Bestselling Books in California for the Week Ending October 25, 2026

Tommy Orange, a previous California Book Club author, has curated this year’s Best Short Stories anthology, which includes contributions from writers like Weike Wang, Colm Tóibín, and Louise Erdrich. Additionally, Ina Garten's new cookbook, *Simply Ina*, provides 85 straightforward recipes, including options for baked beans and Irish coffee affogato.

In Southern California, the bestselling hardcover fiction titles include:

- *Exit Party* by Emily St. John Mandel, $32

- *American Hagwon* by Min Jin Lee, $36

- *Threshing Day (Wing and Claw Collection)* by Rebecca Yarros, $25

- *Whistler* by Ann Patchett, $30

- *Peck & Peck* by Bonnie Garmus, $30

For hardcover nonfiction, the top sellers are:

- *Simply Ina: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook* by Ina Garten, $40

- *Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State* by Michael Lewis, $30

- *Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up* by David Byrne, $36

- *The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic* by Malcolm Gladwell, $34

- *The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World* by Nathaniel Philbrick, $38

In the trade paperback fiction category, popular titles include:

- *East of Eden* by John Steinbeck, $25

- *Theo of Golden* by Allen Levi, $20

- *I Who Have Never Known Men* by Jacqueline Harpman and Ros Schwartz, $17

- *The Best Short Stories 2026: The O. Henry Prize Winners*, edited by Tommy Orange, $20

- *The Road to Tender Hearts* by Annie Hartnett, $20

For trade paperback nonfiction, buyers are flocking to:

- *All About Love: New Visions* by bell hooks, $18

- *Tuesdays with Morrie* by Mitch Albom, $18

- *It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin* by Marisa Meltzer, $19

- *Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly* by Anthony Bourdain, $19

- *Mother Mary Comes to Me* by Arundhati Roy, $20

In Northern California, bestselling hardcover fiction titles mirror those in the south, with:

- *Miss Wolcott’s Ghost* by Louise Penny, $30

- *American Hagwon* by Min Jin Lee, $36

- *Exit Party* by Emily St. John Mandel, $32

- *The Calamity Club* by Kathryn Stockett, $35

Hardcover nonfiction bestsellers include:

- *Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State* by Michael Lewis, $30

- *The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World* by Nathaniel Philbrick, $38

- *Simply Ina: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook* by Ina Garten, $40

- *The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic* by Malcolm Gladwell, $34

Popular trade paperbacks in Northern California include:

- *Theo of Golden* by Allen Levi, $20

- *East of Eden* by John Steinbeck, $25

- *Dungeon Crawler Carl* by Matt Dinniman, $20

- *Brother of the More Famous Jack* by Barbara Trapido, $18

- *May We Feed the King* by Rebecca Perry, $19

For trade paperback nonfiction:

- *Mother Mary Comes to Me* by Arundhati Roy, $20

- *Raising Hare: A Memoir* by Chloe Dalton, $21

- *All About Love: New Visions* by bell hooks, $18

- *The Place of Tides* by James Rebanks, $19

- *Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature* by Emily Wilson, $20.

Source: California Independent Booksellers Alliance

Elizabeth Casillas is an associate editor at Alta Journal.