Wednesday, December 26, 2007

The books that sold


A statistic that gets tossed around in bookselling circles every holiday season is that something like 50% of all adult Americans report that they would like a book for Christmas. I think that's a lie: I don't think that many Americans are reading books this or any other year. Still, we sold a lot of books this past month. Here are our top ten bestselling titles for December (so far -- I suppose something dramatic could happen to upset the list in the next week, though I doubt it):

T Is for Trespass by Sue Grafton

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India & Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Zagat Los Angeles 2008

This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men & Women by Jay Allison & Dan Gediman

California Mosaic by the Pasadena Junior League

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin

Good Dog. Stay. by Anna Quindlen

I Didn't Know That: From "Ants in the Pants" to "Wet Behind the Ears" - The Unusual Origins of the Things We Say by Karlen Evins

The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life by Piero Ferrucci

At Home Pasadena by Jill A. Ganon et al

I like this list. I like its idiosyncrasy and local flavor. Best of all, I like the fact that The Power of Kindness, a sweet little book with a pretty cover that I pushed because I liked the look of it, sold over 150 copies in less than a month.

2 comments:

Caveman said...

Just finished Alan Alda's new book. Reminded me why I liked him.

Anonymous said...

Yesterday, as I was cleaning up the crap from the day before I realized I didn't get a book for Christmas. I cannot remember the last time that happened. And I would have kind of liked one. I've been making use of the branch library but still, a new book would have been nice. It's not that I don't have stacks to read.