Maw Books Blog

The New York Times Bestseller List
August 24th, 2008

Hardcover Fiction

1. SMOKE SCREEN, by Sandra Brown. Scandalous deaths thwart the investigation of a fatal fire at police headquarters in Charleston, S.C.
2. THE BOURNE SANCTION, by Eric Van Lustbader.  Robert Ludlum’s character Jason Bourne pursues the leader of a Muslim terrorist group.
3. ACHERON, by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  Book 12 of the Dark-Hunter paranormal series.
4. 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.
5. 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.

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. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA, by Chelsea Handler.  Humorous personal essays from the stand-up comedian.
5. WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES, by David Sedaris. The humorist’s latest essays deal with middle age, mortality and giving up smoking

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. THE ALCHEMIST, by Paulo Coelho. A Spanish shepherd boy travels to Egypt in search of treasure.
4. THE KITE RUNNER, by Khaled Hosseini. An Afghan-American returns to Kabul to learn how a childhood friend has fared.
5. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. A young man-and an elephant-save a Depression-era circus.

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. NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, by Nicholas Sparks.  Romance ignites between a middle-­aged man and woman at an inn in North Carolina.
4. INTO THE FLAME, by Christina Dodd.  A cop who can change into a cougar seeks answers about his origins.
5. PLAY DIRTY, by Sandra Brown.  A fallen football star agrees to secretly father a child for a woman and her wealthy paraplegic husband.

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. 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.
3. EAT, PRAY, LOVE, by Elizabeth Gilbert. A writer’s yearlong journey in search of self takes her to Italy, India and Indonesia.
4. I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL, by Tucker Max.  Reflections of a self-absorbed, drunken womanizer.
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. THE SECRET, by Rhonda Byrne. The law of attraction as a key to getting what you want.
3. YOU: STAYING YOUNG, by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz et al.. The principles of longevity and how to combat aging’s effects.
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. MONEY, AND THE LAW OF ATTRACTION, by Esther and Jerry Hicks.  Improving your physical and financial well-being through the teachings of Abraham. (†)
2. A NEW EARTH, by Eckhart Tolle. A spiritual teacher prescribes letting go of the ego to help end conflict and suffering.
3. SKINNY BITCH, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Vegan diet advice from the world of modeling.
4. THE POWER OF NOW, by Eckhart Tolle. A guide to personal growth and spiritual enlightenment.
5. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.  Advice for parents-to-be.

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. BATS AT THE LIBRARY, written and illustrated by Brian Lies.  Bats can do many things in a library besides hanging upside down. (Ages 4 to
3. FAIRIES AND MAGICAL CREATURES, by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda.  Mythological pop-ups from the Encyclopedia Prehistorica team. (Ages 9 to 12)
4. ALPHABET, by Matthew Van Fleet. An interactive safari ABC. (Ages 2 to 6)
5. ZEN TIES, written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth.  Stillwater the Buddhist panda encourages friends to help a neighbor. (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 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. THE CLONE WARS, by Tracey West.  Will Jabba help fight Count Dooku? A movie novelization. (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. THE NEW PADAWAN, by Eric Stevens.  To his chagrin, Anakin has a student; a “Star Wars” book based on the movie “The Clone Wars.” (Ages 9 to 12)

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. BOOKS OF EMBER, by Jeanne DuPrau.  In a postapocalyptic future, children try to save the world. (Ages 10 to 13)
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