Weekly Rankings: Fiction Bestsellers, 3rd Week of April, 2018

These weekly rankings seem to be going monthly, but at least there are a bunch of new books on the top ten list.  One James Patterson book has been replaced by another James Patterson book.  We have a couple other authors who have been writing books since I was a kid (but they still haven’t “written” as many books as James Patterson).  And then we have a few books that absolutely refuse to leave the bestsellers list.  Are those books THAT good?  Or is there something else going on?

1.   I’ve Got My Eyes on You by Mary Higgins Clark-

Wow, that’s a creepy title!  If certain guys used that title and put themselves on the cover, they’d get arrested.  But it’s not a creepy guy who came up with that title.  It’s Mary Higgins Clark, and she’s been writing books since I was a kid.

2.   The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer-

When I told my wife I was reading The Female Persuasion, she said, “Me too.”

3.   The Disappeared by C.J. Box-

The disappeared what?  There should be a noun after the word disappeared.  I hate it when adjectives are used as nouns!

4.   Red Alert by James Patterson and Marshall Carp-

Last month James Patterson’s Fifty-Fifty was in the top ten.  This month it’s Red Alert.  What James Patterson book will make it next month?

5.   The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah-

Aaaarrrgh!  Another adjective being used as a noun!  English teachers all around the country are saying: “You write your bestselling novels first, and then you can use adjectives as nouns.”

6.   Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng-

This book seems perfect for a Reese Witherspoon produced limited television series.  Hopefully the series can keep the novel’s good story but cut down some of the unnecessarily long sentences.

7.   Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate-

Before We Were Yours has to be one of the most misleading book titles ever!  It sounds like hokey melodrama that would disappear after two weeks, but it’s been a bestseller since… well, it’s been a long time!

 8.  Accidental Heroes by Danielle Steel-

Danielle Steel is another author who’s been writing bestselling novels since I was a kid.  Last month, Clive Cussler was the author who has been writing novels since I was a kid.  Who’s next to put out a new book, Harold Robbins?

9.   The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn-

This first novel from a debut author started off at number 1 in January and has been in the top ten ever since.  But is he really a first-time author if he’s an executive editor for the publishing company that put out the book?

10.    Varina by Charles Frazier-

Varina is the wife of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, and Varina is told from her point of view.  Even if Varina is any good, I’m not sure that a book told from the point of view of a Confederate will stay in the top ten for long in today’s political climate.

*****

I have to admit, this is a decent variety of books, with some literary, some thrillers, some romance, but I still have lingering questions.  Who keeps buying James Patterson books as soon as they get published?  And when did it become acceptable to use adjectives as nouns in book titles?