literature.

10. ‘The Year of Magical Thinking,’ by Joan Didion – Among the most popular memoirs written in the 21st century, the late author describes with gorgeous honesty her own experience of losing a husband to a heart attack while her daughter battles a life-threatening illness.

KIDS & YOUNG ADULTS

1. ‘Wings of Fire: The Brightest Night,’ by Tui Sutherland – The graphic novel adaptation of the fifth novel in Sutherland’s bestselling series about dragons and their adventures.

2. ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot,’ by Jeff Kinney – The 16th entry in this beloved series sees Greg go out for sports, pretty much prove he’s not good at any of them, and then end up on the school’s worst basketball team.

3. ‘The Adventures of Sophie Mouse,’ by Poppy Green – The original entry in the popular series about a mouse and her woodland friends, this one introduces the characters who have populated 18 books so far.

4. ‘Wild Robot Escapes,’ by Peter Brown – A sequel to the author’s science-fiction YA adventure about a robot who learns to live among the wild animals.

5. ‘They Both Die at the End,’ by Adam Silvera – 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.

6. ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School,’ by Jeff Kinney – The tenth entry in the popular 16-book series sees its protagonist dealing with family problems in typically unpredictable ways.

7. ‘The Babysitters Coven,’ by Kate M. Williams – An action-packed comedy-adventure novel about teenage babysitters with special powers joining forces to battle an evil force threatening to destroy the world.

8. ‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,’ by Kate DiCamillo – The beloved illustrated fantasy about a lost china rabbit and what he learns about the true meaning of love.

9. ‘Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives,’ by Dav Pilkey – An inventive riff on his own graphic novel style, Pilkey employs numerous different art techniques to tell a series of stories within the story, mostly from the points of view of several baby frogs.

10. ‘Disney Encanto Little Golden Book,’ from Golden Books – A bright, illustrated encapsulation of the new Disney animated film about a magical house and the family who lives in it.

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

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