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The week’s bestselling books, Aug. 18

Southern California Bestsellers
(Los Angeles Times)
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Hardcover fiction

1. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

2. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books: $30) Two worlds collide when a teenager vanishes from her Adirondacks summer camp.

3. All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books: $29) A woman upends her domestic life in this irreverent and tender novel.

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4. Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Random House: $30) A social satire on the wild legacy of trauma and inheritance.

5. The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $30) An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

6. The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey: $29) A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine, but the real drama is behind the scenes.

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7. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $29) A fusion of genres and ideas that’s part time-travel romance and part spy thriller.

8. Sandwich by Catherine Newman (Harper: $27) A hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch and learning to let go.

9. The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey (Orbit: $30) Humanity fights for its survival in a war as old as the universe itself in this space opera from the bestselling author of “The Expanse.”

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10. The Book of Elsewhere by China Mieville and Keanu Reeves (Del Rey: $30) An immortal warrior journeys through an alternative world to understand his immortality.

Hardcover nonfiction

1. The Art of Power by Nancy Pelosi (Simon & Schuster: $30) The most powerful woman in American political history tells the story of how she became a master legislator.

2. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Penguin Press: $32) The music producer’s guidance on how to be a creative person.

3. The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne (Penguin Press: $30) The actor-director’s memoir of growing up in Hollywood and Manhattan.

4. The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (Crown: $35) An exploration of the pivotal five months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the start of the Civil War.

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5. The Bookshop by Evan Friss (Viking: $30) An affectionate history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life.

6. The Light Work by Jessica Zweig (St. Martin’s Essentials: $30) A guide to life, using the concept of light as a tool for personal and spiritual growth.

7. A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko (Scribner: $33) A poignant account of an epic 750-mile odyssey through the heart of one of America’s most magnificent national parks.

8. Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum (Doubleday: $27) A succinct vision of what an autocratic state looks like, not run by one bad man but nefarious, powerful networks.

9. An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster: $35) The historian crafts a work of biography, memoir and history.

10. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (Penguin Press: $30) An investigation into the collapse of youth mental health.

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Paperback fiction

1. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage: $19)

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury: $19)

3. The Pairing by Casey McQuiston (St. Martin’s Griffin: $20)

4. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (Atria: $17)

5. Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See (Scribner: $19)

6. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Penguin: $18)

7. Bunny by Mona Awad (Penguin: $17)

8. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (Europa Editions: $17)

9. Beloved by Toni Morrison (Vintage: $17)

10. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Grand Central: $20)

Paperback nonfiction

1. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18)

2. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Knopf: $35)

3. The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (Penguin: $19)

4. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $20)

5. The White Album by Joan Didion (FSG: $18)

6. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (Harper Perennial: $19)

7. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $13)

8. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17)

9. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (Vintage: $17)

10. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance (Harper: $19)

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