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Sunday, May 14, 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.
6
2
BROKEN PREY(Berkley, $9.99). By John Sandford
Gory slayings, reminiscent of those committed by two incarcerated killers, and a new iPod keep Davenport busy.
1
3
ANGELS & DEMONS(Pocket Star, $9.99)
By Dan Brown.The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave.
94
4
A WEDDING IN DECEMBER(Back Bay, $14.95)
By Anita Shreve.A winter wedding sets the stage for a reunion of college friends, exposing myriad secrets.
1
5
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.
2
6
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.
9
7
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.
2
8
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.
4
9
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.
2
10
MARCH(Penguin, $14). By Geraldine Brooks
The imagined Civil War experiences of Mr. March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women."
2
Nonfiction/General
1
THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA
(Third World, $12). Ed. by Tavis Smiley.Prominent African Americans propose a proactive plan for change.
9
2
NIGHT(FSG, $9). By Elie Wiesel
The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his experience in Nazi camps during World War II.
24
3
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.
28
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.
70
5
COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL
OR SUCCEED(Penguin, $17). By Jared Diamond
The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.
19
6
THE GLASS CASTLE(Scribner, $14)
By Jeanette Walls.A daughter's memoir of her eccentric parents and the unorthodox upbringing she survived.
11
7
AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: THE TRIUMPH AND
TRAGEDY OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER
(Vintage, $17.95). By Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
3
8
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN
(Plume, $15). By John Perkins.Charges of financial malfeasance at the expense of developing nations.
17
9
GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL(Norton, $16.95)
By Jared Diamond.The impact of geography and the environment on the course of civilization.
63
10
A MILLION LITTLE PIECES(Anchor, $14.95)
By James Frey.The author now admits to fabricating and embellishing his memoir of addiction recovery.
30
Hardcover
Fiction
1
BEACH ROAD(Little, Brown, $27.95)
By James Patterson and Peter de Jonge.Asensational murder case jump-starts a struggling attorney's career.
1
2
I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER(Doubleday, $21.95)
By E. Lynn Harris.A zealous preacher's run for office on an anti-gay platform divides a black Atlanta church.
1
3
DIGGING TO AMERICA(Knopf, $24.95). By Anne Tyler
Two couples' chance meeting at the airport while awaiting their adopted Korean daughters sparks a friendship.
1
4
BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS(Pantheon, $21.95)
By Alexander McCall Smith.Precious Ramotswe's "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" faces further challenges.
3
5
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.
5
6
PROMISE ME(Dutton, $26.95). By Harlan Coben
Sports agent Myron Bolitar is alarmed when his girlfriend's daughter disappears after he provides her a lift.
2
7
DEFINITELY DEAD(Ace, $23.95). By Charlaine Harris
Clairvoyant waitress Sookie Stackhouse finds more than she bargained for after her cousin (a vampire) dies.
1
8
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.
2
9
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.
4
10
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.
4
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
4
2
THE MIGHTY AND THE ALMIGHTY: REFLECTIONS
ON AMERICA, GOD, AND WORLD AFFAIRS
(HarperCollins, $25.95). By Madeleine Albright
1
3
MARLEY & ME: LIFE AND LOVE WITH THE
WORLD'S WORST DOG(Morrow, $21.95)
By John Grogan.For the love of an unruly Labrador.
21
4
THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $30)
By Thomas L. Friedman.Arevised and expanded edition.
3
5
FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES
THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95)
By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
55
6
MY LIFE IN FRANCE(Knopf, $25.95). By Julia Child
with Alex Prud'homme.The beloved chef relates her initial encounters with French cuisine and joie de vivre.
2
7
LETTERS TO A YOUNG BROTHER: MANIFEST
YOUR DESTINY(Gotham, $20). By Hill Harper
The actor's inspirational advice for young men of color.
1
8
YOU'RE WEARING THAT? UNDERSTANDING
MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS IN CONVERSATION
(Random House, $25.95). By Deborah Tannen
9
9
COBRA II: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE INVASION
AND OCCUPATION OFIRAQ(Pantheon, $27.95)
By Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor
8
10
CLEMENTE: THE PASSION AND GRACE OFBASEBALL'S
LAST HERO(Simon & Schuster, $26). By David Maraniss
The extraordinary life of right fielder Roberto Clemente.
2

Rankings reflect sales for the week ended May 7, 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 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.	6
2	BROKEN PREY(Berkley, $9.99). By John Sandford Gory slayings, reminiscent of those committed by two incarcerated killers, and a new iPod keep Davenport busy.	1
3	ANGELS & DEMONS(Pocket Star, $9.99) By Dan Brown.The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave.	94
4	A WEDDING IN DECEMBER(Back Bay, $14.95) By Anita Shreve.A winter wedding sets the stage for a reunion of college friends, exposing myriad secrets.	1
5	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.	2
6	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.	9
7	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.	2
8	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.	4
9	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.	2
10	MARCH(Penguin, $14). By Geraldine Brooks The imagined Civil War experiences of Mr. March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women."	2
	Nonfiction/General
1	THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA (Third World, $12). Ed. by Tavis Smiley.Prominent African Americans propose a proactive plan for change.	9
2	NIGHT(FSG, $9). By Elie Wiesel The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his experience in Nazi camps during World War II.	24
3	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.	28
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.	70
5	COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL OR SUCCEED(Penguin, $17). By Jared Diamond The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.	19
6	THE GLASS CASTLE(Scribner, $14) By Jeanette Walls.A daughter's memoir of her eccentric parents and the unorthodox upbringing she survived.	11
7	AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER (Vintage, $17.95). By Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin	3
8	CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN (Plume, $15). By John Perkins.Charges of financial malfeasance at the expense of developing nations.	17
9	GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL(Norton, $16.95) By Jared Diamond.The impact of geography and the environment on the course of civilization.	63
10	A MILLION LITTLE PIECES(Anchor, $14.95) By James Frey.The author now admits to fabricating and embellishing his memoir of addiction recovery.	30
	Hardcover
	Fiction
1	BEACH ROAD(Little, Brown, $27.95) By James Patterson and Peter de Jonge.Asensational murder case jump-starts a struggling attorney's career.	1
2	I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER(Doubleday, $21.95) By E. Lynn Harris.A zealous preacher's run for office on an anti-gay platform divides a black Atlanta church.	1
3	DIGGING TO AMERICA(Knopf, $24.95). By Anne Tyler Two couples' chance meeting at the airport while awaiting their adopted Korean daughters sparks a friendship.	1
4	BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS(Pantheon, $21.95) By Alexander McCall Smith.Precious Ramotswe's "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" faces further challenges.	3
5	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.	5
6	PROMISE ME(Dutton, $26.95). By Harlan Coben Sports agent Myron Bolitar is alarmed when his girlfriend's daughter disappears after he provides her a lift.	2
7	DEFINITELY DEAD(Ace, $23.95). By Charlaine Harris Clairvoyant waitress Sookie Stackhouse finds more than she bargained for after her cousin (a vampire) dies.	1
8	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.	2
9	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.	4
10	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.	4
	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	4
2	THE MIGHTY AND THE ALMIGHTY: REFLECTIONS ON AMERICA, GOD, AND WORLD AFFAIRS (HarperCollins, $25.95). By Madeleine Albright	1
3	MARLEY & ME: LIFE AND LOVE WITH THE WORLD'S WORST DOG(Morrow, $21.95) By John Grogan.For the love of an unruly Labrador.	21
4	THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $30) By Thomas L. Friedman.Arevised and expanded edition.	3
5	FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95) By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner	55
6	MY LIFE IN FRANCE(Knopf, $25.95). By Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme.The beloved chef relates her initial encounters with French cuisine and joie de vivre.	2
7	LETTERS TO A YOUNG BROTHER: MANIFEST YOUR DESTINY(Gotham, $20). By Hill Harper The actor's inspirational advice for young men of color.	1
8	YOU'RE WEARING THAT? UNDERSTANDING MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS IN CONVERSATION (Random House, $25.95). By Deborah Tannen	9
9	COBRA II: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE INVASION AND OCCUPATION OFIRAQ(Pantheon, $27.95) By Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor	8
10	CLEMENTE: THE PASSION AND GRACE OFBASEBALL'S LAST HERO(Simon & Schuster, $26). By David Maraniss The extraordinary life of right fielder Roberto Clemente.	2