From Mojave mysteries and sober wine-country detours to the cultural wonders of Highway 99, these routes bypass the standard postcard to reveal the true soul of the Golden State with a literary twist.

This week’s bestselling titles include Communion by bell hooks, Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi, and It’s Only Drowning by David Litt.

In 1923, three brothers blew up a mail train in Oregon’s Siskiyou Mountains, killed four men, and vanished. Julian Smith unravels America’s forgotten true crime.

A 1,400-mile trip through several national parks takes a writer deep into his past.