Washington Area Bestsellers
Sunday, April 10, 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.26
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.2
3 R IS FOR RICOCHET (Berkley, $7.99). By Sue Grafton
P.I. Kinsey Millhone agrees to look after a just-paroled heiress, whose former boss is wanted by the feds.1
4 THERAPY (Ballantine, $7.99). By Jonathan Kellerman
Alex Delaware's inquiry into a savage double homicide steers him to one victim's celebrity therapist.1
5 BLIND ALLEY (Bantam, $7.99). By Iris Johansen
A maniac bent on killing women resembling an ancient Roman actress threatens Eve Duncan's adopted daughter.1
6 ANGELS & DEMONS (Pocket Star, $7.99)
By Dan Brown. The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave.64
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, uncovering some family secrets. 44
8 THE LAST JUROR (Dell, $7.99). By John Grisham
The scion of a small town's wealthy and corrupt clan vows revenge on he jury that convicted him of murder.15
9 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.5
10 ALMOST A BRIDE (Bantam, $6.99). By Jane Feather
Arabella finds herself at the mercy of a gambler who wins her family home in a high-stakes bet with her brother.1
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.14
2 READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN (Random House, $13.95)
By Azar Nafisi. A professor recalls her clandestine Western literature discussion groups for women students.61
3 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.7
4 ALEXANDER HAMILTON (Penguin, $18)
By Ron Chernow. The remarkable life of the Founding Father who went from aide-de-camp to treasury secretary.1
5 GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL (Norton, $16.95)
By Jared Diamond. The impact of geography and the environment on the rise of civilization.17
6 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.32
7 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.57
8 THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULERS: EXPOSING OILY
POLITICIANS, WAR PROFITEERS AND THE MEDIA THAT
LOVE THEM (Hyperion, $12.95). By Amy Goodman1
9 THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS: SPACE, TIME,
AND THE TEXTURE OF REALITY (Vintage, $15.95)
By Brian Greene. From Newton to string theory.8
10 GENGHIS KHAN AND THE MAKING OF THE MODERN
WORLD (Three Rivers, $14.95). By Jack Weatherford
Tempering the Mongol Empire's savage reputation.2
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.2
2 YA-YAS IN BLOOM (HarperCollins, $24.95)
By Rebecca Wells. Vignettes from the lives of the Ya-Ya sisterhood when they first meet as girls in the 1930s.1
3 THE SERPENT ON THE CROWN (Morrow, $25.95)
By Elizabeth Peters. The tireless Peabody clan ducks danger to uncover the provenance of an Egyptian statuette.1
4 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.64
5 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.9
6 WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS (HarperCollins, $26.95)
By Elizabeth George. Scotland Yard's Lynley and Havers tackle a killing spree with racial overtones.3
7 STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH (Del Rey, $25.95)
By Matthew Stover. The novelized version of George Lucas's film of Episode III, releasing in May.1
8 HONEYMOON (Little, Brown, $27.95)
By James Patterson & Howard Roughan. An FBI agent suspects the alluring fiancée in a wealthy banker's death.6
9 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.12
10 IRELAND (HarperCollins, $26.95). By Frank Delaney
A fictionalized saga that recounts the sweeping history of the Emerald Isle; a bestseller in Ireland.3
Nonfiction/General
1 BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING
(Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell
The complex psychology behind our snap decisions.12
2 CONSPIRACY OF FOOLS: A TRUE STORY
(Broadway, $26). By Kurt Eichenwald. The sinking of Enron and its accounting firm, Arthur Andersen.3
3 ON BULLSHIT (Princeton Univ., $9.95)
By Harry G. Frankfurt. A philosophical primer for detecting the phenomenon in our culture today.2
4 COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL
OR SUCCEED (Viking, $29.95). By Jared Diamond
The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.14
5 AMERICA (THE BOOK): A CITIZEN'S GUIDE TO
DEMOCRACY INACTION (Warner, $24.95)
By Jon Stewart & the Daily Show. Humor meets history.26
6 MEN IN BLACK: HOW THE SUPREME COURT IS
DESTROYING AMERICA (Regnery, $27.95)
By Mark R. Levin. Taking issue with "judicial activism."8
7 GOD'S POLITICS: WHY THE RIGHT GETS IT WRONG
AND THE LEFT DOESN'T GET IT
(HarperSanFrancisco, $24.95). By Jim Wallis11
8 THE END OF POVERTY: ECONOMIC POSSIBILITIES
FOR OUR TIME (Penguin Press, $27.95)
By Jeffrey D. Sachs. A 20-year plan to rescue the poor.1
9 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.3
10 PERFECT MADNESS: MOTHERHOOD IN THE
AGE OF ANXIETY (Riverhead, $23.95). By Judith Warner
The perils of micromanaging children's lives.3