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The New York Times Bestseller List
August 31st, 2008

Hardcover Fiction

1. THE FORCE UNLEASHED, by Sean Williams. An apprentice to Darth Vader is dispatched to kill the last of his master’s enemies; a “Star Wars” novel.
2. SMOKE SCREEN, by Sandra Brown. Scandalous deaths thwart the investigation of a fatal fire at police headquarters in Charleston, S.C.
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. THE BOURNE SANCTION, by Eric Van Lustbader.  Robert Ludlum’s character Jason Bourne pursues the leader of a Muslim terrorist group.
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. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA, by Chelsea Handler.  Humorous personal essays from the stand-up comedian.
4. THE LIMITS OF POWER, by Andrew Bacevich. A retired Army colonel argues that American citizens are ultimately responsible for the country’s military and economic woes.
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. THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, by Sue Monk Kidd.  In South Carolina in 1964, a teenage girl tries to discover the secret to her mother’s past.
3. THE CHOICE, by Nicholas Sparks.  How a North Carolina man’s choices play out.
4. BAREFOOT, by Elin Hilderbrand.  Three women burdened by various problems (work, love, health) spend a transformative summer together on Nantucket.
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. NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, by Nicholas Sparks.  Romance ignites between a middle-­aged man and woman at an inn in North Carolina.
4. THE BOOK OF SCANDAL, by Julia London.  A battle of wills in 19th-century England.
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. THE GIFT OF FEAR, by Gavin de Becker.  Intuitive signals that can protect us from becoming the victims violence.
5. THE GLASS CASTLE, by Jeannette Walls. The author recalls a bizarre childhood during which she and her siblings moved constantly.

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. THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferriss.  Reconstructing your life so it’s not all about work.
5. SIX DISCIPLINES EXECUTION REVOLUTION, by Gary Harpst. (Six Disciplines Publishing, $12.95.) Strategies for small and midsize businesses.

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. THE POWER OF NOW, by Eckhart Tolle. A guide to personal growth and spiritual enlightenment.
3. SKINNY BITCH, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Vegan diet advice from the world of modeling.
4. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.  Advice for parents-to-be.
5. THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE, by Rick Warren. (Zondervan, $14.99.) Finding meaning in one’s life through God.

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. SPLAT THE CAT, written and illustrated by Rob Scotton.  First-day-of-school jitters. (Ages 4 to
3. 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
4. FAIRIES AND MAGICAL CREATURES, by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda.  Mythological pop-ups from the Encyclopedia Prehistorica team. (Ages 9 to 12)
5. FOR THE LOVE OF AUTUMN, written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco.  The affection between a new teacher and her pet kitten. (Ages 4 to

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. 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)
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 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)
5. 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)

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. 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

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