“Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens, returns to No. 1 on the USA TODAY Best Selling Books list this week for the first time since January 2020. No, it’s not the paperback release that spirited the book back up to the top of the list. It turns out the release of the book’s movie trailer was the catalyst.
The upcoming film adaptation, produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and starring “Normal People” breakout star Daisy Edgar-Jones, is set for a July release. The tense, visually arresting trailer dropped March 22. The novel, originally published in 2018, is about a reclusive young woman who is suspected of murder has been on the USA TODAY bestselling book list since its debut in September of 2018.
Here’s a look at what else is making waves on this week’s list.
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The children’s book makes a return to USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list at No. 26 following Sen. Ted Cruz’s grilling of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson last week during her confirmation hearings.
A picture book that introduces young readers and their parents to the concept of antiracism and encourages discussion, “Antiracist Baby” was one of several books that Cruz said was used at a Washington, DC area private school where Jackson is a board member.
“Do you agree with this book that is being taught with kids, that babies are racist?” Cruz asked.
After a long pause, Jackson said: “I do not believe that any child should be made to feel as though they are racist or as though they are not valued.”
The book’s author, Ibram X. Kendi, who has appeared on the bestsellers list five times as an author and once as an editor, had something to say.
“You know Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has impeccable credentials – and you know you’re doing the work – when @tedcruz questions her about your books since he can not touch her record,” Kendi wrote in a tweet.
The book was previously on the USA TODAY Best Selling Book List following the rise of Black Lives Matter protests, debuting at No. 49 in summer 2020 and rising as high as No. 16.
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Readers are hot and bothered for ‘Bridgerton,’ again
It’s not just the streaming fans of “Bridgerton” who have swooped in for the series that returned to Netflix on March 25. Turns out the books by Julia Quinn are once again a hot commodity.
“The Viscount Who Loved Me,” the second book in the series and the basis for the current season of the Netflix series, returns to the list at No. 28. Other Bridgerton titles on the list include the third book in the series, “An Offer from a Gentleman,” and the first book, “The Duke and I,” which went to No. 1 after the series debuted in 2020.
The romance novels by Quinn focus on the eight Bridgerton children. With eight novels, plus additional collections and novellas, there’s plenty of fodder to keep fans of the show entertained until Seasons 3 and 4 arrive. And for voracious “Bridgerton” readers, there’s always Quinn’s prequels, the four-book “Rokesby” series.
Contributing: Barbara VanDenburgh. Julia Thompson
