Washington Area Bestsellers

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Sunday, May 7, 2006

Paperback
Fiction
1
THE DA VINCI CODE(Anchor, 14.95; $7.99)
By Dan Brown.A startling murder and ancient cryptograms spur a perilous hunt for the Cup of Christ.
5
2
ANGELS & DEMONS(Pocket Star, $9.99)
By Dan Brown.The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave.
93
3
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.
8
4
VELOCITY(Bantam, $7.99). By Dean Koontz
An affable bartender is forced to choose a sociopath's next series of victims via menacing, time-sensitive notes.
1
5
A GOOD YARN(Mira, $7.99). By Debbie Macomber
A close camaraderie develops among three women taking a knitting class at Lydia Hoffman's shop on Blossom St.
1
6
TRUE BELIEVER(Warner, $12.95). By Nicholas Sparks
A science reporter, famed for his myth-debunking articles, investigates eerie lights in a North Carolina cemetery.
3
7
MAP OF BONES(Avon, $7.99). By James Rollins
After a slaughter of worshipers, an ancient religious order loots the fabled bones of the Magi from a cathedral.
1
8
THE INNOCENT(Signet, $9.99). By Harlan Coben
Matt Hunter's life is roiled when he receives images of his wife's infidelity through his cellphone.
1
9
SATURDAY(Anchor, $14.95). By Ian McEwan
February 2003: A London neurosurgeon's day of leisure shifts from the mundane to the life-threatening.
2
10
THE KITE RUNNER(Riverhead, $14)
By Khaled Hosseini.An Afghan immigrant returns to his Taliban-ruled country to atone for a childhood betrayal.
81
Nonfiction/General
1
THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA
(Third World, $12). Ed. by Tavis Smiley.Prominent African Americans propose a proactive plan for change.
8
2
LIFE 2.0: HOW PEOPLE ACROSS AMERICA ARE
TRANSFORMING THEIR LIVES BY FINDING ... THEIR
HAPPINESS(Three Rivers, $13.95). By Rich Karlgaard
1
3
NIGHT(FSG, $9). By Elie Wiesel
The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his experience in Nazi camps during World War II.
23
4
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.
27
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.
69
6
COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL
OR SUCCEED(Penguin, $17). By Jared Diamond
The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.
18
7
THE GLASS CASTLE(Scribner, $14)
By Jeanette Walls.A daughter's memoir of her eccentric parents and the unorthodox upbringing she survived.
10
8
AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: THE TRIUMPH AND
TRAGEDY OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER
(Vintage, $17.95). By Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
2
9
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN
(Plume, $15). By John Perkins.Charges of financial malfeasance at the expense of developing nations.
16
10
GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES: THE SECRET LIFE
OFA CRITIC IN DISGUISE(Penguin, $15)
By Ruth Reichl.Stealth and costumes at the dinner table.
3
Hardcover
Fiction
1
PROMISE ME(Dutton, $26.95). By Harlan Coben
Sports agent Myron Bolitar is alarmed when his girlfriend's daughter disappears after he offers her a lift.
1
2
BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS(Pantheon, $21.95)
By Alexander McCall Smith.Precious Ramotswe's "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" faces further challenges.
2
3
TWO LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE(Simon & Schuster, $25.95)
By Mary Higgins Clark.Twins' telepathic link is a blessing when only one girl is returned after their kidnapping.
4
4
DARK HARBOR(Putnam, $25.95). By Stuart Woods
Stone Barrington suspects a serial killer in the murder of his cousin Dick and his family in rural Maine.
3
5
THE FAITHFUL SPY(Random House, $24.95)
By Alex Berenson.A CIA operative who penetrated al-Qaeda is a suspect when twin bombings strike L.A.
1
6
CHASING DESTINY(Dutton, $24.95)
By Eric Jerome Dickey.Keith's daughter runs away while he's juggling his estranged wife and newly pregnant lover.
3
7
GONE(Ballantine, $26.95). By Jonathan Kellerman
Alex Delaware investigates an offbeat acting studio in the murder of a student who faked her own abduction.
5
8
THE 5TH HORSEMAN(Little, Brown, $27.95)
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.Patients' puzzling deaths at a hospital suggest a ruthless murderer.
11
9
DARK TORT(Morrow, $24.95). By Diane Mott Davidson
Goldy Schulz, flourishing caterer and sometime sleuth, investigates the death of a paralegal at a client's firm.
3
10
THE DEBUTANTE DIVORCÉE(Miramax, $23.95)
By Plum Sykes.A young newlywed is drawn into the ritzy world of a clique of divorced Manhattan socialites.
1
Nonfiction/General
1
DON'T MAKE A BLACK WOMAN TAKE OFF HER
EARRINGS: MADEA'S UNINHIBITED COMMENTARIES
ON LOVE AND LIFE(Riverhead, $23.95). By Tyler Perry
3
2
MARLEY & ME: LIFE AND LOVE WITH THE
WORLD'S WORST DOG(Morrow, $21.95)
By John Grogan.For the love of an unruly Labrador.
20
3
THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $30)
By Thomas L. Friedman.Arevised and expanded edition.
2
4
FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES
THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95)
By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
54
5
COBRA II: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE INVASION
AND OCCUPATION OFIRAQ(Pantheon, $27.95)
By Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor
7
6
CLEMENTE: THE PASSION AND GRACE OFBASEBALL'S
LAST HERO(Simon & Schuster, $26). By David Maraniss
The extraordinary life of right fielder Roberto Clemente.
1
7
AMERICA BACK ON TRACK(Viking, $24.95)
By Edward M. Kennedy.The senator's first policy book in decades offers a progressive agenda for the country's future.
1
8
AMERICAN THEOCRACY: THE PERIL AND POLITICS OF
RADICAL RELIGION, OIL, AND BORROWED MONEY IN
THE 21ST CENTURY(Viking, $26.95). By Kevin Phillips
6
9
A DEATH IN BELMONT(Norton, $23.95)
By Sebastian Junger.Reexamining a 1963 "solved" murder that might have been the work of the Boston Strangler.
2
10
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.
9

Rankings reflect sales for the week ended April 30, 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. The advice/miscellaneous list below reflects sales from 3/27 to 4/30.)

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	Paperback
	Fiction
1	THE DA VINCI CODE(Anchor, 14.95; $7.99) By Dan Brown.A startling murder and ancient cryptograms spur a perilous hunt for the Cup of Christ.	5
2	ANGELS & DEMONS(Pocket Star, $9.99) By Dan Brown.The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave.	93
3	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.	8
4	VELOCITY(Bantam, $7.99). By Dean Koontz An affable bartender is forced to choose a sociopath's next series of victims via menacing, time-sensitive notes.	1
5	A GOOD YARN(Mira, $7.99). By Debbie Macomber A close camaraderie develops among three women taking a knitting class at Lydia Hoffman's shop on Blossom St.	1
6	TRUE BELIEVER(Warner, $12.95). By Nicholas Sparks A science reporter, famed for his myth-debunking articles, investigates eerie lights in a North Carolina cemetery.	3
7	MAP OF BONES(Avon, $7.99). By James Rollins After a slaughter of worshipers, an ancient religious order loots the fabled bones of the Magi from a cathedral.	1
8	THE INNOCENT(Signet, $9.99). By Harlan Coben Matt Hunter's life is roiled when he receives images of his wife's infidelity through his cellphone.	1
9	SATURDAY(Anchor, $14.95). By Ian McEwan February 2003: A London neurosurgeon's day of leisure shifts from the mundane to the life-threatening.	2
10	THE KITE RUNNER(Riverhead, $14) By Khaled Hosseini.An Afghan immigrant returns to his Taliban-ruled country to atone for a childhood betrayal.	81
	Nonfiction/General
1	THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA (Third World, $12). Ed. by Tavis Smiley.Prominent African Americans propose a proactive plan for change.	8
2	LIFE 2.0: HOW PEOPLE ACROSS AMERICA ARE TRANSFORMING THEIR LIVES BY FINDING ... THEIR HAPPINESS(Three Rivers, $13.95). By Rich Karlgaard	1
3	NIGHT(FSG, $9). By Elie Wiesel The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his experience in Nazi camps during World War II.	23
4	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.	27
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.	69
6	COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL OR SUCCEED(Penguin, $17). By Jared Diamond The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.	18
7	THE GLASS CASTLE(Scribner, $14) By Jeanette Walls.A daughter's memoir of her eccentric parents and the unorthodox upbringing she survived.	10
8	AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER (Vintage, $17.95). By Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin	2
9	CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN (Plume, $15). By John Perkins.Charges of financial malfeasance at the expense of developing nations.	16
10	GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES: THE SECRET LIFE OFA CRITIC IN DISGUISE(Penguin, $15) By Ruth Reichl.Stealth and costumes at the dinner table.	3
	Hardcover
	Fiction
1	PROMISE ME(Dutton, $26.95). By Harlan Coben Sports agent Myron Bolitar is alarmed when his girlfriend's daughter disappears after he offers her a lift.	1
2	BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS(Pantheon, $21.95) By Alexander McCall Smith.Precious Ramotswe's "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" faces further challenges.	2
3	TWO LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE(Simon & Schuster, $25.95) By Mary Higgins Clark.Twins' telepathic link is a blessing when only one girl is returned after their kidnapping.	4
4	DARK HARBOR(Putnam, $25.95). By Stuart Woods Stone Barrington suspects a serial killer in the murder of his cousin Dick and his family in rural Maine.	3
5	THE FAITHFUL SPY(Random House, $24.95) By Alex Berenson.A CIA operative who penetrated al-Qaeda is a suspect when twin bombings strike L.A.	1
6	CHASING DESTINY(Dutton, $24.95) By Eric Jerome Dickey.Keith's daughter runs away while he's juggling his estranged wife and newly pregnant lover.	3
7	GONE(Ballantine, $26.95). By Jonathan Kellerman Alex Delaware investigates an offbeat acting studio in the murder of a student who faked her own abduction.	5
8	THE 5TH HORSEMAN(Little, Brown, $27.95) By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.Patients' puzzling deaths at a hospital suggest a ruthless murderer.	11
9	DARK TORT(Morrow, $24.95). By Diane Mott Davidson Goldy Schulz, flourishing caterer and sometime sleuth, investigates the death of a paralegal at a client's firm.	3
10	THE DEBUTANTE DIVORCÉE(Miramax, $23.95) By Plum Sykes.A young newlywed is drawn into the ritzy world of a clique of divorced Manhattan socialites.	1
	Nonfiction/General
1	DON'T MAKE A BLACK WOMAN TAKE OFF HER EARRINGS: MADEA'S UNINHIBITED COMMENTARIES ON LOVE AND LIFE(Riverhead, $23.95). By Tyler Perry	3
2	MARLEY & ME: LIFE AND LOVE WITH THE WORLD'S WORST DOG(Morrow, $21.95) By John Grogan.For the love of an unruly Labrador.	20
3	THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $30) By Thomas L. Friedman.Arevised and expanded edition.	2
4	FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95) By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner	54
5	COBRA II: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE INVASION AND OCCUPATION OFIRAQ(Pantheon, $27.95) By Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor	7
6	CLEMENTE: THE PASSION AND GRACE OFBASEBALL'S LAST HERO(Simon & Schuster, $26). By David Maraniss The extraordinary life of right fielder Roberto Clemente.	1
7	AMERICA BACK ON TRACK(Viking, $24.95) By Edward M. Kennedy.The senator's first policy book in decades offers a progressive agenda for the country's future.	1
8	AMERICAN THEOCRACY: THE PERIL AND POLITICS OF RADICAL RELIGION, OIL, AND BORROWED MONEY IN THE 21ST CENTURY(Viking, $26.95). By Kevin Phillips	6
9	A DEATH IN BELMONT(Norton, $23.95) By Sebastian Junger.Reexamining a 1963 "solved" murder that might have been the work of the Boston Strangler.	2
10	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.	9