BESTSELLERS

PAPERBACKS

1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini ($15)

*--* Fiction Weeks on list 1. T Is for Trespass by Sue Grafton (Putnam: $26.95) Kinsey 3 Millhone suspects elder abuse and becomes ensnared in a case of identity theft. 2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: 33 $25.95) Two Afghan women struggle to survive jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny. 3. Double Cross by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.99) 6 Alex Cross is called back to action when a flurry of murders causes terror in Washington, D.C. 4. Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon (Del Rey: 8 $21.95) An unlikely pair of travelers ply their skills along the Silk Road in the 10th century. 5. World Without End by Ken Follett (Dutton: $35) Four 11 children who witness a murder jockey for power and position as adults in 14th century England. 6. Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (Doubleday: $21.95) A 9 down-on-his-luck pro quarterback finds refuge on a football team in Parma, Italy. 7. Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson (Farrar, Straus & 7 Giroux: $27) The saga of an undercover CIA agent, beginning with the Tet offensive in Vietnam. 8. The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz (Bantam: 4 $27) A woman who runs a golden retriever rescue group is hiding a dark secret. 9. Shadow Music by Julie Garwood (Ballantine: $26) An 1 English princess sent to the Scottish Highlands starts a war that inflames ancient passions. 10. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz 7 (Riverhead: $24.95) A sci-fi-loving nerd and his immigrant family are haunted by the past. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden 33 (HarperCollins: $24.95) Learn how to tie knots, find true north and other essential skills. 2. The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and 9 Miriam Peskowitz (HarperCollins: $24.95) A girls’ handbook of skills and must-have knowledge. 3. I Am America (and so Can You!) by Stephen Colbert 13 (Grand Central: $26.99) “The Colbert Report” star expounds on the forces destroying America. 4. Born Standing Up by Steve Martin (Scribner: $25) The 6 groundbreaking comedian reflects on his childhood and the evolution of his art. 5. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) 53 Life’s secrets distilled from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy. 6. Boom! Voices of the Sixties by Tom Brokaw (Random 8 House: $28.95) Reflections on a decade of social change that swept America and its people. 7. Good Dog. Stay. by Anna Quindlen (Random House: 6 $14.95) The bittersweet recollections of life with Beau, Quindlen’s black Labrador retriever. 8. You: Staying Young by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. 9 Oz (Free Press: $26) Doctors explain how the body ages and how to counter those effects. 9. Become a Better You by Joel Osteen (Free Press: $25) 6 The Texas pastor offers advice on prayer, good habits and building better relationships. 10. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks (Knopf: $26) The medical 8 storyteller explores the link between music and its myriad effects on the human brain. *--*

Fiction

2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett ($24.95)

3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen ($13.95)

4. The Gathering by Anne Enright ($14)

5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ($13.95)

Nonfiction

1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert ($15)

2. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

($15)

3. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer ($13.95)

4. The Innocent Man by John Grisham ($7.99)

5. This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin ($15)

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.