Here is the SoCal Indie Bestsellers List, brought to you by IndieBound and the California Independent Booksellers Alliance, for the sales week ending Sunday,January 4, 2025. This list is based on reporting from the independent booksellers of Southern California, the California Independent Booksellers Alliance, and IndieBound. For an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound.org.
HARDCOVER FICTION
- Heart the Lover
Lily King, Grove Press, $28, 9780802165176 - The Correspondent
Virginia Evans, Crown, $28, 9780593798430 - What We Can Know
Ian McEwan, Knopf, $30, 9780593804728 - Wild Dark Shore
Charlotte McConaghy, Flatiron Books, $28.99, 9781250827951 - Flesh
David Szalay, Scribner, $28.99, 9781982122799 - My Friends
Fredrik Backman, Atria Books, $29.99, 9781982112820 - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Kiran Desai, Hogarth, $32, 9780307700155 - Katabasis
R. F. Kuang, Harper Voyager, $32, 9780063446243 - Culpability
Bruce Holsinger, Spiegel & Grau, $30, 9781954118966 - The Secret of Secrets
Dan Brown, Doubleday, $38, 9780385546898 - The Emperor of Gladness
Ocean Vuong, Penguin Press, $30, 9780593831878 - Audition
Katie Kitamura, Riverhead Books, $28, 9780593852323 - A Guardian and a Thief
Megha Majumdar, Knopf, $29, 9780593804872 - Brigands & Breadknives
Travis Baldree, Tor Books, $28.99, 9781250334886 - Buckeye
Patrick Ryan, Random House, $30, 9780593595039
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
- A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck
Sophie Elmhirst, Riverhead Books, $28, 9780593854280 - One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
Omar El Akkad, Knopf, $28, 9780593804148 - The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About
Mel Robbins, Sawyer Robbins, Hay House LLC, $29.99, 9781401971366 - 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation
Andrew Ross Sorkin, Viking, $35, 9780593296967 - Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
John Green, Crash Course Books, $28, 9780525556572 - The Look
Michelle Obama, Crown, $50, 9780593800706 - The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32, 9780593652886 - Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
James Clear, Avery, $27, 9780735211292 - Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love
Samin Nosrat, Random House, $45, 9781984857781 - Night People: How to Be a DJ in ’90s New York City
Mark Ronson, Grand Central Publishing, $29, 9781538741115 - Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds
John Fugelsang, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, $29.99, 9781668066898 - Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm
Charlie Mackesy, Penguin Life, $27, 9780593994825 - The Little Frog’s Guide to Life: Love, Advice and Inspiration for Every Day from the Internet’s Beloved Mushroom Frog
Maybell Eequay, Summersdale, $11.99, 9781837994731 - The Uncool: A Memoir
Cameron Crowe, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, $35, 9781668059432 - Something from Nothing: A Cookbook
Alison Roman, Clarkson Potter, $37.99, 9781984826411
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
- Heated Rivalry
Rachel Reid, Carina Press, $18.99, 9781335534637 - Hamnet
Maggie O’Farrell, Vintage, $19, 9781984898876 - The Housemaid
Freida McFadden, Grand Central, $18.99, 9781538742570 - I Who Have Never Known Men
Jacqueline Harpman, Transit Books, $16.95, 9781945492600 - Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $19.99, 9780063204164 - Orbital
Samantha Harvey, Grove Press, $17, 9780802163622 - Dungeon Crawler Carl
Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20, 9780593820254 - Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir, Ballantine, $22, 9780593135228 - The God of the Woods
Liz Moore, Riverhead Books, $19, 9780593418925 - The Lion Women of Tehran
Marjan Kamali, Gallery Books, $18.99, 9781668036594 - The Midnight Library
Matt Haig, Penguin, $18, 9780525559498 - Isola
Allegra Goodman, Dial Press Trade Paperback, $19, 9780593730102 - Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte, Penguin, $9, 9780141439556 - Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver, Harper Perennial, $21.99, 9780063251984 - Martyr!
Kaveh Akbar, Vintage, $18, 9780593685778
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
- Fight Oligarchy
Senator Bernie Sanders, Crown, $14.99, 9798217089161 - I’m Glad My Mom Died
Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $19.99, 9781982185831 - All About Love: New Visions
bell hooks, William Morrow Paperbacks, $16.99, 9780060959470 - Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
James Nestor, Riverhead Books, $20, 9780735213623 - The Artist’s Way: 30th Anniversary Edition
Julia Cameron, TarcherPerigee, $24, 9780143129257 - The Best American Essays 2025
Jia Tolentino, Kim Dana Kupperman (Eds.), Mariner Books, $18.99, 9780063351592 - The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
Michael Finkel, Vintage, $18, 9781984898456 - Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering
Malcolm Gladwell, Back Bay Books, $21.99, 9780316581509 - The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
David Grann, Vintage, $21, 9780307742490 - On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
Timothy Snyder, Crown, $14, 9780804190114 - The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917—2017
Rashid Khalidi, Metropolitan Books, $19.99, 9781250787651 - Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $22, 9781571313560 - The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness
Morgan Housel, Harriman House, $19.99, 9780857197689 - Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things
Adam Grant, Penguin, $20, 9780593653661 - Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art
Phoebe Hoban, Harper Perennial, $19.99, 9780063442184
MASS MARKET
- 1984
George Orwell, Signet, $12, 9780451524935 - Animal Farm
George Orwell, Signet, $12, 9780451526342 - The Left Hand of Darkness
Ursula K. Le Guin, Ace, $10.99, 9780441478125 - The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams, Del Rey, $9.99, 9780345391803 - Mistborn: The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $10.99, 9781250318541 - The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss, DAW, $10.99, 9780756404741 - Hyperion
Dan Simmons, Spectra, $11, 9780553283686 - The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger, Little, Brown, $9.99, 9780316769488 - The Fellowship of the Ring: The Lord of the Rings: Part One
J.R.R. Tolkien, Del Rey, $8.99, 9780593500484 - Rhythm of War
Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $12.99, 9780765365309
CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED
- If We Were Dogs
Sophie Blackall, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780316581721 - For the Fans! (KPop Demon Hunters): Official Storybook (Little Golden Book)
Golden Books (Illus.), Golden Books, $6.99, 9798217233977 - KPop Demon Hunters: The Official Poster Book
Random House, Random House Books for Young Readers, $12.99, 9798217233960 - Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $10.99, 9780694003617 - Good Night, Gorilla
Peggy Rathmann, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $8.99, 9780399230035 - Maybe: A Story about the Endless Potential in All of Us
Kobi Yamada, Gabriella Barouch (Illus.), Apg Sales & Distribution, $19.95, 9781946873750 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Dr. Seuss, Random House Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9780593434383 - If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone
Gideon Sterer, Emily Hughes (Illus.), Clarion Books, $19.99, 9780063375222 - The Humble Pie
Jory John, Pete Oswald (Illus.), HarperCollins, $19.99, 9780063469730 - The Day the Crayons Made Friends
Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers (Illus.), Philomel Books, $19.99, 9780593622360
CHILDREN'S INTEREST
- The Poisoned King (Impossible Creatures #2)
Katherine Rundell, Ashley Mackenzie (Illus.), Knopf Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9780593809907 - Troubling Tonsils! (Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales!)
Aaron Reynolds, Peter Brown (Illus.), Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $13.99, 9781665961080 - Fake Skating
Lynn Painter, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $21.99, 9781665921268 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Special Edition)
Stephen Chbosky, Simon Pulse, $15.99, 9781665982412 - Pocket Bear
Katherine Applegate, Feiwel & Friends, $17.99, 9781250904362 - Smile: A Graphic Novel
Raina Telgemeier, Graphix, $12.99, 9781338740264 - Glorious Rivals
Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $20.99, 9780316481311 - From the World of Percy Jackson: The Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro, Disney Hyperion, $21.99, 9781368109116 - Cabin Head and Tree Head
Scott Campbell, Tundra Books, $9.99, 9781774885079 - Hatchet
Gary Paulsen, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $9.99, 9781481486293
CHILDREN'S SERIES
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Jeff Kinney, Harry N. Abrams - Wings of Fire
Tui T. Sutherland, Mike Holmes (Illus.), Scholastic - Dog Man
Dav Pilkey, Graphix - The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins, Scholastic Press - Who Would Win?
Jerry Pallotta, Rob Bolster (Illus.), Scholastic - Spy School
Stuart Gibbs, Anjan Sarkar (Illus.), Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - Keeper of the Lost Cities
Shannon Messenger, Valeria Tenaga Romanazzi (Illus.), Aladdin - Dragon Masters
Tracey West, Graham Howells (Illus.), Scholastic - Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Rick Riordan, Hyperion - InvestiGators
John Patrick Green, Christopher Hastings, Pat Lewis (Illus.), First Second
