Bruce Springsteen’s memoir, Born to Run, was an immediate hit when it was released at the end of September in the U.S. by Simon & Schuster, and the book topped the nonfiction bestseller list in Germany and Sweden at the end of last month. Born to Run landed in third place on the French nonfiction list, where a new title about the former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was #1.
The German fiction bestseller list was led in September by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, followed by the latest thriller by the crime-writing team of Volker Klüpfel and Michael Kobr. Heavenhorn is their ninth novel that features Commissioner Kluftinger, and the series has sold millions of copies in Germany.
French songwriter and rapper Gaël Faye’s first book, Little Country, jumped to the top spot on the French fiction bestseller list at the end of last month. In late August the novel, set against the backdrop of the Rwandan Civil War, won the Fnac Award for best novel. Debuting in second place on the fiction list was the newest work from popular science fiction author Bernard Werber, Cats of Tomorrow.
Bestselling Swedish author Leif G.W. Persson’s newest novel, Can You Die Twice?, debuted in the second spot on the fiction bestseller list in September. Persson has had several books published in the U.S., including Linda, as in the Linda Murder, which was released in February by Vintage Crime.
France
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petit pays Little Country Gaël Faye Grasset et Fasquelle | La cause du peuple: l’histoire interdite de la présidence Sarkozy The People’s Cause: The Forbidden Story of the Sarkozy Presidency Patrick Buisson Perrin |
| 2 | Demain les chats Cats of Tomorrow Bernard Werber Albin Michel | Les lois naturelles de l’enfant The Natural Laws of the Child Céline Alvarez Les Arènes |
| 3 | Ta deuxième vie commence quand tu... Your New Life Begins When You... Raphaëlle Giordano Eyrolles | Born to Run Born to Run Bruce Springsteen Albin Michel |
For the week ended Sept. 26; used by arrangement with GFK/Livres Hebdo
Germany
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Potter und das verwunschene kind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany Carlsen | Born to Run Born to Run Bruce Springsteen Heyne |
| 2 | Himmelhorn Heavenhorn Volker Klüpfel & Michael Kobr Droemer | Das geheime leben der bäume The Secret Life of Trees Peter Wohlleben Ludwig |
| 3 | Meine geniale freundin My Brillant Friend Elena Ferrante Suhrkamp | Das Seelenleben der tiere The Mental Life of Animals Peter Wohlleben Ludwig |
For the week ended Oct. 2; used by arrangement with Buchreport
Sweden
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Äkta amerikanska jeans Real American Jeans Jan Guillou Piratförlaget | Born to Run Born to Run Bruce Springsteen Natur & Kultur |
| 2 | Kan man dö två gånger? Can You Die Twice? Leif G.W. Persson Albert Bonniers Förlag | Arthur Arthur Mikael Lindnord & Val Hudson Bokförlaget Forum |
| 3 | Hennes nya namn The Story of a New Name Elena Ferrante Norstedts | Riktiga Elsie Real Elsie Elsie Johansson Albert Bonniers Förlag |
