NEW ON THE LIST AND IN PUBLISHING

Girls, girls, girls: There’s a new Girl in town. J.P. Delaney’s psychological thriller The Girl Before, which made its debut on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list last week at No. 15, moves up a notch to No. 14. There have been a plethora of books with ‘Girl’ or ‘Girls’ in the title the last few years, ever since Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series and Gone Girl burned up bestseller lists (followed by juggernaut The Girl on the Train, still steamrolling at No. 12 two years after it was published). But only a handful of literary Girls have gained that kind of traction. The Girl Before seems well on its way, and a planned movie adaptation (with Ron Howard directing) will no doubt give it a further boost. Who is the pseudonymous J.P. Delaney? Turns out he’s British ad man Tony Strong. The Girl Before is about a London architect who lets out his minimalist showpiece house to vulnerable women.

At the movies: The Shack is back. Sales of William P. Young’s 2007 religious novel about a man shattered by the murder of his young daughter are driven by trailers for the March 3 movie adaptation starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer (as God). The Shack has spent 205 weeks on USA TODAY’s list, starting at No. 143 on Jan. 24, 2008. But it quickly became a phenomenon, and by July 24, 2008, had risen to No. 2 (its peak position). With the movie, the book returned to the top 50 last month. This week it’s No. 8. Other movie tie-ins also are selling well: A Dog’s Purpose is No. 3 and Hidden Figures is No. 4.