This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Here are the stories Today in Books readers were most interested in this week. Settle into your Sunday and catch up!
The Top 10 Bestselling Books of the Year So Far
Color me unsurprised. According to Circana BookScan, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins is in first place with Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping in a close second place. Meanwhile, Rebecca Yarros and Freida McFadden are the only authors who appear on the list more than once, with all three of Yarros’s Empyrean Series romantasy books making the cut, and two of McFadden’s thrillers placing. These aren’t all new books–folks won’t stop buying Oh the Places You’ll Go for graduates and anyone else celebrating a transitionary period. Also, my kingdom for a BIPOC-authored book here. Especially in this year of backsliding into regression, it’s hard to look at a list like this without grinding my gears about whose books continue to get marketing dollars and get platformed and championed by publishing. So, while I’m here, let me shout out this Must-Read Summer Books, BIPOC Edition list.
Bookshop.org’s 100 Bestselling Books of the Year (So Far)
Bookshop.org’s list could not be more different from the Circana BookScan list of top 10 bestselling books of the year so far. I mean, this is a list of 100 versus 10 and if Bookshop’s list is in order of rank it doesn’t explicitly say. This is also a list pulled from a demographic that is invested in supporting independent bookstores and able to make that choice. These books reflect a population of readers who are progressive, online, and engaged in the cultural and political landscape. What can I say, I love this list. It includes the big, buzzy books you’d expect (the Empyrean series and Sunrise on the Reaping are right up there) but also my personal backlist and new release faves. I’m looking at Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad, two Robin Wall Kimmerer books (Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry)! This is a list I’d turn to if I got stuck on the decision of what to read next.
Today In Books
Sign up to Today In Books to receive daily news and miscellany from the world of books.
The Anti-Amazon Deal Days
If Jeff Bezos dropping an amount of cash I can’t wrap my head around on his gaudy Venice wedding while Republicans say yes to the biggest transfer of wealth from the poor to the wealthy has you searching for something anything to cheer on, Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, and the American Booksellers Association are promoting ant-Prime Day sales and efforts. We can’t buy our way out of the cesspool, but there are some wonderful indie booksellers who work hard to nourish their communities, do right by their staff and neighbors, and would, I’m sure, appreciate some love and support this week.
Best Books of 2025 So Far
It’s that time! Book Riot’s editors and contributors have selected their best books of the year so far, and what a list. You’ll find excellent 2025 reads in a wide variety of genres and categories, and books that speak to every reader. I personally couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to shout out my favorites. Check out the list and pick up a great read.
A Very Cool Person Will Direct a Very Cool Book
If you haven’t watched Past Lives, you really should. The romantic drama stars Greta Lee who carries this singular, powerful restraint in her delivery, which you can also witness in a performance where she plays herself in my favorite episode of The Studio (also a must-watch), “The Oner.” So I leaped on the news that Lee is taking her unique perspective to the director’s chair for the adaptation of Monika Kim’s psychological horror novel, The Eyes are the Best Part. This book and its gory cover were everywhere last year. It was published in June of 2024 so the turnaround on production of this adaptation has been speedy! Lee is also writing the script, and I can’t wait to see what she does with this feminist serial killer story.
The comments section is moderated according to our community guidelines. Please check them out so we can maintain a safe and supportive community of readers!