Maw Books

Maw Books – book reviews, book recommendations, book lists, author interviews and more!

The New York Times Bestseller List
February 28, 2010

Hardcover Fiction

1. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s ­Mississippi.
2. WORST CASE, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge.  A New York detective raising 10 children alone investigates a string of kidnappings and killings of teenagers by a villain with unusual motives.
3. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown.  Robert Langdon among the Masons.
4. POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL, by Jackie Collins. Hollywood murder, three beautiful 20-something high school friends, a hot New York club owner.
5. WINTER GARDEN, by Kristin Hannah. After their father’s death, two sisters must cooperate to run his apple orchard and care for their difficult mother.

Hardcover Nonfiction

1. GAME CHANGE, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin.  Behind the scenes at the 2008 election with Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, John and Elizabeth Edwards, John McCain and Sarah Palin.
2. THE POLITICIAN, by Andrew Young.  A tell-all by John Edwards’s closest aide.
3. THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, by Rebecca Skloot.  Race, poverty and science intertwine in the story of the woman whose cancer cells were cultured without her permission in 1951 and have supported a mountain of research undertaken since then.
4. I AM OZZY, by Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres. Recollections of heavy metal’s “Prince of Darkness.”.
5. WILLIE MAYS, by James S. Hirsch. The life and career of a baseball legend.

Paperback Trade Fiction

1. THE LAST SONG, by Nicholas Sparks. A 17-year-old spends the summer with her father in North Carolina and finds many kinds of love.
2. A RELIABLE WIFE, by Robert Goolrick.  Complications ensue when a wealthy Wisconsin widower in 1907 advertises for a wife.
3. LITTLE BEE, by Chris Cleave.  The lives of a British woman and a Nigerian girl collide.
4. DEAR JOHN, by Nicholas Sparks. (An unlikely romance between a soldier and an idealistic young woman is tested after 9/11.
5. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, by Stieg Larsson.  A hacker and a journalist investigate the disappearance of a Swedish heiress.

Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

1. DEAR JOHN, by Nicholas Sparks.  An unlikely romance between a soldier and an idealistic young woman is tested after 9/11.
2. FIRST FAMILY, by David Baldacci. Former Secret Service agents, now P.I.’s, search for a child abducted after a party at Camp David.
3. SHUTTER ISLAND, by Dennis Lehane. A United States marshal hunts for a beautiful patient escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane on an island in Boston’s outer harbor.
4. PLEASURE OF A DARK PRINCE, by Kresley Cole.  A werewolf prince exploits the desires of the archer he is determined to protect; part of the Immortals After Dark series.
5. THE SCARECROW, by Michael Connelly.  A Los Angeles Times reporter tracks a devious killer.

Paperback Non-Fiction

1. THE BLIND SIDE, by Michael Lewis.  The evolving business of football, viewed through the rise of the left tackle Michael Oher.
2. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. A former climber builds schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
3. THE LOST CITY OF Z, by David Grann. A New Yorker writer searches for a British explorer who was lost in the Amazon in 1925
4. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA, by Chelsea Handler.  Humorous personal essays from the comedian.
5. MY HORIZONTAL LIFE, by Chelsea Handler.  A memoir of one-night stands.

Hardcover Advice

1. SWITCH, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.  How everyday people can effect transformative change at work and in life.
2. THE KIND DIET, by Alicia Silverstone.  The actress’’s recipes and insights for going meat- and dairy-free.
3. THE HAPPINESS PROJECT, by Gretchen Rubin.  A year spent focusing on the things that really matter.
4. SO LONG, INSECURITY, by Beth Moore.  The Bible instructor shares her insights for boosting women’’s self-confidence.
5. MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, VOL. 1, by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle.  A reissue of the book that started Julia Child’s career.

Paperback Advice

1. FOOD RULES, by Michael Pollan.  A manual for healthy eating, from the author of “The Omnivore’’s Dilemma.”
2. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.  Advice for parents-to-be.
3. COOK THIS, NOT THAT!, by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding. Saving calories by cooking “restaurant” offerings at home.
4. THE BELLY FAT CURE, by Jorge Cruise.  Do-over recipes using the “Carb Swap System” steer you away from foods full of hidden sweeteners and processed carbohydrates.
5. THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES, by Gary Chapman.  How to communicate love in a way a spouse will understand.

Children’s Picture Books

1. THE LION AND THE MOUSE, by Jerry Pinkney.  A fable of reciprocal kindness, redrawn. (Ages 4 to
2. THE EASTER EGG, written and illustrated by Jan Brett.  A story of kindness and the hatching of spring. (Ages 4 to
3. CAT THE CAT, WHO IS THAT?, written and illustrated by Mo Willems.A friendly cat introduces her social set. (Ages 1 to 5)
4. ALL THE WORLD, by Liz Garton Scanlon. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. A day in the life of a multicultural family. (Ages 4 to
5. WADDLE!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder.Animals in motion, with color. (Ages 4 to

Children’s Chapter Books

1. SWEET LITTLE LIES, by Lauren Conrad.  The heroines of ”L.A. Candy” in a new Hollywood story. (Ages 14 and up)
2. PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS (THE ULTIMATE GUIDE), written by Mary-Jane Knight. Designed by Philip Chidlow. Gods, beasts and tips for children with one immortal parent, based on the series by Rick Riordan. (Ages 10 and up)
3. THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. In a dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up).
4. CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins.The protagonist of “The Hunger Games” returns. (Ages 12 and up)
5. FALLEN, by Lauren Kate.  Thwarted love among misfits at a boarding school in Savannah, Ga. (Ages 12 and up)

Children’s Paperback Books

1. L.A. CANDY, by Lauren Conrad.  Excitement in TV land by someone who has been there. (Ages 14 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. 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)
4. THIRST NO. 2: PHANTOM, EVIL THIRST, CREATURES OF FOREVER, by Christopher Pike. A girl struggles with her dreamed-of transition from undead to mortal. (Ages 14 and up)
5. LOCK AND KEY, by Sarah Dessen.  A crack appears in a girl’s cynicism. (Ages 12 and up)

Children’s Series Books

1. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan.  Battling mythological monsters. (Ages 9 to 12)
2. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney.  A boy records the hazards of adolescent life. (Ages 9 to 12)
3. THE TWILIGHT SERIES, by Stephenie Meyer. Vampires and werewolves in high school. (Ages 12 and up)
4. THE 39 CLUES, by various authors.  A brother and sister travel the world in search of the key to their family’s power. (Ages 9 to 12)
5. HOUSE OF NIGHT, by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. Vampires in school. (Ages 14 and up)

Hardcover Graphic Books

1. THE BOOK OF GENESIS: ILLUSTRATED, by R. Crumb. The legendary artist tackles the first book of the Bible.
2. DARK TOWER: THE FALL OF GILEAD, by Robin Furth and Peter David.  This comic series explores the world set forth by Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” novels. Has Roland committed the worst crime of all?
3. WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN, by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. In a future world where the villains are triumphant, Wolverine has left heroics behind to care for his family. If only Hawkeye and the Hulk gang would accept that.
4. THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS, by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins. This collected edition reprints the first mini-series devoted to the comic book version of Stephen King’s novel, “The Stand.”
5. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland.  This critically acclaimed story from 1988 offers a possible origin for the Joker.

Paperback Graphic Books

1. THE WALKING DEAD, VOL. 11, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard. The road to Washington is filled with many dangers for Rick and his band of refugees. To say anything more will ruin the story.
2. FABLES, VOL. 13, by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges. The Fables face-off against the Literals, the embodiments of romance, comedy, fantasy and one who can forever erase them from the world.
3. ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, VOL. 2, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.  Another batch of brilliant Superman tales in which the Man of Steel faces Bizarro, a couple who survived Krypton’s destruction and… his death?
4. THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE: RECORDED ATTACKS, by Max Brooks. If you want to survive a zombie attack, there may be no better way than to see how past cultures have done it.
5. WALKING DEAD, VOL. 1, by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore.  The gripping story of the human survivors in a world overrun by zombies continues.

Manga

1. NARUTO, VOL. 47, by Masashi Kishimoto.  Naurto learns more secrets from his past and moves closer to discovering the identity of his nemesis, Pain.
2. VAMPIRE KNIGHT, VOL. 9, by Matsuri Hino. Cross Academy has day and evening students, but the latter have a secret: they are vampires.
3. BLACK BUTLER, VOL. 1, by Yana Toboso.  Sebastian is a loyal butler who moves easily from dinner parties to the underworld. Is he too good to be true? Is he even human?
4. BLACK BIRD, VOL. 3, by Kanoko Sakurakoji.  Misao Harada can see into a magical realm where she is the bride demon of prophecy. How will she survive the pursuit of demons who want the power in her blood?
5. ALICE IN THE COUNTRY OF HEARTS, VOL. 1, by Quinrose and Soumei Hoshino.  Alice wanders into a very different part of Wonderland in this interpretation of the classic tale. In this new area of the fantasy land, every man is in love with Alice… and firearms.

Source: The New York Times Best Seller List

Hey you! Yes. You! I've noticed that you've stopped by to visit a few times! But I don't know who you are. Why don't you take a moment and introduce yourself. Don't be scared. I try not to bite. I know you're a lurker but I'd love to hear your thoughts about what's been bringing you here. And if you haven't done so already, don't forget to never miss a post by subscribing to my feed or receiving updates by email. Thanks for visiting!