Maw Books Blog

The New York Times Bestseller List
August 17th, 2008

Hardcover Fiction

1. ACHERON, by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  Book 12 of the Dark-Hunter paranormal series.
2. THE BOURNE SANCTION, by Eric Van Lustbader.  Robert Ludlum’s character Jason Bourne pursues the leader of a Muslim terrorist group.
3. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  After World War II, a journalist travels to the island of Guernsey to meet residents who resisted the Nazi occupation.
4. MOSCOW RULES, by Daniel Silva.  Gabriel Allon, an art restorer and an occasional spy for the Israeli secret service, uncovers a Russian arms sales plot.
5. THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer.  Aliens have taken control of the minds and bodies of most humans, but one woman won’t surrender.

Hardcover Nonfiction

1. THE OBAMA NATION, by Jerome R. Corsi.  The Democratic candidate as an extreme leftist, from the co-author of “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry.”
2. STORI TELLING, by Tori Spelling with Hilary Liftin.  The actress’s memoir.
3. THE WAY OF THE WORLD, by Ron Suskind.  How the Bush administration ignored evidence about Iraq in its rush to war.
4. WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES, by David Sedaris. The humorist’s latest essays deal with middle age, mortality and giving up smoking
5. THE CASE AGAINST BARACK OBAMA, by David Freddoso. The Democratic candidate as a calculating extreme leftist.

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. BAREFOOT, by Elin Hilderbrand.  Three women burdened by various problems (work, love, health) spend a transformative summer together on Nantucket.
3. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. A young man-and an elephant-save a Depression-era circus.
4. THE ALCHEMIST, by Paulo Coelho. A Spanish shepherd boy travels to Egypt in search of treasure.
5. THE KITE RUNNER, by Khaled Hosseini. An Afghan-American returns to Kabul to learn how a childhood friend has fared.

Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

1. PLAYING FOR PIZZA, by John Grisham.  An American third-string quarterback joins the Italian National Football League’s Parma Panthers.
2. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED, by James Patterson and Howard Roughan.  An aspiring photographer working as a nanny has terrible visions.
3. TURBULENT SEA, by Christine Feehan.  When a rock ’n’ roll goddess is threatened on tour, she turns to the arms of her bodyguard.
4. INTO THE FLAME, by Christina Dodd.  A cop who can change into a cougar seeks answers about his origins.
5. LEFT TO DIE, by Lisa Jackson.  A woman wakes from a car accident in the Montana woods, where a serial killer is on the loose.

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. A LONG WAY GONE, by Ishmael Beah.  A former child soldier from Sierra Leone describes his drug-crazed killing spree and his return to humanity.
4. THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, by Barack Obama. The Illinois senator proposes that Americans move beyond their political divisions.
5. BIG RUSS AND ME, by Tim Russert. Russert remembers his father and the other important teachers in his life.

Hardcover Advice

1. 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.”
2. YOU: STAYING YOUNG, by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz et al.. The principles of longevity and how to combat aging’s effects.
3. THE SECRET, by Rhonda Byrne. The law of attraction as a key to getting what you want.
4. JUST WHO WILL YOU BE?, by Maria Shriver. Shriver’s message: “What you do in your life isn’t what matters. It’s who you are.”
5. 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).

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. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.  Advice for parents-to-be.
5. 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. (†)

Children’s Picture Books

1. GALLOP!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder. Animals seem to move when you flip the page. (Ages 4 to 8 )
2. FAIRIES AND MAGICAL CREATURES, by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda.  Mythological pop-ups from the Encyclopedia Prehistorica team. (Ages 9 to 12)
3. ALPHABET, by Matthew Van Fleet. An interactive safari ABC. (Ages 2 to 6)
4. MADAM PRESIDENT, by Lane Smith.  What if a girl were president? (Ages 9 to 12)
5. SPLAT THE CAT, written and illustrated by Rob Scotton.  First-day-of-school jitters. (Ages 4 to

Children’s Chapter Books

1. THE DANGEROUS DAYS OF DANIEL X, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. A boy with secret powers seeks revenge on his parents’ killers. (Ages 12 and up)
2. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. The travails of adolescence, in cartoons. (Ages 9 to 12)
3. 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)
4. KISS MY MATH, by Danica McKellar. A girls’ guide to pre-algebra. (Ages 12 to 14)
5. THE CLONE WARS, by Jason Fry.  A visual guide to the new “Star Wars” movie. (Ages 12 and up)

Children’s Paperback Books

1. CLAIRE, by Lisi Harrison.  A peer-pressured girl enters a beauty pageant; a Clique novel. (Ages 9 to 12)
2. THE CLONE WARS, by Tracey West.  Will Jabba help fight Count Dooku? A movie novelization. (Ages 12 and up)
   
3. 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)
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. 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)

Children’s Series Books

1. THE TWILIGHT SERIES, by Stephenie Meyer. Vampires and werewolves in high school. (Ages 12 and up)
2. ARTEMIS FOWL, by Eoin Colfer. A criminal’s magical adventures. (Ages 8 and up)
3. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan. Battling mythological monsters. (Ages 9 to 12)
4. THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS, by Ann Brashares. Four friends share a pair of magical pants. (Ages 12 and up)
5. HARRY POTTER, by J. K. Rowling.  A boy wizard hones his skills and fights evil. (Ages 10 and up)

Source: The New York Times Best Seller List