21 Dec 2010 05:20:04
Among the living, George W. Bush's "Decision Points" became a quick million seller and defied expectations for the former president, who left office two years ago amid a collapsing economy and bearish approval ratings. Among younger readers, Jeff Kinney's latest "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" was another big hit and Suzanne Collins memorably completed her "Hunger Games" trilogy with "Mockingjay."
Some books were broadly announced and fell fast, such as "Ape House" by "Water for Elephants" author Sara Gruen, and "Imperial Bedrooms," Bret Easton Ellis' sequel to "Less Than Zero." But there were quiet successes, too, books that exceeded expectations through steady sales and the blessings of critics, retailers and readers.
Here are some "sleepers" of 2010, one of them called, appropriately, "The Quiet Book."
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_"Encyclopedia of the Exquisite," by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins. A guide to pleasures simple and refined, from badminton to champagne, that is emerging as a holiday specialty. Released in early November with a first printing of 12,000 and now in its third print run, for a total of 23,000 copies. (Around 4,000 copies have sold, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks 75 percent of sales).
_"Possessed," by Elif Batuman, a scholar's comic journey through classic Russian literature, complete with references to murder, McDonald's and "King Kong." "Possessed" is now in its sixth printing, with sales of at least 15,000, according to Nielsen. Through much the first half of December, it was sold out on Amazon.com. "It's a total hoot that has been a surprise hit with our customers all year long," said Amazon senior editor Tom Nissley. "Elif Batuman makes the students of Russian literature into characters as bizarre and compelling as the ones in the novels they study."
Some books were broadly announced and fell fast, such as "Ape House" by "Water for Elephants" author Sara Gruen, and "Imperial Bedrooms," Bret Easton Ellis' sequel to "Less Than Zero." But there were quiet successes, too, books that exceeded expectations through steady sales and the blessings of critics, retailers and readers.
Here are some "sleepers" of 2010, one of them called, appropriately, "The Quiet Book."
___
_"Encyclopedia of the Exquisite," by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins. A guide to pleasures simple and refined, from badminton to champagne, that is emerging as a holiday specialty. Released in early November with a first printing of 12,000 and now in its third print run, for a total of 23,000 copies. (Around 4,000 copies have sold, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks 75 percent of sales).
_"Possessed," by Elif Batuman, a scholar's comic journey through classic Russian literature, complete with references to murder, McDonald's and "King Kong." "Possessed" is now in its sixth printing, with sales of at least 15,000, according to Nielsen. Through much the first half of December, it was sold out on Amazon.com. "It's a total hoot that has been a surprise hit with our customers all year long," said Amazon senior editor Tom Nissley. "Elif Batuman makes the students of Russian literature into characters as bizarre and compelling as the ones in the novels they study."
