New York Times Bestsellers – October 26th

The New York Times Bestseller List
October 26th, 2008

Hardcover Fiction

  1. THE BRASS VERDICT, by Michael Connelly. Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller (the Lincoln lawyer) team up to find a killer.
  2. THE LUCKY ONE, by Nicholas Sparks.  A marine returning home sets out to find the woman whose photo he found in Iraq.
  3. THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, by David Wroblewski. A mute takes refuge with three dogs in the Wisconsin woods after his father’s death.
  4. A LION AMONG MEN, by Gregory Maguire.  A looming civil war in Oz, seen through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion; the sequel to “Wicked” and “Son of a Witch.”
  5. A MOST WANTED MAN, by John le Carré.Intelligence agencies involved in the war on terror converge in Hamburg when a young Muslim man with mysterious connections shows up.

Hardcover NonfictionBook Cover:  The Snowball by Alice Schroeder

  1. THE SNOWBALL, by Alice Schroeder.  The life of Warren Buffett.
  2. A BOLD FRESH PIECE OF HUMANITY, by Bill O’Reilly.  The Fox News commentator on his upbringing and career.
  3. DEWEY, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. The kitten left freezing in the returned-book slot of an Iowa public library, and his rise to fame.
  4. HERE’S THE STORY, by Maureen McCormick.  The life of the actress who played Marcia Brady.
  5. MULTIPLE BLESSINGS, by Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson.  A couple with twins has sextuplets.

Paperback Trade FictionBook Cover:  The Shack by William P. Young

  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. WORLD WITHOUT END, by Ken Follett. Love and intrigue in Kingsbridge, the medieval English
  4. THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, by Junot Díaz. A nerdy Dominican-­American struggles to escape a family curse.cathedral town at the center of Follett’s “Pillars of the Earth.”
  5. NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, by Nicholas Sparks.  Romance ignites between a middle-aged man and woman at a North Carolina inn.

Paperback Mass-Market FictionBook Cover:  Double Cross

  1. DOUBLE CROSS, by James Patterson.  Alex Cross and his new girlfriend, a police detective, confront a boastful Washington killer.
  2. DEAD UNTIL DARK, by Charlaine Harris. Sookie Stackhouse, a psychic cocktail waitress in rural Louisiana, falls in love with a bad-boy vampire.
  3. DARK OF THE MOON, by John Sandford.  Virgil Flowers, a character from “Invisible Prey,” investigates three murders in a small Minnesota town.
  4. LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS, by Charlaine Harris.  A vampire asks the psychic waitress Sookie Stackhouse to find one of his missing companions.
  5. FIRST IMPRESSIONS, by Nora Roberts.  A businessman hoping to escape women is beguiled by his sassy neighbor; a reissue of a 1984 story, along with “Blithe Images,” a story from 1982.

Paperback Non-FictionBook Cover:  Three Cups of Tea

  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. THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, by Barack Obama. The Illinois senator asks Americans to move beyond political divisions.
  4. DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, by Barack Obama. The senator on life as the son of a black African father and a white American mother.
  5. THE DUCHESS, by Amanda Foreman.  A k a Georgiana Spencer, the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Hardcover AdviceBook Cover:  The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

  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. LOVE YOUR LIFE, by Victoria Osteen.  Osteen, co-pastor of the Lakewood megachurch, on using God’s teachings to find balance in one’s life.
  3. THE SECRET, by Rhonda Byrne. The law of attraction as a key to getting what you want.
  4. GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2009, edited by Craig Glenday. Tallest, fastest, youngest, most.
  5. GIADA’S KITCHEN, by Giada De Laurentiis. A collection of 100 Italian recipes with a California twist.

Paperback AdviceBook Cover:  The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick

  1. THE LOVE DARE, by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick.  A 40-day challenge for spouses to practice unconditional love.
  2. TWILIGHT, by Mark Cotta Vaz.  A behind-the-scenes look at the film based on the vampire romance for young adults by Stephenie Meyer.
  3. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.  Advice for parents-to-be.
  4. SKINNY BITCH, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Vegan diet advice from the world of modeling.
  5. I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?, by Professor Happy­cat and icanhascheezburger.com.  More than 200 “LOLcats” — pictures of cats with funny captions (sample: “im in ur tube, blockin ur internets”) — from the popular Web site.

Children’s Picture Books

  1. ABC3D, by Marion Bataille. The alphabet, in pop-ups. (Ages 9 to 12)
  2. BIG WORDS FOR LITTLE PEOPLE, by Jamie Lee Curtis. Illustrated by Laura Cornell.  A boisterous family improves its vocabulary, and its relationships. (Ages 4 to 8 )
  3. HIP HOP SPEAKS TO CHILDREN, edited by Nikki Giovanni. Various illustrators.  A celebration of poetry with a beat; includes a CD. (Ages 9 to 12)
  4. GALLOP!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder.  Animals seem to move when you flip the page. (Ages 4 to 8 )
  5. SWING!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder. Athletic children seem to move when you flip the page. (Ages 4 to 8)

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. PAULA DEEN’S MY FIRST COOKBOOK, by Paula Deen with Martha Nesbit. Illustrated by Susan Mitchell. Recipes for the very young. (Ages 4 to 8)
  4. THE MAZE OF BONES, by Rick Riordan.  A brother and sister hunt for the source of their family’s power; Book 1 of a new series, “The 39 Clues.” (Ages 12 and up)
  5. PAPER TOWNS, by John Green.  After a night of mischief, the girl Quentin loves disappears. (Ages 12 and up)

Children’s Paperback Books

  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. KNUCKLEHEAD, written and illustrated by Jon Scieszka.  A childhood memoir/scrapbook from the popular author. (Ages 9 to 12)
  4. THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY, by Trenton Lee Stewart. Illustrated by Carson Ellis. Gifted kids on a mission. (Ages 9 to 12)
  5. JUST LISTEN, by Sarah Dessen.  A girl finally deals with the incident that divided her and her former best friend. (Ages 12 and up)

Children’s Series BooksBook Cover:  Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

  1. THE TWILIGHT SERIES, by Stephenie Meyer. Vampires and werewolves in high school. (Ages 12 and up)
  2. INHERITANCE, by Christopher Paolini. A teenager and his dragon learn the secrets of a fantasy world. (Ages 12 and up)
  3. HOUSE OF NIGHT, by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast. Vampires in school. (Ages 14 and up)
  4. INKHEART, by Cornelia Funke. The characters of a book come to life and ensnare its readers. (Ages 10 and up)
  5. IF YOU GIVE . . ., by Laura Numeroff. Illustrated by Felicia Bond.  Fun with cause and effect. (Ages 4 to 8)

Source: The New York Times Best Seller List

4 comments


  1. I still can’t figure out how Guiness Book of Word Records is advice…and now, a behind the scenes look at the Twlight movie?? How is that advice? How to be a over-obsesessed-superfan? Sorry to anyone who bought this book. I mean no offense to you, I just don’t understand how it qualifies in the New York Time’s eyes as an advice book.

    It looks like the suthor of Gallop has made anoter cool book just like it. I look forward to looking at it…and probably end up buying it, “Puh-leeeeeease mommy?”, at the book store.

    Has anyone read The Lucky One or Life Among Men? What did you think? I read Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, Confession of an Ugly Step-sister, and Mirror, Mirror and haven’t read any more. I liked parts of Wicked but felt let down at the end, I enjoyed Confessions, and was just confused and a little disturbed by Mirror Mirror. I never went on to read Son of a Witch. Just wondering what others thought.

    on October 26th, 2008 at 10:00 am
  2. I have tagged you for a meme. Details here

    I read Mirror, Mirror and have never read another Maguire book since, even though I have owned the book for years, and I went to see the musical not all that long ago.

    on October 26th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
  3. Jenn M. – They really need a reference section. I’m not surprised they put out a Twilight book but I do have to admit that we have several Mark Cotta Vaz books. They are good. I really want to look at the ABC3D book, it looks good. I haven’t read The Lucky One and really want to read Gregory Maguire’s books. I think I have Wicked somewhere in the house.

    Marg – Thanks. I probably won’t be able to get to it until November, if you don’t mind waiting.

    on October 27th, 2008 at 12:22 am
  4. That’s cool.

    on October 27th, 2008 at 3:49 am

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