Washington Area Bestsellers

	Paperback
	Fiction
1	BLUE DAHLIA (Jove, $7.99). By Nora Roberts Widowed Stella Rothschild and her sons move into the Harper mansion, an estate haunted by a troubled spirit.	1
2	THE KITE RUNNER (Riverhead, $14). By Khaled Hosseini An Afghan immigrant returns to his Taliban-ruled homeland in the hope of atoning for a childhood betrayal.	6
3	SKIPPING CHRISTMAS (Dell, $6.99). By John Grisham A couple, jaded by all the material trappings of the holidays, vows to have a year without Christmas.	3
4	THE BIG BAD WOLF (Warner, $7.99) By James Patterson. FBI novice Alex Cross matches wits with a Russian mobster trafficking in sexual slavery.	5
5	ANGELS & DEMONS (Pocket Star, $7.99). By Dan Brown The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave.	44
6	SPLIT SECOND (Warner Vision, $7.99) By David Baldacci. Crimes against two presidential candidates, though eight years apart, may be related.	9
7	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.	24
8	THE TRISTAN BETRAYAL (St. Martin's, $7.99) By Robert Ludlum. An American playboy and spy living in occupied Paris is sent to Russia on a sensitive mission.	4
9	BLOW FLY (Berkley, $7.99). By Patricia Cornwell Scarpetta, taking a time-out in Florida to ponder her future, helps the local authorities probe a killing spree.	8
10	SACRED STONE (Berkley, $15). By Clive Cussler & Craig Dirko. The mercenary crew of the warship "Oregon" hopes to secure an ancient radioactive artifact.	4
	Nonfiction/General
1	THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT: FINAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON TERRORIST ATTACKS UPON THE UNITED STATES (Norton, $10)	15
2	READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN (Random House, $13.95) By Azar Nafisi. A professor's memoir of her clandestine Western literature discussion groups for women students.	41
3	A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING (Broadway, $15.95). By Bill Bryson. A popular, quirky guide to science's grandest achievements.	7
4	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.	37
5	FLYBOYS: A TRUE STORY OF COURAGE (Back Bay, $14.95). By James Bradley. The brutal captivity of eight American POWs held by Japanese forces.	7
6	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.	1
7	PLAN OF ATTACK (Simon & Schuster, $14) By Bob Woodward. Assessing the administration's motivations behind the green-lighting of the war in Iraq.	4
8	FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (Da Capo, $15.95) By H.G. Bissinger. A year spent observing the obsession with high school football in small town Odessa, Tex.	4
9	DREAMS FROM MY FATHER: A STORY OF RACE AND INHERITANCE (Three Rivers, $13.95) By Barack Obama. Memoir by the senator-elect.	12
10	FOUNDING BROTHERS: THE REVOLUTIONARY GENERATION (Vintage, $14). By Joseph J. Ellis The lives and debates that molded America.	1
	Hardcover
	Fiction
1	HOUR GAME (Warner, $26.95). By David Baldacci A murderer, mimicking the modus operandi of notorious serial killers, menaces the hamlet of Wrightsburg, Va.	1
2	THE DA VINCI CODE (Doubleday, $24.95) By Dan Brown. Ciphers and riddles impede a symbologist's quest for the Holy Grail and a murderer's identity.	44
3	ECHOES (Delacorte, $27). By Danielle Steel Spanning both world wars, this tale chronicles the romance between a Jewish woman and a Catholic aristocrat.	1
4	NORTHERN LIGHTS (Putnam, $25.95). By Nora Roberts The usual tranquility of Lunacy, Alaska, is ruffled when a resident, missing for 16 years, is discovered murdered.	3
5	THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA (Houghton Mifflin, $26) By Philip Roth. An alternate history in which Charles Lindbergh, as a Nazi sympathizer, is elected U.S. president.	5
6	THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN (Hyperion, $19.95). By Mitch Albom. A parable illustrating the importance of life's smallest acts.	43
7	LIGHT ON SNOW (Little, Brown, $24.95) By Anita Shreve. A woman reflects on the impact of her and her father's discovery of an abandoned infant.	3
8	TRACE (Putnam, $26.95). By Patricia Cornwell Kay Scarpetta returns to the medical examiner's office to help the new director sort out a young girl's death.	8
9	TO THE LAST MAN (Ballantine, $27.95). By Jeff Shaara Actual historical figures are woven into this tale of World War I, vividly depicting the horrors of the Western Front.	1
10	SHOPAHOLIC & SISTER (Dial, $23). By Sophie Kinsella After a months-long honeymoon (or was it a shopping spree?), Becky learns she has a half-sister.	5
	Nonfiction/General
1	AMERICA (THE BOOK): A CITIZEN'S GUIDE TO DEMOCRACY INACTION (Warner, $24.95) By Jon Stewart & the Daily Show. Humor meets history.	6
2	HIS EXCELLENCY: GEORGE WASHINGTON (Knopf, $26.95). By Joseph J. Ellis. A biography of the statesman from British army soldier to U.S. president.	1
3	WHEN WILL JESUS BRING THE PORK CHOPS? (Hyperion, $23.95). By George Carlin. The comedian's mocking riffs on America's social and political climate.	3
4	HOW TO TALK TO A LIBERAL (IF YOU MUST) (Crown Forum, $26.95). By Ann Coulter. The conservative pundit maps out the American political scene.	4
5	CHRONICLES: VOLUME ONE (Simon & Schuster, $24). By Bob Dylan. The singer and songwriter contemplates pivotal moments in his life.	4
6	THE LAST SEASON: A TEAM IN SEARCH OF ITS SOUL (Penguin Press, $24.95). By Phil Jackson with Michael Arkush. The final season with the Los Angeles Lakers.	1
7	HALLELUJAH! THE WELCOME TABLE: A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES WITH RECIPES (Random House, $29.95) By Maya Angelou. Recalling family and culinary morsels.	2
8	WILL IN THE WORLD: HOW SHAKESPEARE BECAME SHAKESPEARE (Norton, $26.95) By Stephen Greenblatt. National Book Award nominee.	3
9	THE COMPLETE CARTOONS OF THE NEW YORKER (Black Dog & Levanthal, $60). Ed. by Robert Mankoff "Best of" book; two CDs containing all cartoons published.	1
10	MY LIFE (Knopf, $35) By Bill Clinton. The former president reminisces about his tumultuous childhood and political accomplishments.	17

Rankings reflect sales for the week ended October 31, 2004. The charts may not be reproduced without permission from Nielsen BookScan. Copyright © 2004 by Nielsen BookScan. (Right-hand column of italicized numbers reflects weeks on this list, which premiered in Book World on Jan. 11, 2004. The advice/miscellaneous list below reflects sales from 9/27-10/31.)