House of the Rising Sales

YA fantasy author Leigh Bardugo hits the charts with her first adult novel, Ninth House, in at #3 in Hardcover Fiction and #8 overall. Our starred review called the book, which revolves around a murder at a magic-infused Yale University, “excellent” and predicted fantasy readers would “hungrily devour” it. As Bardugo’s Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone YA series have raked in six-figure print unit sales, it seems this house has a solid foundation.

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

It’s Summer Somewhere

What Happens in Paradise, Elin Hilderbrand’s sequel to last year’s Winter in Paradise, lands at #4 in hardcover fiction. It continues the chronicle of the Steele clan as they move on after the death of the family patriarch. Our review called it “captivating” and noted it’s a “page-turner that’s more than just beach fare.” First-week sales are also up nicely over the prior installment.

Deep State of the Union

Two books on our hardcover nonfiction list couldn’t come to more different conclusions about the special counsel investigation into alleged collusion between Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russians. In at #5, Gregg Jarrett’s Witch Hunt is red meat for the president’s defenders. It follows Jarrett’s 2018 title, The Russia Hoax, and argues that the collusion investigation was, as per the subtitle, “the greatest mass delusion in American political history.” At #14 is Deep State by New York Times columnist James B. Stewart; our review called it a “rigorous, lucidly written inquiry” into the roots of the investigation that is full of revelations and concludes there was no deep state conspiracy.

New & Notable

Movies (and Other Things)
Shea Serrano
#2 Hardcover Nonfiction, #6 overall
Ringer staff writer Serrano gives his idiosyncratic illustrated take on movies in this follow-up to Basketball (and Other Things).

Tough Love
Susan Rice
#4 Hardcover Nonfiction, #10 overall
The former U.S. ambassador to the UN delivers “an astute, analytical take on recent American political history,” per our starred review.

The Giver of Stars
Jojo Moyes
#9 Hardcover Fiction
Moyes shifts to Depression-era Kentucky and a crew of WPA-sponsored horseback librarians for a novel our review said packs “plenty of appeal.”

All unit sales per NPD BookScan except where noted.