It is hard to know what to make of book sales this week. They held up very well and, although not in the top ten, the World Book Day titles have had something to do with that. So too do the new paperbacks from Patricia Scanlan, Colm Toibin, Melissa Hill and Marita Conlon McKenna. Which goes to show you how strong those mass market paperback sales can be and how they drive both volume and light readers decisions.

One surprise on the list (which also by the way includes FOUR of Stieg Larsson’s “Girl” series, well three and the movie edition and the regular edition of the Dragon Tattoo) is Rachel Allen’s Home Cooking which seems to have sold amazingly well effectively at full price for reasons I’ve yet to determine.

1: Happy Ever After Scanlan, Patricia Scanlan
2: Brooklyn, Colm Toibin
3: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
4: Girl Who Played with Fire, Stieg Larsson
5: Mother of the Bride, Marita Conlon McKenna
6: The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
7: Please Forgive Me, Melissa Hill
8: Home Cooking, Rachel Allen
9: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
10: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, Stieg Larsson

Source: Nielsen Bookscan ICM Data