| Paperback | |
| Fiction | |
| 1 | THE BIG BAD WOLF (Warner, $7.99)
By James Patterson. FBI novice Alex Cross matches wits with a Russian mobster trafficking in sexual slavery. | 3 |
| 2 | WINNER TAKES ALL (Silhouette, $7.99)
By Nora Roberts. Two of Roberts's novels, "Rules of the Game" and "The Names of the Game," now back in print. | 3 |
| 3 | SPLIT SECOND (Warner Vision, $7.99)
By David Baldacci. Crimes against two presidential candidates, though eight years apart, may be related. | 7 |
| 4 | SKIPPING CHRISTMAS (Dell, $6.99). By John Grisham
A couple, jaded by all the material trappings of the holidays, decide to have a year without Christmas. | 1 |
| 5 | BLOW FLY (Berkley, $7.99). By Patricia Cornwell
Scarpetta, taking a time-out in Florida to think about her future, helps the local authorities probe a killing spree. | 6 |
| 6 | SACRED STONE (Berkley, $15). By Clive Cussler
& Craig Dirgo. The mercenary crew of the warship "Oregon" hopes to secure an ancient radioactive artifact. | 2 |
| 7 | 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. | 2 |
| 8 | ANGELS & DEMONS (Pocket Star, $7.99)
By Dan Brown. The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave. | 42 |
| 9 | 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. | 22 |
| 10 | 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. | 4 |
| Nonfiction/General | |
| 1 | THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT: FINAL REPORT
OF THE ANTIONAL COMMISSION ON TERRORIST
ATTACKS UPON THE UNITED STATES (Norton, $10) | 13 |
| 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. | 39 |
| 3 | A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING
(Broadway, $15.95). By Bill Bryson. A quirky, popular history of science's grandest achievements. | 5 |
| 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. | 35 |
| 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. | 5 |
| 6 | PLAN OF ATTACK (Simon & Schuster, $14)
By Bob Woodward. Assessing the motivations behind the administration's green-lighting of the war in Iraq. | 2 |
| 7 | FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: A TOWN, A TEAM,
AND A DREAM (Da Capo, $15.95). By H.G. Bissinger
The football obsession in small town Odessa, Tex. | 2 |
| 8 | DREAMS FROM MY FATHER: A STORY OF RACE
AND INHERITANCE (Three Rivers, $13.95)
By Barack Obama. Memoir by the rising politician. | 10 |
| 9 | TREASON: LIBERAL TREACHERY FROM THE COLD WAR
TO THE WAR ON TERRORISM (Three Rivers, $14.95)
By Ann Coulter. Perceived foreign policy flaws. | 1 |
| 10 | THE OFFICIAL FAHRENHEIT 9/11 READER
(Simon & Schuster, $14). By Michael Moore. Screenplay and sources for the prize-winning documentary. | 2 |
| Hardcover | |
| Fiction | |
| 1 | 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. | 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. | 42 |
| 3 | 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. | 3 |
| 4 | 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. | 6 |
| 5 | THE DARK TOWER: THE DARK TOWER VII
(Donald M. Grant, $35). By Stephen King. The epic series concludes as the gunslingers reach the dreaded tower. | 4 |
| 6 | SHOPAHOLIC & SISTER (Dial, $23). By Sophie Kinsella
On her return from her months-long honeymoon (or was it a shopping spree?), Becky learns she has a half-sister. | 3 |
| 7 | THE GIFT (Silhouette, $16.95). By Nora Roberts
Two holiday tales from the romance writer: "All I Want for Christmas" and "Home for the Holidays." | 2 |
| 8 | LIGHT ON SNOW (Little, Brown, $24.95)
By Anita Shreve. The emotional impact of a father and daughter's discovery of an infant abandoned in the woods. | 1 |
| 9 | THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN
(Hyperion, $19.95). By Mitch Albom. A parable illustrating the importance of life's smallest acts. | 41 |
| 10 | JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL
(Bloomsbury USA, $27.95). By Susanna Clarke
Two English magicians hope to revive the age of magic. | 7 |
| 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. | 4 |
| 2 | 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. | 2 |
| 3 | CHRONICLES: VOLUME ONE
(Simon & Schuster, $24). By Bob Dylan. The singer and songwriter contemplates pivotal moments in his life. | 2 |
| 4 | 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. | 1 |
| 5 | UNFIT FOR COMMAND: SWIFT BOAT VETERANS
SPEAK OUT AGAINST JOHN KERRY (Regnery, $27.95)
By John E. O'Neill & Jerome F. Corsi. A contrary view. | 10 |
| 6 | THE FAMILY: THE REAL STORY OF THE BUSH DYNASTY
(Doubleday, $29.95). By Kitty Kelley. An unauthorized examination of three generations of the Bush clan. | 5 |
| 7 | WILL THEY EVER TRUST US AGAIN? LETTERS FROM
THE WAR ZONE (Simon & Schuster, $22)
By Michael Moore. Correspondence from the front lines. | 1 |
| 8 | MAGICAL THINKING: TRUE STORIES
(St. Martin's, $23.95). By Augusten Burroughs. A compilation of comical, often very confessional essays. | 2 |
| 9 | CHAIN OF COMMAND: THE ROAD FROM 9/11 TO
ABU GHRAIB (HarperCollins, $25.95)
By Seymour M. Hersh. An investigative reporter's verdict. | 5 |
| 10 | SHADOW WAR: THE UNTOLD STORY OF HOW BUSH
IS WINNING THE WAR ON TERROR (Regnery, $27.95)
By Richard Miniter. Another view on tackling terror. | 1 |
Rankings reflect sales for the week ended October 17, 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. Advice and self-help books appear on a separate, monthly list.)
