Number One in Hardcover Fiction: The Correspondent: Virginia Evans, published by Crown.
Here is the SoCal Indie Bestsellers List, brought to you by IndieBound and the California Independent Booksellers Alliance, for the sales week ending Sunday,May 3, 2026. 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
- The Correspondent
Virginia Evans, Crown, $28, 9780593798430 - Yesteryear (Indies Introduce)
Caro Claire Burke, Knopf, $30, 9780593804216 - Go Gentle
Maria Semple, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $30, 9798217176632 - Transcription
Ben Lerner, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $25, 9780374618599 - A Violent Masterpiece
Jordan Harper, Mulholland Books, $29, 9780316458405 - Heart the Lover
Lily King, Grove Press, $28, 9780802165176 - Vigil
George Saunders, Random House, $28, 9780525509622 - Lost Lambs
Madeline Cash, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $28, 9780374619237 - Ghost Town
Tom Perrotta, Scribner, $28, 9781668080634 - We Burned So Bright
TJ Klune, Tor Books, $25.99, 9781250881236 - Kin
Tayari Jones, Knopf, $32, 9780525659181 - Carl’s Doomsday Scenario
Matt Dinniman, Ace, $30, 9780593820261 - The News from Dublin: Stories
Colm Tóibín, Scribner, $29, 9781476785141 - Wild Dark Shore
Charlotte McConaghy, Flatiron Books, $28.99, 9781250827951 - The Correspondent: Deluxe Edition
Virginia Evans, Crown, $35, 9798217398713
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
- Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage
Belle Burden, The Dial Press, $30, 9780593733318 - London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth
Patrick Radden Keefe, Doubleday, $35, 9780385548533 - Famesick: A Memoir
Lena Dunham, Random House, $32, 9780593129326 - A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness
Michael Pollan, Penguin Press, $32, 9781984881991 - Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work & Life
Emma Grede, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, $30, 9781668085486 - The Beginning Comes After the End (Independent Bookstore Edition): Notes on a World of Change
Rebecca Solnit, Haymarket Books, $19.95, 9798888908785 - Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism
Stewart Reynolds, Grand Central Publishing, $13, 9781538778005 - Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund
Molly Crabapple, One World, $32, 9780593229453 - The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love
Alice Hoffman (Ed.), Scribner, $22, 9781668209028 - The Rolling Stones: The Biography
Bob Spitz, Penguin Press, $38, 9780593489093 - Extremely Accurate Birds: An Anatomically Precise Field Guide to Common Backyard Birds of North America
Tommy Siegel, Running Press Adult, $20, 9798894140186 - Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery
Gavin Newsom, Penguin Press, $30, 9781984881939 - The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy
Steven J. Ross, Bloomsbury Publishing, $32.99, 9781635578003 - One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
Omar El Akkad, Knopf, $28, 9780593804148 - Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About: A Memoir
Isabel Klee, William Morrow, $28, 9780063451070
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
- Project Hail Mary (Movie Tie-In)
Andy Weir, Ballantine Books, $22, 9798217299461 - Theo of Golden
Allen Levi, Atria Books, $20, 9781668236512 - The Lion Women of Tehran
Marjan Kamali, Gallery Books, $18.99, 9781668036594 - Dungeon Crawler Carl
Matt Dinniman, Ace, $20, 9780593820254 - Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $19.99, 9780063204164 - I Who Have Never Known Men
Jacqueline Harpman, Transit Books, $16.95, 9781945492600 - Audition
Katie Kitamura, Riverhead Books, $18, 9780593852347 - Stoner
John Williams, NYRB Classics, $16.95, 9781590171998 - The Midnight Library
Matt Haig, Penguin, $18, 9780525559498 - James
Percival Everett, Vintage, $20, 9780593686867 - On the Calculation of Volume (Book I)
Solvej Balle, Barbara J. Haveland (Transl.), New Directions, $15.95, 9780811237253 - Martyr!
Kaveh Akbar, Vintage, $20, 9780593685778 - On the Calculation of Volume (Book IV)
Solvej Balle, Sophia Hersi Smith (Transl.), Jennifer Russell (Transl.), New Directions, $16.95, 9780811238410 - Heated Rivalry
Rachel Reid, Carina Press, $18.99, 9781335534637 - The Secret History
Donna Tartt, Vintage, $18, 9781400031702
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
- Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent
Judi Dench, Brendan O’Hea, St. Martin’s Griffin, $20, 9781250386175 - All About Love: New Visions
bell hooks, William Morrow Paperbacks, $17.99, 9780060959470 - The Artist’s Way: 30th Anniversary Edition
Julia Cameron, TarcherPerigee, $24, 9780143129257 - Raising Hare: A Memoir
Chloe Dalton, Vintage, $21, 9780593689004 - The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
Michael Finkel, Vintage, $18, 9781984898456 - Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicization without Political Consequences
Anton Jäger, Verso, $19.95, 9781836742074 - Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir
Ina Garten, Crown, $22, 9780593800027 - On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
Timothy Snyder, Crown, $14, 9780804190114 - Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves
Sophie Gilbert, Penguin Books, $20, 9780593656310 - Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $22, 9781571313560 - America, América: A New History of the New World
Greg Grandin, Penguin Books, $24, 9780593831274 - On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer
Rick Steves, Rick Steves, $19.99, 9781641717458 - Just Kids
Patti Smith, Ecco, $18.99, 9780060936228 - I’m Glad My Mom Died
Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $19.99, 9781982185831 - Everything Now: Lessons from the City-State of Los Angeles
Rosecrans Baldwin, Picador, $19, 9781250849199
MASS MARKET
- 1984
George Orwell, Signet, $12, 9780451524935 - Mistborn: The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $10.99, 9781250318541 - The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams, Del Rey, $9.99, 9780345391803 - Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen, Signet, $5.95, 9780451530783 - Animal Farm
George Orwell, Signet, $12, 9780451526342 - Lord of the Flies
William Golding, Penguin, $12, 9780399501487 - Slaughterhouse-Five
Kurt Vonnegut, Dell, $9.99, 9780440180296 - The Way of Kings
Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $12.99, 9780765365279 - Foundation
Isaac Asimov, Spectra, $10, 9780553293357 - The Illustrated Man
Ray Bradbury, Simon & Schuster, $11.99, 9781451678185
CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED
- Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $10.99, 9780694003617 - Decoy Saves Opening Day
Shohei Ohtani, Michael Blank, Fanny Liem (Illus.), HarperCollins, $21.99, 9780063460775 - It’s My Bird-Day!
Mo Willems, Union Square Kids, $18.99, 9781454999621 - Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak, Harper, $21.99, 9780060254926 - Chirri & Chirra, Among the Cherry Blossoms
Kaya Doi, Enchanted Lion, $16.99, 9781592704828 - Good Night, Gorilla
Peggy Rathmann, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $8.99, 9780399230035 - For the Fans! (KPop Demon Hunters): Official Storybook (Little Golden Book)
Golden Books, $6.99, 9798217233977 - Guess How Much I Love You
Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram (Illus.), Candlewick, $8.99, 9781536210637 - Good Night, Little Blue Truck
Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry (Illus.), Clarion Books, $10.99, 9780358229278 - Jamberry
Bruce Degen, HarperCollins, $9.99, 9780694006519
CHILDREN'S INTEREST
- Spy School Secret Service the Graphic Novel
Stuart Gibbs, Anjan Sarkar (Illus.), Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $14.99, 9781665956635 - KPop Demon Hunters: The Movie in Comics: The Official Retelling in Comic Form
Random House Books for Young Readers, $14.99, 9798217234301 - Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga
Dav Pilkey, Motojiro (Illus.), Graphix, $14.99, 9781546151210 - The Little Prince (MinaLima Edition)
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, MinaLima (Illus.), Clarion Books, $35, 9780063497009 - Trapped
Bella Olson, Natalya Kljajic (Illus.), BenBella Books, $12.95, 9781637748701 - KPop Demon Hunters: My Golden Journal: Official Guided Journal
Random House Books for Young Readers, $14.99, 9798217234431 - A Fishboy Named…Sashimi
Dan Santat, Roaring Brook Press, $8.99, 9781250360007 - KPop Demon Hunters: The Official Deluxe Junior Novelization: The Official Retelling
Jessica Yoon, Random House Books for Young Readers, $14.99, 9798217234288 - Smile: A Graphic Novel
Raina Telgemeier, Graphix, $12.99, 9781338740264 - Release Me (Deluxe Limited Edition)
Tahereh Mafi, Storytide, $25.99, 9780063480339
CHILDREN'S SERIES
- Wings of Fire
Tui T. Sutherland, Scholastic - Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Jeff Kinney, Harry N. Abrams - The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins, Scholastic Press - Baby-Sitters Club Graphix
Ann M. Martin, Arley Nopra (Illus.) - Magic Tree House
Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illus.), Random House Books for Young Readers - Dog Man
Dav Pilkey, Graphix - FunJungle
Stuart Gibbs, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - Warriors Graphic Novels
Erin Hunter, Natalie Riess (Illus.), Sara Goetter (Illus.), HarperAlley - Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Rick Riordan, Hyperion - Choose Your Own Adventure New Classics
Griffin McElroy, Choose Your Own Adventure
