Petaluma readers settle in with favorites, as June promises a flurry of new titles

The top selling titles at Copperfield’s Books, in Petaluma, for the week of May 17-May 23, 2021

The last week has been a game of literary musical chairs, as Petaluma book-buyers enthusiastically rearrange the order of popular titles on the Petaluma bestselling books lists. This applies to the Fiction & Nonfiction Books and the Kids & Young Adults Books, the former showing another No. 1 showing for poet Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb,” and Dav Pilkey’s “Dog Man: Mothering Heights” maintaining its bite on the No. 1 spot on the Kids list.

With no new titles landing on the list this week, it appears that local readers are settling into their choices, or perhaps are merely waiting for the release of anticipated books being launched soon. This June, there are a number of promising titles to look forward to.

Highlights include “Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid (“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’). Loosely connected to her “Evelyn Hugo” work,” Reid’s latest novel follows four famous siblings – the adult progeny of famous rock star Nick Rivas, one of the aforementioned seven husbands – who all gather for an end-of-summer party at the family home in Malibu in 1983, not knowing their lives are about to change forever. It’s got surfing, rock ‘n roll, tennis, and some long-hidden family secrets. Sounds like a good beach read, and here’s predicting it will end up the Fiction & Nonfiction list at least once or twice this summer.

Other June releases that readers might want to be on the lookout for: Riley Sager’s new thriller “Survive the Night,” about a college student who ends up on a cross-country trip with someone who might be the killer of her recently-murdered roommate, and Ashley C. Ford’s memoir “Somebody’s Daughter,” the author’s true story of growing up with an incarnated father, and her gradual reconciliation with the details of his imprisonment and its impact on her family.

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 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.

2.‘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.

3.‘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.

4.‘Finding the Mother Tree,’ by Suzanne Simard – Part scientific deep-dive, part riveting memoir, “Mother Tree,” by one of the world’s leading experts in forest ecology investigates the complex science of tree-to-tree communication.

5.‘The House in the Cerulean Sea,’ by TJ Klune – Delightful fantasy novel about a mysterious school and the low-level bureaucrat assigned to it.

6.‘The Court of Thorns and Roses,’ by Sarah J. Maas – A “Beauty and the Beast”-inspired fantasy series exploring the extended family of the fairytale’s iconic characters.

7.‘The 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.

8.‘The Long Petal of the Sea,’ by Isabel Allende – Set during the Spanish Civil War, a pregnant and widowed pianist enters into an unlikely marriage-of-convenience with her dead husband’s brother, and attempts to flee from warfare on a rescue ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda

9.‘The Premonition: A Pandemic Story,’ by Michael Lewis – The bestselling author of “Liar’s Poker,” “Moneyball” and “The Blind Side” brings a nonfiction page-turner about the loosely associated team of scientists and experts who, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, fought against the official White House response that there was nothing to worry about.

10.‘The Vanishing Half,’ by Brit Bennett – When identical twin sisters are separated, then reunited years later, the different paths they’ve each chosen brings them into a powerful and challenging understanding of what it means to be “whole.”

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.‘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.

3.‘We Were Liars,’ by E. Lockhart – This YA novel is a taught psychological thriller about a group of friends on a private family island struggling a legacy of darkly fairytale-ish secrets.

4.‘Shadow and Bone,’ by Leigh Bardugo – The original book in the popular fantasy series, in which ships sail through monster-filled clouds and a rare race of people keep light beneath their skins. The hit Netflix series is based on the series.

5.‘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.

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.‘Babysitters Club: Claudia and the New Girl,’ by Ann M. Martin – More Babysitter’s Club adventures. This one has proven to be very popular.

8.‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,’ by Rick Riordan – A kid discovers his long-lost dad was a Greek god, and now he has to attend a school for other illegitimate god-progeny, where he soon battles monsters and learns a thing or two about lightning.

9.‘Realm Breaker,’ by Victoria Aveyard – This new fantasy epic features wizards, an ancient sword, a magical realm in danger, and a team of misfits drawn together to save the world.

10.‘Berrybrook Middle School: Awkward,’ by Svetlana Chmakova – The 2015 entry in this popular comedy-drama series about the kids of Berrybrook and how they charmingly face the day-to-day challenges of middle school.

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