Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Rankings reflect sales for the week ended Oct. 4, 2025, which were reported on a confidential basis by vendors offering a wide range of general interest titles. Every week, thousands of diverse selling locations report their actual sales on hundreds of thousands of individual titles. The panel of reporting retailers is comprehensive and reflects sales in stores of all sizes and demographics across the United States. An asterisk (*) indicates that a book’s sales were barely distinguishable from those of the book above. A (b) indicates that some bookstores reported receiving bulk orders. ___ FICTION 1. IRON FLAME, by Rebecca Yarros. (Red Tower) The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training under the new vice commandant might require her to betray the man she loves. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 80 2. FOURTH WING, by Rebecca Yarros. (Red Tower) Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 95 3. ALCHEMISED, by SenLinYu. (Del Rey) After the war, an imprisoned alchemist is sent to a necromancer to recover her lost memories. LAST WEEK: 1 WEEKS ON LIST: 2 4. THE SECRET OF SECRETS, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday) As he searches for the missing noetic scientist he has been seeing, Robert Langdon discovers something regarding a secret project. LAST WEEK: 2 WEEKS ON LIST: 4 5. THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTUNE, by Richard Osman. (Pamela Dorman) The fifth book in the Thursday Murder Club series. The gang look into the disappearance of a guest Elizabeth met at a wedding. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 6. VINCE FLYNN: DENIED ACCESS, by Don Bentley. (Atria/Emily Bestler) The 24th book in the Mitch Rapp series. Rapp, now an assassin in the Orion program, must counter threats to his girlfriend and the CIA. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 7. THE ACADEMY, by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham. (Little, Brown) Harmful rumors cause trouble for the students and staff at a New England boarding school. LAST WEEK: 9 WEEKS ON LIST: 3 8. THE PORTRAIT, by Danielle Steel. (Delacorte) Unfulfilled longing is released between an entrepreneur stuck in a loveless marriage and a widowed portrait artist. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 9. TOURIST SEASON, by Brynne Weaver. (Slowburn) When a true crime investigator comes to Cape Carnage in search of a serial killer, a local gardener and a handsome tourist pause their deadly ways. LAST WEEK: 3 WEEKS ON LIST: 2 10. ONYX STORM, by Rebecca Yarros. (Red Tower) The third book in the Empyrean series. As enemies gain traction, Violet Sorrengail goes beyond the Aretian wards in search of allies. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 36 11. CIRCLE OF DAYS, by Ken Follett. (Grand Central) A priestess envisions a great stone circle put together by divided tribes, but drought and violence may impede its creation. LAST WEEK: 8 WEEKS ON LIST: 2 12. WHAT STALKS THE DEEP, by T. Kingfisher. (Tor Nightfire) The third book in the Sworn Soldier series. An old friend asks Alex Easton to search for his lost cousin. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 13. CROSSROADS OF RAVENS, by Andrzej Sapkowski. (Orbit) The ninth book in the Witcher series. Geralt of Rivia is mentored by a grizzled witcher; translated by David French. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 14. HEART THE LOVER, by Lily King. (Grove) Decades after getting caught up in a love triangle, a woman examines choices she once made. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 15. WIDOW’S POINT, by Richard Chizmar and W.H. Chizmar. (Gallery) A lighthouse that is said to be cursed or haunted appears to cut visitors off from the outside world. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 ___ NONFICTION 1. 107 DAYS, by Kamala Harris. (Simon & Schuster) The former vice president recounts her abbreviated campaign to become president in 2024. LAST WEEK: 1 WEEKS ON LIST: 2 2. POEMS & PRAYERS, by Matthew McConaughey. (Crown) The actor and author of “Greenlights” explores elements of belief and reason that make up our lives. LAST WEEK: 2 WEEKS ON LIST: 3 3. TRULY, by Lionel Richie. ( HarperOne) The award-winning musician shares moments from his early years, his time with the Commodores and other professional highlights. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 4. BORN LUCKY, by Leland Vittert with Don Yaeger. (Harper Horizon) The NewsNation host describes how his father helped him navigate living with autism. (b) LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 5. CONFRONTING EVIL, by Bill O’Reilly and Josh Hammer. (St. Martin’s) O’Reilly and Hammer profile some of history’s nefarious characters. LAST WEEK: 4 WEEKS ON LIST: 4 6. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION, by Jonathan Haidt. (Penguin Press) A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the effects of a phone-based life on children’s mental health. LAST WEEK: 8 WEEKS ON LIST: 80 7. AWAKE, by Jen Hatmaker. (Avid Reader) The host of the “For the Love” podcast describes major shifts in her life after her marriage of 26 years ended. LAST WEEK: 3 WEEKS ON LIST: 2 8. THE BOOK OF SHEEN, by Charlie Sheen. (Gallery) The actor, known for his roles in “Platoon” and “Two and a Half Men,” shares stories about his life in Hollywood. LAST WEEK: 7 WEEKS ON LIST: 4 9. ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER, by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Riverhead) The author of “Eat, Pray, Love” depicts her journey through a cycle involving self-destructive tendencies. LAST WEEK: 6 WEEKS ON LIST: 4 10. WE THE PEOPLE, by Jill Lepore. (Liveright) The author of “These Truths” examines the history of the U.S. Constitution and challenges its interpretation by the Supreme Court and the theory of originalism. LAST WEEK: 15 WEEKS ON LIST: 3 11. HISTORY MATTERS, by David McCullough. (Simon & Schuster) A posthumous collection of essays by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author on history’s impact on our present and our future; edited by Dorie McCullough Lawson and Michael Hill. LAST WEEK: 10 WEEKS ON LIST: 3 12. NEVER STOP, by Dan Hurley and Ian O’Connor. (Avid Reader) The head coach of the UConn Huskies details facets of leadership through his own experiences. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1 13. BLACK AF HISTORY, by Michael Harriot. (Dey Street) A columnist at TheGrio.com articulates moments in American history that put at the center the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans. LAST WEEK: 9 WEEKS ON LIST: 19 14. CHASING EVIL, by John Edward and Robert Hilland with Natasha Stoynoff. (St. Martin’s Essentials) A psychic medium and a former FBI agent portray their partnership. LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 2 15. SOFTLY, AS I LEAVE YOU, by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley with Mary Jane Ross. (Grand Central) Presley recounts her tribulations and search for identity after spending a decade with Elvis. LAST WEEK: 5 WEEKS ON LIST: 2 ___
