2023 Best Selling Books

March 2023 Best Selling Books

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

This debut novel is a charming, witty and compulsively enjoyable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus.

Sunny Loves Spring on the California Coast by Jeanne A. Jackson*, illustrated by Genevieve Wilson*

This book introduces Sunny, a rescue Golden Retriever who came all the way from Taiwan to the Mendocino Coast. With his new parents he discovers spring wildflowers, that ospreys nest here, and Gray Whales are swimming northward, along with brown pelicans.

Sunny Loves Autumn on the California Coast by Jeanne A. Jackson*, illustrated by Genevieve Wilson*

In each Sunny book there is something for children to find throughout the book. For autumn it’s butterflies. Sunny, a golden retriever, adores butterflies. He also discovers the fall migration of birds, honeysuckle berries, creeks coming to life with the first rains, and rainbows.

Sunny Loves Winter on the California Coast by Jeanne A. Jackson*, illustrated by Genevieve Wilson*

Sunny, the rescue Golden Retriever, explores the intertidal zone, the ocean bluffs, redwood trees, mushrooms and so much more about the wonders of winter. Filled with Fun Facts, coloring pages and a page for the reader’s own nature sightings.

Sunny Loves Summer on the California Coast by Jeanne A. Jackson*, illustrated by Genevieve Wilson*

Sunny is amazed to learn about gray fox kits, cute fawns, humpback whales, birdsong, and so much more. Sunny loves learning about nature. Beautifully illustrated by Genny Wilson, plus there are little green frogs for children to find throughout the book.

Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year by Jeanne A. Jackson*, Author and Craig Tooley*, Photographer

A look at the fascinating world of Nature here on the Coast presented month by month with Fun Facts and beautiful photos. Makes a great gift! Far and away the Frog’s all-time best-selling book, with nearly 2,500 copies sold at the Frog.

Message in a Matchbox by Sara Fashandi

Memories of a childhood in Tehran, this is the story of Mohsen Fashandi, the author’s older brother. This collection of his childhood memories is an inspiration which proves that one can accomplish incredible things in one’s life, with hard work and the right mindset.

Living in Northern California 1975 to 1995 by Carol Wilder*

Northern California was a legendary place in the late 20th century. Protest and pot, academics and boho-chic, techno-wizardry and bio-farming, lively counterculture and deadly AIDS, earthquakes and Esalen, woodland faeries and city politics. Carol Wilder guides us through her journey of two remarkable decades of living in Northern California.

City Mouse, Country Mouse by Maggie Rudy

Rudy creates magical mice and photographs her creations to illustrate her books. Bring your camera to the Frog to photograph the terrific diorama Rudy designed for this book.

Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story by Maggie Rudy

Sootypaws, the mouse, lives with her mean stepmother and sisters. But with a little help from her woodland friends, Sootypaws finds her way to the ball to meet her Prince―will they live happily ever after?

Frog and Toad Are Doing Their Best (A Parody): Bedtime Stories for Trying Times by Jennie Egerdie, illustrated by Ellie Hajdu

Toad ponders a variety of schemes to pay off his credit cards, while Frog spends too much time scrolling through the newsfeed on his phone. But despite their daily frustrations and existential concerns, they know that having a friend to share life’s burdens makes even the darkest days brighter.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson

In this self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the mustard to show us how to stop trying to be positive all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people. 

Qh awala.li: Water Running Down Place by Annette White-Parks

The history of Gualala comes to life in this informative and fascinating book.

I Wish I Had a Pet by Maggie Rudy

Smartly dressed mice give sage advice on all elements of proper pet care in this children’s picture book.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Murray

This historical novel tells the tale of J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as White in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation.

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

A New York Times Best Seller, this novel is about the real women whose work on the Oxford English Dictionary went largely unheralded.

White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear

This novel introduces yet another extraordinary heroine from Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. Set in Post WWII Britain in 1947, this novel follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White.

Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California by Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz.

A user-friendly field guide for identifying the many mushrooms of the northern California coast, from Monterey County to the Oregon border.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

A love story about a curmudgeonly bookstore owner, a stolen rare book, and a little girl abandoned in the bookstore. It will have you smiling and perhaps shed a tear. A heartwarming novel.

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Saul Indian Horse embarks on a heartbreaking journey from the present and into the woods of Northern Ontario, where his life began in a snowy Ojibway camp. The tale that follows is one of great pain and great determination.


February 2023 Best Selling Books

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

This debut novel is a charming, witty and compulsively enjoyable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus.

Six California Kitchens by Sally Schmitt

With gorgeous food and sense-of-place photography, this is a cookbook for home and aspiring chefs who cook locally and seasonally, by the chef who opened the French Laundry.

Love Poems by Pablo Neruda

These sensuous love poems formed the basis for the popular movie “Il Postino,” now in a beautiful gift book perfect for weddings, Valentine's Day, or anniversaries.

Sunny Loves Winter on the California Coast by Jeanne A. Jackson*, illustrated by Genevieve Wilson*

Sunny the rescue Golden Retriever explores the intertidal zone, the ocean bluffs, redwood trees, mushrooms and so much more about the wonders of winter. Filled with Fun Facts, coloring pages and a page for the reader’s own nature sightings.

City Mouse, Country Mouse by Maggie Rudy

Rudy creates magical mice and photographs her creations to illustrate her books. Bring your camera to the Frog to photograph the terrific diorama Rudy designed for this book

Place at the Sea Ranch by Donlyn Lyndon*

A beautiful book created to expand upon The Sea Ranch Trails Map, following the Architecture & Landscape markers you’ll find along the trails that tell the Sea Ranch story.

Qh awala-li: Water Running Down Place by Annette White-Parks

The history of Gualala comes to life in this informative and fascinating book.

Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California by Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz.

A user-friendly field guide for identifying the many mushrooms of the northern California coast, from Monterey County to the Oregon border.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

A love story about a curmudgeonly bookstore owner, a stolen rare book, and a little girl abandoned in the bookstore. It will have you smiling and perhaps shed a tear. A heartwarming novel.

Sunny Loves Autumn on the California Coast by Jeanne A. Jackson*, illustrated by Genevieve Wilson*

In each Sunny book there is something for children to find throughout the book. For autumn it’s butterflies. Sunny, a golden retriever, adores butterflies. He also discovers the fall migration of birds, honeysuckle berries, creeks coming to life with the first rains, and rainbows.

Flower Color Guide by Taylor Putnam and Michael Putnam

This reference book organizes flower types by color, with an emphasis on seasonality and creative color schemes. Beautifully photographed by the authors, New York’s preeminent floral designers.

Flowers for All: Modern Floral Arrangements for Beauty, Joy, and Mindfulness Every Day by Susan McLeary.

The author believes that flowers should be enjoyed by everyone.  McLeary reveals the secrets to making striking, joyful floral displays using just a few ingredients.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers

Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story by Maggie Rudy

Sootypaws, the mouse, lives with her mean stepmother and sisters. But with a little help from her woodland friends, Sootypaws finds her way to the ball to meet her Prince―will they live happily ever after?

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

A New York Times bestseller, this novel introduces us to Elizabeth Zott, a scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show.

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

A big-hearted story of four orphans who travel the Mississippi River on a life-changing odyssey during the Great Depression.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Equally funny and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy named Demon whom nobody wants.

The Maid by Nita Prose

A heartwarming mystery introduces a one-of-a-kind heroine who will steal your heart.

Code Name Sapphire: A World War 2 Novel by Pam Jenoff

From the bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris, a woman must rescue her cousin's family from a train bound for Auschwitz in this tale of bravery and resistance.

Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

If you love words, music and love, you’ll love this book. “One of my favorite reads this year, featured recently on my Sunday KTDE radio show.”-  Frogman Joel.