Maw Books Blog

The New York Times Bestseller List
July 20th, 2008

Hardcover Fiction

1. TRIBUTE, by Nora Roberts. A former child star returns to Virginia to rehabilitate the farm owned by her grandmother, an actress who died mysteriously.

2. FEARLESS FOURTEEN, by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie Plum and her boyfriend Joe Morelli become involved when his cousin’s bank robbery goes bad.

3.  THE LAST PATRIOT, by Brad Thor. Scot Harvath, a Homeland Security superagent, searches for an ancient secret that could defeat Islamic militants.

4.  THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, by David Wroblewski. A mute takes refuge with three dogs in the Wisconsin woods after his uncle murders his father.

5.  SWAN PEAK, by James Lee Burke. The Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux can’t escape trouble on his Montana vacation.

Hardcover Nonfiction

1. WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES, by David Sedaris. The humorist’s latest essays deal with middle age, mortality and giving up smoking
2. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA, by Chelsea Handler. Humorous personal essays from the stand-up comedian
3. FLEECED, by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann. Americans are fleeced by government, business, labor unions and lobbyists. (†)
4. WHAT HAPPENED, by Scott McClellan. A former White House press secretary regrets that “I allowed myself to be deceived” by top officials.
5. STORI TELLING, by Tori Spelling with Hilary Liftin. The actress’s memoir.

Paperback Trade Fiction

1. THE SHACK, by William P. Young. A man whose daughter was abducted is invited to an isolated shack, apparently by God. (†)
2. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. A young man-and an elephant-save a Depression-era circus.
3. THE KITE RUNNER, by Khaled Hosseini. An Afghan-American returns to Kabul to learn how a childhood friend has fared.
4. THE ALCHEMIST, by Paulo Coelho. A Spanish shepherd boy travels to Egypt in search of treasure.
5. NINETEEN MINUTES, by Jodi Picoult. The aftermath of a high school shooting reveals the fault lines in a small New Hampshire town.

Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

1. LEAN MEAN THIRTEEN, by Janet Evanovich. The New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum becomes a suspect when her ex-husband disappears.
2. DOUBLE TAKE, by Catherine Coulter. Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock — F.B.I. agents as well as husband and wife — join with a San Francisco colleague to solve a murder and find a missing woman
3. SOMEDAY SOON, by Debbie Macomber. A widow and a mercenary fall in love; a reissue of a 1995 book.
4. DEAR JOHN, by Nicholas Sparks. An unlikely romance between a soldier and an idealistic young woman is tested after 9/11.
5. STEP ON A CRACK, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. A detective raising 10 children alone must rescue 34 high-level hostages.

Paperback Non-Fiction

1. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. A former climber builds schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
2. EAT, PRAY, LOVE, by Elizabeth Gilbert. A writer’s yearlong journey in search of self takes her to Italy, India and Indonesia.
3. BIG RUSS AND ME, by Tim Russert. Russert remembers his father and the other important teachers in his life.
4. WISDOM OF OUR FATHERS, by Tim Russert. The journalist presents readers’ letters about their fathers in response to his memoir, “Big Russ and Me.”
5. THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, by Barack Obama. The Illinois senator proposes that Americans move beyond their political divisions.

Hardcover Advice

1. DECEPTIVELY DELICIOUS, by Jessica Seinfeld. Tips and recipes to fool children into eating right, from a mother of three (and the wife of Jerry Seinfeld).
2. THE LAST LECTURE, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. After learning he has terminal cancer, a Carnegie Mellon professor shares his thoughts on the importance of “seizing every moment.”
3. THE SECRET, by Rhonda Byrne. The law of attraction as a key to getting what you want.
4. GOODNIGHT BUSH, by Erich Origen and Gan Golan. A requiem for the Bush administration, based on the children’s book “Goodnight Moon.”
5. THE SOUTH BEACH DIET SUPERCHARGED, by Arthur Agatston with Joseph Signorile. A guide to faster weight loss.

Paperback Advice

1. A NEW EARTH, by Eckhart Tolle. A spiritual teacher prescribes letting go of the ego to help end conflict and suffering.
2. SKINNY BITCH, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Vegan diet advice from the world of modeling.
3. THE POWER OF NOW, by Eckhart Tolle. A guide to personal growth and spiritual enlightenment.
4. SOUL WISDOM, by Dr. Zhi Gang Sha. A doctor of Western and traditional Chinese medicine explains how to harness the power of the soul for healing and personal transformation. (†)
5. PERFECT SELLING, by Linda Richardson. A five-step system for meeting sales objectives and increasing business. (†)

Children’s Picture Books

1. YOU CAN DO IT!, by Tony Dungy. Illustrated by Amy June Bates. How faith and dreams help us succeed
2. GALLOP!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder. Animals seem to move when you flip the page. (Ages 4 to 8 )
3. ALPHABET, by Matthew Van Fleet. An interactive safari ABC. (Ages 2 to 6)
4. A VISITOR FOR BEAR, by Bonny Becker. Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton. A mouse pops in on an antisocial bear. (Ages 4 to
5. SMASH! CRASH!, by Jon Scieszka. Illustrated by David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon. A truck named Jack and a dump truck named Dan love to smash into things. (Ages 3 to 7)

Children’s Chapter Books

1. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. The travails of adolescence, in cartoons. (Ages 9 to 12)
2. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. How Greg embarrassed himself on his summer vacation (ask his older brother, Rodrick); a sequel to “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” (Ages 9 to 12)
3. WARRIORS: CATS OF THE CLANS, by Erin Hunter. Illustrated by Wayne McLoughlin. A guide to the characters in the Warriors series. (Ages 10 and up)
4. LOCK AND KEY, by Sarah Dessen. A free-spirited high school girl is sent to live with her wealthy older sister. (Ages 12 and up)
5. THE WILLOUGHBYS, by Lois Lowry. Two wicked parents and their precocious children parody the conventions of children’s literature. (Ages 9 to 12)

Children’s Paperback Books

1. KRISTEN, by Lisi Harrison. In summer school, a scholarship student baby-sits for a popular boy’s younger sister; a Clique novel. (Ages 12 and up)
2. THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, by Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. A mouse, a rat and a girl on a magic trip. (Ages 10 and up)
3. ALICIA, by Lisi Harrison. In Spain for the summer, a girl auditions for a role in a rock video; a Clique novel. (Ages 12 and up)
4. THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak. A girl saves books from Nazi burning and shares them with a Jewish man in hiding. (Ages 14 and up)
5. TEMPTED, by Cecily von Ziegesar. Who at Waverly stopped Jenny from being expelled? An It Girl novel. (Ages 15 and up)

Children’s Series Books

1. THE TWILIGHT SERIES, by Stephenie Meyer. Vampires and werewolves in high school. (Ages 12 and up)
2. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan. Battling mythological monsters. (Ages 9 to 12)
3. BOOKS OF EMBER, by Jeanne DuPrau. In a postapocalyptic future, children try to save the world. (Ages 10 to 13)
4. HARRY POTTER, by J. K. Rowling. A boy wizard hones his skills and fights evil. (Ages 10 and up)
5. THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS, by Ann Brashares. Four friends share a pair of magical pants. (Ages 12 and up)

Source: The New York Times Best Seller List