Literary thrillers, fantasy, diet, and self-help books were popular reads across Europe in early spring. The fiction bestseller list in France in late March had Delphine de Vigan in the #1 position with The Gratitudes, a story of intrigue about a young woman and her speech therapist; de Vigan has been published in English by Bloomsbury. Frédéric Saldmann, once dubbed the “oracle of eternal youth” by Vanity Fair, topped the nonfiction list with Vital!, his new health guide; Saldmann has been published in English by Collins.
Fantasy writer Walter Moers returned to the top spot on the German fiction list at the end of March with The Book Dragon; Overlook Press has been his American publisher. Bas Kast’s The Diet Compass led the nonfiction list, followed by megaselling thriller writer Sebastian Fitzek’s The Fish That Climb Trees, a compendium of life advice.
France
| Fiction | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Title | Author | Imprint |
| 1 | Les gratitudes (The Gratitudes) | Delphine de Vigan | Jean-Claude Lattès |
| 2 | Une evidence (A Foregone Conclusion) | Agnès Martin-Lugand | Michel Lafon Publishing |
| 3 | M: le bord de l’abîme (M, the Edge of the Abyss) | Bernard Minier | XO |
| Nonfiction | |||
| 1 | Vital! (Vital!) | Frédéric Saldmann | Albin Michel |
| 2 | Sodoma: enquête au coeur du Vatican (In the Closet of the Vatican) | Frédéric Martel | Robert Laffont |
| 3 | J’ai tiré sur le fil du mensonge et tout est venu (I Pulled the String, and All the Lies Came Out) | Philippe de Villiers | Fayard |
For the week ended Mar. 31; used by arrangement with GFK/Livres Hebdo
Germany
| Rank | Title | Author | Imprint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiction | |||
| 1 | Der Bücherdrache (The Book Dragon) | Walter Moers | Penguin |
| 2 | Kaffee und Zigaretten (Coffee and Cigarettes) | Ferdinand Schirach | Luchterhand |
| 3 | Die ewigen Toten (The Scent of Death) | Simon Beckett | Wunderlich |
| Nonfiction | |||
| 1 | Der Ernährungskompass (The Diet Compass) | Bas Kast | C. Bertelsmann |
| 2 | Fische, die auf Bäume klettern (The Fish That Climb Trees) | Sebastian Fitzek | Droemer |
| 3 | Becoming (Becoming) | Michelle Obama | Goldmann |
For the week ended Mar. 31; used by arrangement with Buchreport
Spain
| Fiction | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Title | Author | Imprint |
| 1 | Días sin ti (Days Without You) | Elvira Sastre | Seix Barral |
| 2 | Yo, Julia (I, Julia) | Santiago Posteguillo Gómez | Planeta |
| 3 | El último barco (The Last Ferry) | Domingo Villar | Siruela |
| Nonfiction | |||
| 1 | Cómo hacer que te pasen cosas buenas (What to Do to Have Good Things Happen to You) | Marian Rojas Estapé | Espasa Calpe |
| 2 | Sapiens. De animales a dioses (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind) | Yuval Noah Harari | Debate |
| 3 | Manual de Resistencia (Manual of Resistance) | Pedro Sánchez | Península |
For the week ended Apr. 1; used by arrangement with El Cultural
