The bestselling titles at Readers’ Books, the week ending Aug. 20

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Hardcover

1. “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Museum Director and TV Host astrophysicist, offers a short and sweet explanation of the nature of space and time.

2. “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” by J.D. Vance

Yale Law School graduate’s examination of the struggling white middle class and his upbringing in it.

3. “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World” by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams

Offers hope that joy is possible for everyone, even under challenging circumstances.

4. “Al Franken, Giant of the Senate” by Al Franken

The U.S. Senator and former comedy writer’s memoir of his Senatorial campaign and government service.

5. “The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny” by Michael Wallis

The best-selling historian presents a cautionary tale of America’s westward expansion.

Paperback

1. “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right” by Jane Mayer

The New Yorker staff writer makes the argument that a few billionaires played a key role in fundamentally altering the American political system.

2. “The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father” by Kao Kalia Yang

Author’s father, the song poet, is recalled in his tradition of preserving Hmong family history, their tragedies, joys and losses.

3. “Dunkirk: The History Behind the Major Motion Picture” by Joshua Levine

Narrative nonfiction account of the WWII battle, focusing on the lives of the soldiers who fought in the battle.

4. “The Glass Castle: A Memoir” by Jeannette Walls

Life affirming memoir about surviving a willfully impoverished, eccentric and wildly misguided family.

5. “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander

Legal scholar demonstrates the current legal discrimination against convicted criminal,s as it once was legal to do so against African Americans.

Children’s Lit

1. “Salt to the Sea” by Ruth Sepetys

YA, ages 13-17. As WWII draws to a close, refugees trying to escape the war’s final dangers, find themselves aboard a ship with a target on its hull.

2. “The Thank You Book (Elephant and Piggie Book)” by Mo Willems

Illustrated, ages 4-8. Final installment of the popular series.

3. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” by J.K. Rowling

Science Fiction, ages 9-15. Eighth installment of the bestselling series.

4. “Pax” by Sara Pennypacker

Middle Reader, ages 10-12. A young boy is forced to give up his pet fox and sets out to get him back.

5. “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs

Science Fiction, ages 14 and up. Unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography.

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