New York Times Bestsellers – November 9th

The New York Times Bestseller List
November 9th, 2008

Hardcover Fiction

  1. THE GATE HOUSE, by Nelson DeMille.  In a sequel to “The Gold Coast” (1990) a tax attorney and his ex-wife explore a reconciliation.
  2. EXTREME MEASURES, by Vince Flynn.  Mitch Rapp teams up with a C.I.A. colleague to fight a terrorist cell — and the politicians who would rein them in.
  3. THE BRASS VERDICT, by Michael Connelly.  Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller (the Lincoln lawyer) team up to find a killer.
  4. THE LUCKY ONE, by Nicholas Sparks.  A marine returning home sets out to track down the woman whose photo he found in Iraq.
  5. A GOOD WOMAN, by Danielle Steel. An American society girl who made a new life as a doctor in World War I France returns to New York.

Hardcover Nonfiction

  1. 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.
  2. AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE, by James Patterson and Hal Friedman. A family’s struggle to get treatment for their son’s Tourette’s syndrome.
  3. THE SNOWBALL, by Alice Schroeder.  The life of Warren Buffett.
  4. A BOLD FRESH PIECE OF HUMANITY, by Bill O’Reilly.  The Fox News commentator on his upbringing and career.
  5. HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, by Thomas L. Friedman.  How a green revolution can renew America, by the New York Times columnist.

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 ROAD, by Cormac McCarthy.  A father and son travel in post-apocalypse America.
  5. 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.”

Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

  1. THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR, by Dean Koontz.  A woman who rescues golden retrievers and one special dog are shadowed by an evil stranger.
  2. SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS, by Debbie Macomber.  A reissue of two books: “Return to Promise” and “Mail-order Bride.”
  3. DOUBLE CROSS, by James Patterson.  Alex Cross and his new girlfriend, a police detective, confront a boastful Washington killer.
  4. FOUL PLAY, by Janet Evanovich.  A veterinarian hires a woman who has lost her TV job to a dancing chicken, then helps her prove her innocence when the chicken disappears; a reissue of a 1989 book.
  5. DUMA KEY, by Stephen King. A Minnesota contractor moves to Florida to recover from an injury and starts creating paintings with eerie powers.

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. MARLEY & ME, by John Grogan. Lessons learned from a neurotic dog.
  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. EAT, PRAY, LOVE, by Elizabeth Gilbert. A writer’s yearlong journey in search of self takes her to Italy, India and Indonesia.

Hardcover Advice

  1. BAREFOOT CONTESSA BACK TO BASICS, by Ina Garten.  Cooking techniques and nearly 100 new recipes for elegant meals.
  2. FLAT BELLY DIET!, by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass.  Nutrition advice and workout tips from the editors of Prevention magazine.
  3. 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.”
  4. MARTHA STEWART’S COOKING SCHOOL, by Martha Stewart with Sarah Carey. Photographs by Marcus Nilsson and Ditte Isager.  How to roast, broil, braise, stew, sauté, poach and more.
  5. THE SECRET, by Rhonda Byrne. The law of attraction as a key to getting what you want.

Paperback Advice

  1. TWILIGHT, by Mark Cotta Vaz.  A behind-the-scenes look at the film based on the vampire romance for young adults by Stephenie Meyer.
  2. THE LOVE DARE, by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick.  A 40-day challenge for spouses to practice unconditional love.
  3. SOUL COMMUNICATION, by Zhi Gang Sha.  Techniques for getting in touch with your soul, your angels, your spiritual guides.
  4. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.  Advice for parents-to-be.
  5. A NEW EARTH, by Eckhart Tolle.  A spiritual teacher prescribes letting go of the ego to help end conflict and suffering.

Children’s Picture Books

  1. GOODNIGHT GOON, written and illustrated by Michael Rex.  Bedtime in the cold gray tomb: a parody of the classic story. (Ages 4 to 8)
  2. BATS AT THE LIBRARY, written and illustrated by Brian Lies.  There’s a lot they can do besides hanging upside down. (Ages 4 to 8)
  3. 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 )
  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. 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)
  4. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, by Neil Gaiman. Illustrated by Dave McKean. To avoid a killer, a boy lives in a cemetery.
  5. THE WAY WE WORK, by David Macaulay with Richard Walker.  Getting to know the human body. (Ages 9 to 12)

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. PLUM FANTASTIC, by Whoopi Goldberg with Deborah Underwood. Illustrated by Maryn Roos.  A student’s struggles, first in a series, “Sugar Plum Ballerinas.” (Ages 9 to 12)
  4. SLAM, by Nick Hornby. (Riverhead, $14.) A skateboarder gets his high school girlfriend pregnant, and wonders: what would Tony Hawk do? (Ages 12 and up)
  5. BARACK OBAMA, by Roberta Edwards. Illustrated by Ken Call.  A biography of the “skinny kid” president-elect. (Ages 7 to 9)
  6. KNUCKLEHEAD, written and illustrated by Jon Scieszka.  A childhood memoir/scrapbook from the popular author. (Ages 9 to 12)

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. BLUE BLOODS, by Melissa de la Cruz. Young and privileged vampires are having a blood feud. (Ages 14 and up)

Source: The New York Times Best Seller List

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2 comments


  1. I’ve been meaning to read taht Dewey book for ages!

    on November 9th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
  2. Thanks for the list. I was surprised at how many of the children’s books I have read and of course I have several more to read. I really need to check Gallop out from the library. My sister’s kids love that book.

    What surprised me was the What to Expect when your Expecting – imo that is not the best book for pregnancy.

    on November 9th, 2008 at 9:20 pm

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