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New York Times Best Seller lists

The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is updated online every Wednesday evening. Below are best seller lists for hardcover fiction and non-fiction. For more lists, visit our New York Times Children’s Best Sellers page or The New York Times’s Best Sellers page.

Hardcover Fiction

January 3, 2021

1

A Time for Mercyby John Grisham
The third book in the Jake Brigance series. A 16-year-old is accused of killing a deputy in Clanton, Miss., in 1990.

2

Ready Player Twoby Ernest Cline
In a sequel to “Ready Player One,” Wade Watts discovers a technological advancement and goes on a new quest.

3

Deadly Crossby James Patterson
The 28th book in the Alex Cross series. An investigation of a double homicide sends Alex Cross to Alabama.

4

The Returnby Nicholas Sparks
A doctor serving in the Navy in Afghanistan goes back to North Carolina where two women change his life.

5

The Vanishing Halfby Brit Bennett
The lives of twin sisters who run away from a Southern Black community at age 16 diverge as one returns and the other takes on a different racial identity but their fates intertwine.

6

Where the Crawdads Singby Delia Owens
In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.

7

Daylightby David Baldacci
The F.B.I. agent Atlee Pine’s search for her twin sister overlaps with a military investigator’s hunt for someone involved in a global conspiracy.

8

The Sentinelby Lee Child and Andrew Child
Jack Reacher intervenes on an ambush in Tennessee and uncovers a conspiracy.

9

The Awakeningby Nora Roberts
The first book in the Dragon Heart Legacy series. Breen Kelly travels through a portal in Ireland to a land of faeries and mermaids.

10

The Law of Innocenceby Michael Connelly
The sixth book in the Mickey Haller series. Haller defends himself when police find the body of a former client in his car’s trunk.

11

If It Bleedsby Stephen King
Four novellas: “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” “The Life of Chuck,” “Rat” and “If It Bleeds.”

12

Fortune and Gloryby Janet Evanovich
The 27th book in the Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie deals with a soldier of fortune from Little Havana.

13

The Midnight Libraryby Matt Haig
Nora Seed finds a library beyond the edge of the universe that contains books with multiple possibilities of the lives one could have lived.

14

The Invisible Life of Addie Larueby V.E. Schwab
A Faustian bargain comes with a curse that affects the adventure Addie LaRue has across centuries.

15

The Evening and the Morningby Ken Follett
In a prequel to “The Pillars of the Earth,” a boatbuilder, a Norman noblewoman and a monk live in England under attack by the Welsh and the Vikings.

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Hardcover Nonfiction

January 3, 2021

1

A Promised Landby Barack Obama
In the first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama offers personal reflections on his formative years and pivotal moments through his first term.

2

Greenlightsby Matthew McConaughey
The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over the last 35 years.

3

Humansby Brandon Stanton
Photos and stories of people from over 40 countries collected by the creator of “Humans of New York.”

4

Becomingby Michelle Obama
The former first lady describes how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

5

Bag Manby Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz
The MSNBC host gives an account of the 1973 investigation of then Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and its impact on politics and the media.

6

Casteby Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist examines aspects of caste systems across civilizations and reveals a rigid hierarchy in America today.

7

World of Wondersby Aimee Nezhukumatathil
In a collection of essays, the poet celebrates various aspects of the natural world and its inhabitants.

8

Untamedby Glennon Doyle
The activist and public speaker describes her journey of listening to her inner voice.

9

The Last Days of John Lennonby James Patterson with Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge
The story of the killing of the former member of the Beatles by Mark David Chapman in 1980 and interviews with some of Lennon’s friends and associates.

10

Is This Anything?by Jerry Seinfeld
The comedian shares material he collected in an accordion folder over the last 45 years.

11

The Splendid and the Vileby Erik Larson
An examination of the leadership of the prime minister Winston Churchill.

12

Killing Crazy Horseby Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
The ninth book in the conservative commentator’s Killing series focuses on conflicts with Native Americans.

13

The Mamba Mentalityby Kobe Bryant
Various skills and techniques used on the court by the late Los Angeles Lakers player.

14

The Answer is ...by Alex Trebek
A memoir by the host of the TV game show “Jeopardy!,” from 1984 to 2020.

15

Modern Warriorsby Pete Hegseth
The Fox News host and former combat veteran interviews soldiers about the different kinds of battles they encountered.