Getting an Education

Barack Obama, in an August 19 Facebook post, shared the books he’s been reading lately. Of those, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones returns to our lists after an absence of a few months, as does Hans Rosling’s Factfulness. Tara Westover’s Educated, already enjoying strong sales, jumps two spots in hardcover nonfiction; Warlight by Michael Ondaatje and A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul, who died August 11, also show significant boosts.

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

Love for Sale

The #6 book in the country is Jenny Han’s YA romance To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, recently adapted for Netflix. In the first full week after the movie’s August 17 premiere, print unit sales for the tie-in shot up 271%, lifting the title to the #1 spot in children’s frontlist fiction. Just below it on that list is Always and Forever, Lara Jean, which rounds out Han’s trilogy, at #2, up 195% and 17 positions.

A Mountain of Books

2014 Edgar Award winner William Kent Krueger sets most of his novels, including his Cork O’Connor mysteries, in his adopted home state of Minnesota. The 17th entry in the series, Desolation Mountain, debuts at #8 on our hardcover fiction list, and “skillfully combines the otherworldly setting of the Minnesota wilds with Native American lore to create a winning mystery with more than a few surprises,” our review said. He’s a regional favorite: 30% of print unit sales were in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area.

New & Notable

Pieces of Her
Karin Slaughter
#4 Hardcover Fiction
Slaughter’s “gripping standalone,” our review said—which kicks off with a gunman opening fire in a diner, leading a daughter to delve into her mother’s shady past—“reinforces her place at the top of the thriller pack.”

The Chapo Guide to Revolution
Chapo Trap House
#9 Hardcover Nonfiction
The creators of the political humor podcast Chapo Trap House “bring their caustic brand of satire to the page,” our review said, “mixing puns, rampant sarcasm, inside jokes, references to professional wrestling, and sincere exhortations to pursue reform.”

Top 10 Overall

Rank Title Author Imprint Units
1 Girl, Wash Your Face Rachel Hollis Nelson 58,730
2 Crazy Rich Asians Kevin Kwan Anchor 42,615
3 Texas Ranger Patterson/Bourelle Little, Brown 28,397
4 Unhinged Omarosa Manigault Newman Gallery 18,859
5 China Rich Girlfriend Kevin Kwan Anchor 18,771
6 To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (movie tie-in) Jenny Han Simon & Schuster
7 12 Rules for Life Jordan B. Peterson Random House Canada 16,303
8 Rich People Problems Kevin Kwan Anchor 16,165
9 The Russia Hoax Gregg Jarrett Broadside 15,586
10 The Hate U Give Angie Thomas HC/Balzer + Bray 15,417

All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.