San Francisco Chronicle Best-Sellers March 1

This week FICTION Bay Area Last week Weeks on list
1 THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, Shaffer and Barrows (The Dial Press; 277 pages; $22): An English author corresponds with members of a literary club.

2 FOOL, Christopher Moore (William Morrow; 336 pages; $26.99): A re-imagining of Shakespeare's "King Lear" as told by Lear's jester; by the author of "Lamb" and "You Suck."

3 CUTTING FOR STONE, Abraham Verghese (Knopf; 560 pages; $26.95): An epic novel about conjoined twins, separated at birth, who become doctors on different continents.

4 THE ASSOCIATE, John Grisham (Doubleday; 384 pages; $27.95): A young lawyer with a dark secret is forced to take a job in a prestigious New York law firm.

5 THE WOMEN, T.C. Boyle (Viking; 464 pages; $27.95): An account of Frank Lloyd Wright's life as told through the experiences of the four women who loved him.

6 AMONG THE MAD, Jacqueline Winspear (Henry Holt; 320 pages; $25): Detective Maisie Dobbs joins Scotland Yard to search for a man who is threatening to kill thousands of people in 1930s London.

7 BREAKING DAWN, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown; 768 pages; $22.99): The final book in the Twilight saga reveals Edward and Bella's fate.

8 LITTLE BEE, Chris Cleave (Simon & Schuster; 288 pages; $24): A British couple encounter two orphan girls fleeing from soldiers on a Nigerian Beach.

9 THE VAGRANTS, Yiyun Li (Random House; 352 pages; $25): A portrait of the lives of the residents of Muddy River, China, after a former Red Guard leader is executed.

10 THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, David Wroblewski (Ecco; 576 pages; $25.95): A mute boy and his dogs are forced to flee into the wilderness after a family tragedy.

This week FICTION National Last week Weeks on list
1 THE ASSOCIATE, John Grisham 1 3
2 RUN FOR YOUR ..., Patterson and Ledwidge 2 2
3 THE HOST, Stephenie Meyer 4 40
4 FOOL, Christopher Moore - 1
5 BONE CROSSED, Patricia Briggs 3 2
6 TRUE COLORS, Kristin Hannah 5 2
7 THE STORY OF EDGAR ..., D. Wroblewski 6 36
8 THE GUERNSEY ..., Shaffer and Barrows 8 22
9 PLUM SPOOKY, Janet Evanovich 7 6
10 VERY VALENTINE, Adriana Trigiani 9 2
This week NONFICTION Bay Area Last week Weeks on list
1 OUTLIERS, Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown; 320 pages; $27.99): The author of "The Tipping Point" discusses what makes high achievers different.

2 THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS 2009, Barack Obama (Penguin; 112 pages; $12): Includes Obama's inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg and second inaugural addresses and Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance."

3 THE YANKEE YEARS, Joe Torre and Tom Verducci (Doubleday; 412 pages; $26.95): The team's former manager chronicles his time in New York.

4 HOW WE DECIDE, Jonah Lehrer (Houghton Mifflin; 256 pages; $25): Lehrer discusses how we make decisions and how we can be better at it.

5 ANGELS AND AGES, Adam Gopnik (Knopf; 224 pages; $24.95): A comparison of Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln and how they changed the world.

6 THE GAMBLE, Thomas E. Ricks (Penguin; 400 pages; $27.95): The Washington Post correspondent reveals behind-the-scenes disagreements between top commanders.

7 IN DEFENSE OF FOOD, Michael Pollan (Penguin Group; 256 pages; $21.95): A manifesto on how to make healthy food choices and enjoy eating.

8 DEWEY, Vicki Myron and Bret Witter (Grand Central Publishing; 288 pages; $19.99): The story of an abandoned kitten that became the library cat of Spencer, Iowa.

9 LISTEN TO THE WIND, Greg Mortenson and Susan Roth (Dial; 32 pages; $16.99): The children's picture book version of Mortenson's "Three Cups of Tea."

10 THE PROGRESSIVE REVOLUTION, Michael Lux (Wiley; 256 pages; $25.95): A history of the progressive movement in the United States.

This week NONFICTION National Last week Weeks on list
1 THE YANKEE YEARS, Torre and Verducci 1 2
2 OUTLIERS, Malcolm Gladwell 2 13
3 DEWEY, Vicki Myron and Bret Witter 3 22
4 A SLOBBERING LOVE AFFAIR, B. Goldberg 4 3
5 MULTIPLE BLESSINGS, Jon Gosselin, et al 5 17
6 THE GAMBLE, Thomas E. Ricks - 1
7 THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS ..., B. Obama - 2
8 GUILTY, Ann Coulter 6 6
9 A BOLD FRESH PIECE ..., Bill O'Reilly 8 19
10 A. LINCOLN, Ronald C. White Jr. - 1
This week PAPERBACKS Bay Area Last week Weeks on list
1 THREE CUPS OF TEA, Mortenson and Relin (Penguin; 349 pages; $15): Greg Mortenson builds schools in Pakistan after villagers rescued him following his failed attempt to climb K2.

2 THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG, Muriel Barbery (Europa Editions; 336 pages; $15): Two residents of an apartment building in Paris find they're kindred spirits.

3 THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, Junot Díaz (Riverhead Trade; 352 pages; $14): The coming-of-age story of a sci-fi-obsessed first-generation Dominican American geek.

4 THE WHITE TIGER, Aravind Adiga (Free Press; 304 pages; $14): A chauffeur in India writes letters to the Chinese premier confessing to the murder of his employer.

5 NEW MOON, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown; 608 pages; $10.99): Bella falls for a werewolf friend after splitting up with her vampire boyfriend in the second book of the Twilight saga.

6 DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, Barack Obama (Three Rivers; 480 pages; $14.95): A memoir exploring Obama's understanding of himself, race and class through his family's history.

7 OUT STEALING HORSES, Per Petterson (Picador; 256 pages; $14): A man in a self-imposed exile recalls the childhood summer that changed his life forever.

8 THE GLASS BOOKS OF THE DREAM EATERS, VOLUME ONE, Gordon Dahlquist (Bantam; 480 pages; $12): A jilted woman looks into the disappearance of her fiance in this Victorian thriller.

9 BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, Charles Bock (Random House Trade Paperbacks; 432 pages; $14): An angry 12-year-old boy goes out with an older friend and mysteriously disappears in Las Vegas.

10 LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, John Ajvide Lindqvist ($15.95): A bullied schoolboy living in a Stockholm suburb befriends a teenage vampire neighbor.

This week PAPERBACKS National Weeks on list
FICTION
1 THE SHACK, William P. Young 39
2 THE READER, Bernhard Schlink 11
3 SUNDAYS AT ..., Patterson and Charbonnet 6
4 FIREFLY LANE, Kristin Hannah 6
5 REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, Richard Yates 11
NONFICTION
1 DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, Barack Obama 135
2 THREE CUPS OF TEA, Mortenson and Relin 107
3 TEAM OF RIVALS, Doris Kearns Goodwin 29
4 THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, Barack Obama 60
5 I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER ..., Tucker Max 72

S.F. and national best-sellers

This week FICTION Bay Area Last week Weeks on list
1 THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, Shaffer and Barrows (The Dial Press; 277 pages; $22): An English author corresponds with members of a literary club.

2 GOING TO SEE THE ELEPHANT, Rodes Fishburne (Delacorte Press; 304 pages; $22): A young writer arrives in San Francisco and gets a job at a down-and-out weekly newspaper.

3 A MERCY, Toni Morrison (Knopf; 176 pages; $23.95): A woman pleads with an Anglo-Dutch trader to take her daughter, hoping to save the girl's life.

4 LARK AND TERMITE, Jayne Anne Phillips (Knopf; 272 pages; $24): A girl and her brother, who has severe disabilities, grow up in 1950s West Virginia.

5 BREAKING DAWN, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown; 768 pages; $22.99): The final book in the Twilight saga reveals Edward and Bella's fate.

6 THE PIANO TEACHER, Janice Y.K. Lee (Viking; 336 pages; $25.95): An English woman in Hong Kong is hired as a piano teacher and falls for a man with a devastating past.

7 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE LAST STRAW, Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books; 224 pages; $12.95): A father tries to change his son by threatening to send him to a military academy.

8 SEA OF POPPIES, Amitav Ghosh (FSG; 528 pages; $26): The saga of the voyage of the Ibis, a ship transporting settlers from India to China.

9 UNACCUSTOMED EARTH, Jhumpa Lahiri (Knopf; 352 pages; $25): The latest collection of short stories by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Interpreter of Maladies."

10 JACK LONDON IN PARADISE, Paul Malmont (Simon & Schuster; 400 pages; $25): A fictionalized account of the last year of the adventurer's life.

This week FICTION National Last week Weeks on list
1 PLUM SPOOKY, Janet Evanovich - 1
2 THE HOST, Stephenie Meyer 3 35
3 BLACK OPS, W.E.B. Griffin 1 2
4 SCARPETTA, Patricia Cornwell 2 6
5 THE STORY OF EDGAR ..., D. Wroblewski 6 31
6 CROSS COUNTRY, James Patterson 4 8
7 FIRE AND ICE, Julie Garwood 5 2
8 THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED, Wally Lamb 9 9
9 ECLIPSE, Richard North Patterson - 1
10 THE GUERNSEY ..., Shaffer and Barrows - 17
This week NONFICTION Bay Area Last week Weeks on list
1 OUTLIERS, Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown; 320 pages; $27.99): The author of "The Tipping Point" discusses what makes high achievers different.

2 DEWEY, Vicki Myron and Bret Witter (Grand Central Publishing; 288 pages; $19.99): The story of an abandoned kitten that became the library cat of Spencer, Iowa.

3 FOOD MATTERS, Mark Bittman (Simon & Schuster; 336 pages; $25): The author's plan for a mindful and responsible diet, with earth-friendly recipes.

4 HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, Thomas L. Friedman (FSG; 448 pages; $27.95): The Pulitzer Prize winner proposes a strategy to save the planet and renew America.

5 THE INVENTION OF AIR, Steven Johnson (Riverhead; 272 pages; $25.95): The story of Joseph Priestley, the theologian and scholar who advised the nation's founding fathers.

6 THE SECRET HISTORY OF DREAMING, R. Moss (New World Library; 352 pages; $23.95): Moss discusses how dreams shape world events and why they are important for the future.

7 THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF BARACK OBAMA, Editors of Life Magazine (Little, Brown; 176 pages; $24.99): A look at President Obama's life spanning from his childhood to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

8 PANIC, Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton; 352 pages; $27.95): An account of five of the most notable catastrophes in recent financial history.

9 THE INHERITANCE, David E. Sanger (Harmony; 528 pages; $26.95): Sanger discusses how events in Washington and around the globe led to the current world crisis.

10 THINGS I'VE BEEN SILENT ABOUT, Azar Nafisi (Random House; 368 pages; $27): The author of "Reading Lolita in Tehran" tells her story of growing up in Iran.

This week NONFICTION National Last week Weeks on list
1 OUTLIERS, Malcolm Gladwell 1 8
2 GUILTY, Ann Coulter - 1
3 DEWEY, Vicki Myron and Bret Witter 2 17
4 AMERICAN LION, Jon Meacham 3 9
5 TOO FAT TO FISH, Lange and Bozza 9 9
6 WISHFUL DRINKING, Carrie Fisher 7 5
7 HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, T.L. Friedman 8 18
8 WHY WE SUCK, Denis Leary 5 8
9 MULTIPLE BLESSINGS, Jon Gosselin et al 4 12
10 A BOLD FRESH PIECE ..., Bill O'Reilly 6 16
This week PAPERBACKS Bay Area Last week Weeks on list
1 REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, Richard Yates (Vintage; 368 pages; $14.95): A young and talented couple living in a prosperous suburb are fraught with discontent.

2 DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, Barack Obama (Three Rivers; 480 pages; $14.95): A memoir exploring Obama's understanding of himself, race and class through his family's history.

3 THE WHITE TIGER, Aravind Adiga (Free Press; 304 pages; $14): A chauffeur in India writes letters to the Chinese premier confessing to the murder of his employer.

4 THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, Junot Díaz (Riverhead Trade; 352 pages; $14): The coming-of-age story of a sci-fi-obsessed first-generation Dominican American geek.

5 OUT STEALING HORSES, Per Petterson (Picador; 256 pages; $14): A man in a self-imposed exile recalls the childhood summer that changed his life forever.

6 THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG, Muriel Barbery (Europa Editions; 336 pages; $15): Two residents of an apartment building in Paris find their kindred spirits.

7 THE ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE, Salman Rushdie (Random House; 368 pages; $14): A beautiful, mysterious woman conquers the hearts of powerful men.

8 PEOPLE OF THE BOOK, Geraldine Brooks (Penguin; 400 pages; $15): A rare-book conservator works on an ancient Jewish prayer book in Sarajevo.

9 THE READER, Bernhard Schlink (Vintage; 224 pages; $13.95): A 15-year-old boy in postwar Germany has an affair with a woman with a mysterious past.

10 THREE CUPS OF TEA, Mortenson and Relin (Penguin; 349 pages; $15): Mortenson builds schools in Pakistan after villagers rescued him following his failed attempt to climb K2.

This week PAPERBACKS National Weeks on list
FICTION
1 THE SHACK, William P. Young 34
2 SUNDAYS AT ..., Patterson and Charbonnet 1
3 A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, K. Hosseini 7
4 REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, Richard Yates 6
5 STILL ALICE, Lisa Genova 1
NONFICTION
1 MARLEY & ME, John Grogan 44
2 THREE CUPS OF TEA, Mortenson and Relin 102
3 DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, Barack Obama 130
4 THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, Barack Obama 55
5 TEAM OF RIVALS, Doris Kearns Goodwin 24

New York Times paperback best-sellers

TRADE FICTION


1. The Shack

William P. Young. A man whose daughter was abducted is invited to an isolated shack.

2. Sundays at Tiffany's

James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. A woman finds an unexpected love.

3. A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini. Friendship between two women in Afghanistan over 30 years of war.

4. Revolutionary Road

Richard Yates. A beautiful young couple in 1950s America see their life come undone.

5. Still Alice

Lisa Genova. A 50-year-old Harvard professor is diagnosewith early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

6. Only Pleasure

Lora Leigh. A man seduces a woman, then finds what he really wants is her heart.

7. The Reader

Bernhard Schlink. A student falls in love with a former Auschwitz employee.

8. People of the Book

Geraldine Brooks. Secrets of a rare manuscript are unlocked.

9. Change of Heart

Jodi Picoult. A death-row prisoner performs miracles.

10. The Friday Night Knitting Club

Kate Jacobs. Women meet at a yarn shop.



PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. Marley & Me

John Grogan.

2. Three Cups of Tea

Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

3. Dreams From My Father

Barack Obama.

4. The Audacity of Hope

Barack Obama.

5. Team of Rivals

Doris Kearns Goodwin.

6. The Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell.

7. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

Tucker Max.

8. Eat, Pray, Love

Elizabeth Gilbert.

9. Blink

Malcolm Gladwell.

10. 90 Minutes in Heaven

Don Piper with Cecil Murphey.

New York Times hardcover best-sellers | Jan. 25, 2009

Fiction

1. Plum Spooky, by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s; $27.95). Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum hunts an evil genius and his sidekick who are hiding in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens.

2. The Host, by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown; $25.99). One woman won’t surrender to the aliens who have taken control.

3. Black Ops, by W.E.B. Griffin (Putnam; $26.95). An Army officer and special presidential agent is targeted for death — but by whom?

4. Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam; $27.95). Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta takes on a new assignment in New York.

5. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski (Ecco; $25.95). A young mute takes refuge with three dogs in the Wisconsin woods after his father’s death.

Nonfiction

1. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown; $27.99). Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunity — from the author of Blink and The Tipping Point.

2. Guilty, by Ann Coulter (Crown Forum; $27.95). Columnist argues that liberals victimize everyone else by pretending to be victims themselves.

3. Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter (Grand Central; $19.99). A kitten left freezing in the returned-book slot of an Iowa public library rises to fame.

4. American Lion, by Jon Meacham (Random House; $30). Andrew Jackson in the White House, by Newsweek’s editor.

5. Too Fat to Fish, by Artie Lange with Anthony Bozza (Spiegel & Grau; $24.95). Humorous memories from the comedian, a member of the cast of “The Howard Stern Show.”

Advice, how-to and miscellaneous

1. The Power of Soul, by Zhi Gang Sha (Atria; $26). Applying the soul’s power for healing, the prevention of illness, rejuvenation and enlightenment.

2. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion; $21.95). Thoughts on seizing every moment from Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon professor who died of pancreatic cancer at age 47.

3. Flat Belly Diet, by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass (Rodale; $25.95). Nutrition advice and workout tips from the editors of Prevention magazine.

4. The Ultramind Solution, by Mark Hyman (Scribner; $27.50). How to pinpoint underlying biological problems to improve brain performance and allay depression, anxiety and more.

5. The Best Life Diet Cookbook, by Bob Greene (Simon & Schuster; $25). More than 175 recipes for eating well while shedding pounds.

The Best Console Game Sellers In 2008

The data includes every possible retail version, except units bundled with hardware.
Nintendo can be happy, as its titles took the first, second and third prize and added up to nearly 15 million units: Wii Play, followed by Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit.

In fact, the top trio sold almost as much as all the other titles in the top. And speaking about the others, don't be amazed when seeing Grand Theft Auto IV, Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty: World at War in the middle of the top. We weren't amazed either:

1. Wii Play - 5.28 million units
2. Mario Kart Wii - 5 million units
3. Wii Fit - 4.53 million units
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 4.17 million units
5. Grand Theft Auto IV - 3.29 million units
6. Call of Duty: World at War - 2.75 million units
7. Gears of War 2 - 2.31 million units
8. Grand Theft Auto IV - 1.89 million units
9. Madden NFL 09 - 1.87 million units
10. Mario Kart DS - 1.65 million units

The New York Times Best Sellers List

January 18, 2009

*1. Black Ops, by W.E.B. Griffin. Putnam, $26.95. An Army officer and special presidential agent is targeted for death -- but by whom?

2. Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell. Putnam, $27.95.

3. The Host, by Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown, $25.99.

4. Cross Country, by James Patterson. Little, Brown, $27.99.

*5. Fire and Ice, by Julie Garwood. Ballantine, $26. A reporter and her FBI bodyguard uncover a conspiracy in Alaska.

6. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski. Ecco, $25.95.

7. The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Jason Wright. Threshold Editions, $19.99.

*8. Running Hot, by Jayne Ann Krentz. Putnam, $25.95. Two members of the Arcane Society, dedicated to paranormal research, encounter a group of criminal sensitives.

9. The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb. Harper, $29.95.

10. The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central, $24.99.


Nonfiction

1. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown, $27.99.

2. Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. Grand Central, $19.99.

3. American Lion, by Jon Meacham. Random House, $30.

4. Multiple Blessings, by Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson. Zondervan, $19.

5. Why We Suck, by Denis Leary. Viking, $26.95.

6. A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, by Bill O'Reilly. Broadway, $26.

7. Wishful Drinking, by Carrie Fisher. Simon & Schuster, $21.

8. Hot, Flat and Crowded, by Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.95.

9. Too Fat to Fish, by Artie Lange with Anthony Bozza. Spiegel & Grau, $24.95.

10. The Snowball, by Alice Schroeder. Bantam, $35.

* -- Indicates first appearance on the list.

Publishers Weekly best sellers

Hardcover fiction

1. "Plum Spooky" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press) (F-H)

2. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)

3. "Black Ops" by W.E.B. Griffin (Putnam Adult)

4. "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam Adult)

5. "Cross Country" by James Patterson (Little, Brown)

6. "Fire and Ice" by Julie Garwood (Ballantine Books)

7. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco)

8. "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb (Harper)

9. "Running Hot" by Jayne Ann Krentz (Putnam Adult)

10. "Eclipse" by Richard North Patterson (Henry Holt and Co.)

11. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (Dial)

12. "From Dead to Worse" by charlaine Harris (Ace)

13. "Your Heart Belongs to Me" by Dean Koontz (Bantam)

14. "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions)

15. "A Mercy" by Toni Morrison (Knopf)


Nonfiction/general

1. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)

2. "Guilty; Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America" by Ann Coulter (Crown Forum)

3. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)

4. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron, Brett Witter (Grand Central)

5. "The Power of Soul: The Way to Heal, Rejuvenate, Transform, and Enlighten All Life" by Zhi Gang Sha (Atria)

6. "Flat Belly Diet" by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass (Rodale Books)

7. "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" by Jon Meacham (Random House)

8. "Best Life Diet Cookbook: More than 175 Delicious, Convenient, Family-Friendly Recipes" by Bob Greene (Simon & Schuster)

9. "What's Age Got to Do with It?: Living Your Healthiest and Happiest Life" by Robin McGraw (Thomas Nelson)

10. "Too Fat To Fish" by Artie Lange and Anthony Bozza (Spiegel & Grau)

11. "Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets" by Jon and Kate Gosselin, Beth Carson (Zondervan)

12. "The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First" by Mark Hyman (Simon & Schuster)

13. "Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid" by Denis Leary (Viking Adult)

14. "I Can Make You Thin: The Revolutionary System Used by More Than 3 Million People" by Paul McKenna (Sterling)

15. "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients" by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter)


Mass market paperbacks

1. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan (Harper)

2. The Appeal" by John Grisham (Dell)

3. "Star Bright" by Catherine Anderson (Signet)

4. "Plum Lucky" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press)

5. "Married in Seattle" by Debbie Macomber (Mira)

6. "Murder Game" by Christine Feehan (Jove)

7. "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates (Vintage)

8. "Final Justice" by Fern Michaels (Zebra)

9. "The Pagan Stone" by Nora Roberts (Jove)

10. "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris (Ace)

11. "Glitter Baby" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Avon)

12. "T is for Trespass" by Sue Grafton (Berkley)

13. "Shadow Music" by Julie Garwood (Ballantine Books)

14. "The Shooters" by W.E.B. Griffin (Jove)

15. "At Grave's End" by Jeaniene Frost (Avon)


Trade paperbacks

1. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media)

2. "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan" by Suze Orman (Spiegel & Grau)

3. "Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding (Rodale Books)

4. "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)

5. "Three Cups Of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)

6. "Sundays At Tiffany's" by James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet, (Grand Central Publishing)

7. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)

8. "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates (Vintage)

9. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press)

10. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)

11. "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink (Vintage)

12. "Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds -- or More! by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding (Rodale Books)

13. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan (Harper)

14. "Only Pleasure" by Lora Leigh (St. Martins Griffin)

15. "Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press)

BC-Best-sellers-Books-USAToday

Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback

1. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)

2. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)

3. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)

4. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)

5. "Plum Spooky" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press) (F-H)

6. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)

7. "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound" by Suze Orman (Spiegel & Grau) (NF-P)

8. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan (Harper) (NF-P)

9. "Final Justice" by Fern Michaels (Zebra) (F-P)

10. "Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution" by David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding (Rodale Press) (NF-P)

11. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic) (F-H)

12. "Married In Seattle: First Comes MarriageWanted: Perfect Partner" by Debbie Macomber (Mira) (F-P)

13. "The Appeal" by John Grisham (Dell) (F-P)

14. "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates (Vintage) (F-P)

15. "Guilty; Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America" by Ann Coulter (Crown Forum) (NF-H)

16. "The Power of Soul: The Way to Heal, Rejuvenate, Transform, and Enlighten All Life" by Zhi Gang Sha (Atria) (NF-H)

17. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) (NF-H)

18. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion) (NF-H)

19. "Murder Game" by Christine Feehan (Jove) (F-P)

20. "Star Bright" by Catherine Anderson (Signet) (F-P)

21. "Shadow Music" by Julie Garwood (Ballantine) (F-P)

22. "Sundays At Tiffany's" by James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet, (Grand Central Publishing) (F-P)

23. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)

24. "Plum Lucky" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press) (F-P)

25. "Flat Belly Diet" by Liz Vaccariello, Cynthia Sass (Rodale Books)(NF-H)

26. "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press) (NF-P)

27. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron and Brett Witter (Grand Central Publishing) (NF-H)

28. "Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More!" by David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding (Rodale) (NF-H)

29. "Three Cups Of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) (NF-P)

30. "I Can Make You Thin: The Revolutionary System Used by More Than 3 Million People" by Paul McKenna (Sterling) (NF-H)

31. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)(NF-P)

32. "The CalorieKing Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter 2009 Edition" by Allan Borushek (Family Health Publications) (NF-P)

33. "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam) (F-H)

34. "The Pagan Stone" by Nora Roberts (Jove) (F-P)

35. "Fire and Ice" by Julie Garwood (Ballantine) (F-H)

36. "Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion" by Mark Cotta Vaz, (Little, Brown Young Readers) (NF-P)

37. "What's Age Got to Do with It?: Living Your Healthiest and Happiest Life" by Robin McGraw (Thomas Nelson) (NF-H)

38. "Black Ops" by W.E.B. Griffin (Putnam) (F-H)

39. "Watchmen" by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons (DC Comics) (F-P)

40. "Light of the Moon" by Luanne Rice, (Bantam) (F-P)

41. "Glitter Baby" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Avon) (F-P)

42. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press) (NF-P)

43. "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)

44. "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink (Vintage) (F-P)

45. "Cross Country" by James Patterson (Little, Brown) (F-H)

46. "The Death Dealer" by Heather Graham (Mira) (F-P)

47. "Best Life Diet Cookbook: More than 175 Delicious, Convenient, Family-Friendly Recipes" by Bob Greene (Simon & Schuster) (NF-H)

48. "The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco) (F-H)

49. "Simply Perfect" by Mary Balogh (Dell) (F-P)

50. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead Trade) (F-P)

Reporting stores include: Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com, Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Booksamillion.com, Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano's, Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., Doubleday Book Shops, Hudson Booksellers, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Cleveland), Powell's Books (Portland, Ore.), Powells.com, R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, Conn.), Schuler.

New York Times hardcover best-sellers | Jan. 11, 2009

Fiction

1. Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam, $27.95). Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta splits her time between Boston and New York.

2. Cross Country, by James Patterson (Little, Brown, $27.99). Alex Cross chases the leader of a lethal teenage gang.

3. The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Jason Wright (Threshold Editions, $19.99). A boy learns from his disappointment with his mother’s gift.

4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski (Ecco, $25.95). A mute boy who can communicate with dogs takes refuge with three of them in the Wisconsin woods after his father’s death.

5. The Host, by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown, $25.99). Aliens have taken control of the minds and bodies of most human beings, but one woman won’t surrender.

Nonfiction

1.Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown, $27.99). Why some people succeed: It has to do with luck and opportunity as well as talent. From the author of Blink and The Tipping Point.

2. Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter (Grand Central, $19.99). A kitten left freezing in the returned-book slot of an Iowa public library rises to fame.

3.American Lion, by Jon Meacham (Random House, $30). A biography of Andrew Jackson, by the editor of Newsweek.

4.A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway, $26). The Fox News commentator on his upbringing and career.

5. Too Fat to Fish, by Artie Lange with Anthony Bozza (Spiegel & Grau, $24.95). Humorous memories from the comedian, a member of the cast of “The Howard Stern Show.”

Advice, how-to and miscellaneous

1. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion, $21.95). Thoughts on “seizing every moment” from Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon professor who died of pancreatic cancer at age 47.

2. The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren (Howard Books, $17.99). Reclaiming the holiday as a time for celebration, salvation and reconciliation.

3. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $35). Cooking techniques and almost 100 new recipes for elegant meals.

4.Guinness World Records 2009, edited by Craig Glenday (Guinness, $28.95). Tallest, fastest, youngest, most.

5.Breakthrough, by Suzanne Somers (Crown, $25.95). Eight steps to wellness: advice on hormone therapy from Somers and a group of doctors.

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Best-sellers-Books-USAToday

By The Associated Press – Dec 26, 2008

Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback

1. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)

2. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic) (F-H)

3. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)

4. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)

5. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)

6. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)

7. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan (Harper) (NF-P)

8. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion) (NF-H)

9. "The Appeal" by John Grisham (Dell) (F-P)

10. "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions) (F-H)

11. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) (NF-H)

12. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron and Brett Witter (Grand Central Publishing) (NF-H)

13. "Cross Country" by James Patterson (Little, Brown) (F-H)

14. "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam) (F-H)

15. "The Purpose of Christmas" by Rick Warren (Howard Books) (NF-H)

16. "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" by Jon Meacham (Random House) (NF-H)

17. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)(NF-P)

18. "The Pagan Stone" by Nora Roberts (Jove) (F-P)

19. "The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco) (F-H)

20. "Guinness: World Records 2009" by Guinness World Records (Guinness) (NF-H)

21. "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press) (NF-P)

22. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)

23. "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients" by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter) (NF-H)

24. "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini (Knopf Books for Young Readers)(F-H)

25. "Just After Sunset: Stories" by Stephen King (Scribner) (F-H)

26. "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway) (NF-H)

27. "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing) (F-H)

28. "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick) (F-P)

29. "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster) (NF-P)

30. "Too Fat To Fish" by Artie Lange and Anthony Bozza (Spiegel & Grau) (NF-H)

31. "Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets" by Jon and Kate Gosselin, Beth Carson (Zondervan) (NF-H)

32. "Three Cups Of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) (NF-P)

33. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead Trade) (F-P)

34. "Arctic Drift" by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Putnam Adult) (F-H)

35. "Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press) (F-P)

36. "T is for Trespass" by Sue Grafton (Berkley) (F-P)

37. "The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009" by World Almanac Books, edited by C. Alan Joyce (World Almanac) (NF-P)

38. "Burning Up: On Tour with the Jonas Brothers" by Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas (Disney-Hyperion) (NF-H)

39. "The 6th Target" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Vision) (F-P)

40. "Your Heart Belongs to Me" by Dean Koontz (Bantam) (F-H)

41. "Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book" by Rachael Ray (Clarkson Potter) (NF-P)

42. "Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid" by Denis Leary (Viking Adult) (NF-H)

43. "Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

44. "Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion" by Mark Cotta Vaz (Little, Brown for Young Readers) (NF-P)

45. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney (Abrams Books for Young Readers) (F-H)

46. "I Can Has Cheezburger?: A LOLcat Colleckshun by Professor Happycat and icanhascheezburger.com (Gotham) (NF-P)

47. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) (NF-P)

48. "The Snowball" by Alice Schroeder (Bantam) (NF-H)

49. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage) (F-P)

50. "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb (Harper) (F-H)

Reporting stores include: Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com, Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Booksamillion.com, Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano's, Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., Doubleday Book Shops, Hudson Booksellers, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Cleveland), Powell's Books (Portland, Ore.), Powells.com, R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, Conn.), Schuler.

Best Sellers - Business - New York Times

1 OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) 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.” 1
2 THE SNOWBALL, by Alice Schroeder. (Bantam, $35.) The life of Warren Buffett. 2
3 HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, by Thomas L. Friedman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.95.) How a green revolution can renew America, by the New York Times columnist. 3
4 THE ASCENT OF MONEY, by Niall Ferguson. (Penguin Press, $29.95.) A financial history of the world, stressing the link between politics and economics. 5
5 CALL ME TED, by Ted Turner with Bill Burke. (Grand Central, $30.) The entrepreneur’s personal story. 4
6 THE RETURN OF DEPRESSION ECONOMICS AND THE CRISIS OF 2008, by Paul Krugman. (Norton, $24.95.) The recipient of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics revises his earlier work from 1999 to reflect current economic crisis.
7 PANIC, by Michael Lewis. (Norton, $27.95.) Author of “Moneyball” chronicles modern day market crashes, from 1987 up to 2008. (†)
8 THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, $24.99.) Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host. (†) 8
9 THE BLACK SWAN, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. (Random House, $26.95.) A financial trader with an expertise in probability theory and statistics, debunks much about economic forecasting, and uses examples ranging from how a book becomes a best-seller to how an entrepreneur becomes a mogul. 7
10 TALENT IS OVERRATED, by Geoff Colvin. (Portfolio, 25.95.) The myth that “greatness” is derived from innate talent is debunked. 11
11 * FREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. (Morrow, $27.95.) A scholar uses economics to explore the incentives that drive such disparate groups, including crack gangs, sumo wrestlers, school teachers, campaign fund-raisers and real estate agents.
12 THE TEN ROADS TO RICHES, by Ken Fisher and Lara Hoff­mans. (Fisher Investments, $24.95.) How America’s millionaires and billionaires made their fortunes, and what to learn from them. (†) 6
13 32 WAYS TO BE A CHAMPION IN BUSINESS, by Earvin “Magic” Johnson. (Crown Business, $25.95.) NBA superstar highlights his entrepreneurial skills. †
14 THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferriss. (Crown, $19.95.) Because life isn't all about work. (†) 10
15 ENOUGH, by John C. Bogle. (Wiley, $24.95.) The founder of the Vanguard mutual fund group offers thoughts on financial obses­sion, corporate excess and sound professional values.

Best Sellers - New York Times

1. THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Jason Wright. (Threshold Editions, $20.) A boy learns from his disappointment with his mother's gift.
2. SCARPETTA by Patricia Cornwell. (Putnam, $28.) The forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta, newly married, is splitting her time between Boston and New York, where she takes on a new assignment.
3. CROSS COUNTRY by James Patterson. (Little, Brown, $28.) Alex Cross chases the leader of a lethal teenage gang.
4. THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE by David Wroblewski. (Ecco, $26.) A young mute who can communicate with the dogs his family raises takes refuge with three of them in the Wisconsin woods after his father's death.
5. THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer. (Little, Brown, $26.) Aliens have taken control of the minds and bodies of most human beings, but one woman won't surrender.
6. JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King. (Scribner, $28.) Short stories blending fantasy and psychological realism.
7. THE LUCKY ONE by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $25.) A Marine returning home sets out to track down the woman whose photo he found in Iraq.
8. ARCTIC DRIFT by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler. (Putnam, $28.) In his 20th adventure, Dirk Pitt searches for a crucial element that will help reverse global warming.
9. A MERCY by Toni Morrison. (Knopf, $24.) In 17th-century America, a slave mother urges a Northern farmer to buy her daughter so that she can have a better life, by the Nobel Prize-winning author of "Beloved."
10. THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED by Wally Lamb. (Harper, $30.) A man reconstructs five generations of family history.

Best Sellers

FICTION
1. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

2. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

3. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

4. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

5. Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell

6. Cross Country by James Patterson

7. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

8. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

9. The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

10. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

NONFICTION
1. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow

2. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

3. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron and Brett Witter

4. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham

5. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients by Ina Garten

6. A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly

7. Too Fat To Fish by Artie Lange and Anthony Bozza

8. The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren

9. Guinness: World Records 2009 by Guinness World Records

10. Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets by Jon and Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson

Best Sellers

Fiction

1. The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Jason Wright (Threshold Editions; $19.99). A boy learns from his disappointment.

2. Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam; $27.95). Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta takes an assignment in New York City.

3. Cross Country, by James Patterson (Little, Brown; $27.99). Alex Cross chases the leader of a lethal teenage gang.

4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski (Ecco; $25.95). A mute takes refuge in the Wisconsin woods after his father’s death.

5. The Host, by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown; $25.99). One woman won’t surrender to the aliens who have taken control.

Nonfiction

1. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown; $27.99). Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck as well as talent — from the author of Blink and The Tipping Point.

2. Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter (Grand Central; $19.99). Kitten was left freezing in the returned-book slot of an Iowa public library and rose to fame.

3. American Lion, by Jon Meacham (Random House; $30). A look at Andrew Jackson, by the editor of Newsweek.

4. A Bold, Fresh Piece of Humanity, by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway; $26). The commentator on his upbringing and career.

5. Too Fat to Fish, by Artie Lang with Anthony Bozza (Spiegel & Grau, $24.95). Humorous memories from the comedian.

Advice, how-to and miscellaneous

1. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion; $21.95). Thoughts on “seizing every moment” from a professor who died of cancer at age 47.

2. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter; $35). Cooking techniques and new recipes.

3. The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren (Howard Books; $17.99). Reclaiming the holiday.

4. Guinness World Records 2009, edited by Craig Glenday (Guinness; $28.95).

5. You: Being Beautiful, by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz et al. (Free Press; $26.99). How foods, mood swings and the management of pain affect inner and outer beauty

E-books Are the Latest Bestsellers to Fly Off Shelf

By BRAD STONE and MOTOKO RICH, New York Times

Last update: December 24, 2008 - 8:23 PM

I use a free reader on my Blackberry
I downloaded the free Mobiplayer software to my Blackberry. With this setup I also have a backlit screen and can adjust the screen … read more brightness, I also have the ability to add bookmarks, highlights, and notes to the books I am reading, the ability to download a sample of the book from MobiPocket before I buy it, and the ability to convert any text I want to Mobiplayer format, using free software on my desktop computer, and transfer it to my Blackberry to read when I have a spare moment. The screen is small but I can select any font size I wish and advance a page at the touch of a button. Likely the Kindle and Sony players have more features, but with my Blackberry and Mobiplayer, I have the books I am reading with me whenever I want them and I don't need to keep track of another electronic device much less keep it charged.

Could book lovers finally be willing to switch from pages to pixels? For a decade, consumers mostly ignored electronic book devices, which were often hard to use and offered few popular items to read. But this year, partly because of the popularity of Amazon.com's wireless Kindle device, the e-book has started to take hold.

The $359 Kindle, which is slim, white and about the size of a trade paperback, was introduced a year ago. Although Amazon will not disclose sales figures, the Kindle has at least lived up to its name by creating broad interest in electronic books. Now it is out of stock and unavailable until February. Analysts credit Oprah Winfrey, who praised the Kindle on her show in October, and blame Amazon for poor holiday planning.

The shortage is providing an opening for Sony, which embarked on an intense publicity campaign for its Reader device during the gift-buying season. The stepped-up competition may represent a coming of age for the entire idea of reading longer texts on a portable digital device.

"The perception is that e-books have been around for 10 years and haven't done anything," said Steve Haber, president of Sony's digital reading division. "But it's happening now. This is really starting to take off."

Sony's efforts have been overshadowed by Amazon's. But this month it began a promotional blitz in airports, train stations and bookstores.

The company's latest model, the Reader 700, is a $400 device with a reading light and a touch screen that allows users to annotate what they are reading. Haber said Sony's sales had tripled this holiday season over last, partly because the device is now available in the Target, Borders and Sam's Club chains. He said Sony had sold more than 300,000 devices since the Reader's 2006 debut.