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Sunday, February 19, 2006

Paperback
Fiction
1
THE CLOSERS(Warner, $7.99). By Michael Connelly
After two years of retirement, Harry Bosch returns to the LAPD in its new cold-case unit.
2
2
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.
11
3
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA(Vintage, $14.95)
By Arthur Golden.The celebrated geisha, Sayuri, tells of her rise to fame and fortune in 1930s imperial Japan.
13
4
SKELETON MAN(HarperTorch, $7.99)
By Tony Hillerman.Leaphorn and Chee hunt for diamonds lost in a 1956 plane collision over the Grand Canyon.
2
5
HONEYMOON(Warner, $13.95). By James Patterson
& Howard Roughan.An FBI agent suspects the alluring fiancée in a wealthy banker's death.
6
6
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.
70
7
CORDINA'S ROYAL FAMILY: GABRIELLA & ALEXANDER
(Silhouette, $7.99). By Nora Roberts.Passion, danger and noble blood swirl through these two romance novellas.
2
8
GILEAD(Picador USA, $14). By Marilynne Robinson
An elderly minister, in failing health, reflects on his enduring faith and a lifetime spent in the same Iowa town.
4
9
THE THIRD SECRET(Ballantine, $7.99). By Steve Berry
The final mystery of Fatima--which Pope John Paul II revealed in 2000--may be more than it seems.
2
10
IMPOSSIBLE(Dell, $7.99). By Danielle Steel
The owner of an influential gallery begins a tempestuous affair with a younger, somewhat Bohemian artist.
2
Nonfiction/General
1
NIGHT(FSG, $9). By Elie Wiesel
The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his experience and survival of a concentration camp during World War II.
12
2
A MILLION LITTLE PIECES(Anchor, $14.95)
By James Frey.Billed as a memoir of addiction recovery, the author now admits to fabricating/embellishing his tale.
20
3
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.
16
4
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.
58
5
COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL
OR SUCCEED(Penguin, $17). By Jared Diamond
The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.
7
6
ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION: USING THE MYSTERIESOF AUTISM TO DECODE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
(Harvest, $15). By Temple Grandin & Catherine Johnson
2
7
JERUSALEM COUNTDOWN: A WARNING TO THE WORLD
(Frontline, $14.99). By John Hagee.Current events fuel this doomsday take on Arab relations with Israel.
8
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN
(Plume, $15). By John Perkins.Charges of financial malfeasance at the expense of developing nations.
7
9
GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL(Norton, $16.95)
By Jared Diamond.The impact of geography and the environment on the course of civilization.
59
10
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.
99
Hardcover
Fiction
1
CELL(Scribner, $26.95). By Stephen King
A mind-altering pulse sent simultaneously through all mobile phones in America turns its recipients into killers.
3
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 killer's identity.
98
3
SEA CHANGE(Putnam, $24.95). By Robert B. Parker
Small-town Mass. sheriff Jesse Stone probes the murder of a visiting Florida heiress with some kinky sexual whims.
1
4
MEMORY IN DEATH(Putnam, $24.95). By J.D. Robb
Cop Eve Dallas rebuffs her cruel foster mother's attempt at blackmail--and finds her murdered the next day.
3
5
THE LAST TEMPLAR(Dutton, $24.95)
By Raymond Khoury.Modern-day zealots fromthe Knights Templar aim to reclaim a treasure not seen since 1291.
3
6
LOVERS & PLAYERS(St. Martin's, $24.95)
By Jackie Collins.A billionaire patriarch summons his three sons (each struggling with personal drama) to NYC.
1
7
THE HOSTAGE(Putnam, $26.95). By W.E.B. Griffin
A diplomat's murder, a family held captive and the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal meld in this Charley Castillo thriller.
6
8
GONE(Bantam, $25). By Lisa Gardner
P.I. "Rainie" Connor vanishes from her car on a rural Oregon road, leaving police and family to find the truth.
2
9
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.
12
10
DEATH DANCE(Scribner, $26). By Linda Fairstein
A ballerina's grisly murder at the opera affords DA Alex Cooper entree to Lincoln Center's rarefied backstage.
2
Nonfiction/General
1
MARLEY & ME: LIFE AND LOVE WITH THE
WORLD'S WORST DOG(Morrow, $21.95)
By John Grogan.For the love of an unruly Labrador.
9
2
THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $27.50)
By Thomas L. Friedman.Globalism's colossal impact.
44
3
MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER
(Morrow, $26.95). By James L. Swanson.John Wilkes Booth's sensational, elusive flight from Washington, D.C.
1
4
YOU'RE WEARING THAT? UNDERSTANDING MOTHERS
AND DAUGHTERS IN CONVERSATION
(Random House, $25.95). By Deborah Tannen
3
5
FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES
THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95)
By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
43
6
STATE OF WAR: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CIA
AND THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION(Free Press, $26)
By James Risen.Exposing a domestic spying program.
6
7
BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING
(Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell
The complex psychology behind our snap decisions.
43
8
AT CANAAN'S EDGE: AMERICA IN THE KING YEARS,
1965-68(Simon & Schuster, $35). By Taylor Branch
The third and final volume of Branch's civil rights history.
4
9
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING(Knopf, $23.95)
By Joan Didion.A memoir of mourning; winner of the 2005 National Book Award for nonfiction.
18
10
AMERICAN VERTIGO: TRAVELING AMERICA IN THE
FOOTSTEPS OF TOCQUEVILLE(Random House, $24.95)
By Bernard-Henri Lévy.One Frenchman's view.
2

Rankings reflect sales for the week ended Feb. 12, 2006. The charts may not be reproduced without permission from Nielsen BookScan. Copyright © 2006 by Nielsen BookScan. (Right-hand column of italicized numbers reflects weeks on this list, which premiered in Book World on Jan. 11, 2004. Advice, reference and self-help books appear on a separate, monthly list.)

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	Paperback
	Fiction
1	THE CLOSERS(Warner, $7.99). By Michael Connelly After two years of retirement, Harry Bosch returns to the LAPD in its new cold-case unit.	2
2	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.	11
3	MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA(Vintage, $14.95) By Arthur Golden.The celebrated geisha, Sayuri, tells of her rise to fame and fortune in 1930s imperial Japan.	13
4	SKELETON MAN(HarperTorch, $7.99) By Tony Hillerman.Leaphorn and Chee hunt for diamonds lost in a 1956 plane collision over the Grand Canyon.	2
5	HONEYMOON(Warner, $13.95). By James Patterson & Howard Roughan.An FBI agent suspects the alluring fiancée in a wealthy banker's death.	6
6	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.	70
7	CORDINA'S ROYAL FAMILY: GABRIELLA & ALEXANDER (Silhouette, $7.99). By Nora Roberts.Passion, danger and noble blood swirl through these two romance novellas.	2
8	GILEAD(Picador USA, $14). By Marilynne Robinson An elderly minister, in failing health, reflects on his enduring faith and a lifetime spent in the same Iowa town.	4
9	THE THIRD SECRET(Ballantine, $7.99). By Steve Berry The final mystery of Fatima--which Pope John Paul II revealed in 2000--may be more than it seems.	2
10	IMPOSSIBLE(Dell, $7.99). By Danielle Steel The owner of an influential gallery begins a tempestuous affair with a younger, somewhat Bohemian artist.	2
	Nonfiction/General
1	NIGHT(FSG, $9). By Elie Wiesel The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his experience and survival of a concentration camp during World War II.	12
2	A MILLION LITTLE PIECES(Anchor, $14.95) By James Frey.Billed as a memoir of addiction recovery, the author now admits to fabricating/embellishing his tale.	20
3	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.	16
4	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.	58
5	COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL OR SUCCEED(Penguin, $17). By Jared Diamond The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.	7
6	ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION: USING THE MYSTERIESOF AUTISM TO DECODE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR (Harvest, $15). By Temple Grandin & Catherine Johnson	2
7	JERUSALEM COUNTDOWN: A WARNING TO THE WORLD (Frontline, $14.99). By John Hagee.Current events fuel this doomsday take on Arab relations with Israel.
8	CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN (Plume, $15). By John Perkins.Charges of financial malfeasance at the expense of developing nations.	7
9	GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL(Norton, $16.95) By Jared Diamond.The impact of geography and the environment on the course of civilization.	59
10	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.	99
	Hardcover
	Fiction
1	CELL(Scribner, $26.95). By Stephen King A mind-altering pulse sent simultaneously through all mobile phones in America turns its recipients into killers.	3
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 killer's identity.	98
3	SEA CHANGE(Putnam, $24.95). By Robert B. Parker Small-town Mass. sheriff Jesse Stone probes the murder of a visiting Florida heiress with some kinky sexual whims.	1
4	MEMORY IN DEATH(Putnam, $24.95). By J.D. Robb Cop Eve Dallas rebuffs her cruel foster mother's attempt at blackmail--and finds her murdered the next day.	3
5	THE LAST TEMPLAR(Dutton, $24.95) By Raymond Khoury.Modern-day zealots fromthe Knights Templar aim to reclaim a treasure not seen since 1291.	3
6	LOVERS & PLAYERS(St. Martin's, $24.95) By Jackie Collins.A billionaire patriarch summons his three sons (each struggling with personal drama) to NYC.	1
7	THE HOSTAGE(Putnam, $26.95). By W.E.B. Griffin A diplomat's murder, a family held captive and the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal meld in this Charley Castillo thriller.	6
8	GONE(Bantam, $25). By Lisa Gardner P.I. "Rainie" Connor vanishes from her car on a rural Oregon road, leaving police and family to find the truth.	2
9	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.	12
10	DEATH DANCE(Scribner, $26). By Linda Fairstein A ballerina's grisly murder at the opera affords DA Alex Cooper entree to Lincoln Center's rarefied backstage.	2
	Nonfiction/General
1	MARLEY & ME: LIFE AND LOVE WITH THE WORLD'S WORST DOG(Morrow, $21.95) By John Grogan.For the love of an unruly Labrador.	9
2	THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $27.50) By Thomas L. Friedman.Globalism's colossal impact.	44
3	MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER (Morrow, $26.95). By James L. Swanson.John Wilkes Booth's sensational, elusive flight from Washington, D.C.	1
4	YOU'RE WEARING THAT? UNDERSTANDING MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS IN CONVERSATION (Random House, $25.95). By Deborah Tannen	3
5	FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95) By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner	43
6	STATE OF WAR: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CIA AND THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION(Free Press, $26) By James Risen.Exposing a domestic spying program.	6
7	BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING (Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell The complex psychology behind our snap decisions.	43
8	AT CANAAN'S EDGE: AMERICA IN THE KING YEARS, 1965-68(Simon & Schuster, $35). By Taylor Branch The third and final volume of Branch's civil rights history.	4
9	THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING(Knopf, $23.95) By Joan Didion.A memoir of mourning; winner of the 2005 National Book Award for nonfiction.	18
10	AMERICAN VERTIGO: TRAVELING AMERICA IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF TOCQUEVILLE(Random House, $24.95) By Bernard-Henri Lévy.One Frenchman's view.	2