This Week's Bestsellers: July 4, 2016

Sibling Revelry

Lee Goldberg’s many crime novels include several based on the TV series Diagnosis: Murder and Monk; as a TV writer, he was twice nominated for an Edgar Award. His younger brother, Tod, is the author of several novels including Gangsterland, which was a finalist for the Hammett Prize, and Living Dead Girl, an L.A. Times Book Prize finalist.

This week, the Goldberg brothers both have books on our Hardcover Fiction list. The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg debuts at #5; it’s the pair’s fifth Fox and O’Hare novel. And The House of Secrets by Brad Meltzer and Tod Goldberg, the authors’ first collaboration, debuted on our list two weeks ago; it’s at #15 this week.

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

Movie Watch

Tim Burton’s film adaptation of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs doesn’t open until September 30, but this week, after the June 20 release of the second official trailer, the 2013 trade paperback edition is the #7 book in the country overall. With more than 17K print units sold, this is the dark YA fantasy novel’s best week since March, when the first trailer was released.

At #10 in the country overall, the 2007 trade paper edition of The BFG by Roald Dahl had its best week since publication. Sales have been building in the run-up to the wide theatrical release of the Steven Spielberg–directed film adaptation July 1. A tie-in edition pubbed five weeks ago and is at #4 in Children’s Frontlist Fiction; it too had its best week yet. And lest you worry that Jojo has lost her mojo, three weeks after the film version of Moyes’s Me Before You opened, the two tie-ins and conventional trade paperback are, respectively, #1, #4, and #8 in the country overall.

Hearts and Minds

The battle for America is being fought not only in the polls but also in bookstores. Case in point: this week’s Hardcover Nonfiction list. Here’s a look at three titles, all debuting this week, that highlight aspects of the nation’s ideological divide.

#6 The Intimidation Game

Author: Kimberley Strassel, Wall Street Journal columnist and member of the newspaper’s editorial board.

Subtitle: How the Left Is Silencing Free Speech

Our review says: “According to Strassel, the Democratic Party and liberals are increasingly focused on silencing political opposition. Strassel collects disturbing stories of right-of-center nonprofits, donors, and trade associations targeted for political reasons.”

#8 White Trash

Author: Nancy Isenberg, professor of history at Louisiana State University

Subtitle: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America

Our starred review says: “Isenberg (Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr) tackles a topic rarely addressed by mainstream American writing on race and class as she skillfully demonstrates that ‘class defines how real people live.’ ” 

#22 Flyover Nation

Author: Dana Loesch, conservative talk radio and TV host

Subtitle: You Can’t Run a Country You’ve Never Been To

Our review says: “According to Loesch, in terms of political affiliation and cultural differences, America comprises two separate ‘nations’: the liberal elites of the East and West Coast, and the conservative ‘flyover nation’ that encompasses the rest of the continental states.”

Air Apparent

An anonymous author self-published Diary of an Oxygen Thief almost a decade ago, and in the years since, the book has enjoyed sporadic underground success. This year, Oxygen Thief became a regular on the charts, including our iBooks bestseller list. Gallery acquired the book in May, and this week, it appears at #22 on our Trade Paperback list. Though the author remains anonymous, he’s gotten a bit more vocal: look for our interview with him in the July 11 issue.

Top 10 Overall

All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.