You ever want to know what people are buying in bookstores? Well, it so happens that I work at one, and I wanted to write about what books customers have been asking for during the holiday season.
All bookstores are different, so the books customers are asking will be different. With the holiday season at its end, let’s talk about the books the customers at my bookstore asked for during the week of the Holidays in 2024. Lots of books that people saw on lists, especially Bill Gates recommended books.
This list isn’t a conclusive list; the books here are the ones that I’ve remembered customers asking for or I’ve seen customers holding it.
All Fours by Miranda July | James by Percival Everett | Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar* | Wicked by Gregory Maguire | Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
The Women by Kristin Hannah | The God of the Woods by Liz Moore | The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon | Orbital by Samantha Harvey | Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson | Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros | The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski* | The Book of Bill by Alex Hirsch | Dandadan Vol 1 by Yukinobu Tatsu
Dog Man: Big Jim Begins by Dav Pilkey | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney | Warriors (Graphic Novel): The Prophecies #1 by Erin Hunter | The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews | The Powerless & Reckless Collection by Lauren Roberts
Does This Taste Funny?: Recipes Our Family Loves by Stephen Colbert & Evie McGee Colbert* | Martha: The Cookbook—100 Favorite Recipes, with Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen by Martha Stewart | From Crook to Cook by Snoop Dogg | Oath and Honor by Liz Cheney | Soups, Salads Sandwiches: A Cookbook by Matty Matheson | Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten
The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan | The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides* | Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to Constructed Environment by Grady Hillhouse* | Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari
Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot | The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer* | Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham | The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
The Basketball 100 by David Aldridge & John Hollinger | Brothers by Alex Van Halen | There’s Treasure Inside: A Treasure Hunt by Jon Collins-Black | Murdle Volume 1 by G.T. Karber
(Any titles with the asterisk* are books that we didn’t have in stock because they sold out before, or ones we immediately sold out.)
I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of books that people asked for. Like all years, the holiday season was super busy. I wasn’t asked about children’s books or young adult that often, so I’m not sure what books people bought for their kids/teens this holiday season.
Books always get a good boost from an adaptation, so no surprise to see Wicked there. I am glad that Good Material got a mention. Such a great book.
You reminded me of Murdle and I hadn’t heard of The Book of Bill which sounds like one I’d like.