Photo by designer Ben Denzer from his Ice-cream on Books IG series.
Although its tacky to discuss a busy day, we find it rare to sellout of a book on its release date followed by dozens of new orders. Thanks to national publicity and local support, we’ve had our first “above-new-normal” day last Wednesday with the release of Mary Trump’s biography; Too Much and Never Enough (about He Who Shall Not Be Named, but is good for book sales*). More copies will be arriving soon, shipping direct from the bindery. Please let us know if you’d like us to hold you one. Thank You for your support!
*950,000 copies sold of Mary Trump’s book in one day — a record for publisher Simon and Schuster.
The grim awareness of national failures — on the coronavirus, racism, health care and jobs — may be a necessary prelude to fixing our country. –Nicholas Kristof
Change is in the air. The idea of humanity standing up for itself, keeps us encouraged and hopeful. A recent New York Times opinion column by Nicolas Kristof: We Interrupt This Gloom To Offer Hope shares this idea of hope through suffering. And we can see that hope reflected in our nation’s bestselling books for the past couple months.
For one of the first times, we’ve seen our own in-store book sales (especially non-fiction) in-sync with the New York Times list — an unusual feat for Book Beat. Here we present our bestselling books for July:
Recent Bestselling Hardcovers
• Too Much and Never Enough:How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary Trump
• How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
• In The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton
•Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
• The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• American Dirt by Jenine Cummins
• Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude
• Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor
by Layla Saad
Bestsellers in Paperback
• Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (National Book Award Winner) Ibram X. Kendi
• The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
• Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
• American Spy by Lauren Wilkerson
• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
• The Narcissism of Small Differences by Michael Zadoorian
• Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin Diangelo
• Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
• Exhalation by Ted Chang
• Normal People by Sally Rooney
Bestselling Children’s Picture Books
• Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o (Author) and Vashti Harrison (Illustrator)
• Rise!: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou by Bethany Hegedus (Author) and Tonya Engel (Illustrator)
• A Boy Like You by Frank Murphy (Author) and Kayla Harren (Illustrator)
• The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander (Author) and Kadir Nelson (Illustrator) Caldecott Medal Award 2020, Newbery Honor Book 2020, Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
• Red House, Tree House, Little Bitty Brown Mouse by Jane Godwin (Author) Blanca Gómez (Illustrator)
• Antiracist Baby Picture Book by Ibram X. Kendi (Author) Ashley Lukashevsky (Illustrator)
Bestsellers for Middle Grade Readers
• Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
• Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
• The Deceivers by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Show Me a Sign by Anne Clare Lezotte
• Winterhouse Mysteries by Ben Guterson
Bestselling Young Adult Books
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
• I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal
• Lucy Crisp and the Vanishing House</em> by Janet Hill
• The Downstair’s Girl by Stacey Lee
Summer Reading is Critical!
“Reading over summer vacation may not be a priority for children, but parents and teachers should make it one. Why? Summer reading is critical to a child’s ability to not only retain information learned the previous year, but also to grow in knowledge and critical thinking skills for the coming year.” —Study.com
“Studies indicate that students who don’t read or read infrequently during their summer vacation see their reading abilities stagnate or decline. This effect becomes more pronounced as students get older and advance through the school system.” — Why Summer Reading Pays Off Year-Round, Dept. of Education
These 33 education companies are currently offering free subscriptions and activities for kids. — Free Activities to Parents During School Closures
The Book Beat is stocking the Berkley High School summer reading list. If you’re in need of summer reading please give us a call, we have great suggestions!
ART MILE PROJECT
“A massive digital art exhibition featuring more than 50 galleries, collectives and institutions from around metro Detroit is scheduled to launch later this month.
The sweeping initiative is called Art Mile, and it opens July 29.
Each arts-focused entity involved in the free, online-only project will have their own digital gallery where guests can view artwork and make purchases. Participants range from the Northville Art House to the Paint Creek Center for the Arts in Rochester to the 333 Midland gallery in Highland Park. The major local museum involved is the Cranbrook Art Museum.” —Detroit Free Press
A Hopeful Reopening Update
We’ve called in flooring experts to give us more advice and are proceeding with renovations, staining, dismantling, moving and adjusting sections. With our tiny staff working hard, all these changes are happening slowly — so thank you for your patience. The recent spike in local virus outbreaks has also given us reason to pause. We hope our good State will get back on the right track. Mask-up Michigan! Be Safe!
Governor Whitmer’s extension of Michigan’s emergency declaration is until August 11. Her decisions regarding the health of this state have proved effective and we stand with her. Our decision for a “soft” reopening is planned to begin July 31st. At that time, we will accept private appointments (30 minute time slots, with a mask on) between the hours of 5 PM – 7 PM, Mon.-Sat., If interested, please email us your name, phone number, and preferred time to: BookBeatOrders@gmail.com and we will schedule an appointment. If emergency conditions are removed and local conditions improve before Aug. 11, we may be open daily without appointments necessary. Thank you for supporting Book Beat. Stay Safe & Read!
QUICK LINKS & WAYS TO SUPPORT BOOK BEAT:
Order Direct: for books or questions, call us at (248) 968-1190 or email BookBeatOrders@gmail.com. We offer safe curbside pickup and a flat rate mailing fee of $3 for any sized package mailed anywhere in the USA.
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And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer. —F.Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
