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Sunday, March 19, 2006

Paperback
Fiction
1
THE MERMAID CHAIR(Penguin, $14)
By Sue Monk Kidd.Jessie visits her ailing mother, still grief-stricken after Jessie's father's death 33 years before.
1
2
RAGE(Ballantine, $7.99). By Jonathan Kellerman
Psychiatrist Alex Delaware revisits the chilling case of two teens convicted of killing a toddler eight years earlier.
2
3
KILL THE MESSENGER(Bantam, $7.99). By Tami Hoag
A bike courier finds his life in jeopardy because of a parcel meant for a just-murdered defense attorney.
2
4
WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS(HarperTorch, $7.99)
By Elizabeth George.Scotland Yard's Lynley and Havers tackle a killing spree with racial overtones.
2
5
THE KITE RUNNER(Riverhead, $14)
By Khaled Hosseini.An Afghan immigrant returns to his Taliban-ruled country to atone for a childhood betrayal.
74
6
IRELAND(Avon, $7.99). By Frank Delaney
A BBC reporter's fictionalized saga that recounts the sweeping history of the Emerald Isle.
2
7
FATAL BURN(Kensington, $7.99). By Lisa Jackson
A teenager's kidnapping brings her adoptive father and birth mother together to solve the crime--and fall in love.
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.
7
9
PRETTY WOMAN(Pocket, $7.99). By Fern Michaels
Unhappy with her lout of a husband, Rosie tosses him out and vows to change her life--and then wins the lottery.
2
10
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.
15
Nonfiction/General
1
NIGHT(FSG, $9). By Elie Wiesel
The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his experience in Nazi camps during World War II.
16
2
IN COLD BLOOD(Vintage, $14). By Truman Capote
Its melding of crime reportage and fictional techniques made this account of a grisly murder an instant classic.
20
3
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.
62
4
THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA
(Third World, $12). Ed. by Tavis Smiley.Prominent African Americans propose a proactive plan for change.
1
5
A MILLION LITTLE PIECES(Anchor, $14.95)
By James Frey.Billed as a memoir of addiction recovery, the author now admits to embellishing his tale.
24
6
COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL
OR SUCCEED(Penguin, $17). By Jared Diamond
The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.
11
7
ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION: USING THE MYSTERIESOF AUTISM TO DECODE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR(Harvest, $15)
By Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson
6
8
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.
102
9
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN
(Plume, $15). By John Perkins.Charges of financial malfeasance at the expense of developing nations.
11
10
THE GLASS CASTLE(Scribner, $14)
By Jeanette Walls.A daughter's memoir of her eccentric parents and the unorthodox upbringing she survived.
3
Hardcover
Fiction
1
THE 5TH HORSEMAN(Little, Brown, $27.95)
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.Patients' puzzling deaths at a hospital suggest a ruthless murderer.
4
2
THE TENTH CIRCLE(Atria, $26). By Jodi Picoult
Graphic art illustrates this tale (with a "Purgatorio" metaphor) of a family coping with a daughter's rape.
1
3
THE HOUSE(Delacorte, $27). By Danielle Steel
A wealthy client's bequest offers attorney Sarah Anderson the chance to renovate a grand San Francisco manor.
2
4
THE REBELS OF IRELAND: THE DUBLIN SAGA
(Doubleday, $28.95). By Edward Rutherfurd.The conclusion of Rutherfurd's sweeping epic of Irish history.
2
5
THE DA VINCI CODE(Doubleday, $24.95)
By Dan Brown.Ciphers and riddles impede a symbologist's quest for the Holy Grail and a wily killer.
102
6
THE LAST TEMPLAR(Dutton, $24.95)
By Raymond Khoury.Modern-day zealots fromthe Knights Templar hunt for a treasure not seen since 1291.
7
7
CELL(Scribner, $26.95). By Stephen King
A mind-altering pulse sent simultaneously via all mobile phones in America turns its recipients into zombies.
7
8
FALSE IMPRESSION(St. Martin's, $27.95)
By Jeffrey Archer.The ownership of a pricelessVan Gogh self-portrait is put in question by the attacks of Sept. 11.
1
9
THE TEMPLAR LEGACY(Ballantine, $24.95)
By Steve Berry.An ex-Justice Department agent spars with a lethal Templar order seeking a lost archive.
3
10
IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN
(Random House, $23.95). By Sarah Dunant
A woman's troubles and triumphs inRenaissance Venice.
4
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.
13
2
MISQUOTING JESUS: THE STORY BEHIND WHO
CHANGED THE BIBLE AND WHY
(HarperSanFrancisco, $24.95). By Bart D. Ehrman
1
3
THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $27.50)
By Thomas L. Friedman.Globalism's colossal impact.
48
4
FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES
THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95)
By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
47
5
BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING
(Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell
The complex psychology behind our snap decisions.
47
6
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.
5
7
YOU'RE WEARING THAT? UNDERSTANDING MOTHERS
AND DAUGHTERS IN CONVERSATION
(Random House, $25.95). By Deborah Tannen
7
8
FRAGILE INNOCENCE: A FATHER'S MEMOIR OF
HIS DAUGHTER'S COURAGEOUS JOURNEY
(Harmony, $23). By James Reston Jr.
1
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.
22
10
TEAM OF RIVALS: THE POLITICAL GENIUS
OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN(Simon & Schuster, $35)
By Doris Kearns Goodwin.Presidential finesse.
15

Rankings reflect sales for the week ended March 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 MERMAID CHAIR(Penguin, $14) By Sue Monk Kidd.Jessie visits her ailing mother, still grief-stricken after Jessie's father's death 33 years before.	1
2	RAGE(Ballantine, $7.99). By Jonathan Kellerman Psychiatrist Alex Delaware revisits the chilling case of two teens convicted of killing a toddler eight years earlier.	2
3	KILL THE MESSENGER(Bantam, $7.99). By Tami Hoag A bike courier finds his life in jeopardy because of a parcel meant for a just-murdered defense attorney.	2
4	WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS(HarperTorch, $7.99) By Elizabeth George.Scotland Yard's Lynley and Havers tackle a killing spree with racial overtones.	2
5	THE KITE RUNNER(Riverhead, $14) By Khaled Hosseini.An Afghan immigrant returns to his Taliban-ruled country to atone for a childhood betrayal.	74
6	IRELAND(Avon, $7.99). By Frank Delaney A BBC reporter's fictionalized saga that recounts the sweeping history of the Emerald Isle.	2
7	FATAL BURN(Kensington, $7.99). By Lisa Jackson A teenager's kidnapping brings her adoptive father and birth mother together to solve the crime--and fall in love.	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.	7
9	PRETTY WOMAN(Pocket, $7.99). By Fern Michaels Unhappy with her lout of a husband, Rosie tosses him out and vows to change her life--and then wins the lottery.	2
10	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.	15
	Nonfiction/General
1	NIGHT(FSG, $9). By Elie Wiesel The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his experience in Nazi camps during World War II.	16
2	IN COLD BLOOD(Vintage, $14). By Truman Capote Its melding of crime reportage and fictional techniques made this account of a grisly murder an instant classic.	20
3	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.	62
4	THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA (Third World, $12). Ed. by Tavis Smiley.Prominent African Americans propose a proactive plan for change.	1
5	A MILLION LITTLE PIECES(Anchor, $14.95) By James Frey.Billed as a memoir of addiction recovery, the author now admits to embellishing his tale.	24
6	COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL OR SUCCEED(Penguin, $17). By Jared Diamond The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.	11
7	ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION: USING THE MYSTERIESOF AUTISM TO DECODE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR(Harvest, $15) By Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson	6
8	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.	102
9	CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN (Plume, $15). By John Perkins.Charges of financial malfeasance at the expense of developing nations.	11
10	THE GLASS CASTLE(Scribner, $14) By Jeanette Walls.A daughter's memoir of her eccentric parents and the unorthodox upbringing she survived.	3
	Hardcover
	Fiction
1	THE 5TH HORSEMAN(Little, Brown, $27.95) By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.Patients' puzzling deaths at a hospital suggest a ruthless murderer.	4
2	THE TENTH CIRCLE(Atria, $26). By Jodi Picoult Graphic art illustrates this tale (with a "Purgatorio" metaphor) of a family coping with a daughter's rape.	1
3	THE HOUSE(Delacorte, $27). By Danielle Steel A wealthy client's bequest offers attorney Sarah Anderson the chance to renovate a grand San Francisco manor.	2
4	THE REBELS OF IRELAND: THE DUBLIN SAGA (Doubleday, $28.95). By Edward Rutherfurd.The conclusion of Rutherfurd's sweeping epic of Irish history.	2
5	THE DA VINCI CODE(Doubleday, $24.95) By Dan Brown.Ciphers and riddles impede a symbologist's quest for the Holy Grail and a wily killer.	102
6	THE LAST TEMPLAR(Dutton, $24.95) By Raymond Khoury.Modern-day zealots fromthe Knights Templar hunt for a treasure not seen since 1291.	7
7	CELL(Scribner, $26.95). By Stephen King A mind-altering pulse sent simultaneously via all mobile phones in America turns its recipients into zombies.	7
8	FALSE IMPRESSION(St. Martin's, $27.95) By Jeffrey Archer.The ownership of a pricelessVan Gogh self-portrait is put in question by the attacks of Sept. 11.	1
9	THE TEMPLAR LEGACY(Ballantine, $24.95) By Steve Berry.An ex-Justice Department agent spars with a lethal Templar order seeking a lost archive.	3
10	IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN (Random House, $23.95). By Sarah Dunant A woman's troubles and triumphs inRenaissance Venice.	4
	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.	13
2	MISQUOTING JESUS: THE STORY BEHIND WHO CHANGED THE BIBLE AND WHY (HarperSanFrancisco, $24.95). By Bart D. Ehrman	1
3	THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $27.50) By Thomas L. Friedman.Globalism's colossal impact.	48
4	FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95) By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner	47
5	BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING (Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell The complex psychology behind our snap decisions.	47
6	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.	5
7	YOU'RE WEARING THAT? UNDERSTANDING MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS IN CONVERSATION (Random House, $25.95). By Deborah Tannen	7
8	FRAGILE INNOCENCE: A FATHER'S MEMOIR OF HIS DAUGHTER'S COURAGEOUS JOURNEY (Harmony, $23). By James Reston Jr.	1
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.	22
10	TEAM OF RIVALS: THE POLITICAL GENIUS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN(Simon & Schuster, $35) By Doris Kearns Goodwin.Presidential finesse.	15