Washington Area Bestsellers
Sunday, July 31, 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. TRACE(Berkley, $7.99). By Patricia Cornwell Kay Scarpetta returns to the medical examiner's office to help the new director sort out a young girl's death. THE RULE OF FOUR(Dell, $7.99). By Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason.Four roommates at Princeton attempt to unlock the secrets of a 14th-century manuscript. WHITE HOT(Pocket, $9.95). By Sandra Brown Sayre Lynch is aghast when she learns of her brother's death--more so when all signs point to murder. MEMORIAL DAY(Pocket Star, $9.95). By Vince Flynn The CIA's almost effortless thwarting of an al Qaeda attack makes agent Mitch Rapp suspicious. 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 SECRET LIFE OF BEES(Penguin, $14) By Sue Monk Kidd.Three women beekeepers offer an abused girl comfort and a safe haven. NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS(Signet, $9.99) By Maeve Binchy.A tragedy at a Greek seaside resort brings four disparate travelers together. BLACK ROSE(Jove, $7.99). By Nora Roberts Roz Harper finds herself falling for the fetching genealogist she hired to track the identity of an ancestral ghost. 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. GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL(Norton, $16.95) By Jared Diamond.The impact of geography and the environment on the rise of civilization. READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN(Random House, $13.95) By Azar Nafisi.A professor recalls her clandestine Western literature discussion groups for women students. DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM (Back Bay, $14.95). By David Sedaris.A collection of witty, comical essays starring the humorist's family. THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY(Vintage, $14.95) By Erik Larson.Serial killer H.H. Holmes preys on Chicago residents amid the bustle of the 1893 World's Fair. 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. A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING (Broadway, $15.95). By Bill Bryson.A quirky, popular guide to science's grandest achievements. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE: MY JOURNEY BACK TO LIFE (Berkley, $14). By Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins Memoir by the seven-time Tour de France champion. PLEDGED: THE SECRET LIFE OF SORORITIES (Hyperion, $13.95). By Alexandra Robbins The inner workings of one Greek chapter laid bare. ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY(Back Bay, $14.95) By David Sedaris.Autobiographical essays told with an appreciation for life's ironies. THE INTERRUPTION OF EVERYTHING(Viking, $25.95) By Terry McMillan.Marilyn Grimes's midlife angst throws into question her marriage, love life and identity. LIFEGUARD(Little, Brown, $26.95). By James Patterson and Andrew Gross.A Boston boy's promising life in Palm Beach goes to pot after a failed $60 million art heist. THE HISTORIAN(Little, Brown, $25.95) By Elizabeth Kostova.A multi-generational saga of one family's precarious scrutiny of the Dracula legend. UNTIL I FIND YOU(Random House, $27.95) By John Irving.Celebrity actor Jack Burns confronts a harrowing past by tracking down his long-absent father. THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS(Dial, $23) By Sophie Kinsella.After a costly mistake, a starLondon attorney accepts a housekeeping job in the country. 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. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN(Knopf, $24.95) By Cormac McCarthy.A grisly discovery--dead bodies, $2 million and heroin--leads a man to make a fateful choice. ORIGIN IN DEATH(Putnam, $24.95). By J.D. Robb In this near-future thriller featuring Detective Eve Dallas, a cosmetic surgeon's murder portends a chilling secret. THE MERMAID CHAIR(Viking, $24.95) By Sue Monk Kidd.Jessie's visit to her ailing mother brings some surprising confidences to light. ELEVEN ON TOP(St. Martin's, $26.95) By Janet Evanovich.Despite giving up her bounty-hunter role, Stephanie Plum is dodging danger once again. 1776(Simon & Schuster, $32). By David McCullough Military campaigns and personal narratives tell the story of the first full year of the American Revolution. THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $27.50) By Thomas L. Friedman.Globalism's colossal impact. CONFESSIONS OF A VIDEO VIXEN(Amistad, $24.95) By Karrine Steffans.The hip-hop video actress reveals her painful past and the gritty side of a glittering industry. FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMISTEXPLORES THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95) By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner THE SECRET MAN: THE STORY OF WATERGATE'S DEEP THROAT(Simon & Schuster, $23) By Bob Woodward.W. Mark Felt's crucial role. 100 PEOPLE WHO ARE SCREWING UP AMERICA (AND AL FRANKEN IS #37)(HarperCollins, $25.95) By Bernard Goldberg.Targeting the "cultural elite." BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING (Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell The complex psychology behind our snap decisions. ON BULLSHIT(Princeton Univ., $9.95) By Harry G. Frankfurt.A philosophical primer for detecting the phenomenon in our culture. THE TRUTH ABOUT HILLARY: WHAT SHE KNEW, WHEN SHE KNEW IT, AND HOW FAR SHE'LL GO TO BECOME PRESIDENT(Sentinel, $24.95). By Edward Klein LANCE ARMSTRONG'S WAR: ONE MAN'S BATTLE AGAINST FATE, FAME, LOVE, DEATH, SCANDAL ... (HarperCollins, $25.95). By Daniel CoylePaperback Fiction 1 42 2 4 3 4 4 1 5 1 6 THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME(Vintage, $12.95). By Mark Haddon.An autistic boy digs into a poodle's death, unearthing some family secrets. 60 7 80 8 33 9 4 10 8 Nonfiction/General 1 30 2 33 3 77 4 8 5 73 6 48 7 35 8 5 9 3 10 25 Hardcover Fiction 1 1 2 2 3 6 4 2 5 1 6 80 7 1 8 2 9 16 10 5 Nonfiction/General 1 8 2 16 3 4 4 15 5 3 6 2 7 28 8 17 9 5 10 1