| 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. | 3 |
| 2 | 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. | 8 |
| 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. | 5 |
| 4 | THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN (Warner, $5.99)
By David Baldacci. A journalist, forced to travel cross-country by train, finds unexpected rewards. | 2 |
| 5 | ANGELS & DEMONS (Pocket Star, $7.99)
By Dan Brown. The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threaten the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave. | 46 |
| 6 | 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. | 26 |
| 7 | THE BIG BAD WOLF (Warner, $7.99)
By James Patterson. FBI novice Alex Cross matches wits with a Russian mobster trafficking in sexual slavery. | 7 |
| 8 | EMMA'S SECRET (St. Martin's, $7.99)
By Barbara Taylor Bradford. Emma Harte, from Bradford's "A Woman of Substance," returns via her diaries. | 2 |
| 9 | THE SINISTER PIG (HarperTorch, $7.99)
By Tony Hillerman. Sgt. Jim Chee and now-retired Lt. Joe Leaphorn deal with murder and mismanaged tribal funds. | 2 |
| 10 | SPLIT SECOND (Warner Vision, $7.99)
By David Baldacci. Crimes against tow presidential candidates, though eight years apart, may be related. | 11 |
| Nonfiction/General | |
| 1 | THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT: FINAL REPORT
OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON TERRORIST
ATTACKS UPON THE UNITED STATES (Norton, $10) | 17 |
| 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. | 43 |
| 3 | A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING
(Broadway, $15.95). By Bill Bryson. A quirky, popular history of science's grandest achievements. | 9 |
| 4 | FLYBOYS: A TRUE STORY OF COURAGE
(Back Bay, $14.95). By James Bradley. The brutal captivity of eight American POWs held by Japanese forces. | 9 |
| 5 | THE BUSH SURVIVAL BIBLE: 250 WAYS TO MAKE
IT THROUGH THE NEXT FOUR YEARS ... (Villard, $9.99)
By Gene Stone. Aid for the frustrated and fuming. | 1 |
| 6 | DON'T THINK OF AN ELEPHANT: KNOW YOUR
VALUES AND FRAME THE DEBATE (Chelsea Green, $10)
By George Lakoff. A playbook for progressive activists. | 2 |
| 7 | DREAMS FROM MY FATHER: A STORY OF RACE
AND INHERITANCE (Three Rivers, $13.95)
By Barack Obama. Memoir by the senator-elect. | 14 |
| 8 | 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. | 39 |
| 9 | THE GEORGETOWN LADIES' SOCIAL CLUB: POWER,
PASSION, AND POLITICS IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL
(Atria, $14). By C. David Heymann | 1 |
| 10 | 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. | 6 |
| Hardcover | |
| Fiction | |
| 1 | LONDON BRIDGES (Little, Brown, $27.95)
By James Patterson. Alex Cross's nemesis, the Wolf, aims to extort billions by threatening to annihilate entire cities. | 1 |
| 2 | I AM CHARLOTTE SIMMONS (FSG, $28.95)
By Tom Wolfe. At elite Dupont University, a naive freshman finds socializing to be just as rigorous as class. | 1 |
| 3 | HOUR GAME (Warner, $26.95). By David Baldacci
A murderer, mimicking the modus operandi of notorious serial killers, menaces the hamlet of Wrightsburg, Va. | 3 |
| 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 murderer's identity. | 46 |
| 5 | METRO GIRL (HarperCollins, $26.95)
By Janet Evanovich. Alex Barnaby hits Miami and points beyond in a risky gamble to locate her missing brother. | 2 |
| 6 | 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. | 7 |
| 7 | 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. | 3 |
| 8 | THE CHRISTMAS THIEF (Simon & Schuster, $21)
By Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark. A Vermont spruce, destined for Rockefeller Center, conceals a treasure. | 1 |
| 9 | THE DA VINCI CODE: SPECIAL ILLUSTRATED EDITION
(Doubleday, $35). By Dan Brown. The art and cryptology thriller with hundreds of apropos photos and images. | 2 |
| 10 | THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN
(Hyperion, $19.95). By Mitch Albom. A parable illustrating the importance of life's smallest acts. | 45 |
| 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. | 8 |
| 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. | 3 |
| 3 | HOW TO TALK TO A LIBERAL (IF YOU MUST)
(Crown Forum, $26.95). By Ann Coulter. The conservative pundit sizes up the American political scene. | 6 |
| 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. | 5 |
| 5 | WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS?: HOW
CONSERVATIVES WON THE HEART OF AMERICA
(Metropolitan, $24). By Thomas Frank | 2 |
| 6 | CHRONICLES: VOLUME ONE
(Simon & Schuster, $24). By Bob Dylan. The singer and songwriter contemplates pivotal moments in his life. | 6 |
| 7 | THE COMPLETE CARTOONS OF THE NEW YORKER
(Black Dog & Levanthal, $60). Ed. by Robert Mankoff
"Best of" book; two CDs containing all cartoons published. | 3 |
| 8 | TEARS FOR WATER: SONGBOOK OF POEMS
AND LYRICS (Putnam, $19.95). By Alicia Keys. The Grammy Award-winning chanteuse expresses herself. | 1 |
| 9 | LET ME TELL YOU A STORY: A LIFETIME IN THE GAME
(Little, Brown, $25.95). By Red Auerbach &
John Feinstein. Life of the legendary Celtics coach. | 2 |
| 10 | HALLELUJAH! THE WELCOME TABLE: A LIFETIME
OF MEMORIES WITH RECIPES (Random House, $29.95)
By Maya Angelou. Recalling family and culinary morsels. | 4 |
Rankings reflect sales for the week ended November 14, 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.)
