Washington Area Bestsellers
Sunday, May 22, 2005; Page BW11
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. ANGELS & DEMONS(Pocket Star, $7.99) By Dan Brown.The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave. THE TAKING(Bantam, $7.99). By Dean R. Koontz A rural California town, doused with an eerie, radiant downpour, soon realizes it's part of an alien invasion. HIDDEN PREY(Berkley, $7.99). By John Sandford Detective Davenport, now a special agent, is assigned a case of a Russian found murdered on the docks. THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB(Plume, $14) By Karen Joy Fowler.Heady emotions and intimate secrets arise amid the club's discussion of the Austen canon. JUST ONE LOOK(Signet, $7.99). By Harlan Coben A housewife is stymied by her husband's disappearance and its odd relation to a tragedy from her past. 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. THE SHOP ON BLOSSOM STREET(Mira, $7.50) By Debbie Macomber.Friendships emerge, and lives are rejuvenated, thanks to the catharsis of a knitting class. A LOVING SCOUNDREL(Pocket Star, $7.99) By Johanna Lindsey.Lindsey revives her "Malory" series with this tale of Jeremy Malory, pirate-turned-gentleman. 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. READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN(Random House, $13.95) By Azar Nafisi.A professor recalls her clandestine Western literature discussion groups for women students. WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS?: HOW CONSERVATIVES WON THE HEART OF AMERICA (Owl, $14). By Thomas Frank LEADERSHIP(Miramax, $15.95). By Rudolph W. Giuliani The former New York City mayor draws on his personal experiences to impart leadership lessons. 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. 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. 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. ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY(Back Bay, $14.95) By David Sedaris.Autobiographical essays told with an appreciation of life's many ironies. GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL(Norton, $16.95) By Jared Diamond.The impact of geography and the environment on the rise of civilization. ALEXANDER HAMILTON(Penguin, $18) By Ron Chernow.The remarkable life of the Founding Father who went from aide-de-camp to treasury secretary. 4TH OF JULY(Little, Brown, $27.95) By James Patterson & Maxine Paetro.A member of the Women's Murder Club is on trial for police brutality. BROKEN PREY(Putnam, $26.95). By John Sandford Gory slayings, reminiscent of those committed by three incarcerated killers, and a new iPod keep Davenport busy. TRUE BELIEVER(Warner, $24.95). By Nicholas Sparks A science reporter, famed for his myth-debunking articles, looks into strange lights in a North Carolina cemetery. THE MERMAID CHAIR(Viking, $24.95) By Sue Monk Kidd.Jessie's caregiver trip to her mother's side brings some surprising astonishing secrets to light. IN THE COMPANY OF CHEERFUL LADIES (Pantheon, $19.95). By Alexander McCall Smith Sixth installment of the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." 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. COUNTDOWN(Bantam, $25). By Iris Johansen Jane Maguire's striking likeness to an ancient Roman actress haunts her once more in this fast-paced thriller. STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH(Del Rey, $25.95) By Matthew Stover.The novelization of George Lucas's recently released"Episode III." GENEVIEVE(Dutton, $24.95). By Eric Jerome Dickey Genevieve and her husband, both children of broken homes, wrestle with the impact on their marriage. NO PLACE LIKE HOME(Simon & Schuster, $25.95) By Mary Higgins Clark.A woman's tragic past looms when her new husband innocently buys her childhood home. THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CNETURY(FSG, $27.50) By Thomas L. Friedman.Globalization's colossal impact. A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD(Putnam, $25.95) By Goldie Hawn.The actress reveals her private self while reflecting on her award-winning career. FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95) By Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING (Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell The complex psychology behind our snap decisions. ONE SOLDIER'S STORY: A MEMOIR (HarperCollins, $25.95). By Bob Dole.The former senator's military career and life-changing injury. WINNING(HarperBusiness, $27.95). By Jack Welch with Suzy Welch.A top-to-bottom guidebook for business management by the former CEO of General Electric. AND ONE MORE THING BEFORE YOU GO ... (Free Press, $13.95). By Maria Shriver.Advice for girls on the transition from high school to college. ON BULLSHIT(Princeton Univ., $9.95) By Harry G. Frankfurt.A philosophical primer for detecting the phenomenon in our culture today. IS BILL COSBY RIGHT? (OR HAS THE BLACK MIDDLE CLASS LOST ITS MIND?)(Basic Civitas, $23) By Michael Eric Dyson.A cultural critic's rebuttal. DOWN CAME THE RAIN: MY JOURNEY THROUGH POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION(Hyperion, $23.95) By Brooke Shields.Overcoming a debilitating affliction.Paperback Fiction 1 32 2 70 3 3 4 3 5 2 6 3 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. 50 8 8 9 2 10 2 Nonfiction/General 1 20 2 67 3 4 4 1 5 13 6 38 7 63 8 20 9 23 10 7 Hardcover Fiction 1 2 2 1 3 5 4 6 5 4 6 70 7 1 8 7 9 1 10 6 Nonfiction/General 1 6 2 2 3 5 4 18 5 4 6 6 7 5 8 7 9 1 10 2