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The New York Times Bestseller List
May 17th, 2009

Hardcover Fiction

1. DEAD AND GONE, by Charlaine Harris. Sookie Stackhouse searches for the killer of a werepanther.
2. THE 8TH CONFESSION, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.  Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’’s Murder Club investigate a pair of killings.
3. PYGMY, by Chuck Palahniuk. Terrorists from a totalitarian country enter the Midwest disguised as exchange students in this satire.
4. FIRST FAMILY, by David Baldacci. Former Secret Service agents, now P.I.’s, search for a child abducted from a party at Camp David.
5. TEA TIME FOR THE TRADITIONALLY BUILT, by Alexander McCall Smith.  The 10th novel in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.

Hardcover Nonfiction

1. LIBERTY AND TYRANNY, by Mark R. Levin. A conservative manifesto from a talk-show host and president of Landmark Legal Foundation.
2. ALWAYS LOOKING UP, by Michael J. Fox. Fox’s last 10 years, since he retired from “Spin City;” his struggles with Parkinson’s disease and his work as an activist through his foundation.
3. RESILIENCE, by Elizabeth Edwards. Dealing with life’s challenges, including cancer and her husband’s infidelity.
4. OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell.  Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.”
5. THE GIRLS FROM AMES, by Jeffrey Zaslow. An enduring friendship among a group of Midwestern women.

Paperback Trade Fiction

1. VISION IN WHITE, by Nora Roberts.  A wedding photographer finds romance with the brother of a bride-to-be; Book 1 in the Bride Quartet series.
2. THE SHACK, by William P. Young. A man whose daughter was abducted is invited to an isolated shack, apparently by God.
3. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, by Mary Ann Shaffer.  A journalist meets the island’s old Nazi resisters.
4. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.The classic story, retold with “ultraviolent zombie mayhem.”
5. CITY OF THIEVES, by David Benioff. Two men arrested in World War II Russia must complete a seemingly impossible task to save their lives.

Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

1. SAIL, by James Patterson and Howard Roughan. A sailing vacation turns into a disaster.
2. ANGELS AND DEMONS, by Dan Brown.  A scholar tries to save the Vatican from the machinations of an underground society.
3. PHANTOM PREY, by John Sandford. The Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport investigates a string of murders of young Goths.
4. ODD HOURS, by Dean Koontz.  Odd Thomas, who can communicate with the dead, confronts evil forces in a California coastal town.
5. BURNING WILD, by Christine Feehan.  A billionaire with leopard-shifting abilities has an animal attraction toward his young son’s nanny.

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. AUDITION, by Barbara Walters. A personal and professional memoir.
3. LONE SURVIVOR, by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson. The harrowing story of a Navy Seals operation in Afghanistan.
4. IN DEFENSE OF FOOD, by Michael Pollan. A manifesto urges us to “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
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. ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A MAN, by Steve Harvey.  Relationship tips from the comedian and host of “The Steve Harvey Morning Show.”
2. THE G-FREE DIET, by Elisabeth Hasselbeck.  Advice for living without gluten, from a television host who suffers from celiac disease.
3. MASTER YOUR METABOLISM, by Jillian Michaels with Mariska van Aalst.  A plan for removing toxins and rebalancing hormones to lose weight, by a trainer and coach from “The Biggest Loser” on NBC.
4. 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.”
5. 10-10-10, by Suzy Welch.  Evaluating decisions based on how they will affect your life in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years.

Paperback Advice

1. COOK YOURSELF THIN, by the staff of Lifetime Television.  How to cut calories, change diets and improve health without sacrificing the foods you love.
2. THE LOVE DARE, by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough.  A 40-day challenge for spouses to practice unconditional love.
3. NATURALLY THIN, by Bethenny Frankel with Eve Adamson. Rules and recipes for escaping the diet trap, from a star of “The Real Housewives of New York City.”
4. HUNGRY GIRL 200 UNDER 200, by Lisa Lillien. Two hundred recipes under 200 calories, for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time.
5. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.  Advice for parents-to-be.

Children’s Picture Books

1. LISTEN TO THE WIND: THE STORY OF DR. GREG AND THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth.  A school grows in Pakistan.
2. EXPLORER EXTRAORDINAIRE!, by Jane O’Connor. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser..  Fancy Nancy meets the outdoors in the finest tradition of the great explorers. (Ages 4 to 7)
3. GALLOP!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder.  Animals seem to move when you flip the page. (Ages 4 to
4. LLAMA LLAMA MISSES MAMA, written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney.  A little creature goes to preschool. (Ages 2 and up)
5. THE CURIOUS GARDEN, written and illustrated by Peter Brown. A boy named Liam nurtures a straggly garden to vivid fruition. (Ages 4 to

Children’s Chapter Books

1. TWILIGHT: DIRECTOR’S NOTEBOOK, by Catherine Hardwicke. The making of “Twilight,” the movie. (Ages 9 to 12)
2. THE AWAKENING, by Kelley Armstrong.  A genetically altered, ghost-seeing girl juggles a complicated set of adolescent trials. (Ages 12 and up)
3. AIRHEAD: BEING NIKKI, by Meg Cabot. A brainy girl is overloaded with schoolwork, mystery, and the modeling gigs that came with the body she acquired under unusual circumstances. (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. (Ages 10 and up)
5. MILES TO GO, by Miley Cyrus. The life of Miley Cyrus.

Children’s Paperback Books

1. THREE CUPS OF TEA: YOUNG READERS EDITION, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  A former climber builds schools in Pakistani and Afghan villages. (Ages 9 to 12)
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. EVERMORE, by Alyson Noël. Immortals in school. (Ages 12 and up)
4. THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, by John Boyne. A boy’s innocence is eroded in evil times. (Ages 12 and up)
5. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, written by Sherman Alexie. Illustrated by Ellen Forney. A boy leaves his reservation for an all-white school. (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. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan.  Battling mythological monsters. (Ages 9 to 12)
3. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney.  A boy records the hazards of adolescent life. (Ages 9 to 12)
4. HOUSE OF NIGHT, by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast.  Vampires in school. (Ages 14 and up)
5. THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, by Cassandra Clare. A girl battles the forces of darkness. (Ages 14 and up)

Source: The New York Times Best Seller List

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