French Cuisine

Finding Freedom by Erin French, chef-owner of the Lost Kitchen in her hometown of Freedom, Maine, breaks out at #6 in hardcover nonfiction. In what PW called her “affecting debut,” French writes about single motherhood, her addiction to prescription drugs and her recovery, and a lifelong passion for food, making for a work that’s “notably heavier on insight and lighter on hubris than the average chef memoir.”

More than a third of print unit sales were in the New England region, where it was the top-selling title.

I’d Like to Thank the Academy

The #6 book in the country is My Hero Academia, Vol. 27, by Kohei Horikoshi. Manga powerhouse Viz began publishing English-language trade editions of the series in 2015; season five of the anime adaptation premiered at the end of March. It’s one of four new manga titles (of six total, all published by Viz) on our trade paperback list: the #9 book in the country, Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man, Vol. 4, is the latest installment of a newer manga series that’s also slated for an anime adaptation.

In Clubland

Two April book club picks, newly released, land on our hardcover fiction list.

At #4, the Read with Jenna selection, Good Company, is Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s follow-up to 2016’s The Nest. “While the deliciously flawed characters are well developed,” our review said, “the lackluster climax and drawn-out therapy scenes” are less successful.

Northern Spy by Edgar-winner Flynn Berry, #7 in hardcover fiction and the Reese’s Book Club pick, centers on two sisters and IRA activities in Northern Ireland. “It’s a measure of the author’s skill that she never loses sight of the humanity of her characters,” our review said, in this “moving contemporary thriller.”

NEW & NOTABLE

FIRST PERSON SINGULAR
Haruki Murakami
#5 Hardcover Fiction
“Blending passion for music and baseball and nostalgia for youth with portrayals of young love and moments of magical realism,” our starred review said, “these shimmering stories are testament to Murakami’s talent and enduring creativity.”

BROKEN HORSES
Brandi Carlile
#3 Hardcover Nonfiction, #4 overall
The multiple Grammy award winner “recalls the pivotal events that shaped her music and identity in this captivating memoir,”according to our starred review. “She’s candid about her sexuality and how she reconciled her faith after being turned away by her hometown church when she came out,” which helps make for a book that resonates with “raw emotion.”

WOMAN EVOLVE
Sarah Jakes Roberts
#4 Hardcover Nonfiction, #5 overall
“Pastor Roberts delivers a powerful guide to the lessons found in the story of Eve,” our review said, asking open-ended questions and providing journaling prompts. “Evangelical Christians will want to take a look.”