Weekly Bestsellers July 7th-July 13th

Hardcover Bestsellers

1) The Care and Management of Lies: A Novel of the Great War by Jacqueline Winspear - The author of the popular Maisie Dobbs mysteries departs from her crime solving to write a historical novel set during the Great War. The elegant Ms. Winspear read to a packed audience of nearly 100 enthusiastic fans, including one who traveled all the way from New York to Brookline for a mid-week event. Bookseller Tom, whose fashion "Tommentary" has been gracing our tumblr page, had this to say about Ms. Winspear in his events round-up to the staff.

2) The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - I'm sure you've read plenty of reviews of this Pulitzer Prize winning bestseller. But have you seen this review?

3) The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan, with an introduction by Anne Fadiman - Marina Keegan's life ended tragically early but what she left behind is nothing short of remarkable. The title essay, "The Opposite of Loneliness," is a commencement address of sorts to her fellow students at Yale, and it went viral shortly after publication. But some of the other pieces in here are truly stunning for their depth and precocious wisdom. One of my favorites is the short, ruminative essay "Why We Care About Whales."

4) The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith - Curious about what J.K. Rowling thinks of the publishing industry? Rowling a.k.a Robert Galbraith has some not so veiled opinions in this murder mystery set in literary London.

5) Euphoria by Lily King - One of the best things about hosting an event is discovering an author and a book you may not have picked up on your own. Margaret Mead, groundbreaking anthropologist...and the apex of a love triangle? Euphoria is the fictionalized story of Mead and her adventures in New Guinea with her first husband and soon-to-be second husband. Lily King has written the best kind of summer book - an exquisitely written page-turner.

6) Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? A Memoir by Roz Chast - I love graphic novels and memoirs for their ability to visualize emotionally heavy topics. Roz Chast, most well known for her cartoons in The New Yorker, is a local favorite and her memoir takes on coping with aging parents. Ms. Chast's interview on Fresh Air was spectacular, and sent many new fans to the store to buy her book.

Paperback Bestsellers

1) The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert - Elizabeth Gilbert, memoirist, novelist, and soccer fan, read at the Coolidge on Sunday and charmed us all. One of our favorite local authors, Steve Almond, wrote this profile for The New York Times about her leap from fiction, to Eat, Pray, Love, and then back to fiction.

2) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - If you're curious about the man behind the young adult novel sensation, check out this profile on John Green in The New Yorker.

3) Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - I told you how much I love Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie right? Have I not? Okay, well then watch her TED talk on the danger of the single story and maybe you'll fall in love with her too.

4) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Read this psychological thriller *before* Ben Affleck's adaptation comes out in October.

5) My Struggle: Book 1 by Karl Ove Knausgaard - I love the introduction to this interview with Knausgaard over at the Los Angeles Review of Books.

6) The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - In case you didn't know, Roberth Galbraith is J.K Rowling. J.K. Rowling is Roberth Galbraith. And no one will ever forget it. Here are 10 Harry Potter Hallmarks Found in J.K. Rowling's The Cuckoo's Calling.

7) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - Ms. Angelou, in an interview with The Paris Review, on the response to this book: "The greatest compliment I receive is when people walk up to me on the street or in airports and say, Miss Angelou, I wrote your books last year and I really—I mean I read . . . That is it—that the person has come into the books so seriously, so completely, that he or she, black or white, male or female, feels, That’s my story. I told it. I’m making it up on the spot. That’s the great compliment. I didn’t expect, originally, that I was going to continue with the form. I thought I was going to write a little book and it would be fine and I would go on back to poetry, write a little music."