Fresh off the unofficial start of summer (hope everyone had a terrific Memorial Day weekend), here are the titles selling well in the greater metropolitan area ...
Nonfiction sees a pair of books that are expected to have tremendous staying power over the next few months — renowned historian David McCullough’s “The Greater Journey,” focusing on the American presence in Paris between the years of 1830 and 1900, and it’s lasting effects, and a much-anticipated chronicle of ESPN, from humble roots to today’s near-empire status.
The top half of the fiction lineup is a carbon copy of last week’s list. The only new entry is the latest yarn set in George Lucas’s “Star Wars” universe — a franchise bonanza.
And Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” rallies back on the list after a brief respite ... perhaps to remind fellow Scandinavian Jo Nesbø, who’s receiving much acclaim (and Larsson-esque comparisons) for his new snowbound thriller, that he is still the reigning heavyweight in the deluge of fiction coming out of those frosty Northern European countries.
BOOK WORLD
Bestsellers — June 5, 2011
[click on the author’s name to be linked to Book World’s review]
NONFICTION HARDCOVER
1. THE GREATER JOURNEY: AMERICANS IN PARIS
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010 -- Bristol, CT -- Studio G -- Kia NBA Countdown -- Analysts (l to r) Jalen Rose, Jon Barry and Michael Wilbon with host Stuart Scott (Mark Gaier/MARK GAIER)
2. THOSE GUYS HAVE ALL THE FUN: INSIDE THE WORLD OF ESPN
(Little, Brown, $27.99). By James Andrew Miller & Tom Shales (1)
3. IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS: LOVE, TERROR, AND AN AMERICAN FAMILY IN HITLER’S BERLIN
(Crown, $26). By Erik Larson (3)
4. BOSSYPANTS (Reagan Arthur, $26.99)
By Tina Fey. An amusing memoir from the acclaimed former SNL writer, comedian and actress. (8 )
5. UNBROKEN: A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION (Random House, $27)
By Laura Hillenbrand (28)
6. LIES THAT CHELSEA HANDLER TOLD ME
(Grand Central, $24.99). By Chelsea’s Family, Friends, and Other Victims. The sarcastic comedian’s more successful ruses. (3)
7. DOES THE NOISE IN MY HEAD BOTHER YOU?
(Ecco, $27.99). By Steven Tyler. The Aerosmith frontman, and current American Idol judge, gives readers a backstage tour of his life. (4)
8. GOD WITHOUT RELIGION: CAN IT REALLY BE THIS SIMPLE?
(Baker, $17.99). By Andrew Farley. A spiritual journey from the pastor of the evangelical church, Ecclesia. (1)
9. ON CHINA (Penguin Press, $36).
By Henry Kissinger. The statesman brings his expertise to bear on the Sleeping Dragon. (2)
10. THE DUKAN DIET: 2 STEPS TO LOSE THE WEIGHT, 2 STEPS TO KEEP IT OFF FOREVER
(Crown Archetype, $26). By Pierre Dukan (7)
FICTION HARDCOVER
1. 10TH ANNIVERSARY (Little, Brown, $27.99)
By James Patterson & Maxine Paetro. A new Women’s Murder Club tale in children are entwined in shocking murders. (4)
2. DEAD RECKONING (Ace, $27.95)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 26: (L-R) Actors Deborah Ann Woll, Sam Trammell and Rutina Wesley arrive at a cast signing for "True Blood Volume 1 - All Together Now" at Barnes & Noble in The Grove on February 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images) (Michael Tullberg/GETTY IMAGES)
(Grand Central, $27.99)
By David Baldacci. An alleged serial killer’s attorney is murdered before King & Maxwell can confer on the case. (6)
4. THE JEFFERSON KEY (Ballantine, $26)
By Steve Berry. Cotton Malone stumbles across a secret society (of pirates!) which for centuries has shaped U.S. history. (2)
5. BURIED PREY
(Putnam, $27.95)
By John Sandford. Lucas Davenport is confronted with a cold case when two bodies are unearthed in a demolition. (3)
6. CALEB’S CROSSING (Viking, $26.95)
By Geraldine Brooks. The 17th-century comes to life in a story drawn from the true story of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard. (4)
7. CONVICTION: STAR WARS: FATE OF THE JEDI
(LucasBooks, $27). By Aaron Allston. The Galactic Alliance is now safely in Jedi hands. Or is it? (1)
8. THE FINAL STORM (Ballantine, $28)
By Jeff Shaara. The denouement of Shaara’s World War II epics with the Battle of Okinawa. (2)
9. THE SNOWMAN (Knopf, $25.95)
By Jo Nesbø. A Norwegian-set thriller in which women go missing on the day of a first snowfall. (3)
10. THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST
(Knopf, $27.95). By Stieg Larsson. The Millennium Trilogy ends as Salander hunts for her failed assassin. (51)
NONFICTION PAPERBACK
1. HEAVEN IS FOR REAL: A LITTLE BOY’S ASTOUNDING STORY OF HIS TRIP TO HEAVEN AND BACK
(Thomas Nelson, $16.99). By Todd Burpo (20)
2. THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS
(Broadway, $16). By Rebecca Skloot. The shocking story of a stem cell theft in 1951 and the HeLa cell line. (12)
3. QUIET HERO: SECRETS FROM MY FATHER’S PAST
(Threshold, $16). By Rita Cosby. Revealing service in World War II. (2)
FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2010 file photo, Jimmy Fallon imitates Bruce Springsteen during the opening number during the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, file) (Chris Carlson/AP)
4. THANK YOU NOTES (Grand Central, $12)
By Jimmy Fallon and the Writers of Late Night. Humor from the comic and the crew of his evening talk show on NBC. (1)
5. TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION: 49 TECHNIQUES THAT PUT STUDENTS ON THE PATH TO COLLEGE
(Jossey-Bass, $27.95). By Doug Lemov (10)
6. LIFE (Back Bay, $16.99)
By Keith Richards. A brutally honest memoir by the celebrated guitarist and songwriter from the Rolling Stones. (4)
7. INSIDE OF A DOG: WHAT DOGS SEE, SMELL, AND KNOW (Scribner, $16). By Alexandra Horowitz
A psychology professor hits the dog park. (32)
8. THE HAPPINESS PROJECT (Harper, $14.99)
By Gretchen Rubin. What happened when a lawyer, writer and mom set out to improve her life in a year. (11)
9. THE OFFICIAL SAT STUDY GUIDE (College Board, $21.99). This revised manual offers 10 practice tests and loads of tips. (69)
10. WAR (Twelve, $15.99)
By Sebastian Junger. Fourteen months embedded with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. (2)
FICTION PAPERBACK
1. THE HELP (Berkley, $16)
By Kathryn Stockett. A frank chronicle of the lives of several black maids working in a town in 1960s Miss. (8)
2. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (Algonquin, $14.95; $7.99)
By Sara Gruen. An orphan discovers love when he joins a circus during the Great Depression. (86)
3. FOREIGN INFLUENCE (Pocket, $9.99)
By Brad Thor. Scot Harvath joins a new covert ops team and is dispatched to Europe to track a terrorist. (1)
In this publicity image released by HBO, Sean Bean portrays Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark in a scene from the HBO series "Game of Thrones," premiering Sunday, April 17, 2011. (AP Photo/HBO, Nick Briggs) (Nick Briggs/AP)
(Bantam, $35.96). By George R.R. Martin. The four novels comprising the epic fantasy series (so far); inspiration for the HBO series “A Game of Thrones.” (3)
5. ROOM (Back Bay, $14.99)
By Emma Donoghue. By Emma Donoghue. A five year-old boy narrates this haunting tale of being held captive with his mother. (2)
6. A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD
(Anchor, $14.95). By Jennifer Egan. A layered novel of a music producer and an employee; winner of the Pulitzer Prize. (4)
7. CUTTING FOR STONE (Vintage, $15.95)
By Abraham Verghese. Medicine, political upheaval and the African continent woven into a sweeping saga. (34)
8. FRANKENSTEIN: THE DEAD TOWN (Bantam, $9.99)
By Dean Koontz. The suspense master wraps up his Victor Frankenstein saga with a final pitched battle between man and monster. (1)
9. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
(Vintage, $14.95; $7.99). By Stieg Larsson. First book in the late Swede’s “Millennium Trilogy.” (99)
10. WORTH DYING FOR (Dell, $9.99)
By Lee Child. Ex-military cop Jack Reacher is in rural Nebraska, and at odds with the sinister family that terrifies the local populace. (5)
Rankings reflect sales for the week ended May 29, 2011. The charts may not be reproduced without permission from Nielsen BookScan. Copyright 2011 by Nielsen BookScan. (The right-hand column of numbers represents weeks on this list, which premiered in Book World on Jan. 11, 2004. The bestseller lists in print alternate between hardcover and paperback; the complete list can be found online.)
