Svetlana Alexievich, the Belarusian journalist who won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature, saw four of her books make it onto the nonfiction bestseller list in Sweden in December. Her top-selling book was War’s Unwomanly Face, which features interviews with about 200 women who fought as soldiers in World War II and was #1 in nonfiction at the end of the month.

Books that had been selling well in November continued to top the charts in December in most other major overseas markets. That was good news for authors Delphine de Vigan and Giula Enders, whose books remained #1 in fiction and nonfiction, respectively, in France last month. One nonfiction title that posted a solid rise in rankings in December was Stephane De Groodt’s Jungle Book, which is described by the publisher as a “humorous book that offers explanations for French terms.” It finished December in the second spot on the nonfiction list.

In Italy, Fabio Volo’s novel It’s All Life rose from #3 on the combined list in November to the top spot in December. Volo is the pseudonym of Fabio Bonetti, an Italian actor and radio and television personality, whose books are very popular in his home country, but who has had little luck in cracking the American market.

International Bestsellers

France

Fiction Nonfiction
1 D’après une histoire vraie
Based on a True Story
Delphine de Vigan
Lattès
Le charme discret de l’intestin
The Discreet Charm of the Intestine
Giulia Enders
Actes Sud
2 Le livre des Baltimore
The Book of Baltimore
Joël Dicker
Ed. de Fallois
Le livre de la jongle
Jungle Book
Stéphane De Groodt
Plonl
3 Boussole
Compass
Mathias Enard
Actes Sud
La puissance de la joie
The Power of Joy
Frédéric Lenoir
Fayard

For the week ended Dec. 27; used by arrangement with Livres Hebdo

Italy

Combined
1 È tutta vita
It’s All Life
Fabio Volo
Mondadori
4 La ragazza del treno
The Girl on the Train
Paula Hawkins
Piemme
2 Storia di un cane che insegnò a un bambino la fedeltà
The Story of a Dog Called Loyal
Luis Sepúlveda
Guanda
5 L’amante giapponese
The Japanese Lover
Isabel Allende
Feltrinelli
3 Via Crucis
Way of the Cross
Gianluigi Nuzzi
Chiarelettere
6 Amore infinito
Before
Anna Todd
Sperling & Kupfer

For the week ended Dec. 27; used by arrangement with Informazioni Editoriali

Sweden

Fiction Nonfiction
1 Det som inte dödar oss
The Girl in the Spider’s Web
David Lagercrantz
Norstedts
Kriget har inget kvinnligt ansikte
War’s Unwomanly Face
Svetlana Alexievich
Ersatz
2 Allt jag inte minns
All I Do Not Remember
Jonas Hassen Khemiri
Albert Bonniers Förlag
Guinness World Records 2016
Guinness World Records 2016
Guinness World Records
Bonnier Fakta
3 Det är något som inte stämmer
There Is Something Wrong
Martina Haag
Piratförlaget
Lär dig leva
Learn to Live
Mats and Susan Billmark
Livskraft

For the week ended Dec. 23; used by arrangement with Livres Svensk Bokhandel