Bestseller Spotlight: Going, Going, Gone… and Coming Back Soon!

December 19, 2024

On Wednesdays, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Bestseller List is published. Every week, we love to see what books have been most popular in independent bookstores around our region. As we peruse the list, we ponder patterns. Then we present this weekly feature: Thursday Themes.

This year will be particularly tricky at small stores because Christmas falling on Wednesday means that many stores’ cutoffs for special orders will have to be earlier than other years. Some publishers may have printed a bit more conservatively this year, too, so some popular titles have required (or currently require) reprints. The national book distributor has sold out of some popular titles, so restocks that might have happened the next day for some stores could take about two weeks.

If you’re shopping in this last week before Christmas, please try to have patience and flexibility! Stores still have oodles of wonderful presents; if you were looking for a specific title that isn’t available, booksellers can place an order for you so you’ll get the first copies when something comes back in stock, and there are unexpected alternatives they can recommend that are wrapping-ready, too.

If these books are on your list and you see them on the shelves, be sure to grab immediately. Pro tip: Call ahead and pay over the phone if they have a copy. If the books you want are not on the shelves of your local independent store, trust your booksellers for creative gifting now and specific wish fulfilment as soon as reprints or deliveries come through.

As exciting as bestsellers are, there are many gems to be found on all shelves and displays in indie bookstores!

Some bestselling hardcover adult books that might be tricky for Christmas and Hanukkah: