According to Salisbury’s book lovers, John Hart had the bestselling book of the year.
Literary Bookpost sold 761 copies of his Hart’s thriller, “Iron House.”
Second, at 64 copies is “The Help,” which was published in paperback in 2011 and buoyed up by the release of the movie. It’s been on bestseller lists since 2009.
Surprise! Here’s John Hart again, at number three, with “The King of Lies,” his first book, which sold 49 copies.
“Georgia Bottoms,” another quirky Mark Childress book, came in fourth, with its crazy characters and funny plot.
Colum McCann’s “Let the Great World Spin,” at number five, sold 44 books. His March appearance at Catawba College’s Brady Author’s Symposium enchanted all who heard him. McCann’s sentences sparkle.
Another book that doesn’t drop off the bestseller list is Ann Patchett’s “State of Wonder,” which landed in sixth place with 41 books sold.
One of owner Deal Safrit’s favorite books, “The Night Circus,” by Erin Morgenstern, takes seventh place, with 32 sold.
A surprising number eight is “Cutting for Stone,” by Abraham Verghese, with 28 copies sold. This story of orphaned twins on the brink of Ethiopia’s revolution has been popular with book clubs.
So has “The Dry Grass of August,” by Anna Jean Mayhew, which sold 27 copies. A debut novel about the tensions in the South in the 1950s, with Charlotte settings.
Coming in at number 10 is another Safrit favorite, “Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter,” by Tom Franklin, with 25 copies sold.
If non-fiction is more your thing, you stuck with a lot of North Carolina books, some from our own backyard, some with a far more sweeping view.
The number one seller is a bit of a surprise, since it’s only been out a few months. “The Wettest & Wickedest Town,” by Karen C. Lilly-Bowyer, sold 120 copies — many of those likely Christmas gifts. It’s tales of Salisbury’s younger, wilder days.
Just down the track at number two is “Southern Railway’s Historic Spencer Shops,” by Larry K. Neal. Selling 93 copies, the book is proof people still love the rails.
Apparently we haven’t grown tired of cooking, because the number three seller was “Well Shut My Mouth! The Sweet Potatoes Restaurant Cookbook,” by Stephenie Tyson sold 78 copies. Good, Southern flavors.
And we are venturing out a little more, too, if the 69 copies sold of “Touring the Western North Carolina Backroads” by Carolyn Sakowski is any indication.
Another book that stays on bestseller lists is Laura Hillenbrand’s “Unbroken: A World War II” story, which sold 65 copies.
People looking for an uplifting story have bought 49 copies of “Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back,” by Todd Burpo.
But we love a good crime story, too, buying 48 copies of “Death of a Pinehurst Princess: The 1935 Elva Statler Davidson Mystery” by former Salisbury Post editor Steve Bouser.
Back to faith, we find “The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew — Three Women Search for Understanding,” by Ranya Idilby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Werner at number eight, with 43 copies sold.
Heather St. Aubin-Stout of Salisbury brought her battle with breast cancer to the public in “Not My Mother’s Journey,” which sold 40 copies.
And our fascination with the Civil War was satisfied by a riveting read, Chris Hartley’s “Stoneman’s Raid, 1865,” which contains a section specifically about Salisbury. It sold 36 copies.
Local favorite Jenny Hubbard topped the list of children/juvenile bestsellers with her first novel, “Paper Covers Rock,” a story that intrigued adult readers as well, sellign 164 copies.
“The Hunger Games” just won’t go away, selling 38 copies of Suzanne Collins’ first book in the trilogy.
Local author Kathleen Churchyard wrote “Bye for Now: A Wishers Story” and earned the number three slot, with 24 books sold.
Collins shows up again at number four with “Catching Fire,” with 19 books sold.
At number five, Salisbury Post guest columnist Dicy McCullough saw success with “Tired of My Bath,” selling 18 copies.
Another local author takes the number six slot, Jerry Morris Hester, with “Beach Bunnies,” which sold 17 copies.
The number seven bestseller was “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” which sold 16 copies over the holidays.
To round out her trilogy, Collins “Mockingjay” came in at number eight, with 15 copies.
And Shel Silverstein never goes out of style. At numer nine, “Every Thing on It” sold 15 copies.
Rick Riordan’s new mythology, “The Heroes of Olympus, the Son of Neptune” sold 11 copies.