Russ Lawrence | Bitterroot Bestsellers

Published: January 20, 2009

Editor's Note: Russ Lawrence, proprietor of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, fills us in on the top-selling books of 2008:

Chapter One Book Store reports a more varied list of bestsellers for 2008 than in years past, with plenty of regional titles as usual, but more representation from other categories than in years past.

At the top of the list is Stephenie Meyer, whose tales of teenage-vampire-romantic-angst hold four of the top spots. Breaking Dawn, the final installment in the series sits atop the list at number one, with Twilight, Eclipse, and New Moon in close succession. Chapter One reports many mothers and daughters reading the books together, a charming thought!

Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth – Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose was boosted by an endorsement from Oprah Winfrey’s book club on the air. Hundreds of readers have responded to his message of peace and healing.

In the next slot is the Bitterroot’s Mario Locatelli, author of the eponymous The Mountain Goat Chronicles. Locatelli, as you may guess, is a local mountaineer of some repute, who has climbed most local peaks, as well as becoming the oldest successful climber of Denali. He also organized the grueling “Mountain Goat Marathons,” cross-country hikes that benefitted local causes. His tale of emigrating from Italy and finally settling here is as adventurous as his mountaineering exploits.

Montana fantasy author Christopher Paolini hit nationwide bestseller lists once again with his third book, Brisingr, and resides in third place locally.

Another Montana author with not just nationwide but international fame is Greg Mortenson, another mountaineer who turned to building schools for remote villages in Pakistan and elsewhere, as chronicled in Three Cups of Tea by Mortenson and author David Relin.

Inspirational in a different sense is The Shack, by William Young, addressing difficult questions about God, in an accessible novel.

Two hiking guides occupy the next spot: Mort Arkava’s Hiking the Bitterroots and Scott Steinberg’s Hiking the Selway-Bitterroot. Both have their strengths, but whichever one inspires you to get out and see some country is the right one for you!

My own book, Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, slips several notches from its usual perch, but still speaks to valley newcomers and tourists with its history, natural history, beautiful scenic photos by Harry June, and historic black-and-white photos.

Ivan Doig is a perennial favorite, and his new novel, The Eleventh Man, has been popular. Set during World War II, much of the action takes place at an airfield near Great Falls, but it takes in the action in every theater of conflict in those years.

Indian Creek Chronicles, Pete Fromm’s true tale of a winter spent in the Selway-Bitterroot, is another sure-fire Bitterroot Bestseller.

Rounding out the list, we have The Thirteenth Tale, a literary novel by Diane Setterfield; Eat, Pray, Love, the popular memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert; Tales of Beedle The Bard, just published in early December but still making a strong showing, by Harry Potter author Jo Rowling; Out Stealing Horses, by Norwegian author Per Petterson; The Whistling Season, another entry from Ivan Doig; and Gallop!, a clever animation book for children by Rufus Seder.

Bitterroot Bestsellers 2008

1. Stephenie Meyer: Breaking Dawn, Twilight, Eclipse, New Moon

2. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

3. The Mountain Goat Chronicles by Mario Locatelli

4. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

5. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Relin

6. The Shack by William Young

7. Hiking the Bitterroots by Mort Arkava

8. Hiking the Selway-Bitterroot by Scott Steinberg

9. Montana’s Bitterroot Valley by Russ Lawrence

10. The Eleventh Man by Ivan Doig

11. Indian Creek Chronicles by Pete Fromm

12. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

13. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

14. Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

15. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

16. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

17. Gallop by Rufus Seder

18. Tough Trip Through Paradise by Andrew Garcia

19. Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

20. Blue Man in a Red State by Greg Lemon