Jocelyn McClurg

USA TODAY

Here’s a look at what’s new on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list…

Artist-in-chief: Former President George W. Bush, inspired by Winston Churchill, has taken up a paintbrush in retirement, and the result is a best-selling art book that honors service members and veterans.

Bush’s Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors (Crown) lands at No. 3 this week. (The full list will be published on Thursday.)

The 43rd president is no stranger to USA TODAY’s best-seller list. His presidential memoir, Decision Points, was No. 1 for five straight weeks in 2010, and 41: A Portrait of My Father made it to No. 3 in 2014.

The men and women in Courage, many of them wounded, are individuals Bush knows personally, and he writes a narrative portrait to accompany each impressionistic painting. In his introduction, Bush says he “hopes to draw attention to the challenges some face when they come home and transition to civilian life — and the need for our country to better address them.”



George W. Bush's portraits of American veterans on display in Dallas

The paintings are also on view in an exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

The former president, who took up painting after he left office because he was “antsy” and now calls it a “passion,” has made widespread media appearances for Portraits of Courage, including the Today show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. During interviews, he's made headline-making remarks defending the media.