Unexpected Duet

Pulitzer Prize–winning presidential biographer Jon Meacham and Grammy Award–winning country singer Tim McGraw teamed up for Songs of America, the #3 book in the U.S., a look at pivotal moments in the nation’s history and the music that helped define them. A note to the reader at the beginning of the book explains that Meacham provides historical context while McGraw offers his perspective on the songs as an artist and performer. Some of the material predates the founding of the republic—“The Liberty Song” by John Dickinson, a favorite of McGraw’s, was published in 1768.

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

Quick Read

The self-help guide How to Skimm Your Life is the #8 book in the country. Authors Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg left their producer jobs at NBC in 2012 and launched the Daily Skimm, a breezy, popular (seven million subscribers as of 2018) e-news digest aimed at millennial women. The newsletter delivers hot takes on current events and popular culture; the book skews more toward lifestyle topics, such as, “Things That Make You Feel Fancy” (wine and food), “Things No One Really Understands” (health insurance), and “Things That Are Tedious” (taxes).

Everything Is Illuminated

Debuting at #5 in hardcover fiction, Mrs. Everything, Jennifer Weiner’s first novel for adults since 2015’s Who Do You Love, is a “heartwrenching multigenerational tale of love, loss, and family,” our starred review said, “which is partly inspired by Little Women.” First-week print unit sales were her best since 2011’s Then Came You.

New & Notable

Recursion
Blake Crouch
#14 Hardcover Fiction
In what our starred review called an “intelligent, mind-bending thriller,” Crouch “integrates sophisticated philosophical concepts—such as the relationship of human perceptions of what is real to actual reality—into a complex and engrossing plot.”

More than Enough
Elaine Welteroth
#13 Hardcover Nonfiction
The former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief’s debut is an “affecting tale of claiming one’s space and refuting biases,” our review said, that “follows her personal and professional trajectories” and “details her experience as a black woman in media.”

The Enemy of the People
Jim Acosta
#17 Hardcover Nonfiction
This memoir by the CNN chief White House correspondent, who frequently spars with President Trump, will be a winner with “fans of the author’s hard-hitting reporting,” our review said. “But critics who have accused him of grandstanding and bias may not have their suspicions allayed.”

Top 10 Overall

Rank Title Author Imprint Units
1 Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens Putnam 48,137
2 Unfreedom of the Press Mark R. Levin Threshold 34,127
3 Songs of America Meacham/McGraw Random House 30,268
4 The Pioneers David McCullough Simon & Schuster 27,829
5 Howard Stern Comes Again Howard Stern Simon & Schuster 25,753
6 Unsolved James Patterson Little, Brown 24,777
7 Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss Random House 23,379
8 How to Skimm Your Life The Skimm Ballantine 23,172
9 City of Girls Elizabeth Gilbert Riverhead 20,833
10 Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid Jeff Kinney Amulet 20,754

All unit sales per NPD BookScan except where noted.