Publishers Weekly has put out its bestselling print fiction books of 2015, and the results land somewhere in the dark nether regions between “kinda sad” and “outright bleak.” Let’s run down the list.
1. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee, 1.59 million copies
Here we have a “sequel” to a book published in 1960 that is actually a first draft of that book, and not even a very good one. Atticus Finch, once-beloved, is a racist now, and oh, by the way, it’s pretty possible (read: Likely) that this so-called new book was “discovered” under hugely suspicious circumstances by a lawyer who possibly took advantage of Harper Lee’s old age and poor health after her sister and long-time protector Alice died.
2. Grey, E. L. James, 1.41 million copies
Poorly written sadistic sex acts, now told from the male point of view!
3. The Girl on the Train,, Paula Hawkins, 1.35 million copies
Gone Girl part two, ie: Ugh, I guess I have to do this book thing for a second before I can become a blockbuster movie. Let’s get this over with.
4. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr, 1.01 million copies
Pulitzer Prize winner! Nothing to see here.
5. The Martian, Andy Weir, 673,000 copies
Fine, this one gets a pass too, if only for Weir’s obsessive attention to detail.
6. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham, 576,000 copies
I guess Grisham wanted to name his latest book after the genre he’s been occupying for the last three decades.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 563,000 copies
Approximately one-third of those who bought Go Set a Watchman thought, “you know what? I wouldn’t mind reading the final draft of this book!”
8. See Me, Nicholas Sparks, 445,000 copies
Hey, it’s the John Grisham of white people who cry about love!
9. Gray Mountain, John Grisham, 365,000 copies
Is Grisham even a real person? Or is “he” just a James Patterson-esque conglomerate at this point, where dozens of grad students churn out whatever they feel like three times per year, and then an old guy signs his name between rounds of golf?
10. The Nightingale, Kristin hannah, 331,384 copies
Like All the Light We Cannot See, this is a book about France during WW2. And I’m okay with that!