This Week's Bestsellers: June 6, 2016

Alumni Report

As BEA 2016 recedes into memory, some of the buzzy books of the show are making their way into the real world. Justin Cronin’s The City of Mirrors, #1 in Hardcover Fiction and #7 in the country overall, is third in the horror trilogy that he launched with The Passage. Just as The Passage itself was a much-discussed book at BEA six years ago, Mirrors was a sought-after galley this year.

Journalist and documentary filmmaker Sebastian Junger, who shot to fame as the author of The Perfect Storm (1997) and who has been a war reporter for two decades, was among the speakers at BEA 2016’s adult-author breakfast. His new books, Tribe, #5 in Hardcover Nonfiction, looks at the challenges that many veterans face upon returning home.

(See all of this week's bestselling books.)

The Graduates

With commencement season in full swing, perennial grad gift Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss has been a top-10 book for seven weeks. Newer titles, too, are making a play for the diploma crowd. This week, the illustrated book Humble & Kind is at #12 on our Hardcover Nonfiction list. It’s based on country musician Tim McGraw’s single of the same name, which dropped in January, a few months after McGraw’s oldest daughter left for college. In addition to the lyrics, which are written from the perspective of a parent sending a child out into the world, the book includes an introduction by McGraw and an epilogue by lyricist Lori McKenna.

Riding the Wave

The #1 book in the country, The Last Star, closes out the trilogy that Rick Yancey began in 2013 with The 5th Wave. First-week sales for the new title far eclipse those of the first book and the second, The Infinite Sea. That’s particularly welcome news for Yancey and his publisher, given that the film adaptation of The 5th Wave, which grossed $35 million in domestic box office sales, was widely considered a disappointment (it earned another $75 million overseas). But just like the alien invaders of his series, Yancey appears unstoppable: editions of all three titles appear on our Children’s Frontlist Fiction list this week.

New & Notable

Bill O’Reilly’s Legends & Lies: The Patriots

David Fisher

#1 Hardcover Nonfiction, #6 overall

A companion to the second season of Fox News’ Legends & Lies series,

The Patriots focuses on well-known Revolutionary War personalities as well as lesser-known figures, including Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion.

Sweetbitter

Stephanie Danler

#15 Hardcover Fiction

PW Writer to Watch Danler draws on her years working in New York City restaurants, including Union Square Cafe and Buvette, in her high-profile six-figure debut novel.

It’s Okay to Laugh

Nora McInerny Purmort

#16 Hardcover Nonfiction

Purmort was 27 when her boyfriend was diagnosed with brain cancer; her memoir discusses his illness, their marriage, and the three years they had together.

Top 10 Overall

All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.