Bookseller reviews of books on the bestseller list this week
Can a book be cozy, loving, encouraging, compassionate, AND a threat to the brutal and cutthroat consumer capitalism of our era? I present to you Robin Wall Kimmerer’s first book since her surprise mega-bestselling sleeper hit Braiding Sweetgrass. The serviceberry is a bushy, underappreciated fruit tree native to Eastern North America that Kimmerer uses as inspiration to muse broadly on “abundance and reciprocity in the natural world.” The tree embodies the values of gratitude, interconnectedness, and mutual aid. Strikingly, the serviceberry’s broad and generous distribution of its wealth ensures its own flourishing! Let’s all read this small, beautiful, and powerful little book and talk about how we can reimagine modern economic life to be a little more sane and humane!
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, (List Price: $20, Scribner, 9781668072240, November 2024)
Reviewed by Josh, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia
In a time where influencers are more prominent now than ever, you will love this novel that goes behind the scenes of a tradwife named Natalie who finds herself thrust from her Instagramable life into an alternate timeline (pun intended) where she does not fully recognize her family or any aspect of her farmlife. Her carefully curated life is uprooted very suddenly, and you will #lol at Natalie’s plight. This debut novel has a lot of heart, humor, and social commentary, and I expect it to be big. Don’t miss out!
Yesteryear by Caro, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593804216, April 2026)
Reviewed by Annastasia Williams, The Bottom in Knoxville, TN
JFC. If we can’t add a new subgenre JUST for Lauren Groff’s signature style — lushly grim and invigoratingly desolate — maybe I’d best acknowledge the teeny new chamber in my book lovin’ heart that Matrix, The Vaster Wilds and now Brawler have come to inhabit. I didn’t think I could handle bleak, but in her capable hands? “Under the Wave” is the best short story I’ve ever read. Within two paragraphs of beginning “The Wind” (and hence the collection), I was *there* and terrified. I haven’t even read the last two stories yet. Stay tuned.
Brawler by Lauren Groff, (List Price: $29, Riverhead Books, 9780593418420, February 2026)
Reviewed by Kat, novel. in Memphis, Tennessee
The Southern Indie Bestseller List, as brought to you by IndieBound and SIBA, for the week ending Sunday, May 31. Based on reporting from the independent booksellers of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance and IndieBound. For an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound.org.
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. The Calamity Club
Kathryn Stockett, Spiegel & Grau, $35.00, 9781954118812
2. Yesteryear (Indies Introduce)
Caro Claire Burke, Knopf, $30.00, 9780593804216
3. The Correspondent
Virginia Evans, Crown, $28.00, 9780593798430
4. The Midnight Train
Matt Haig, Viking, $30.00, 9780593833377
5. The Things We Never Say
Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $29.00, 9798217154746
6. Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It
Brooke Averick, Crown, $28.00, 9798217088263
7. John of John
Douglas Stuart, Grove Press, $28.00, 9780802167194
8. A Parade of Horribles
Matt Dinniman, Ace, $32.00, 9798217190065
9. Ironwood
Michael Connelly, Little, Brown and Company, $32.00, 9780316595384
10. Our Perfect Storm
Carley Fortune, Berkley, $30.00, 9780593953242
11. The Ballad of Falling Dragons (Deluxe Limited Edition)
Sarah A. Parker, Avon, $34.00, 9780063415898
12. Kin
Tayari Jones, Knopf, $32.00, 9780525659181
13. Before I Knew I Loved You
Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Hanover Square Press, $22.99, 9781335000682
14. Carl's Doomsday Scenario
Matt Dinniman, Ace, $30.00, 9780593820261
15. Summer State of Mind
Kristy Woodson Harvey, Gallery Books, $29.00, 9781668074886
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. The Land and Its People: Essays
David Sedaris, Little, Brown and Company, $30.00, 9780316264839
2. Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage
Belle Burden, The Dial Press, $30.00, 9780593733318
3. London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
Patrick Radden Keefe, Doubleday, $35.00, 9780385548533
4. Famesick: A Memoir
Lena Dunham, Random House, $32.00, 9780593129326
5. The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
Robin Wall Kimmerer, John Burgoyne (Illus.), Scribner, $20.00, 9781668072240
6. Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Simon Six, $26.00, 9781668249970
7. All We Say: The Battle for American Identity
Ben Rhodes, Random House, $35.00, 9780593595121
8. Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children
Mac Barnett, Little, Brown and Company, $20.00, 9780316601122
9. Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About: A Memoir
Isabel Klee, William Morrow, $28.00, 9780063451070
10. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
Omar El Akkad, Knopf, $28.00, 9780593804148
11. America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries
Jr. Glaude, Eddie S., Crown, $31.00, 9780593239803
12. 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation
Andrew Ross Sorkin, Viking, $35.00, 9780593296967
13. American Patriarch: The Life of George Washington
H.W. Brands, Doubleday, $40.00, 9780385551557
14. Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
John Green, Crash Course Books, $28.00, 9780525556572
15. On Witness and Respair: Essays
Jesmyn Ward, Scribner, $29.99, 9781668064269
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
1. Theo of Golden
Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20.00, 9781668236512
2. Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir, Ballantine Books, $22.00, 9798217299461
3. Dungeon Crawler Carl
Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20.00, 9780593820254
4. Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $19.99, 9780063204164
5. The Knight and the Moth (Indie Exclusive Edition)
Rachel Gillig, Orbit, $19.99, 9780316608503
6. Dolly All the Time
Annabel Monaghan, G.P. Putnam's Sons, $20.00, 9780593853979
7. Great Big Beautiful Life
Emily Henry, Berkley, $20.00, 9780593441237
8. James
Percival Everett, Vintage, $20.00, 9780593686867
9. Red Rising
Pierce Brown, Del Rey, $18.00, 9780345539809
10. Angel Down
Daniel Kraus, Atria Books, $18.00, 9781668068519
11. The Divorce
Freida McFadden, Poisoned Pen Press, $18.99, 9781464249631
12. The God of the Woods
Liz Moore, Riverhead Books, $19.00, 9780593418925
13. I Who Have Never Known Men
Jacqueline Harpman, Transit Books, $16.95, 9781945492600
14. The Lion Women of Tehran
Marjan Kamali, Gallery Books, $18.99, 9781668036594
15. A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Publishing, $19.00, 9781635575569
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
1. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
Erik Larson, Crown, $22.00, 9780385348768
2. Raising Hare: A Memoir
Chloe Dalton, Vintage, $21.00, 9780593689004
3. Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir
Ina Garten, Crown, $22.00, 9780593800027
4. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
Michael Finkel, Vintage, $18.00, 9781984898456
5. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $22.00, 9781571313560
6. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
David Grann, Vintage, $21.00, 9780307742490
7. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate--Discoveries from a Secret World
Peter Wohlleben, Greystone Books, $18.95, 9781771643771
8. All About Love: New Visions
bell hooks, William Morrow Paperbacks, $17.99, 9780060959470
9. A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Kevin Fedarko, Scribner, $22.00, 9781501183065
10. The Artist's Way: 30th Anniversary Edition
Julia Cameron, TarcherPerigee, $24.00, 9780143129257
11. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Erik Larson, Vintage, $18.00, 9780375725609
12. The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America
Matt Kracht, Chronicle, $16.95, 9781452174037
13. Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
Oliver Burkeman, Picador, $19.00, 9781250397676
14. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
M.D. Bessel van der Kolk, Penguin Books, $19.00, 9780143127741
15. The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness
Morgan Housel, Harriman House, $19.99, 9780857197689
MASS MARKET
1. 1984
George Orwell, Signet, $12.00, 9780451524935
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams, Del Rey, $9.99, 9780345391803
3. Animal Farm
George Orwell, Signet, $12.00, 9780451526342
4. Dune
Frank Herbert, Ace, $10.99, 9780593640340
5. Dune Messiah
Frank Herbert, Ace, $9.99, 9780593098233
6. Lord of the Flies
William Golding, Penguin, $12.00, 9780399501487
7. Mistborn: The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $10.99, 9781250318541
8. A Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin, Random House Worlds, $9.99, 9780553593716
9. The Way of Kings
Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $12.99, 9780765365279
10. The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien, Del Rey, $8.99, 9780345534835
CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED
1. Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Dr. Seuss, Random House Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780679805274
2. It's My Bird-Day!
Mo Willems, Union Square Kids, $18.99, 9781454999621
3. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?: Stamped Edges Special Edition
Bill Martin, Jr., Eric Carle (Illus.), Henry Holt and Co. BYR, $10.99, 9781250445506
4. Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $10.99, 9780694003617
5. Goldfinches
Mary Oliver, Melissa Sweet (Illus.), Viking Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780593692417
6. Grumpy Monkey Father's Day Fuss
Suzanne Lang, Max Lang (Illus.), Random House Studio, $12.99, 9780593709405
7. Will the Pigeon Graduate?
Mo Willems, Union Square Kids, $18.99, 9781454960430
8. We Are Mighty: 12 Ordinary Americans Who Did the Next Needed Thing
Sharon McMahon, Susanna Chapman (Illus.), Knopf Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9798217033331
9. The Outermost Mouse
Lauren Wolk, Kristen Adam (Illus.), Dutton Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780593407776
10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle, World of Eric Carle, $10.99, 9780399226908
CHILDREN'S INTEREST
1. Odder: The Novel
Katherine Applegate, Charles Santoso (Illus.), Square Fish, $8.99, 9781250423429
2. Wombat Waiting
Katherine Applegate, Storytide, $19.99, 9780063221178
3. Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence
Neil Gorsuch, Janie Nitze, Chris Ellison (Illus.), HarperCollins, $21.99, 9780063473973
4. The New Girl: First Crush: A Graphic Novel
Cassandra Calin, Graphix, $14.99, 9781338762488
5. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga
Dav Pilkey, Motojiro (Illus.), Graphix, $14.99, 9781546151210
6. Impossible Creatures
Katherine Rundell, Ashley Mackenzie (Illus.), Yearling, $11.99, 9780593809891
7. Behind Five Willows
June Hur, Feiwel & Friends, $20.99, 9781250348081
8. Renegades #1: The Magic Awakens
Erin Hunter, HarperCollins, $9.99, 9780063449534
9. Change of Plans
Sarah Dessen, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $21.99, 9798347108770
10. The Escape Game
Marissa Meyer, Tamara Moss, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, $22.99, 9798217006120
CHILDREN'S SERIES TITLES
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Partypooper
Jeff Kinney, Harry N. Abrams, $15.99, 9781419782695
2. The Summer I Turned Pretty
Jenny Han, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $11.99, 9781665922074
3. Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)
Suzanne Collins, Scholastic Press, $27.99, 9781546171461
4. Warriors Graphic Novel: The Prophecies Begin, #1
Erin Hunter, Natalie Riess (Illus.), Sara Goetter (Illus.), HarperAlley, $15.99, 9780063203877
5. Dog Man: Big Jim Believes
Dav Pilkey, Graphix, $15.99, 9781546176183
6. Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Kate DiCamillo, Chris Van Dusen (Illus.), Candlewick, $6.99, 9780763645045
7. Sunrise on the Reaping: Collector's Gift Edition (The Hunger Games)
Suzanne Collins, Scholastic Press, $32.99, 9798225019280
8. The Inheritance Games
Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $10.99, 9780759555402
9. The Wild Robot Escapes
Peter Brown, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $8.99, 9780316479264
10. The Wild Robot
Peter Brown, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $9.99, 9780316581097