Washington Area Bestsellers

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Sunday, December 4, 2005

Paperback
Fiction
1

THE BROKER(Dell, $7.99). By John Grisham

The CIA finagles the release of an attorney from federal prison to gain access to a satellite surveillance system.

1
2

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA(Vintage, $14.95)

By Arthur Golden.The celebrated geisha, Sayuri, relates her rise to fame and fortune in 1930s imperial Japan.

3
3

STATE OF FEAR(Avon, $7.99). By Michael Crichton

Eco-terrorists plot to create "natural disasters" in an effort to further their radical agenda.

5
4

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.

60
5

WHITEOUT(Signet, $7.99). By Ken Follett

The debt-ridden son of a pharmaceutical company's founder burgles the lab, with unforeseen consequences.

5
6

WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED

WITCH OF THE WEST(Regan, $15). By Gregory Maguire

This riff on the "Oz" tales features a misunderstood witch.

15
7

BLOOD MEMORY(Pocket Star, $9.95). By Greg Iles

Forensic dentist Cat Ferry consults on a string of serial murders in Natchez, Miss., while juggling personal crises.

1
8

NIGHT FALL(Warner Vision, $7.99). By Nelson DeMille

Anti-terrorist expert John Corey is driven to reassess the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island.

5
9

VANISHING ACTS(Washington Square, $14)

By Jodi Picoult.A young woman confronts the painful reality that she was kidnapped as a child by her own father.

2
10

LIGHT ON SNOW(Back Bay, $14.95). By Anita Shreve

The emotional repercussions of a father and daughter's discovery of an abandoned infant in the woods.

9
Nonfiction/General
1

A MILLION LITTLE PIECES(Anchor, $14.95)

By James Frey.A former screenwriter and drug dealer chronicles his addiction and recovery.

10
2

WHY DO MEN HAVE NIPPLES?(Three Rivers, $12.95)

By Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg.Audacious questions to ask your doctor after that third cocktail.

16
3

JARHEAD: A MARINE'S CHRONICLE OF THE

GULF WAR AND OTHER BATTLES

(Pocket, $7.99; Scribner, $15). By Anthony Swofford

6
4

IN COLD BLOOD(Vintage, $14). By Truman Capote

Its melding of crime reportage and a novel's structure made this account of a 1959 Kansas murder an instant classic.

6
5

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.

48
6

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.

91
7

HIS EXCELLENCY: GEORGE WASHINGTON

(Vintage, $15). By Joseph J. Ellis.A biography of the statesman from British army soldier to U.S. president.

3
8

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN(Random House, $13.95)

By Azar Nafisi.A professor recalls her clandestine Western literature discussion groups for women.

95
9

GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL(Norton, $16.95)

By Jared Diamond.The impact of geography and the environment on the course of civilization.

50
10

THE GREAT INFLUENZA: THE EPIC STORY OF THE

DEADLIEST PLAGUE IN HISTORY(Penguin, $16)

By John M. Barry.The worldwide toll of the 1918 virus.

3
Hardcover
Fiction
1

MARY, MARY(Little, Brown, $27.95)

By James Patterson.Hollywood's A-list stars look to Alex Cross to protect them from a vicious serial killer.

2
2

LIGHT FROM HEAVEN(Viking, $26.95). By Jan Karon

Father Tim endeavors to revitalize a long-neglected mountain church in the Mitford Years series' swan song.

3
3

THE CAMEL CLUB(Warner, $26.95). By David Baldacci

A band of zealous conspiracy theorists stumbles across intrigue after witnessing a murder on Roosevelt Island.

5
4

THE LIGHTHOUSE(Knopf, $25.95). By P.D. James

Commander Dalgliesh is dispatched to Combe Island, an isolated retreat for the well-to-do, where murder is afoot.

1
5

AT FIRST SIGHT(Warner, $24.95). By Nicholas Sparks

Jeremy Marsh and Lexie Darnell, last seen in Sparks's "True Believer," are coping with the stress of engagement.

5
6

PREDATOR(Putnam, $26.95). By Patricia Cornwell

Forensic examiner Kay Scarpetta, now based in Florida, is stymied by a series of bizarre slayings and thorny clues.

5
7

A FEAST FOR CROWS(Spectra, $28)

By George R.R. Martin.An anxious peace settles over the Seven Kingdoms in this fourth book of Martin's epic saga.

3
8

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER

(Del Rey, $25.95). By James Luceno.The"Star Wars" saga picks up after the massacre at the Jedi Temple.

1
9

CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT(Knopf, $25.95)

By Anne Rice.The Holy Family's trek back to Nazareth from Egypt, narrated by a 7-year-old Jesus.

4
10

ORDINARY HEROES(FSG, $25). By Scott Turow

A cache of lost letters compels a retired crime reporter to delve into his father's often murky WWII service.

4
Nonfiction/General
1

TEAM OF RIVALS: THE POLITICAL GENIUS OF

ABRAHAM LINCOLN(Simon & Schuster, $35)

By Doris Kearns Goodwin.Presidential finesse.

5
2

TEACHER MAN: A MEMOIR(Scribner, $26)

By Frank McCourt.The author of "Angela's Ashes" recounts his tenure in the NYC public school system.

2
3

THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $27.50)

By Thomas L. Friedman.Globalism's colossal impact.

34
4

OUR ENDANGERED VALUES: AMERICA'S MORAL

CRISIS(Simon & Schuster, $25). By Jimmy Carter

Cautioning against religious fundamentalism's influence.

4
5

FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES

THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95)

By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

33
6

HEALTHY AGING: A LIFELONG GUIDE TO YOUR PHYSICAL

AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING(Knopf, $27.95)

By Andrew Weil.A new perspective for staying vibrant.

6
7

THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING(Knopf, $23.95)

By Joan Didion.A memoir of grief and mourning; winner of the 2005 National Book Award for nonfiction.

8
8

THE COMPLETE CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Andrews McMeel, $150). By Bill Watterson.The cartoon strip in its entirety from its first syndication in 1985.

6
9

1776(Simon & Schuster, $32). By David McCullough

Military campaigns and personal narratives tell the story of the first full year of the American Revolution.

22
10

THE TRUTH: WITH JOKES(Dutton, $25.95)

By Al Franken.The cheeky satirist's follow-up to "Lies" aims to debunk the conservative media spin.

5

Rankings reflect sales for the week ended November 27, 2005. The charts may not be reproduced without permission from Nielsen BookScan. Copyright 2005 by Nielsen BookScan. (Right-hand column of italicized numbers reflects weeks on this list, which premiered in Book World on Jan. 11, 2004. The advice/miscellaneous list below reflects sales from 10/31/05 to 11/27/05.)



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Though too cursory to work as an intro to the Gospels, Mary Gordon's "Reading Jesus" should appeal to anyone who wants to wrestle with the problems and paradoxes of the New Testament.

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