Paula Hawkins’s debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, landed at #2 on the Netherlands combined list in May. The book, released by Riverhead in January, sold two million copies in the U.S. in hardcover and e-book as of the end of May, according to the publisher. The novel was surpassed by Topshow, by Michel van Egmond and Jan Hillenius, a tie-in book to Voetbal International, a Dutch talk show about soccer.
Hawkins wasn’t the only bestseller in the U.S. to make an appearance on the Dutch list—The Long Haul, the ninth book in Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, came in at #4. The book had a first printing of 5.5 million copies in the U.S., which was, per publisher Abrams, the biggest first printing of any book in 2014 (it went on sale in November).
The top three titles on Italy’s combined list were new to the chart last month. At #1 was The Carousel of Exchange, by Andrea Camilleri, followed by The Vineyard of Angelica, by Sveva Casati Modignani.
Presidential Medal of Freedom–winner Isabel Allende hit #1 on Spain’s fiction list with The Japanese Lover, to be released Stateside by Atria in November. Ana Romero’s Endgame was the top-selling nonfiction title for the month.
International Bestsellers
Netherlands
| Combined | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Topshow Topshow Michel van Egmond & Jan Hillenius VI Boeken | 4 | Het leven van een loser. Flutvakantie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Jeff Kinney De Fontein Jeugd |
| 2 | Het meisje in de trein The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins A.W. Bruna Uitgevers | 5 | Lieve mama Dear Mum Esther Verhoef Prometheus |
| 3 | Dit kan niet waar zijn This Can’t Be True Joris Luyendijk Atlas Contact | 6 | De grenzeloze The Boundless Jussi Adler-Olsen Prometheus |
For the week ended June 14; used by arrangement with CPNB.
Italy
| Combined | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La giostra degli scambi The Carousel of Exchange Andrea Camilleri Sellerio Editore Palermo | 4 | La piuma The Feather Giorgio Faletti Baldini & Castoldi |
| 2 | La vigna di Angelica The Vineyard of Angelica Sveva Casati Modignani Sperling & Kupfer | 5 | Sette brevi lezioni di fisica Seven Short Physics Lessons Carlo Rovelli Adelphi |
| 3 | Il segreto degli angeli The Angel Maker’s Wife Camilla Läckberg Marsilio | 6 | Sotto le cuffie Wearing Headphones Favij Mondadori Electa |
For May; used by arrangement with Informazioni Editoriali.
Spain
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | El amante japonés The Japanese Lover Isabel Allende Plaza & Janés | Final de partida Endgame Ana Romero La esfera de los libros |
| 2 | La Templanza The Temperance María Dueñas Planeta | Ardenas, 1944 Ardennes, 1944 Anthony Beevor Crítica |
| 3 | Hombres buenos Good Men Arturo Pérez Reverte Alfaguara | Mañana será tarde Tomorrow Will Be Too Late José Antonio Zarzalejos Planeta |
For the week ended June 15; used by arrangement with El Cultural.
