New titles commandeered the top slots across the bestseller lists in international markets in September. In France, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Was Stuck in an Ikea Wardrobe by Romain Puértolas topped the fiction list. The debut novel is described as an “incredible adventure of a fakir, stuck in a wardrobe, coupled with a sparkling love story that will lead to the four corners of Europe and the post-Gaddafi Libya.” On the nonfiction side, France had three new leaders at the top of the chart. Hexagon: On the Road of French History by Lorànt Deutsch was the country’s bestselling nonfiction title. The author provides biographies of 26 famous French men and women from the sixth century B.C.E. to the present day.
On Sweden’s fiction list, Jan Guillou’s Between Red and Black debuted at #1. Set in between World War I and the Roaring ’20s, the novel follows the story of a set of brothers. Guillou is also author of the popular Crusades Trilogy, published by Harper in the U.S. Also new to the country’s fiction list in September was Fredrik Backman’s My Grandma Sends Her Greetings and Apologizes, a follow-up to the author’s A Man Called Ove.
The top of Spain’s fiction chart was also overhauled, with new titles occupying the first three spots. At #1 was The Discreet Hero, the latest novel from Peruvian writer and Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa. The book is set in the capital city of Lima and Piura, a northern Peruvian town. Julia Navarro’s Shoot, I’m Already Dead hit the #2 spot, while And the Mountain Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, released in Spain at the beginning of the month, sat at #3.
International Bestsellers
France
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | L’extraordinaire voyage du fakir qui était resté coincé dans une armoire Ikea The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Was Stuck in an Ikea Wardrobe Romain Puértolas Dilettante | Hexagone. sur les routes de l’histoire de France Hexagon: On the Road of French History Lorànt Deutsch Michel Lafon |
| 2 | La nostalgie heureuse The Happy Nostalgia Amélie Nothomb Albin Michel | Le monde comme il me parle The World As It Speaks to Me Olivier de Kersauson Le Cherche Midi |
| 3 | Un jour je m’en irai sans en avoir tout dit One Day I Will Go Without Being Told Everything Jean d’Ormesson Robert Laffont | Plaidoyer pour l’altruisme: la force de la bienveillance Advocacy for Altruism: The Strength of Kindness Matthieu Ricard Nil |
Sweden
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mellan rött och svart Between Red and Black Jan Guillou Piratförlaget | 5:2 kokboken The 5:2 Cookbook Angela Dowden Tukan Förlag |
| 2 | Handen. Ett fall för Wallander The Hand: A Case for Wallander Henning Mankell Leopard förlag | 5:2 dieten The Fast Diet Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer Bonnier Fakta |
| 3 | Min mormor hälsar och säger förlåt My Grandma Sends Her Greetings and Apologizes Fredrik Backman Forum | Ulrika Davidssons kokbok om 5:2 Ulrika Davidsson’s 5:2 Cookbook Ulrika Davidsson Tukan |
Spain
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | El héroe discreto The Discreet Hero Mario Vargas Llosa Alfaguara | El sueño de Alicia Alice’s Dream Eduardo Punset Destino |
| 2 | Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto Shoot, I’m Already Dead Julia Navarro Plaza & Janes | La enzima prodigiosa The Enzyme Factor Hiromi Shinya Aguilar |
| 3 | Y las montañas hablaron And the Mountain Echoed Khaled Hosseini Salamandra | Cosas no aburridas para ser la mar de feliz Exciting Things for a Sea of Happiness Mr. Wonderful Lunwerg |
