Hello Visitor Register Sign-In
 
 
 
 
 
HARDBACKS

Los Angeles Times Bestsellers

May 18, 2008

Fiction weeks on list
1.Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (Knopf: $25) Stories of U.S.-born children and their Bengali parents straddling cultures. 6
2.The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon: $22.95) Mma Ramotswe helps a woman find her identity.3
3.The Whole Truth by David Baldacci (Grand Central: $26.99) A defense contractor tries to get business by planting tales of atrocities.2
4.Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet (Little, Brown: $24.99) A woman's invisible friend from childhood returns.1
5.Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown: $26.99) Two cops are ensnared in a divorce.6
6.The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich (Harper: $25.95) A North Dakota family's murder reverberates through four generations. 1
7.The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Riverhead: $24.95) A sci-fi-loving nerd and his immigrant family are haunted by the past. 15
8.Hold Tight by Harlan Coben (Dutton: $26.95) A teen's suicide and sadistic killings engulf a troubled New Jersey family.3
9.Our Story Begins by Tobias Wolff (Knopf: $26.95) Tales of modern American life by a master storyteller. 6
10.Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central: $24.99) A hero seeks a serial killer in Stalin's Soviet Union.1
11.Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner (Atria: $26.95) Cannie Shapiro juggles her complicated life as her daughter is about to become a bat mitzvah. 4
12.Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut (Putnam: $24.95) A collection of the late author's unpublished short fiction.3
13.Lush Life by Richard Price (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $26) The layered lives of victims and aggressors are explored after a Manhattan shooting. 9
14.Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) A law school grad seeks her missing brother, who may be linked to dark deeds. 4
15.Santa Fe Dead by Stuart Woods (Putnam: $25.95) A man whose estranged wife has tried to murder him fears for his new girlfriend. 2
Nonfiction
1.The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor with terminal cancer urges us to seize life's moments. 4
2.A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs (St. Martin's: $24.95) An exploration of a terrifying relationship between father and son. 2
3.Just Who Will You Be? by Maria Shriver (Hyperion: $14.95) Ask who, not what, you want to be.3
4.Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts (William Morrow: $26.95) Portraits of the women who helped shape the young American nation. 4
5.Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $24.95) The talk-show host skewers dating life, family and work. 2
6.What Now? by Ann Patchett (Harper: $14.95) Reflections on life's journey, on finding joy and meeting new challenges. 3
7.The Soloist by Steve Lopez (Putnam: $25.95) The L.A. Times columnist befriends a mentally ill homeless musician. 3
8.Brotherhood of Warriors by Aaron Cohen with Douglas Century (Ecco: $25.95) A member of an elite U.S. counter-terrorism unit tells his story.1
9.The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) Life's secrets distilled from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy. 71
10.Home by Julie Andrews (Hyperion: $26.95) The star of stage and screen tells of life before "Mary Poppins." 5
11.Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon (McSweeney's: $24) The novelist defends his love of genre fiction, of comics, thrillers, horror and myth. 3
12.All for a Few Perfect Waves by David Rensin (HarperEntertainment: $25.95) The life of legendary surfer Miki Dora.2
13.Beautiful Boy by David Sheff (Houghton Mifflin: $24) A father's struggle with his son's meth addiction. 10
14.Escape by Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer (Broadway: $24.95) A woman's tale of escaping a polygamous sect with her eight children. 3
15.A Remarkable Mother by Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster: $22.95) The former president illuminates the life of the fiery Miss Lillian: mother, nurse, farmer and Peace Corps volunteer. 2
Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.




The designs of Barclay Butera are showcased at the renovated hotel. Photos
 
A storied party house's pedigreed centerpiece comes with a tale of its own. Photos
 
 

ADVERTISEMENT



Entertainment Headlines
Spicy, tangy pulled pork
One morning's cooking means deliciousness well into the week. Recipe