Petaluma Bestsellers: The mighty RBG strikes twice

(The top selling titles at Copperfield’s Books, in Petaluma, for the week of Jan. 14, 2018-Jan. 20, 2019)

Well, whatever happened in Petaluma last week was apparently a one-and-done situation.

And for what it’s worth, Ruth Bader Ginsberg is suddenly appearing on not just the Fiction and Nonfiction list, but the Kids and Young Adults list as well.

Impressive. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

The big news is that Michelle Obama’s memoir, “Becoming,” is officially back in the No. 1 spot on our local bookstore’s fiction and nonfiction bestseller list, relegating Congresswoman Jackie Speier’s own memoir, “Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back” (last week’s No. 1) to its own one-and-only appearance. Not only has “Undaunted” been unseated from the top spot, it’s not on the list this week at all. This means that last week’s No. 3 - John Sheehy and Scott Hess’ “On a River Winding Home - is back in the No. 2 spot again, where it’s been holding steady, right below “Becoming,” for the last two months.

A couple of surprise titles have popped up this week, including Truman Capote’s 1966 true-crime thriller “In Cold Blood” (No. 4) and Heather Morris’ controversial “The Tatooist of Auschwitz” (No. 6). Best guess is that both books are the subject of readers groups in the area, and not bad choices, either.

These books were basically born to be talked about.

Meanwhile, in the No. 7 spot is Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s “In My Words.” RBG’s bestselling memoir has been a constant presence on the bestseller list. And this week, over on the kids and young adults list, the No. 10 spot is filled this week by Anna Mebrino’s delightful early-reader board book, “I Look Up To … Ruth Bader Ginsberg,” with vivid illustrations by Fatti Burke. It’s part of a series designed to be read to toddlers, with examples of inspiring individuals and the positive things they’ve said.

At the top of the kids and young adults list are two books by Petaluma’s Amy Gutierrez (aka Amy G., of Giants baseball broadcasting fame), “Smarty Marty Steps up Her Game” (No. 1) and “Smarty Marty’s Got Game” (No. 2).

FICTION & NON-FICTION

1. ‘Becoming,’ by Michelle Obama

2. ‘On A River Winding Home,’ by John

Sheehy and Scott Hess

3. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ written by

Margaret Atwood

4. ‘In Cold Blood,’ by Truman Capote

5. ‘Ottolenghi Simple: A Cookbook,’

written by Yotam Ottolenghi

6. ‘Tattooist of Auschwitz,’ written by

Heather Morris

7. ‘My Own Words,’ written by Ruth

Bader Ginsburg

8. ‘Monk of Mokha,’ by Dave Eggers

9. ‘There There,’ by Tommy Orange

10. ‘Life-Changing Magic of Tidying

Up,’ by Marie Kondo

KIDS & YOUNG ADULTS

1. ‘Smarty Marty Steps up Her Game,’

written by Amy Gutierrez

2. ‘Smarty Marty’s Got Game,’

written by Amy Gutierrez

3. ‘Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild,’

written by Dav Pilkey

4. ‘Mac B., Kid Spy: Impossible Crime,’

written by Mac Barnett

5. ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Meltdown,’

written by Jeff Kinney

6. ‘Phoebe and Her Unicorn,’

written by Dana Simpson

7. ‘The Wonky Donkey,’ by Craig Smith

8. ‘Arc of a Scythe: Scythe,’ written

by Neal Shusterman

9. ‘Toys Go Out,’ by Emily Jenkins

10. ‘I Look Up To ... Ruth Bader

Ginsburg,’ by Anna Membrino

and Fatti Burke

(Data compiled by Amber-Rose Reed,

Assistant Manager of Copperfield’s

Books)