Washington Area Bestsellers
Sunday, April 3, 2005; Page BW11
Paperback
Fiction
1 THE KITE RUNNER (Riverhead, $14). By Khaled Hosseini
An Afghan immigrant returns to his Taliban-ruled country in the hope of atoning for a childhood betrayal.25
2 NIGHTTIME IS MY TIME (Pocket, $7.99)
By Mary Higgins Clark. A serial killer using the moniker "the Owl" targets women at a high school reunion.1
3 THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME (Vintage, $12). By Mark Haddon. An autistic boy digs into a poodle's death, unearthing some family secrets. 43
4 ANGELS & DEMONS (Pocket Star, $7.99)
By Dan Brown. The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave.63
5 THE LAST JUROR (Dell, $7.99). By John Grisham
The scion of a small town's wealthy and corrupt clan vows revenge on the jury that convicted him of murder.14
6 THE BOURNE LEGACY (St. Martin's, $7.99)
By Eric Van Lustbader. David Webb (once known as CIA agent Jason Bourne), now retired, is framed for murder.4
7 CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET? (Delta, $12)
By Sophie Kinsella. A young woman divulges her innermost thoughts to a stranger aboard a turbulent flight.1
8 THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (Harvest, $14)
By Audrey Niffenegger. A man fated to be whisked back and forth through time manages to find true love.8
9 MURDER LIST (Ballantine, $7.99). By Julie Garwood
Regan, a hotel heiress, finds her life in jeopardy after she helps a journalist investigate a shady self-help guru.4
10 THE CALHOUNS: SUZANNA AND MEGAN
(Silhouette, $7.99). By Nora Roberts. Romance novellas featuring a Calhoun sister and a Calhoun sister-in-law.5
Nonfiction/General
1 THE TIPPING POINT: HOW LITTLE THINGS CAN
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE (Back Bay, $14.95)
By Malcolm Gladwell. A look at fads and their origins.13
2 READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN (Random House, $13.95)
By Azar Nafisi. A professor recalls her clandestine Western literature discussion groups for women students.60
3 GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL (Norton, $16.95)
By Jared Diamond. The impact of geography and the environment on the rise of civilization.16
4 BAD CAT: 244 NOT-SO-PRETTY-KITTIES AND
CATS GONE BAD (Workman, $9.95). By Jim Edgar
Candid photos of felines acting up and acting out.6
5 THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY (Vintage, $14.95)
By Erik Larson. Serial killer Henry Holmes preys on Chicago residents amid the bustle of the 1893 World's Fair.56
6 A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING
(Broadway, $15.95). By Bill Bryson. A quirky, popular guide to science's grandest achievements.26
7 THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS: SPACE, TIME, AND
THE TEXTURE OF REALITY (Vintage, $15.95)
By Brian Greene. From Newton to string theory.7
8 LEAP OF FAITH: MEMOIRS OF AN UNEXPECTED LIFE
(Miramax, $13.95). By Queen Noor. Her journey from American youth (née Lisa Halaby) to Jordanian monarch.3
9 DREAMS FROM MY FATHER (Three Rivers, $13.95)
By Barack Obama. A memoir of a challenging, often lonely youth by the freshman senator from Illinois.31
10 GENGHIS KHAN AND THE MAKING OF THE MODERN
WORLD (Three Rivers, $14.95). By Jack Weatherford
Tempering the Mongol Empire's savage reputation.1
Hardcover
Fiction
1 SATURDAY (Doubleday, $26). By Ian McEwan
February 2003: A London neurosurgeon's day of leisure shifts from the mundane to the life-threatening.1
2 PREP (Random House, $21.95). By Curtis Sittenfeld
An Indiana teen enrolls at one of Boston's most exclusive private schools, heightening her already anxious state.8
3 THE DA VINCI CODE (Doubleday, $24.95)
By Dan Brown. Ciphers and riddles impede a symbologist's quest for the Holy Grail and a killer's identity.63
4 HONEYMOON (Little, Brown, $27.95)
By James Patterson & Howard Roughan. An FBI agent suspects the alluring fiancée in a wealthy banker's death.5
5 WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS (HarperCollins, $26.95)
By Elizabeth George. Scotland Yard's Lynley and Havers tackle a serial killing spree with racial overtones.2
6 THE BROKER (Doubleday, $27.95). By John Grisham
The CIA finagles the release of an attorney from federal prison to gain access to a satellite surveillance system.11
7 THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN
(Hyperion, $19.95). By Mitch Albom. A parable illustrating the importance of life's smallest acts. 61
8 COLD SERVICE (Putnam, $24.95). By Robert B. Parker
Spenser comes to the aid of his longtime friend, Hawk, who is seriously wounded in a hit by the Ukrainian mob.3
9 IRELAND (HarperCollins, $26.95). By Frank Delaney
A fictionalized saga that recounts the sweeping history of the Emerald Isle; a bestseller in Ireland.2
10 IMPOSSIBLE (Delacorte, $27). By Danielle Steel
The owner of an influential gallery begins a tempestuous affair with a younger, somewhat Bohemian artist.4
Nonfiction/General
1 BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING
(Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell
The complex psychology behind our snap decisions.11
2 CONSPIRACY OF FOOLS: A TRUE STORY
(Broadway, $26). By Kurt Eichenwald. The sinking of Enron and its accounting firm, Arthur Andersen. 2
3 COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL
OR SUCCEED (Viking, $29.95). By Jared Diamond
The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.13
4 MEN IN BLACK: HOW THE SUPREME COURT IS
DESTROYING AMERICA (Regnery, $27.95)
By Mark R. Levin. Taking issue with "judicial activism."7
5 JOY AT WORK: A REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH TO
FUN ON THE JOB (PVG, $24.95). By Dennis W. Bakke
The experience of one local CEO and his company, AES.2
6 GOD'S POLITICS: WHY THE RIGHT GETS IT WRONG
AND THE LEFT DOESN'T GET IT
(HarperSanFrancisco, $24.95). By Jim Wallis10
7 AMERICA (THE BOOK): A CITIZEN'S GUIDE TO
DEMOCRACY INACTION (Warner, $24.95)
By Jon Stewart & the Daily Show. Humor meets history.25
8 ON BULLSHIT (Princeton Univ., $9.95)
By Harry G. Frankfurt. A philosophical primer for detecting the phenomenon in our culture today.1
9 REAGAN'S REVOLUTION: THE UNTOLD STORY OF
THE CAMPAIGN THAT STARTED IT ALL
(Nelson Current, $25.99). By Craig Shirley1
10 A DEADLY GAME: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE SCOTT
PETERSON INVESTIGATION (Regan, $27.95)
By Catherine Crier with Cole Thompson3