Week-over-week book sales for October 2020 dropped from comparable levels in 2019, reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer. Nevertheless, despite the most recent week’s decline, year-to-date sales are up a solid 7%.

According to NPD Bookscan, unit sales of print books fell 5.1% last week, compared to the week that ended October 17, 2020. Unit sales fell 9.3% in the adult fiction category with John Grisham’s A Time for Mercy, leading the way with some 42,000 copies.

In sharp contrast, the previous week had showed a solid gain, with unit sales of print books up 13.4% for the week ended Oct. 10, 2020, over the comparable week in 2019.

“Despite all the challenges thrown by 2020, the book business continues to be strong,” Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.

Three new titles topped bestsellers’ lists. In adult nonfiction, Ina Garten’s Modern Comfort Food sold more than 130,000 copies in its first week, while Humans by Brandon Stanton followed, selling almost 103,000 copies.

Juvenile fiction sales rose 17.1%, led by The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan, which sold about 49,000 copies in its first week.

As holiday gift-buying season looms, PW has released its Best Books lists for 2020.

“Our staff easily deemed Ayad Akhtar’s novel Homeland Elegies this year’s Great American Novel. It’s a masterpiece of ‘autofiction’ —that is, autobiographical fiction,” Albanese says.

In addition to his work as a novelist, Ayad Akhtar is a Pulitzer-winning playwright and the incoming president of PEN America.