
The week's bestselling books, March 2
1. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.'
2. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books: $30) Two worlds collide when a teenager vanishes from her Adirondacks summer camp.
3. All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books: $29) A woman upends her domestic life in this irreverent novel.
4. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Grove Press: $20) During the 1985 Christmas season, a coal merchant in an Irish village makes a troubling discovery.
5. The Wedding People by Alison Espach (Henry Holt & Co.: $29) An unexpected wedding guest gets surprise help.
6. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (Knopf: $27) A socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding.
7. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $29) Two grieving brothers come to terms with their history.
8. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled: Red Tower Books: $30) The third installment of the bestselling dragon rider series.
9. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled: Red Tower Books: $30) A dragon rider faces more tests in the 'Fourth Wing' sequel.
10. The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's Press: $30) An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time.
…
1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (Hay House: $30) A guide on how to stop wasting energy on things you can't control.
2. Lorne by Susan Morrison (Random House: $36) An authoritative biography of Lorne Michaels, the man behind 'Saturday Night Live.'
3. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks (Viking: $28) A memoir of sudden loss, grief and the mysteries of life.
4. How We Learn to Be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde (Avery: $28) A guide to navigating pivotal moments in life with faith and strength by the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.
5. Golden State by Michael Hiltzik (Mariner Books: $33) The Pulitzer winner and L.A. Times columnist writes a definitive new history of California.
6. The Harder I Fight the More I Love You by Neko Case (Grand Central Publishing: $30) The singer-songwriter's vivid portrait of a turbulent life.
7. The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer and John Burgoyne (illustrator) (Scribner: $20) The 'Braiding Sweetgrass' author on gratitude, reciprocity and community, and the lessons to take from the natural world.
8. On the Hippie Trail by Rick Steves (Rick Steves: $30) The travel writer recalls his 1978 journey from Istanbul to Kathmandu.
9. The Sirens' Call by Chris Hayes (Penguin Press: $32) An analysis of how trivial distractions have reordered our politics and the fabric of society.
10. Aflame by Pico Iyer (Riverhead Books: $30) An exploration of the power of silence and what it can show us about life, love and death.
…
1. Deep End by Ali Hazelwood (Berkley: $20)
2. Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Grove Press: $17)
3. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Vintage: $18)
4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Anchor: $18)
5. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled: Red Tower Books: $21)
6. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper Perennial: $22)
7. North Woods by Daniel Mason (Random House Trade Paperbacks: $18)
8. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Vintage: $18)
9. The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Hogarth: $18)
10. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Ballantine: $20)
…
1. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Knopf: $35)
2. All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley (Simon & Schuster: $19)
3. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $20)
4. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17)
5. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $18)
6. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18)
7. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $13)
8. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed Editions: $20)
9. The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga (Atria Books: $19)
10. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (Crown: $12)
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Los Angeles Times
21 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Safe and sound: Orange County's oldest music store reopens in Laguna
Wave Baker, a longtime employee of Sound Spectrum, will tell anyone who listens that the place has 'an energy of its own.' So when the Laguna Beach-based record shop, which opened on South Coast Highway in 1967, closed in October, Baker had a feeling it wasn't over. Whether it was more than a feeling, what happened next was more than he hoped for. A music-oriented family came forward with a bid, planning to revive the business and restore the building. James, Audrey and Sadie Jean Wilcox, siblings who grew up in the nearby city of Tustin, worked together to reopen Orange County's oldest music store. After spending more than two decades working under the original owners, Jimmy and Edith Otto, Baker was asked to remain on staff. 'In a sense, I'm a bridge from the old to the new,' Baker said. 'I met with them, and we got along, and they wanted my help. I said, 'Well, I come with one condition — my left and my right arm. Travis [Garman] and Niloo [Aghaseyedali] were part of the old, and now we're all three part of the new.' James, 28, recalled visiting Sound Spectrum during surfing trips to Laguna Beach. In December, when he learned the iconic record store had closed, he called Wave. Within a week, the family had submitted an offer that was accepted. 'At the end of the day, a record store sells music,' James said. 'The special thing about this store is that it has sold music for so many decades. It sold music through the vinyl era, through the cassette era, through the CD era, and then all the way back again. 'In my opinion, the special part about this store is that it's past trends. It doesn't need to sell off of these trends. It can just keep selling music that touches people's hearts.' As for the responsibility that goes with inheriting a legacy of 57 years of service to the community, James said that Jimmy Otto created a business that could stand on its own. 'Jimmy was very much someone who could stand on his own, and he made his store stand on its own,' he added. 'We hope to keep that same energy, really forever. We believe that this store is so sacred and special. The special thing about music is that it does last forever.' James also called it a 'special moment' to have the keys to Sound Spectrum passed on to his family by Edith Otto, who also gave them a tour of the store. Audrey, 30, who is due to be married this year, compared the commitment to preserve a community staple to a wedding. 'There's like this union,' Audrey said. 'I have this connection with the former owner. … I feel like the Sound Spectrum itself is like a being of its own. I feel less that I'm the one that's deciding what happens to it and more that I'm listening to what it needs, being more like a steward to what the store wants, listening to that and making it happen. That's been my biggest source of inspiration is just what … everyone needs.' The Wilcox family's music industry experience has been driven by a burgeoning career for Sadie Jean, 23, as a singer-songwriter. James and Audrey, both of whom have business backgrounds, have helped manage her career. She has nearly two dozen shows lined up in Europe this fall, and she's preparing to release her first album later this year. Sadie Jean revealed she has been writing songs from a young age, but she was unsure if her family would embrace that side of her. 'It was so funny because once I told people I could sing and write songs, my family was like my biggest champions,' Sadie Jean said. 'Now they manage me, and my siblings manage me. My career became like a really big family thing, and my parents go on tour with me. All of a sudden, we're like a music family after being so like not at all. 'I think it just made so much sense when we found out that the record store in our community that we love was about to be gone forever. It felt so serendipitous. It was like a calling that we had to take it on and save it because music is built into our family culture now.' The return of the record store was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday evening, music pumping as people perused the aisles stocked with selections of vinyl, CDs and posters spanning the decades. Local artists also collaborate, leading restorative efforts at the store. Amanda Burke touched up a mural by Bill Ogden, and a display by Brighid Burnes in the front window depicts musicians jamming away on various instruments. 'I saw many fathers or mothers say to their kid, 'I bought my first record here in the '80s,' Baker said. 'I want that little kid to be able to say that to their kids 30 years from now, long after I'm gone. I know the importance of that feeling. … That's what I want to keep. That's part of what I want to help survive.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Video: Millennial Mom Dances Through Milestones With Kids
Every mother's approach toward parenting differs depending on a bunch of factors, including but not limited to their experiences and culture. Nevertheless, one thing's certain: they bring their own styles and practices while raising their children. This makes each of their journeys different yet beautiful at the same time. A millennial mom is now going viral on Instagram for her entertaining and rocking approach toward motherhood in a video, documenting her dancing through milestones with her kids. The girls reciprocated her energy, making it twice as exciting. This Instagram video proved that you might never meet a millennial mom as cool as Emily Scott James, leaving her kids with interesting stories to tell. James pulled off a full dance routine for her twin daughters, finding their milestones through moves, music, and of course, Sean Paul. The moment showed how she turned the small things in life into something joyous to celebrate her girlhood and motherhood at one go. It showed signs of bonding without verbally communicating, marking small wins in their long journey, and a unique parenting style. In a subtext, the mother explained, 'POV: you're a millennial teaching your babies to clap.' She couldn't have opted for a better song as she likely herself grew up listening to the artist's popular track, which has been every 90s kid's jam for years. In the clip, her two little girls sat in their high chairs while she danced in front of them, clapping to the beats of the singer's massively hit song 'Temperature.' The twins reciprocated the same energy level and appeared ecstatic to watch their mom, who put her best effort to achieve the milestone. Moreover, viewers collectively agreed that the kids would be forever grateful for their millennial mom's electric dance moves in the video. One commenter remarked, 'Those dance moves HAVE to get them clapping.' The clip even showed how the twins could barely take their eyes off James, who went all out to execute the performance and got her babies clapping. With spiked energy levels, the duo sat in their chairs looking at their mother in complete awe and a lot of admiration. The post Video: Millennial Mom Dances Through Milestones With Kids appeared first on Momtastic.


Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Another Year of Romance, with a Dark Twist, Circana BookScan Reports
CHICAGO, IL, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The market for romance books has been growing since 2021 and remains hot, according to Circana, LLC. In the U.S., year-to-date print sales for romance books are up 24%, versus the same period last year. The volume for romance books has more than doubled compared to four years ago, with 51 million units sold in the past 12 months. Circana BookScan data reveals that romance stands out among the adult fiction subjects showing the most growth in 2025. In fact, romance is the leading growth category for the total print book market thus far in 2025. Fastest growing romance subjects include romantasy and sports romance, each experiencing triple-digit growth, as well as suspense romance and contemporary romance. Romance readers are particularly desirable for the book industry. According to the latest findings from Circana's Future of™ Books study, 26% of romance book buyers report that they are reading 'much more' compared to a year ago – a behavior that is contributing to the growth for romance book sales. While Rebecca Yarros' latest release Onyx Storm – the fastest selling adult title in its opening week, in the 20-year history of BookScan – is a key factor in the romance sales growth, a lot of activity is happening beyond one major author. Even when excluding Yarros from the romance market, the category is still showing double-digit growth. H.D. Carlton, Rina Kent, and Elsie Silver are among the top growing romance authors this year. One key similarity among them is that their stories explore dark romance, including paranormal and anti-hero themes. A desire for dark subjects is surfacing within the romance book market. This trend aligns with other growing segments in adult fiction including psychological thrillers (+29%), dark fantasy (+23%), and horror (+13%). 'This year, I am watching a shift away from rosier romance subjects like romantic comedy and new adult romance in favor of authors and titles with darker themes,' said Brenna Connor, U.S. books industry analyst at Circana. 'Combined with the growth in other more intense fiction subjects like horror and dystopian, a new trend has emerged that's marked by darker escapist themes. These subject matters provide an outlet for readers to safely explore negative emotions such as sadness, anger, or anxiety – allowing them to feel connected and perhaps even comforted. I expect to see continued interest in these darker subjects in the year ahead.' About Circana Circana is a leader in providing technology, AI, and data to fast-moving consumer packaged goods companies, durables manufacturers, and retailers seeking to optimize their businesses. Circana's predictive analytics and technology empower clients to measure their market share, understand the underlying consumer behavior driving it, and accelerate their growth. Circana's Liquid Data® technology platform is powered by an expansive, high-quality data set, and intelligent algorithms trained on six decades of domain expertise. With Circana, clients can take immediate action to future-proof and evolve their growth strategies amid an increasingly complex, fast-paced, and ever-changing economy. Marissa Guyduy Circana +1 312-731-1782 [email protected]